Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1915-09-09

could put in one piece. and. thus save
more than the. cost of the stick in labor
alone, with the result of having a far
more substantial beam.
The trade takes the salesman's word
for great deal of our lumber. If the
manufacturer sold it himself he would
advertise the qualities as / stated
above, of the lumber, giving the gov
eminent tests as to'strength and dura-
bifity. This is"n'ot done by the great
er majority of dealers today.
The trade is paying las much, or
nearly as much. in the middle West
and East as it ever did when the lum-
ber business, was good If the manu-.
facturer handled it the trade would be
paying less and the manufacturer
would be making nice little profit,
thus. enabling him to pay living wage
to his employees. Our manufacturing
plants would not be trying to borrow
money from banks which now refuse
to let them have it because their bust.
ness is at such a low ebb.
Another great detriment to the lum.
Der business is the lack of merchant
marine. It would cost the manufac-
turer 100000 to build freighter
which it would cost the foreigner but
$25O,O00 to build. The $25O,0OO boat
can load. at Vancouver and Victoria
and go tosNew York and discharge
for'$4 or IS less per thousand freight
and other expenses. cheaper than the
American boat built,at cost1of' $780,
900. We should be permitted to build
and buy boats in competition with
the rest Of the .world and sail them un.
der the American flag and be at the
beck and call Of our American govern
ment should they ever need them for
the protection, Of our country
I have 1t on good authority that
at the present time there is American
capital bdilding boats in Japan, to be
officered and manned by the Japanese,
and should We ever become entangled
in war with that nation they would be
ah, the beck and call of the Japanese
government as against America.
American capital now invested in
foreign shipping runs into hundreds
of millions Of dollars, and should we
unfortunately become entangled in a
war with any of those powers they
would use our own money as against
ourselves.
Australia has taken large amount
of lumber from us and also from Rus
sia, and today is calling for over
billion feet of lumber which we are
prohibited from furnishing for lack of
shipping. and for the small amount we
are shipping them they are paying an
almost prohibitive freight rate.
The sentine is calling for large
amounts su;of our lumber, and several
other South American countries, but
we cannot ship for lack of a merchant
marine and we cannot have merchant
marine until. the different interests
that are working against it are re.
moved, or the members of our con.
gress become brave enough to give us
marine which we can operate in
competition with every other nation.
Let the manufacturer take a greater
interest in securing American shipping
for his goods so that in times like
we are at present passing through he
can deliver his goods to the trade
calling for it, thus educating our great
middle West in the interest of an
American merchant marine. This will
enable the manufacturer to pay a liv.
ing wage to the laborer that manufac-
lures it, and sell it to the trade at
less than he is paying today with a
profit to himself and saving to the
trade.
These are but few of the many
things I could mention that are affect
ing the timber trade today.