The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-02-23

Oo1nS manufactured " 1uiliUOA.
Their are two causes for the IN
crease in the price Of lumber in
this country First: The return
j Of a greater condition of pros
perity, which is a Worldwide, ana
not a local condition, begetting in
turn greater activity in building,
and thereby increasing the de-
mand. Secondly, the rapid eX-
haustion Of our supply Of timber
The timber supply of New Eng
land and of the northwest is al
ready practically ana
for that reason twenty years 6
the lumbermen turned his atten-
ton to the south. Our supply is
also being rapily consumed, and
in less than twenty-five years Will
be exhausted. Under these con-
ditions, the price of lumber Will
continue to rise, and will event.
ually be as costly for building as
brick or sheet iron. Our cotton
and lumber manufacturers con-
stitute our two most important in
dustrieS. Their combined out
put represents nearly One-half OF.
our entire manufactured product,
and neither of them is benefited
by protection"
This speech of Senator Simmons
contains six pivotal propositions, to-
wit:
ElISt- Ii III VI liz y
publican contention that the Dingley
lumber tariff made high prices for
Southern lumber.
second. That the tariff had Moth
ing to. DO with the increase in price
of North Carolina lumber.
Third The cause of increased
prices in lumber.
"Foulth. That under normal con-
ditions the prices of lumber will con-
tinue to increase, whether the tariff
is retained or removed.
Fifth. That our North Carolina
lumber interests are not benefited
by the tariff.
Sixth. That Canadian lumber does
not compete with our Southern lu1n-
Der.
"A most careful study and ~investi-
cation of the lumber tariff question
since then, as it relates to our lumber
interests in North Carolina n the
South, convince me that the position
taken in that speech is ound. The
statistics relative to the American and
Canadian timber interests and pro-
ductlOn of lumber and the recon hear
ings before the Ways and Means Com
mittee, as we'll as the hearings be-
fore the committees in 1896 and 1897,
~conclusively sustain his contention,
that the removal or reduction of the
tariff on lumber would not affect the
lumber interests in North Carolina or
the South. Conditions arising since
1902, together with more accurate
statistical information, present many
additional reasons confirming this po-
sition, but the short space of an inter-
view forbids. their details. It is
needless to add hat the removal of
the tariff on lumber has been a Dem
ocratlc policy for a quarter of a CEN
fury and more, and that such Demo-
Gratis as Cleveland, Carlisle, Wilson,
Vest, Ransom and Vance. as we'll as
our present national leaders,, stood
squarely for such a policy. In fact.
the last democratic platform simply
stated, IN its demand for the remoya
or the lumber tariff. the unbroken
record of Democracy for more than
a quarter OF a century on this cues
ton. a"N
mo one contends, and no nrotec-
tive tariff advocate appearing before
the commlttee at the recent hearings
c~ontended, that hard woods. such as
oak, hickory, aShe, etc, and the hiel
grade pine. are affected one wav O,
the other by the tariff. In fact. j,
was the; consensus of opinion, ever
among me. advocates of protection
that IN these kinds of lumber we cont
the world. The over
wheinlng Weight of evidence before
the committee even by protectionis+s
SHOWS that the price of our SouthorY
ta anp would be unaffected by the
tarl1f. whether retained or removed
hnaeeu, the star protection witness
from the South (whose ou1ns
several undred thousand acros -,
uinpef), when put under oath a,1r;na
ms examination, declared that whethe.
~ the tariff is kept on or taken off
go higher" oi'iioe &c
A farmer is Judged hv tbo s;,a
keeps. ~ TIE slIo he