Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1913-11-28
DOUGLAS FIR
TO Be BOOSTED
Lumber Manufacturers Form
Exploitation Company
for that Purpose
THE WORLD IS MARKET
Plan an Organization to Push
Sale of Fir in Markets
of the World

Lumber manufacturers of Oregon
and Washington for the export trade
are about to organize the Douglas
Fir Export & Exploitation company.
corporation in which the stock
will be held by sawmills manufac-
turing for the foreign trade. The or
ganization will represent an output
of approximately 5OO,OOO,OOO feet a
year.
The principal purpose, it is under
stood. will be to make Douglas fir,
the product of the giant native trees
of Washington and Oregon, known
and famed throughout the world
wherever forest products are used in
any shape, manner or form This
campaign will devolve upon the ex-
ploitation department of the company
It's efforts will be directed to every
corner of the globe, to increase the
trade volume in old markets and de-
the opening of the Panama canal to
commercial traffic will open vast op
portunities in this line.
Meeting Held in Seattle
Another purpose of the organiza-
ton will be to place the export lum-
Der business on a more solid founda.
ton than upon which it now rests.
Under existing conditions, with the
mills in the Columbia river district.
the Puget sound district and the
Grays Harbor and Willapa Harbor
districts in, keen competition, the
least fluctuation in the freight mar
ket is said to reflect upon the lum-
Der market so that the loss invar-
iably goes against the lumber manu-
facturer who in turn does his best
to make the logger and timber own.
err absorb at least part of the loss
This is said to be partly the result
of the practices of spectators. The
organization plans to let the foreign
buyer of lumber instead of the Pacific
northwest shipper pay the freight,
the manufacturer charging so much
for his lumber delivered on the YES
sci at port of loading.
For several weeks past the leading
exporters have been discussing the
proposition of organization and last
Thursday the matter was brought to
such an encouraging point that a
meeting was held in Seattle at which
were present manufacturers repre-
senting ten-hour capacity of 4,O00,-
900 feet. From what can be learn
ed, sentiment was unanimously for
immediate organization. Tentative
plans were drafted and are now be-
fore the export mills for approval.
AS soon as possible meeting will
be called for perfection of permanent
organization.
Will Develop Market
The company will be conducted by
a large board of directors each to
have a distinct board, much along
the line Of the management of the
West Coast Lumber Manufacturers
association, with which rail, coast
y Use and otr0r ~
or the Pacific Coast Lumber lnspec-
ton bureau, which inspects cargoes
in the various districts.
That the Douglas fir has not been
sufficiently exploited is a matter long
recognized by all of the lumber man.
ufacturers here and in the neighbor-
ing states, and this will be the first
attempt ever made to extend the eX-
ploitation along organized lines be-
yOnd the boundaries of the United
States. Rail shippers have made oc-
casional efforts to introduce and pop
ularize fir in the middle and eastern
states. but it is said many sections
today in the states know nothing of
the splendid quality of Douglas fir for
finishing purposes. An important
market has been developed for panel
fir doors in the past few years,
through the efforts of door manufac-
turers. During the past several years
we have shipped to England and
Denmark quantities of fir for deck
ing, but it is believed this business
could be easily increased very mater
tally through a systematic publicity
campaign, it being conceded there is
no fir in the world equal to that
given here for that particular pur-
pose.