The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1909-04-10


of Facts Concerning Lumber.
Recognized as exceptionally well
qualified to speak for the lumber in
terests of the Southern States as af-
fected by the pending tariff bill, Rep
resentative Eaton J. Bowers, of the
Sixth Mississippi District a large
producer of lumber for interior ship
ment and export and as former at
torney for railways operating in the
lumber region, was heard with
marked interest in the closing hours
of the general debate on the Payne
bill. Mr.. Bowers, after reciting COM
paratively recent history of the
movement to secure tariff revision,
and referring to the danger of re-
adjustment of tariff laws by dOmi-
nant party composed largely of ben
eficiaries of the protective policy, ad-
dressed himself to the lumer sched-
ule He gave statistics compiled by
the government and then proceeded
as follows:
There is no industry with which
l am familiar which is taxed to a
higher degree. Everything that en-
ters into their plant, their logging
operations, and indeed all that is
used from the time the tree is felled
in the woods until it is placed on
the cars or vessels for shipment is
the subject of taxation to a greater
or less extent-usually greater.
my familiarity with the lumber
business is confined practically to my
own section. I know in a general
way q good deal of the conditions
under which they do business and
against which they strive. In the
first place, the cost of making lum-
Der has steadily increased for the
last ten years. The average of the
laborer and the price of labor has
risen, ard his average of living has
advanced commensurately with the
increase of his wage. More than this
The price of agricultural and farming
products, of live stock, mules, horses
and the like, of which the lumber in
dustry is one of the greatest con-
sumers in this country, has also ad-
vanced greatly within the time indi-
Gated and the actual cost of doing
business has been vastly increased
There has been no advance in the
price of lumber in keeping with the
cost of production. The price of
stumpage among other things has
greatly enhanced, land there are a very
few fortunate operators and far-see-
ing men in my district, as | assume
there are elsewhere, who years ago
cast ahead and provided themselves
with stumpage at low prices. The
vast bulk of the stumpage in my
district-and | believe it contains
more standing yellow pine than any
other similar area in the United
States has changed hands within the
last ten years at prices ranging up
to as high as S. a thousand feet. A
very few have saved themselves as
against this great advance, but the
vast majority of operators, not only
as to number but as to acreage ana
amount of timber and amount OF
cut, have paid for their raw material
prices approximating present values.
It is true that on the other side OF
the balance it may be said that lum-
her advanced-and it has-but (there
has been no such advance as would
offset the vastly increased cost of OPP
ration.
uses yearly about one days cut OF
her mills The rest is sold eltner
abroad or in the States of the ma.
die West. Practically all that is SOLD
in the United States goes into what
Is known in shipping circles as the
central traffic territory namely,that
part of the United States nortn Oh
the Ohio river, east OF the MlsSlS-
frkNro
sippi and west of line drawn 1ronl
Buffalo to Pittsburg. 1t is mlsIahe
to assume that any more than a neg
ligible quantity of, our cut flnds
market either in the east or III Cdll-
ada II is true that we have connec-
tion by water through the Gulf OF
Mexico and into the Atlantic ana
thence to the cities of the eastern
seaboard. but those markets, as well
nc fhe Canadian markets that can
he reached in that way and through
the st. Lawrence river, are so mucr
closer to the mills in Georgia and
nm the seaboard of the Carolinas that
the differentials in freight and the
cheaper transportation both by rail-
and water have driven us out Oh
those markets, except as to very
small quantity of very high graae
lumber. mostly flooring, requiring the
highest grades of long-leaf pine, OF
which a small quantity is still solo
in New York and Boston. That part
Of orr lumber that goes abroad is
shipped to the Gulf seaboard and sen
bv water chiefly to South America
Germany. France and, to some ex
tent. to South Africa. These ship
ments also constitute comparatlVei.
a very small part of our cut and com
prise only the highest grades OF
prime heart pine, free from blemlshe'
of any character, which are sought
because of the hardness and ten m
sile strength of the wood. Ihe
amount of such timber to be ootaineo
has been variously estimated and De,
nends largely upon the character OF
the timber used. 1t runs anywhere
from ten to twenty-five, and, in rare
Instances. perhaps as high as tnirt.
mar cent of the merchantaoie par,
- tbr. tree. Besides the fact ina,
there are other grades of hign-ciass
inmher. as we'll as the great amoun !,
~ the cut which must and does seer
market in the United States-an'
tha market for the whole OF Missls
sinpi and parts of Louisiana am
Alohama are in the territory | have