The Timber Monopoly Holding Everett Hostage
A fiery editorial calls out the Puget Mill Company for hoarding vast tracts of land and artificially inflating timber prices while ignoring the welfare of the local community.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The Puget Mill Co. owns thousands of acres in this county on which they pay a nominal tax. In no way is this company aiding in the development of the country. They are holding large tracts of valuable timber land with the sole aim in view of reaping large profits in the future when a scarcity of timber will have boosted remaining stumpage to a fabulous price. At the present time it refuses to sell any of its holdings. It is a stumbling block in the way of present development of our resources. It cares absolutely nothing about the welfare of the people inhabiting the county in which it has its immense holdings. Big profits and 'after us the deluge' is its slogan of business. Our system of taxation permits the man with large capital to gobble the choicest land and hold it out of reach of the average man unless he brings himself to mortgage several years of his future to acquire it. When they tell you that raise of taxation on the speculative property would necessitate a like raise on the small home owner, ask them to tell you what ails a system that puts a premium on idleness and a penalty on thrift?
“Both timber baron and realty shark depend upon the thrift and industry of other men to put value into their holdings, neither put real value into it himself.”
Everett’s early struggle with land barons hoarding timber acreage echoes current municipal battles over vacant, corporate-owned property and the 'YIMBY' arguments surrounding land use. The editorial highlights a 1911 version of the tax policy debates that still dominate local politics today.
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