Lumber Barons Admit Defeat: Seattle Lumbermen's Association Suspends Operations

The Seattle Lumbermen's Association has finally concluded to suspend. A conflict of interests has brought about this result, and interviews with leading lumbermen give a fair idea of the causes. In the first place, it is said, the local lumber trade is dull, and every dealer has to put forth his best efforts to drum up sufficient business to keep running. Some of the mills are not as favorably situated for trade as others, and when forced to maintain the same scale of prices are placed at a disadvantage which is bound to lead to dissatisfaction. But the most important of all impediments is the difficulty of maintaining a higher scale of prices here than those elsewhere on the Sound generally, for outside mills are always ready to ship in when they see a favorable opportunity. These are the obstacles the association had been trying to overcome ever since it was organized, but finding it impossible to do so, it voted at its last meeting, on Saturday evening, to 'give up the ghost.' It is said that some of those who were most steadfast in their advocacy of the organization and most sanguine of ultimate success, were actually losing business by it.

Secretary Bradley was seen, but while admitting the failure of the organization to accomplish what it started out to do, he denied that it had disbanded. He said it had simply decided to let the matter drop for the present and hold no more meetings, but to continue the organization until some time in the future.

That the price of lumber all over the Sound resulting from the fierce competition is ruinously low, every man who knows anything about the lumber business admits; and that the restriction of this competition and the maintenance of reasonable prices would be of general benefit not only to the mill owners but to the country generally every lumberman believes; but how to accomplish it—'there's the rub.'

The Contractors' Association seems to fare better than the lumbermen's, and Secretary Larimer says he thinks the latter had better transfer their membership to the contractors'. The lumbermen were first to suggest the organization of the contractors. The object of the lumbermen was to get the responsible contractors into an organization and give them a 10 per cent discount on bills. The Lumbermen's Association aided in bringing the contractors together and encouraging them, and now the child feels strong enough to suggest to the parent that it is ready to adopt it.

The Contractors' Association held a meeting Monday night at its headquarters in the Boxwell building. Three new members were taken in, making a total of twenty-five members now in the association. The committee on constitution was not ready to report, so time was granted until the next meeting. The members expressed general satisfaction with the working of the organization so far, and it was decided to give each member a key to the association's rooms in the Boxwell building, and allow them to be used in a general way on figuring on work. The next meeting takes place on Monday evening.