Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-08-22
The Democratic Proposition for Free
Lumber, Pulp Wood and Paper.

his hearty approval the 1oiloWlhS
plank in the Democratic platforms:
I'VE demand the immediate repeal Of
the tariff on wood pulp, print paper
lumber, timber and logs, and that
these articles be placed upon the free
list"
It will readily be seen that the pro-
posal Of the Democratic party to put
all kinds Of manufactured lumber
upon the free list is direct blow at
the thousands of wage workers in
Maine who are engaged in the various
phases of our immense lumber bust
ness The Dingley bill permits
Canadian logs and pulp wood to come
| into this country free of duty in or
der that American labor may be given
an opportunity to convert it into the
pulp, and paper. and long and short
lumber of commerce. 1t gives to the
manufacturers of Maine absolutely all
| from free raw material but it insists,
| through the tariff it maintains upon
the articles manufactured from it, that
| the labor which is expended upon it in
converting it to the uses of the market
shall be American and not Canadian
LABOR. Every thoughtful citizen will
recognize the Importance of the lum-
| Der industry to the State of Maine, and
| must certainly appreciate the fact
| that any law which. by giving Canada
! free access to the great American
| market. would tend to remove into the
Dominion the paper mills, the pulp
mills and the sawmills which are now
would be a body blow at the prosper
| ity of all our citizens. 1t IS the
limitation of the free trader that he is
never able to look upon the commun-
ity in it's entirety. We are ell more
or less interdependent in our business
and social relations and any policy
" hich tends to strike down and destroy
any great industry of our State can
not fail to exert an unfavorable af-
feet upon the prosperity of it's citi-
| zens.
AS the Journal has frequently stated.
the foremost interest of the State Of
Maine is unquestionably agriculture
and it is TO the credit of the DingIey
tariff law that it clearly recognized
this fact by affording the products Of
our farms ample protection to insure
them against disastrous competition
from across the Canadian line The
value of the farm products of this
State as given by the last census was
s37113.496.
Next to agriculture the greatest in
dustry Of Maine, and the one which
puts into circulation the most money
among its citizens, is the allied lum-
ber wood pulp and paper industry,
whose combined product for the year
1900 as given by the last census, was
S26 III, SIS. 1t is entirely safe to say
that the next census will show a very
large increase in the value of the farm
products of our State and a propor-
tlonately large increase in the money
put into circulation by the wood
lumber, pulp and paper industry. Con-
finins ourselves, however to the fig
ures of the last census, which are the
latest ones at hand, it will readily be
seen that to put manufactured lumber
wood pulp and paper upon the free
| list would be a ruinous blow at a
great Maine industry which as far
back as the last census was putting
out an annual product of nearly ST,
oooOoo. large part of the money
thus brought to Maine went into the
pockets of the farmers of this State in
payment OF their products consumed
by the army of men employed in these
Industries, and into the general chan
nels of local trade. As shown by the
| last census no less than s32, 473, 100 was
paper plants of this state. There We're
then S13 Of these establishments Since
then the number has largely increased
They employed, in 1900 II, 6S5 men, and
had annual pay rolls aggregatlng
st795,976. In addition to these regular
pay rolls they had miscellaneous ex.
| penses including the services Of ma
chinists, painters, carpenters, roofers.
| masons and men of other trades,
whose wages aggregated for the year
1900, s1,9OS,O37, making the grand total
| paid out for labor in the State Of
| Maine that year s6704,013 Their
products constituted a large element
in the prosperity Of our railroads and
transportation companies greatly in
creasing the number Of men employed
by them.
| Now it must be remembered that
| this large army of workers and this
large outlay of money to the Iaborng
men of our State represented only the