Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1911-02-24


prairie states. The lumber resources
Of this country are not In the hands
OF comparatively few n 1t may
have some foundation when applied
to white pine, which represents but a
very small fraction of our forest re-
sources.
AS TO THE LUMBER SITUATION.
Our last national census reports 49,
600 saw mills in the United States be-
sides other thousands of timber own
ers, and lumber, excepting the better
grades Of white pine, is not high in
price. The average prices of yellow
pine (Which now constitutes one-third
OF all lumber manufactured in this
country averaged less than $13. so per
1000 feet at the mills where it was
produced and the claim that admit
ting cheap free Canadian lumber into
the United States would conserve our
forests is an error Of the uniformed
lacking the knowledge of practical
logging operations. Clifford Pinchot
Is surely good authority on this sub
ject and a very hero in insurgency,
the leader and king of conservation
lists, and he says that reducing the
tariff on lumber ''widens the area Of
cheap stumpage and increases the
waste of our own"
The kind Of lum Der shipped by Can
ada to this country is mainly Norway
spruce, fir and the low grades of white
pine, carried by water to our lake
cities at a freight rate so low that
yellow pine suitable to take its place
cannot compete and billions of infer
Tor logs available to make useful tim
Der are now left rotting in our south
ern woods because the product made
from them cannot compete in our
northern markets with the untaxed
cheap stumpage and low, water
freighted lumber from Canada.
1t is true that Canada buys some
lumber from us, but it is of kind
that does not grow In her own terri
tory. She bought all told from us
last year $7,873,S64 worth of lumber
and forest products, mostly hard
woods and pitch pine, which do not
grow in their country and we're re-
quired for special purposes. Among
the lumber items we exported to
Canada was $4,000, 900 feet of oak lum-
Der to be manufactured into furniture
and things for which it Is suitable
and the things for which it is suitable
and desired.
THE UNITED sTALEs HAS THE ADJ
VANTAGE.
In trade relations with our north
ern neigbors the United States is far
more independent than Canada. We
produce in abundance everything
that Canada can grow and sell US,
while Canada by reason of her more
northern latitude must come to us for
many things which cannot possibly be
grown in her territory, such as corn,
cotton, tobacco and many semitropi-
cal fruits and vegetables.
The only Industries in this country
that will be injured by Canadian rec
iprocity as formulated by our depart
ment of state and the Canadian gov
eminent are the lumber industry,
and to a lesser extent the American
railroads, for every foot of Canadian
lumber shipped to this country by
water is a loss in freight revenue of
SO per 1000 feet, as this is approx
mately what the rail freight would be
for carrying American Lumber from
the southern mills to the lake cities
receiving Canadian lumber by water.
LUMBER BUSINESS WILL BE DEPRESSED
Conservation Of our forest resources
will be discouraged and the waste of
low grade logs will be increased. The
lumber industry will be further de-
pressed by increased comhetition; the
railroads will have less lumber to
haul, and shorter hauls on many
other things, as nearness from pro-
Queer to consumer will govern our
sales and purchases. This feature
may be considered an economic gain,
and while hurtful to some is perhaps
the strongest claim in favor of free
trade with Canada. l predict reci-
procity on farm products will not at
feet the purpose for which it was In
tended, viz, reduce the cost OF living.
Reducing the duty on eggs an6 but
ter will not increase the stock on
hand. Food stutfs are not going to de-
cline in price until its production in
creases. Our trade with Canada for the
past five years shows we have export
ed to that country twice as much
farm products as we bought from
there. The treaty will help some
farmers living close to our
centers OF population, who
will now pocket the revenue which
Dur custom houses heretofore collect
ed and our American farmers will be
tc sell his Canadian neighbors
more live animals. hay, pork, lard,
FRUIT, vegetables and cotton seed oil
without having any Canadian custom
house barriers to overcome, and the
Iost national revenue will have to
come from some other source.