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Newspaper
Jasper News
Location
Jasper, Missouri, United States of America
Date
Mar 08, 1917
Page
6
Are you a home owner or future buyer. The page notes 9 percent of lumber used in homes barns and repairs is retailed by lumbermen. It presents a Government Forest Service report to show lumber is not sold at exorbitant prices and cites FTC agreement on the report's broad conclusions.
A government backed appeal argues lumber prices are fair and competition is strong. It cites Forest Service findings and claims manufacturers and retailers provided data willingly, urging readers to judge the truth about lumber pricing and profits.
To reduce lumber costs for consumers, shipments should have a single freight paid. Manufacturers cannot supply every wood type, so the local retailer serves as the sole channel. He can deliver mixed shipments and provide materials the consumer cannot obtain otherwise.
The article explains that about eighty percent of lumber sold locally moves in wagon loads rather than carloads. It notes most homes require multiple species from various regions, making direct manufacturer-to-consumer distribution practical. Retailers assemble in yards, buying carloads and charging a single freight and profit, since lumber is bulky and costly to ship repeatedly.
Excerpts from an official National Forest Service report presented with a direct commentary by J. R. Moore of the Southwestern Lumbermen’s Association. The material aims to inform home builders about conditions, practices, and implications affecting the lumber trade and industry.
The study covers 1,000 operations in Missouri Kansas and Oklahoma during 1912 to 1915 showing net profit of 2.05 per thousand feet and 7.53 percent on investment. Independent town and country yards in 1914 averaged 7.46 percent on investment and 7.31 percent on sales. The inquiry aims to clarify public misunderstanding and shows the lumber trade remains competitive with localized restraints rather than broad, noting recent distribution changes have intensified competition. W. B. Greeley signs off saying the findings counter claims of exorbitant profits.
A discussion notes that freight charges absorb a fifth or more of lumber costs, with transport shortages driving mills farther from buyers. It cites rising costs, higher labor, and reduced purchasing power as amplifying factors, and argues for improving distribution methods while praising Build With Wood as an economical universal building material.
Large mills often sell directly to retailers while smaller mills push through wholesalers. Both large manufacturers and wholesalers compete for retail trade, keeping prices low and quality high to win business.
A historical comparison shows a seven room modern house costing 3450 with 1550 in deductions for basement and utilities. It reveals 82 percent added to first cost for modern conveniences and 44 percent of total cost from improvements and conveniences. The piece argues high building stems from buyer demand and greater buying power, not merely higher lumber use.
The town enjoys the same freight rates as the city, so it faces no disadvantage in buying on account of freight or quality. The carload remains the economic unit for lumber purchases, enabling rural dealers to buy one, two, or five carloads as cheaply as urban buyers.
The piece contrasts past and present home comforts, noting fathers built houses without modern necessities. It describes reliance on stoves, coal oil lamps, wardrobes, and kitchen cabinets, with bathrooms, toilets, and sleeping areas shifted indoors as improvements evolved.
A north Missouri consumer paid $165 freight on a single carload of lumber from Bay City Michigan, a sum wasted after he declined to let his home dealer try to save the money.
Consumers in the Missouri and Mississippi Valleys enjoy more building woods options than elsewhere with strong competition among suppliers. Freight rates vary by two to five cents, often deciding which species is used or sold.
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