New-York tribune., 1912-04-06
LUMBER MEN IMPATIENT
Ask President for Report Of
Federal Investigation.
INQUIRY STILL UNDER WAY
Mr.. Nagel Replies Task Is Djfa.
cult and Will End Soon
as Possible.

| Washington. April D - It's reoi,os, -,
/ President Taft for publication Of conc,n.
sions Of tho Department OF Commerce sra
/ Labor upon its Investigation Of the tr-.-
ber manufacturing business. ordcrod -,
Congress In 1905. was made public TO-DAY
| by the National Lumber Manufactures,
/ Association, with other correspondence bs.
tween the President and the Secretary =,
! the Department of Commerce and Labor
The petition says
We. representing many citizens ~ -.
United states who arc entitled t0 iustice
at the hands Of the government and ~
/ that justice which D. doubiy admiraJ,e n
| prompt, petition you TO have made pubUc
/ al the earliest possibl. moment the yhola
conclusion Of the Department OF Com.
merce and Labor as to the principle cues.
/ ton put To II by the Congress resolutions
that the people of this country may no
/ longer have TO depend for their opinion IA
TO the lumber producing industry upon m.
situations, unverihed charges. suspicion 0.
! prejudice.
! President Taft referred tho complaint 10
Secretary Nagel, whose reply states the A..
! titude OF the administration in the matter
/ ON receiving the letter from the Score.
tary OF Commerce the lumber men msda
another appeal 10 President Taft, in which
! ii is stated that while the Department OF
! Commerce and Labor made public on Feb
ruary IS, 1911, partial report on the lum.
Der industry, it related only 20 the prlyat.
/ ownership OF standing timber and ad.
vanced only one Of the reasons for the al
legged high price OF lumber; that this rar
tal report ignored the request - Congress
to report particularly as to the existence
of combinations. etc, in restraint OF trade
and therefore failed TO give tho lumoer
producers the verdict which they asked tor
at a conference with the President Serre
tary Nage and Commissioner Smith IN
Washington, on January r. 1910. The petit
tion says:
Prices Of lumber az tho mills advanced
during the seven years from 1873 TO l@s
about IS per cent This corre~pOnded With
the advance I'm other commodities which
enter 50 greatly into the cost OF lumber.
and in part TO the Increased values oi
stumpage. Prices 10 the consumer IN some
sections OF the country remote from lun-
ber producing sections advanced probably
in still greater proportion, due In part 10
the exhaustion of near supplies, making
necessary the payment Of greatly in
creased transportation charges.
Notwithstanding these sufficient reasons,
Il Is charged, and seems TO nave been com
monty DSlleNeO, lildl lllt liiNl'o7' ~ bt'~'.
at the mills was due to the existence OK
controlling combinations or agreements
commonly known As trusts and that
the lumber trust was and is al oppres'
sye entity.
Secretary Nagel I'm his answer 10 the
lumber mems complaint says the report OF
the Bureau Of Corporations was not only
important and relevant Ia the issue IN
volved I'm the resolutions of Congress, ou'
the amount of standing timber and the con
centration Of its ownership were absolute
~ essential to the discussion of tho Iues'
tions involved. The Secretary says the
bureau found a wholly unexpected ana
very remarkable degree Of concentration o.
standing timber 1t thus applied a seconH
and absolutely essential basic fact IN inc
discussion OF lumber prices.
The Secretary SAYS the Bureau ot Cor
porations has, considering the magnitude
OF the task, supplied necessary facts a.
rapidlv as possible. and that 1t is no"
carving on an investigation into compet-
tive methods, a report on which VIII -
presented as soon as possible Tne nured"
has also been carrying on investigations
into the actual course Of the prices OF lum'
her and this. too will be presented a.
coon as finished.