The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1909-04-22
As Canadians Would Raise
the Price to the United
States Consumers.

n .t5N2aSalNiiON, d., Vi, April ID.
\ The popular fallacy that lumber will
4 be made cheaper TO the consumer Il
1.-the present rate OF duty Is lowered
was exposed By Edward Hines, OF
/ Chicago, III his statement to the
finance committee Of ;the Senate In
connection with the lumber schedule
OF the tariff bill. Mr.. Hines called
attention to the fact that the most
insistent demand for reduction in
1.-THE lumber duty comes from the
great agricultural states OF the Mid
die West, which would not get a
stick of Canadian timber cheaper
than they do now If the duty we're
removed. The reason, he explained,
Els that 1t wohld be practically inn
possible to put lumber through the
Great Lakes into the wholesale
markets of Buffalo, Cleveland. De-
troit and Chicago. rehandle 1t, add
the wholesalers profit, then reship
lit by rail to territory more than
one hundred miles from these CEN
ters. and sell 1t in competition with
the yellow pine from the southern
states.
Mr.. Hines commended that the Ca
madam lumberman would not be dis
posed to yield anything to the Amer.
lean consumer by reason OF the adj
vantage he would gain in reduction
of the lumber duty. This. The said.
had been demonstrated thoroughly
in many contracts recently made for
the sale of Canadian lumber for
shipment to this country, in which
a clause had been inserted to the eff
feet that II any part of the tariff is
taken on, the seller, Sin considera-
ton OF selling his lumber. at GER
tain agreed price is to receive one
half of whatever. amount the duty
may be lowered" 1t was. only rea-
sonable to presume, he declared,
that the Canadian operator, being
possessed of the usual amount Of
business shrewdness and knowing
the advantage he has already, would
absorb from one-half to two-thirds
Of whatever is taken OF the duty, as
an additional profit for himself. mi
view of this, he asserted that there
was no guarantee, in fact. no indica-
ton to the American consumer. that
Canada will lower the price of her
lnmber L the duty i is decreased.
Canada, said Hines. having increased
her imports 900 per cent. during
the last eight years and her prices
100 per cent. is 1t not safe to pre-
sumo that by taking OF the duty her
imports would increase. and at theI
same time her prices need not nee
essarily' be any less than slight re-
duction under the prices made byI
the, American manufacturer. that is.
simply enough to make it an In
'ducement for the American whole
saler or importer to buy his lum-l
Der in Canada rather than at home.
Under, such conditions the consumer
of lumber would derive no benefit
whatever iby reason OF the reduction
in duty. The entire advantage
would be swallowed by the Canadian
.lumberman and the American inn
porter and wholesaler. But this In
creased importation would work al
great loss to the American lumber
manufacturer and lumber laborer.
Not only to them would the loss
come. hut to the American farmer
whose great customer the lumber
man is and also to the American
railroads which transport American
lumber, whereas Canadian lumber is
transported by the water route.
Mr.. Hines showed that on the,
other hand. Canada makes no of.
fer to reciprooate for the advantage
which She would gain by reason of
a reduction of duty upon her lum-
her. She has given no indication of
an intention to repeal her present
embargo in not allowing logs or raw
material to be imported into this
countrv, hut eompels che manufac-
ture of her own timber in her own
country.
Mr.. Hines also argued that there
was another side to the question
other than the fact that the ,Ameri-