Los Angeles herald., 1909-01-03
TARIFFS ON LUMBER
SHARPLY CRITICISED
CONSERVATION LEAGUE GIVES
OUT CORRESPONDENCE
Canadian Senator Shows Markets of
His Country Have Been Flooded
with Output of American
Mills
Special Correspondence.l


MINNEAPOLIS, Dec. 30.-Interest-
ing correspondence in regard to the in
te4natI0naI aspect OF the question of
repeating the duty on lumber ana other
forest products has been given out by
the National Forest Conservation
league, which is taking the position
that the first step in forest cOnserva-
ticn is to repeal the tariffs that prevent
American consumers from drawing
freely on the forest products of other
countries. This correspondence is be-
| tween Senator William G. Edwards, a
member of the Canadian parliament
OF Rockland, Ont, and a large manu-
facturer of lumber and pulp in Canada,
and the secretary Of the league. SEN
ator Edwards was the official repre-
| sentative of the Dominion at the recent
conservation commission conference in
Washington, d. c.
From this correspondence it appears
that although most manufacturers Of
lumber in the United States object to
the repeal Of the tariff on lumber, al
leglng Inability to compete with Cana
dian lumber, the Canadian market has
this year been flooded with American
lumber-there being no Canadian duty
! on rough lumber--to such an extent
| that the Canadian manufacturers have
! been undersold at home and have had
| their market ruined In consequence
| SAAI lIAiAlOCI 44lCI4 VI AdIlcLOd ulduS dill
| effort to have a retaliatory tariff placed
on American lumber, but this agitation
| failed, largely, it is said, on account of
| the remarkable telegram sent by SEN
ator Edwards to Sir Wilfrid Laurier.
1t is stated that the Canadian importa-
| lions of American lumber have been
| chiefly low grades, competition in
which, the lumber men appearing be-
fore the ways and means committee
| said they most feared.
| Under date of December II, Senator
! Edwards writes to the secretary Of the
| league: Recalling the promise I made
| to you at Washington a few days ago,
| | herewith inclose copy of the telegram
I sent Sir Wilfrid Laurier in Tune last
after a large deputation of lumber men
| had called on him and our minister of
! finance, begging for the imposition Of a
| duty on southern pine coming from the
| United States, which was then, and
has been most of the time since, delug-
ing our Canadian markets, and is pro-
duced and sold SO cheaply that it has
! been impossible for us to compete.
Hard, of course, for the moment, on
| lumber producers, but a great benefit
to the buyers and users Of lumber.
Will Save Their Timber
THE ground I take is that we will
| win in the end. If you Americans arc
foolish enough to exhaust your forests,
not only to supply your own wants but
ours Also our timber will grow and be-
come more valuable in the meantime,
which will result in great ultimate
profit to us.
II am taking the liberty Of sending
you also a paper which has a letter in
1t I hurriedly wrote something over a
year ago on the pulp question:
The following is a copy of the tele-
| gram Senator Edwards sent to Sir Will
| frid Laurier:
Most sincerely and earnestly hope
you will pay no regard to unjustified
| demand made upon you for a duty on
southern pine coming from the United
| States. The demand arises in conse-
quence of a temporary stagnation in
our business, which will soon pass
away. The imposition of the duty
would be most trif1ing in so far as nit
| igation of the present dullness in Can
adam trade is concerned, and would be
most unpopular excepting with a few
avaricious lumber manufacturers. I
sincerely beg you to allow one Cana
dian industry to exist without placing