The Birth of a Regional Logging Monopoly
A massive consolidation of timber interests threatens to revolutionize the logging industry across Western Washington.
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.
Within the next twelve months the logging business in Washington will be revolutionized. An innocent looking deal was that made by Henry Hewitt, Jr., and Charles Tucker last week when they bought the Washington Logging company. This company was organized a year ago with a capital stock of $200,000. By an act of the legislature, the Washington Logging company secured a franchise for log driving on every stream in Western Washington, thirty-seven in number, and shortly the company proposes to log on these streams and supply every saw mill on Grays Harbor and on the Sound with logs. As a matter of fact, the purchase meant that the largest logging company in the world is in the process of hatching.
“As a matter of fact, the purchase meant that the largest logging company in the world is in the process of hatching.”
The 'Logging Octopus' narrative mirrors ongoing concerns about the consolidation of natural resource industries in the Pacific Northwest and the impact of corporate monopolies on local mill towns.
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