Show RATES ON LUMBER LUMBERTO I M TO BE RAISED Positive Information Received Here That Increase Has Been Ordered WILL COME BEFORE OCT 1 WASHINGTON MILLS WILL ENJOY EN ENJOY JOY PORTLAND GATEWAY t t LUMBER SITUATION t The Interstate Commerce corn com commission t mission will eventually force forc Hill Hili and Harriman to put in of ef effect feet a l through rate rato and routing t r agreement on lumber shipments between Washington and Ore Oregon Oregon gon mills and the intermountain market giving Salt Lake a corn com market from which to t L buy d Positive Information has been receiveD here that freight rates t ton on lumber between the Pacific coast manufacturing points and this territory and all ove the t country will be raised 5 and 10 4 per cent by Oct 1 1 This will mean a proportionate advance in prices on lumber to the consumer The Interstate Commerce corn com commission 4 mission intimates that before long they will force the of f through rates and routing on all lumber shipped from manufacturing points to t L consumption points In all given zones throughout the United States ir Freight rates on lumber shipments throughout the United States and par particularly between Washington Oregon and other Pacific const coast states points to th the Intermountain country will be raised from 5 to 10 per cent on Sept 1 or Oct 1 by the railroad companies Such Is the positive Information that has been received In Salt Lake this week and with it com comes s the announce announcement ment that when the freight rates are arc arco areso so o raised the price ot of lumber to the public will be proportionately proportionate raised The news Is most Important as af affecting affecting the tho lumber industry ot of the west and In fact the entire country With th the announcement of the tho prospective pros raise In the freight rates on lumber comes the further information r I this week that eventually probably some Iome time this year the Interstate commerce commission will force Hill HIlI Hilland and Harriman to get together and open PW the Portland gateway for through lumber lum lumber ber shipments to Salt Lake and the In Intermountain lumber market from the Washington mills giving this territory n a competitive market from which to bu buy lumber George E Merrill of the Lumber company here arid and president of the Western Re Retail Retail tail association has re returned returned turned Washington D C where II lie was called to appear before the In Int interstate t commerce commission at the hearing held by this body on the of opening the Portland gateway Opened Eventually The Th stor story of the fight Instigated b by bythe the Washington lumber manufacturers against the Oregon manufacturers and Hill Hili and Harriman to secure a through I rate and routing arrangement between I Washington V lumber manufacturing I points to Salt Lake and the Intermountain tain market via Portland and the Hill Hilland Hilland and Harriman roads was told In The Herald of July 8 President Merrill spent three da days s in Washington at the hearing on this matter and he Ie brings back the Information Information mation that eventually the through rate rato and routing agreement will be en enforced forced over the he two roads and Salt Lake Lako and Intermountain wholesalers can then buy lumber from either the Oregon or Washington mills where they are now forced to buy solely from the Oregon manufacturers The Washington manufacturers called for the hearing held b by the commission com mission They asked for the Imme immediate diate opening of the Portland gateway giving as th their h reason that on account of the shortage of cars and other equipment on the Hill lines they could not move their stocks to market and had been forced to shut down their mills The commission met June 11 12 and 13 and denied the Washington mills their petition for the present The one ground upon which they based their refusal was Harriman can enn cannot not at the present time furnish the Oregon manufacturers with cars enough to move the lumber stocks they have on hand To enforce a through rate and routing agreement between the Washington manufacturing points and Salt Lake over the Hm Hill and Har Harriman Harriman riman lines line would mean that the Ore Oregon Oregon gon manufacturers would be given less cars than they now receive they would be In worse shape than ever to move stocks to market the Washington manufacturers would not get enough cars car to benefit them materially and altogethEr r the situation would only be made more complicated than it Is at present No Objection to Competition I This was the contention advanced b by bythe the officials of oC the Harriman and the Hilt Hill roads and by the Oregon manu manura ra They succeeded in establishing establishing lishing It completely The Oregon manufacturer no question a as to the right of the commission to enforce the through rate and routing agree agreement agreement ment ultimately nor did the railroad officials Neither did they Question the fairn fairness ss of opening the gateway and giving this section of the west a com competitive competitive market from which to buy President Merrill went to Washing Washington ton to represent the western estern retail lum lumbermen lumbermen bermen at the hearing While the thet commission refused to grant the petition of the Washington manufacturers for Immediate relief they Intimated very strongly that eventually the Portland gateway must be opened and then went even further and Indicated that they have In mind the ultimate enforcement of oC through rates and through routing arrange arrangements arrangements ments upon all railroads of the coun country country try between all manufacturing points and all common consumption points In given zones he said yesterday One or of the most Important things brought out at the hearing according to President Merrill is tire the tact fact that while the freight traffic of the west has Increased by hundreds of per cent the past year and two years the rail railroads railroads roads have increased their equipment 20 30 and 40 per cent only Car Shortage Will Come From the estimates and figures given before the commission In Wash WashIngton Washington Ington as to the equipment or of the Hill Hilland Hilland and Harriman roads In the west at present and the amount of freight ot of all descriptions to be handled this fall falland falland and winter there Is absolutely no Ques Question question tion but that we will be confronted by bya a car shortage this year of uni unparalleled severity declared President Merrill emphatically yesterday On top ot of this prospect has come the positive Information that lumber freight rates are to be raised 5 and 10 per cent this fall Probably by Sept 1 and pos possibly possibly sibly not until Oct 1 The railroads will not den deny the report of the prospective raise rals They put their position has gone up p all allover allover over the country every commercial commodity has Increased in price while freight rates have been lowered Instead of Increased for years We cant build cars without money and It takes more money to build them now than I ever b for warrant a raise In freight rates and the Increase in this Instance will affect lumber Lumbermen have no hesitancy In instating stating that when the freight rates go up the public will have to stand It Three or four weeks week ago prices fell of and 2 a thousand on carloads of odd grade and odd size lumber Two We weeks ks ago the market strengthened again even on this poorer class of stock and Is now holding strong Lumbermen do not pretend to sa say what the end will wUl be They declare they only know the manufacturers charge them a certain price per thou thousand sand for th their lr lumber and that they in turn charge the public proportion proportionately proportionately The manufacturers of the coun country country try are now engaged In proving to the agents of the government Investigating the lumber trust of the country that the cost of oC manufacturing ing lumber has Increased with them In every wa way from the cost of logs to the cost of shipping the sawed product Back of the manufacturers the loggers today In the Washington and Oregon camps are paying men and a day where two years ago their laborers labor ers eri drew on an average a day Millions of acres of the finest forest land of oC the country both east and west Is held by men like Weyerhauser of St Paul Walker Valker of Minneapolis and others who are nearly doubling their money year after year by simply holdIng their timber refusing to have haveIt It touched b by saw or a aThe ax The situation II is extremely complicated ed and Salt Lake and the intermountain tain country Is In the thick of oC It In a nutshell the present situation here is isas as is coming Into the city In fairl fairly good quantities It Is all coming from the Oregon mills later the Portland gateway will be opened and we will wUl get lumber from both th Oregon and Washington mills and possibly at a slight decrease In prices owing to the competition this section I of the Intermountain country particularly particularly I and the entire west generally will be confronted by an unparalleled car shortage this fall and winter rates on lumber will be raised i 5 and 10 per percent I cent this fall and the public will have to stand the Increase The local lumber market It Is ex expected will be In about the same con condition condition I It was last year |