Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1917-05-18
ERA OF PROSPERITY
FOR PUGET SOUND
PAYROL.S OF INDUSTRIES SHOW
TREMENDOUS INCREASES
THIS SPRING.

The Puget Sound country is en-
tering upon a new era of prosperity.
The shipbuilding, the logging and
lumber industries of Western Wash
ington today are paying out grand
total of $7,227,400 a month in wages
as compared with $5,483,500 a
month year ago, gain of $1,743,-
900 a month, or $58,130 day, &C
cording to a compilation by the Seat
tie Times.
The logging industry today is pay
ing out $2,833,400 a month in wages,
or $34,0OO,O0O a year. In 1916. the
figures were $2,363,500 a month or
$28,35O.0O0 a year.
Lumber Industry Booming.
The lumber industry has a payroll
of $3,334,O00 a month, or 100000
900 a year. In 1916 the payroll was
100000 a month or $36,000,000
a year.
Puget Sound salmon canneries and
the 100 Alaska canneries tributary
to Puget Sound are spending grand
total OF $26,000,000 this year for
new plants, improvements, extern
sions, supplies and machinery as
against less than $14,0OO,000 in
1915.
The coal mining industry of the
Sound district is now pouring money
into the district at the rate of So
100000 a year as compared with
$5,O0O,OO0 a year in 1916.
Commenting on these facts, the
Times says:
A New Era Dawning.
A new era is dawning for Seattle
and all of Puget Sound.
Seattle and Puget Sound are
marching forward with gigantic
strides into an epoch of tremendous
achievement and prosperity.
Come war or peace, it makes no
difference.
The new era rests on the old rock
ribbed foundations - the logging,
numbering, fishing, coal mining, ship
building and shipping industries.
Food, coal, lumber, ships-all es-
sential whether there is war or peace.
People must eat. People must have
houses and business blocks. Com
merce must have ships. Ships and
plants must have coal. All this re-
gardless of whether there is war OF
peace, but soon war will give an add.
ed stimulus. On a peace footing, Sc.
attic and Puget Sound have swept
onward with terrific strength in all
lines of industry, dashing every rec
ord from the board and amazing the
world.
Business Is Durable.
War has broken on the United
States, but 1t causes no apprehension,
no halt or hesitation in the gigantic
industrial and commercial develop
ment of Seattle and Puget Sound.
It's only effect is to strengthen the
onward sweep to greater days.
Business is more rock-ribbed.
more solid. more durable, more ag-
gressive than ever before in the his
tory of the Northwest.
And added to all this. the govern
ment plans to begin great steel and
wooden shipbuilding program in Sc
attic and the other Sound ports
Those contracts will come as "wal
velvet"
How stands Seattle and Puget
Sound with the United States at war!
To answer that question, to get al
the hard, basic facts, the bedrock
situation, the Times last week inves.
tigated conditions in Seattle and
Puget Sound. The cheerful optimist
and the croaking pessimist were
both dfsergarded.
Also the dealer in generalities
Also the snapshot judgment pest
Even the careful estimates of con
sentative men were ignored unless
they were backed by facts, more facti
and still more facts.
Tough, Hard Facts.
The facts are enough. The tough
hard facts reveal a condition beyond
the greatest hopes of the fondest op
timist of 1916.
The logging camps Of Western
Washington now employ $4,000
workers as against $4,000 last yeal
and the output Of the camps in Logs
this year will aggregate 100000
in value as against $40.500.000 las
year. For mess house supplies, The
logging companies this year arr
spending $7,65O.000 as against S..
100000 last year.
In the lumber industry the value
OF the output this year will run Close
to $112,00O,000 as against $4,000.
900 last year. The number of en-
ployes last year was $4,000. Because
OF labor shortage, the number shows
only a fair increase this year, but e!
indicated by the payroll figures, thu