The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1910-02-21
ANOTHER WORD TO THE PUBLIC


The following communication APP
peared in Sunday mornings Banner
over the signature of "Laborer":
IAN example of the effects Of the
tariff on lumber that the Florida sem
ators and representatives in Congress
worked so hard for when the Payne
Aldrich bill was before them last
spring is so clearly set forth in the
following from the speech of Mr.. Nc
Henry delivered in Congress, that |
think 1t ought to go before your read
ers now that these gentlemen are
seeking reelection: Let me briefly
cite one practical case which tells the
story of the lumber trust. l know d
man in my district who built little
house twelve years ago. The size Of
the house was 16 by % feet 1t cost
him S465 when hemlock lumber was
selling for 80 per thousand. This house
was not very large and it was not a
palace in the eyes of the average
trust magnate, but it was an Ameri-
can home. 1t furnished place where
this workingnan was a king within
his own home. He paid for it and was
out of debt. Three years ago the little
home was burned to the ground. He
started to build another home. He
made it two feet larger each way-18
nine years the stork had left six little
American citizens beneath the roof of
that humble home. The new home,
built only two feet larger than the old,
using the old foundation, cost 1886. 1t
contained no modern cOnveniences
more than what the old home had.
During this period Of years between
the time of constructing the first home
and the second home, the mans wages
per day. During this same period the
wages of the men who worked in the
sawmill and the planning MILL which
sawed and dressed the lumber have
had an increase Of from 10 to Is per
cent. The increase in the cost of the
home was about 100 per cent. This
home must be built and paid for from
the surplus earnings of the wOrkmen.
Now. when we figure the margin of
profit which the man has. after sup
porting himself and wife and family
of six children, and then estimate the
number of years he has to work in or
der to make up this increased cost
which has gone almost exclusively into
the pockets of the timber owner, it is
time for us to stop and consider as to
which man is more in need of legisla-
ton, the timber owner or the man who
wants to build and own a home Does
it require an argument to demonstrate
who it is that our co representatives
consider the people"
careful study Of the foregoing by
a man who has a good memory, OBJ
serves the course of events. and has
some knowledge Of the condition of
the people OF other countries, would
lead him to the conclusion that La
borer' ascribes general results to a
particular cause. said cause being next
to him and rather obscuring the rest
of the world from his vision.
Twelve years ago. there was double
the amount of timber in the country
there is now, and not anywhere near
the demand for lumber there is now.
Wages of Workmen in Mr.. McHenry 5
district, and some otner parts of the
country, may have increased only 10
or IS per cent. In Florida, twelve or
fifteen years ago, men were glad to
obtain employment at the hardest
kind of labor at so and rs cents a day
So far from building new houses, hum
dreds of homes were becoming dilapi-
dated for want of tenants, and right
here in Ocala many people were oc-
cupying good houses rent free on con-
dition Of taking care of them for their
owners, who were not always able to
pay taxes on them. Perhaps other
parts of the country were more pros
porous than Florida. but any one who
read the daily reports of the suffering
in the big cities, and stagnation OF
business all over the nation, is forced
to the conclusion that affairs in this
state were up to the average. Twelve
years ago is a bad standpoint to figure
from as a criterion of the price OF
lumber labor or anything else. The
Star knows it pays it's printers from
so to 100 per cent. more now than II
did in 1898, and they are much harder
to find at any price.
Everybody knows that the price OF
necessaries has gone to what in many
instances is an unreasonable height
Everyone understands that the tariff
needs lowering. But what everybody
doesn't understand is that there are
some commodities that would stand NJ
chance of being lowered in price by
lowering the tariff, and lumber is one
of them. Canada has an abundan
supply of timber. Reduce the tariff or
lumber, and the Canadians would re
duce prices long enough to put ou
lumber industry out of business. o.
greatly cripple it, and then raise then
to whatever figure they saw fit. Thert
ity in the lumber business. 1t doe!
not seem to be paying any more thar
a fair profit in any part of the country
1t certainly is no bonanza in Florida
If our representatives in Congress haC
allowed the tariff to be reduced, q
taken off lumber. the result would
have been simply that a large numbe
of Southern sawmills would have shu
down, a number Of American workmel
would have been out of employment
and number of little American citi
Zens" would have gone barefoot AM
lived on short rations.
Lets reduce the tariff-if we can. blu
let us not commence by jumping on tn
industries that obviously need prOtec
ton. Patriotism, like charity. SHOULD
begin at home. and stay there, at least
until the chores are finished.
We do not think it fair TO our sen
ators and representatives in Congress
on the eve of the primaries. to attemp
to prejudice the minds and votes of tn
laboring classes and naturally, tn
largest number of voters against then
for something they are not responsible
for. The law of supply and demand i
responsible for the increase price o
lumber and timber in Florida far NOR
than the tariff upon this commodity.