The labor world., 1922-03-04
PRESIDENT OF DUL UTH'C 'CHAmbERl J J
OF COMMERCE HAS RIGHT nUNCH

Here is chance to understand
the Duluth Chamber of Commences a:
little better. It's president, . Benz.
Finch, is mighty wholesome man:
who is giving his utmost to the pub.
lie welfare Mr.. Finch; is a man Of
vision. He sees a new order of
things in store Of Duluth. He. is try
ing to bring together all groups and.
elements. and the kind Of speech he
made last Friday would indicate that
he can not lose. Here 1t is and 1t is
good for the workers as it was for
retail merchants: ~, =. : :.
Nov, gentlemen, my good friends
Director Brinkman and Presid ent OF
the Retail association :Annis, have
stated that I have a confession 70
make. have--but. in making this
confession I am going to ask some
other members a few questions and
bring. home to them and to you some
Of the benefits that they as we'll as
I have secured through this organ
ization's work, this year. .,,.-
First. let me ask Mr.. Avoyof
Scott Graft Lumber company il it ~
not fact that this Organization as
sisted him in securing lower rates
on logs from the Omaha 500 Limo
and other territory and whether or
not this ORGANIZATIONS traffic bureau
is cooperating: with him in order 70
secure lower log rates on the Great
Northern?, Also, Mr.. Avoy, is: it not
a fact that this year you are going
to get from, this territory some three
million feet of logs and, is. it not. a
fact that in the saving OF these logs
into lumber and utilizing them in
your factory that there will be some
$4,000 in wages paid out to- your
employees and possibly some. &addi-
tional taxes paid as we'll as insurance
carried? Is it not fact that those
lower rates mean saving Of $12;Qe0
to producers. settlers, operators and
country merchants? x I
'Now, Mr.. Nunan.: is it not a fact
that you have, men trading with you
who are employees Of Scott Craft
Lumber company and are there not
other West end merchants who have
some of Scott-Graff's employees: :tra ds
ing with them and isn't it a. fact
that you and: others have employees
working for you distributing the ner-
chandise purchased by employees of
Scott-Graff Lumber company
'''Now, gentlemen I want TO-: con-
:fess that I had no market for our
logs in Wisconsin. In the past they
were shipped to Ladysmith and Min
neapolis where other mills and labor
manufactured them into lumber, but
through the efforts of ours traffic
bureau working with the lumber
CONF pany they secured a rate on logs
which increased: the value TO- us. by
about $1,000. So I humbly confess
we did get some results from; this by
the assistance of our traffic bureau
this year. But, so did Mr.. Nunan ana
other West end merchants. Lef us
picture these three million logs that
were not available to Scott-Graff be-
cause they could not be brought here
on account of the freight rate. Sup
pose scott-Graff's mill was, shut
down. u {: -
'What a flare of trunpets there
would be and how their employees
would welcome the information. that
through the efforts Of the Chamber
of. Commerce and their company
lower rates had been secured that
would bring three million logs re-
quiring 500 cars. The mill would
start up and men would be given en-
ployment, the wages paid out would
be used again to buy groceries, fur
niture. help pay rent, taxes and: dis
tributed through the banks so you
can see that in this instance also
Duluth retail merchants and busi-
ness men did get the benefit Of the
proper rates and settlers and other
country merchants benefit also in
this saving. !