Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1916-10-28
HAwLEY's FIGURES ARE MUDLED
lEugene Daily Gnard.l

Congressman w. c.. Hawley. candi-
F., date for reelection from the first con
gressiona district, if he had the inter
ests of the men who work in the lum-
Der mills at heart would know how
much Canadian lumber had been i'm
ported into the United States. In his
address in Eugene he said he did not
| know, but he made the assertion that
| since the passage of the Underwood
law immense amounts of Canadian lum.
ber had been imported and that the wor.
| l;ers in the mills in this country suffer
ed as result. That Mr.. Hawley had
just returned from Washington and did
not have figures to quote ON the impor-
tation of Canadian lumber into this
country is conclusive evidence that he
has NO business representing this or any
other district in the Congress of the
United States.
Congressman Hawley's off-hand sta
tement as to the importations of Cana
dian lumber is not supported by facts
or figures and is untrue. The impOrta-
ton Of Canadian lumber into this
country reached the high point under
the administration Of President VIM. H.
wood tariff, and has never been equal
led at any time under the administra-
tion of President Wilson. The depart
ment of commerce of the United States
government will supply any one inter
ested with the figures on application
and Mr.. Hawley, if he really wanted to
know how much Canadian lumber had
been imported could have obtained this
information easily.
Mr.. Hughes also spoke of cheap labor
in the Canadian mills and asserted that
the Underwood tariff was responsible
for American labor being thrown on the
market in competition with this cheap
labor. What are the facts? Is the la
bor employed in the Canadian mills
cheap laborl II so, how do these re-
publican campaigners account for the
fact th"t lumber and shingles are selling
at higher prices in British Columbia
than in Portland and Seattle.
The Timberman, published at Port
land and an authority on west coast
lumber products, at pages 55 and So in
its September issue, gives the prices of
cedar shingles at Vancouver, B. c., rang
ing from $2.05 to $40 per thousand,
to the wholesale trade according to
grade, and at Seattle from $3.50 to ST.
so, and at Portland from $1.55 to $1.S5
per 1000, according to grade. The prices
given for cedar logs at Vancouver are
$l0.50 per 1000 feet for shingle cedar
and $12.25 to $3.50 per 1000 feet for
logs suitable for cedar lumber while at
Portland cedar logs were quoted at 50
to $40 per 1000 feet and at Gravs Har
Dor, Wash, $l1 was the highest. No
specific price was given at Seattle for
cedar logs. According to the quotations
given, the cheapest or lowest priced
shingles in British Columbia are 90
cents higher than the best or highest
priced ones in Portland, and % cents
higher than Seattle
AS reported in the Timberamn for Oc-
tober, i. G. Ames, prominent lumber
man, in his remarks on the lumber situa-
ton. said:
81 think they are getting in British
Columbia 81 to Sc more per thousand
than we are getting for shingles. In
British olumbia they get $l2 for tim
hers as against our 80. They are get
ting $2I for flooring as against our $22.-
so. We have all we want in the way of
business and I cannot see why we can
not hold for higher prices"
These are figures taken from trade
publication and compiled for trade pur.
poses. They discredit the statement that
Canadian lumber is cheap and that AM
eriean labor has suffered because of i'm
portations from Canadian mills.
The lumber producer in this country
today is underselling the Canadian lum-
ber producer. This is reflected in ex-
ports during the past week from Column
bia river points to Australia and other
British possessions. These are facts
which the men in the mills should think
over.
The consumer in Oregon and Washing
ton is today paying more for lumber
than he did before the passage of the
Underwood bill. The market has not
been broken down by importations of
lumber, On the contrary, the market
reflects that Canada cannot now supply
Great Britain demands. If this is true,
what can the Pacific coast mills in the
United States expect when the recon
struetion period in Europe sets in, fol-