The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-04-05
DEMAND FOR
Findings
Lumber "Trust" Wants to
Know What Taft Learned
AN UNUSUAL PROCEDURE
LUMBER MANUFACTURERS AS
soclATloN CLAIMS THAT DE-
LAY I'M REPORTING coNcLu-
sIoNs HAS CONFIRMED PUBLIC
THAT THERE is TRUST.

washington. April 5.--Its demand
upon President Taft for publication Of
conclusions Of the department of CONF
merce and labor upon its investigation
Of the lumber manufacturing business,
ordered by congress in 1905, was made
public today by the National Lumber
Manufacturers association, with 9TH
er correspondence between President
Taft and the secretary of the depart
ment of commerce and labor.
This somewhat unusual attitude on
the part of great manufacturing in
dustry is in the form of a petition
which sets forth that the delay in re-
porting the findings Of the department
has tended to confirm the public in the
opinion that a lumber trust" exists in
the manufacturing side of the lumber
business, and has greatly accentuated
the attacks upon that industry.
I'VE, representing many citizens Of
the United States, who are entitled to
justice at the hands of the government,
and to that Justice which is doubly adj
mirable if prompt" says the memorial,
petition you to have made public at
the earliest possible moment the whole
conclusion of the department of COM
merce and labor ais to the principal
question put to it by the congressional
resolutions, that the people of this
country may no longer have to depend
for their opinion as to the lumber
producing industry upon insinuations,
unverified charges, suspicion or peri
udice."
On receipt of the statement and Pc
tition of the lumber men, President
Taft referred the complaint to Secre-
tary Nagel, who furnished the presi-
dent with a reply. This reply states
the position of the administration in
the matter. The lumber manufactur-
ers, npon receiving the letter from the
secretary Of commerce, made another
appeal to President Taft, saying:
I'VE hope, Mr. President, notwith-
standing the present attitude of the
administration. as expressed by the
honorable secretary. that you win pro-
mote the prompt justice asked for by
a body of the citizenship now, as they
verify believe, misunderstood, and
grievously maligned."
In the petition, reference is made to
the fact that while the department of
commerce and labor made public Feb.
13, 1911, a partial report on the lumber
industry, it related only to the private
ownership of standing timber, in the
United States, and advanced only one
of the reasons for the alleged high
price of lumber; that this partial re-
port ignored the request of congress to
report particularly as to the existence
of combinations, ETC., in restraint OF
trade and therefore failed to give the
lumber producers the verdict which
they asked for at conference with
the president Secretary Nagel and
Commissioner Smith in Washington
Jan. II, 1910.
Prices of lumber at the mills" says
the petition, advanced during the sew
en- years from 1899 to 1906 about IS
per cent. This corresponded with the
advance in other commodities which
enter SO greatly into the cost Of lum-
Der. and in part to the increased val
ues of stumpage.
Prices to the consumer in some
sections of the country remote from
lumber producing sections, advanced
probably in still greater proportion
due in part to the exhaustion Of neal
supplies, making necessary tn payment
of greatly increased transportation
charges.
Notwithstanding these sufficient
reasons it is charged and seems to have
been commonly believed that the in.
crease in prices at the mills was due
to the existence of controlling combi-
nations or agreements commonly
known as trusts was and is an op.
pressive entity"
The petition then says that respon.
sive to public charges congress adopt.
ed resolutions for an investigation o
the lumber business. Attention is par.
ticularIy called to the fact that the
resolution required that the investiga.
tion should be conducted with tht
''particular object of ascertaininl
the existence Of any combination
conspiracy, trust, agreement or con,
tract in restraint of commerce.
The petition says further that while
the effect of these resolutions was in,
furious to the lumber industry, the in
vestigation was welcomed by lumber
producers who had long been1restiv,
under the loose unfounded and igno
rant charges made against them" anS
that every assistance to the investiga
tion was given.
with this active and hearty coop
Grafton of the lumber industry it wa
felt that the inquiry should produc
early results. "On the contrary, say
the petition, it was not until Feb. ia
1911, more than four years after TIL
passage Of the resolution, that any re
port whatever was made by the com
missioner Of corporations, who ha,