The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1908-10-29

of North Carolina or Southern pine
sells his product in active competition
with every other manufacturer, and it
is this condition which has forced the
price of lumber down, and which
would have forced it down if the tariff
on lumber had been ten instead of
two dollars per thousand. The great
scare-crow held up to the Southern
lumberman is the competition with
Canadian lumber. 1t has often been
stated that our Southern lumber docs
not compete with the lumber furnish
ed by Canada, and as a substantiation
of that fact, we actually exported TO
Canada in the last year, 1907, lumber
to the value of $4,902,910.
Exports Argue Tariff no Benefit.
1t is we'll known principle of trade
that any article of commerce that
exported to any considerable extent
cannot be benefited in the home mar
ket by protective tariff. unless the
natural laws of trade are interfered
with in some artificial way, as, for in
stance, when the home market is
controlled by a trust. which is not
now and never has been true of the
lumber business. 1t is as clear as
that water will seek it's level that no
producer will ship his product to the
foreign market as long as the home
market bears price in excess of what
the foreign market will give. And
hence the export of any article in con-
siderable quantity is sufficient proof
that that article is not benefited by
the tariff against the foreign article
unless it is controlled by a trust Ac.
cOrding to the government reports
lumber was exported from this coun-
try last year to the value of $39,S61,-
352.
The following article, writts6 by a
practical lumberman, Mr.. Charles
Ross, of the Ross-McAllister Bros.
Lumber Co., of Harnett county, in
addition to being very instructive
discussion of the question, shows that
the lumber people have some prac-
teal ideas of their own about these
fooled by Republican misrepresenta-
tions:
"a Lumberman's Views on the Tariff
as Affecting North Carolina.
"To Lumbermen:-The protective
tariff is capable of some exceedingly
ingenious arguments. One of the
latest is an appeal to Southern IuH1-
bermen that the price of their lum-
Der is affected by the tariff tax of
50 per thousand. Southern Democrats
have never based their political judg-
ment upon a monetary standard, as
our Republican friends have been ac-
cuStomed to do. Nevertheless some
have been disposed to say that if we
have been robbed by the protective
tariff in the interest of the North for
half century and the lumber tariff
does really help our section, that we
should not hesitate to take advantage
of it. But does it help us? All of the
surplus lumber manufactured through
this section finds a market in the
Eastern States. The only foreign
lumber that can compete with us in
this territory is lumber from Canada.
Canada has no lumber that comes in
competition with our yellow pine.
The Canadian lumber does in some in
stances come in competition with our
second growth pine. The second
pine is manufactured principally into
box boards and "roOferS." SiX-inch
'roOferS' are worth in Baltimore to-
day $14.50 per thousand; in New York
they are worth 81 per thousand more.
Why? Simply because it costs 81 per
thousand more freight to ship them
from the South to New York than it
| does to ship to Baltimore. In Buffalo,
n. Y, almost in sight of the Canadian
line this same lumber is worth 81
per thousand moro than it is in New
York, the difference being exactly the
| difference in the freight rate from the
| South. If the cost of Canadian lum-
/ Der regulated or influenced the price
as we approach the Canadian line, we
| would find the cost of lumber re
|
grew less.
But 1 have sold this year in North
| Tonawanda, right on the Canadian
| line. q number of car loads of lumber
and the price paid was more than
| enough to pay extra freight to North
| Tonawanda over what the same lum-
Der would have brought in New York
| city. This makes it plain that the
Southern lumber and not the Canadian
lumber fixes the price that our lumber
brings in the territory that furnishes
our customers. Then why any tariff
on lumber? 1 will tell you why. Back
in the Northwestern States, along the
| Canadian line, there is the same kino
of lumber that Canada produces
These forests are controlled almost en-
tireIy by three or four large com
panies. Now, in all these Northwest
ern States, it is to the interest of these
large companies to keep out the Cana
dian lumber in order that they ma!
mOnopoIize their local trade. These
States cannot ship lumber from the
South on account of the high tariff
and the local companies are protected
by. the result.
but, there are ways that the South
ern lumberman feels the effect OF the
protective tariff. When he buys G
saw for $40, he pays $14 of that pr1ct
by reason of the tariff tax When ne
buys 500 worth of betting, $35 OF
that amount is added by the tariff
4 When he buys a boiler and engine fol
$500, about $500 of it is his tribute
to our tariff policy. To every mile o.
railway from his mill to market thf
tariff has added an extra cost of ST.,
900, and his freight rates must bea1
the burden.
'gThe truth is the South's two chic
products, cotton and lumber, canno
be protected by the tariff since wt
produce a surplus of both. Ever!
piece of machinery that we use il
manufacturing the one and cultivat
ing the other is added a cost of rs tt
, SO per cent, as. a result of the tariff
schedule.
"CHAS. ROSS,
. | 9.