Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1913-02-28
TIMBER PRICES
NOT CONTROLLED
Alex Poison Denies His Com.
pany Controls Crays
Harbor Situation
PLENTY OF COMPETITION
Nothing to Prevent Railroads
From Building Into
Quiniault Reserve

Alex Poison, of the Poison Logging
company, in a signed statement to the
Post-Intelligencer, denies that his
company dictates the price of stump
Harbor. Referring to dispatch
printed Sunday morning, he writes
as follows:
MANY of the concerns owning and
operating mills on Grays Harbor were
wealthy people when the writer stood
on the chopping board falling timber
of Grays Harbor.
Carlisle & Pennel are amply able
to build hundreds of miles of rail
road without borrowing a dollar. Neff
K Prentzel, Boeing estate, France &
Low, f. X. Wood Lumber company,
S. r. Slade Lumber company, Cosmop-
oils Commercial company, the Big
Creek Timber company, the Warren
Company, Northwestern Lumber COM
pany, Grays Harbor Lumber company,
Wilson Bros, Charles Clemens, Sagi-
nav Timber company, Greenwood
Timber company, Anderson & Middle
ton Lumber company, the Hoquiam
Lumber & Shingle company, Coates
Fordney Logging company, besides
many others not mentioned above, are
doing their own logging
Poison Not Debating
This is TO say nothing of the
United States, the Weyerhaeusers
who could build a railroad across the
continent. II is absurd to even think
the Poison Logging company We're die
tating the price of stumpage and logs
in the midst of these concerns.
''The Poison Logging company does
not belong to any association in re-
gard to the price of logs or the wages
paid to the men in the woods, or any
other association or combination of
any kind or description whatever, and
Is not going to. The reason for the
scarcity of logs on Grays Harbor was
the low price of lumber prevailing
during the last couple Of years. which
drove many Of the concerns out of
business for the time being. Then
again the long and hard winter,
which prevented great many of the
logging and mill companies from
operating. All these conditions will
remedy themselves in a short time.
Railroads May Build
'"The Oregon Washington, the Mil
waukee and the Northern Pacific are
now dumping large quantities OF logs
from different camps situated on their
roads at the mills in the harbor. The
Northern Pacific several years ago,
secured the right-of-way through the
Quiniault Indian reservation, as has
also the Milwaukee in recent years.
There is nothing the writer knows of
to prevent them building as soon as
conditions justify.
with these facts it is absurd to
think that the Poison Logging COM
pany has any control over the situa-
tion in the Grays Harbor country
they are simply an independent log
ging concern. They have operated
their camps many times at loss to
enable their customers to meet condi-
tions arising in other lumber cen
ters on the Coast. They have not ask
ed nor received as much for their
logs as some other concerns on Grays
Harbor during the shortage of logs
this winter, as several manufacturing
concerns had to pay more for logs
than they were getting for their lum-
ber In order To fill some off-shore car
goes or pay demurrage. With better
weather conditions. when all logging
camps are In full operation. there will
be plenty OF logs for every mill on
Grays Harbor In a short time.
(Signed) "ALEX POISON.
"Hoquiam. Wash. Feb. "a"