The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1908-09-12
LUMBER
FIGURES
LARGEST TOTAL RECORDED
FOR AMERICA THAT
OF 1907.
Greatest Activity Shown In the
SOuth-Supply In Lake States
Rapidly NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Cut that Year Also Shows De-
cline-PerC Capita UsedIncreases.

Washington, Sept 3.-Figures of
the lumber cut in 1907 compiled, by
the bureau Of the census and the forest
service, showed the largest total ever
reported in the United States, exceed
ing by over per cent the cut reported
in 1906, until then the record year.
This does not necessarily show larger
actual cut than in 1906, for the returns
obtained last year were more complete
than ever before. The figures them
selves disclose some interesting facts.
In 1907, %, $50 mills made returns,
and their production was over 40, 600,
600, 900 feet of lumber. This is be-
lieved to include 95 per cent of the
actual cut. In 1905, 1898 mills re-
ported about $1,000, O0O,OO0 feet.
Since according to these figures nearly
20 per cent more mills reported last
year than the year before, while the
increase in production was only little
over per cent, it might be thought
that the amount actually manufactured
must have been greater in the earlier
year. This, however, would be a too
hasty inference, for it is almost wholly
among mills of small individual out
put that the gain in the number of es-
Establishments reporting has been made.
A classification Of the returns, by
states and regions throws additional
light on the situation. Individual
changes, as for example the remarka-
BILE rise of Texas from eighth to third
place among the lumber producing
states, are doubtless accounted for pri-
marily by the greater accuracy of the
1907 figures, but in the majority of
cases the advances and declines can be
traced to specific influences.
Greatest Activity in the South
Before the year closed the general
business depression was severely felt
in the lumber industry. It was not,
however, the most important cause of
a falling off in the production of the
year where a falling off occurred. For
ddecline in production took place only
in certain regions The southlus the
region Of greatest activity in lumber
production, and yellow pine the most
important wood, forming 33 per cent
of the entire cut of the country. The
cut of yellow pine reported shows an
increase of Is per cent over that of
1905. In the early part Of the year
many of the southern mills cut SO
heavily that, in spite Of the curtailed
output which followed the business
disturbance later, the total was greater
than ever before But in both the
lake states and the northwest smaller
cut was reported than for 1905, though
the number of mills reporting in
creased.
Supply Wanes in Lake States
In the lake states the falling off
evidenced the waning supply of white
pine. Michigan, which for many
years led all the states in lumber pro-
ductIon, and then gave way to Wis
consin, and in 1907 from fourth to
seventh place, while Wisconsin went
from third to fifth. Minnesota as late
as 1905 held fourth place. Last year
it went from seventh to ninth. It was
not until the later nineties that the
south displaced this group of states as
the most important source of lumber
supply. Since southern pine is album
dant in all the Atlantic coast states
from the Carolinas to Texas, the region
as q whole will doubtless maintain it's
leading position for some years, in
spite of the fact that at the present
rate the bulk of the timber will be
gone in another decade; but in totals
the production by individual states
the leadership has since 1905 been
held by Washington.