Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-03-27

definite postponement of this memorial.
Mr. WHEELER of Cumberland: Mr..
President: I should just like to ask
| question of my colleague, the Senator
from Cumberland through the Chair;
whether the effect of the previous tarin
reducing the tariff on lumber. was not
to cause reduction in the price OF
| Maine lumber and a corresponding in
| crease in the cost of foreign lumber, so
that the result to the State was not a
saving in the cost of lumber, but loss
| to the lumber industries of the State?
| Mr.. WARREN: Mr.. President: / could
not answer the question of the Senator
as to the effect; do not know what the
| effect of the change was. l only know,
| as We all know, that reduction IN the
} duty on lumber-will eventually some
| what lower it's cost. Lumber is raw
material which ought to come in free
| That we have none too much lumber
growing in our State and in the UNITED
| States. we well know. 1t is proper and
| right that we should draw upon the
Canadian lumber, and that the Canadians
| will have part of that 1essened duty. L
have no question that we shall have to
divide with them and l can not answer
4 as to the effect of the former change,
for I do not remember just what came
! about
Mr. REYNOLDS of Kennebec: Mr..
President, l should feel badly to see
Maine vote for free lumber for q man
who pays duty on it today knows what
the price is. We have plenty of lumber
in Maine for a good many years to
come. Our children and grandchildren
\ will be out of sight before it gets very
high Pine is not worth a dollar moro
than it was 80 years ago. They are
getting the same price for pine and
hemlock, and I think it would be a
shame not to have q duty on lumber
They can ship it in now and sell as
cheap as we can, but it is not growing
any smaller.
Mr.. WARREN: Mr.. President, I OBJ
lect to the statement made by the SEN
ator from Kennebec, that pine lumber
and spruce lumber is no higher than it
was 90 years ago. 1t certainly is, in the
section of the State where l live. The
price of pine has gone up long ways,
and the price Of spruce has gone up a
long ways, and the price of all lumber
has gone up. 1t is true, just at TINS
| time, that the price of lumber IS, IN
some details, a little lower than two
years ago, but that is on account OF
the suspension that now exists in BUS
mess. There is absolutely no question
that when there is a revival, the price
of lumber is going up good long
ways. in spite of the tariff. Lumber
is getting expensive and, eventually,
will be more expensive. We need TO
draw on the lumber of our neighbors
and not shut ourselves up to our own
borders.
Mr., REYNOLDS: Mr. President, /
can speak from experience. / hauled
lumber all winter 80 years ago, and
pine lumber then brought $13 thou
| sand, and for common Sapling they
| paid S1350, on the Kennebec river this
| year. And that is the best | could get
for hemlock lumber this year, and
there We're oceans and oceans of IT for
sale, at So a thousand, and go years
ago it was worth that, and 20 years
ago it was worth that. I have hauled
it over 80 years and the price today
on pine has not changed any. You
| could not go into the market then and
buy good pine lumber for less than
| from twenty-five to thirty dollars a
thousand manufactured, and 1T brings
lust the same price now. And there IS
not any pine in Canada which is any
better The price of spruce is higher on
account Of the pulp mills. but it is not
| worth any more than it was 10 years
ago.
Mr. EATON of Washington: I would
say, in answer to the senator from
| kennebec, that | remember distinctly
the price of spruce lumber in 1872 and
1873 1t was just as high at that time
| as it is today.
The question being put upon the mo-
ton that the memorial be Indefinitely
post poned, the yeas and nays We're or
dered and the vote being had resulted
as follows: Those voting yea We're
Messrs. Baxter, Boynton, Hill, Looney.
Love- Osgood, Staples, Warren (s).
Those voting nay were Messrs. Col
cord, Eaton. Emery, Gowell, Hamilton,
| Hastings, Howes, Irving, knoWlton,
Macomber Milliken, Minott. Mullen,
Reynolds, Shaw, Theriault. Walker,
| Wheeler Q0.
| SO the motion was lost.
Thereupon. upon motion by Mr. Ea-
ton of Washington, the memorial was
adopted.
On motion by Mr.. Macomber of Ken
nebec. Bill, AN Act to amend the
| charter Of the Augusta Water Dis
tr;ct," was received, and, under sus-
pension of the rules, took its two sew
cral readings without reference to a
committee and was passed to be en-
crossed.
| On motion by Mr.. Macomber of Ken
nebec, Bill to provide for competitive
bids and the award of State contracts
for the construction of State buildings
| and bridges, together with accompany
ing report fought to pass" was taken
| from the table, and on his further mo-
| ton, the report was accepted, and, I'M
| der suspension of the rules, the bill