Railroads Hike Lumber Freight Rates
Local lumber mills face an uncertain future as major rail lines announce a sharp increase in freight rates for shipments to the Midwest.
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 threatened advance in east-bound rates on lumber and shingles was officially announced by telegraph from St. Paul headquarters of the Great Northern road. While the Great Northern is the first to publish the new rates, they will undoubtedly be matched by the Northern Pacific, Union Pacific, and Canadian Pacific. This move marks an increase of 10 cents to St. Paul and Missouri River points and 5 cents to Mississippi River points. Mill owners suggest this will force prices up significantly and make competition with Eastern white pine and cypress much more difficult. Some see it as a necessary trade-off for better car service, while others fear the higher costs will leave local dealers who signed fixed-price contracts for spring delivery in dire financial trouble.
“The principal danger of the advance enforced by these rates will be the opportunity it will give the white pine men who have been holding large stocks of shingles for months.”
This report highlights how tied Seattle’s early economy was to global commodities and rail logistics. The anxiety expressed by mill owners about freight costs and national market competition continues to define the Pacific Northwest's relationship with its export-heavy industries.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.