105 



lumber to Illinois in the more or less distant future. Pacific coast timber 

 can be shipped by water to the Atlantic seaboard at less cost than to 

 Chicago by rail. 



The percentage of shipments from the far west will rapidly increase 

 as the eastern region declines, and in the decades of 1930-1960 this region 

 must supply by far the larger portion of the quantity used, at steadily 

 increasing prices. This condition will make it more and more profitable 

 to grow timber as a crop in regions located nearer the consumer and 

 with lower freight charges. Because permanently prevented by her cli- 

 mate and soils from ever producing an appreciably large per cent of 

 softwood lumber, Illinois has a direct economic interest in the proper 

 management of these great pine regions to the north and south, and her 

 citizens should emphasize this fact on every possible occasion. Mean- 

 while the state, by a vigorous forest policy, may succeed in producing 

 within her borders a substantial proportion of the hardwoods needed in 

 many lines of industry. 



Retail Prices for Lumber in Illinois 



No exhaustive study was made of the retail prices of lumber in 

 Illinois, but the effect of the exhaustion of the Lake states pineries, and 

 later of the increasing scarcity of eastern timber and shifting of the 

 center of production towards the far west, can be seen by exhibiting 

 the average prices by years of a few standard grades of lumber for the 

 past few decades. These are given for the decades up to 1900, and 

 for each year since that date, to exhibit the course of lumber prices dur- 

 ing the war and their subsequent stabilization at a level considerably 

 higher than before. 



Rkt.vil Pricks, Chicago M.\rket, 1850 to 1919, Inclusive 

 Northern White Pine, Common Boards 



Price per Price per 



Year M. ft. Year M. ft. 



1 850 $ 9.75 1908 $31.50 



1860 9.57 1909 31.00 



1870 10.92* 1910 30.75 



1880 12.00 1911 31.00 



1890 13.17 1912 31.25 



1900 18.81 1913 33.80 



1901 19.25 1914 33.00 



1902 21.25 1915 33.67 



1903 21.86 1916 35.50 



1901 23 17 1917 45 75 



1905 25.67 1918 55.75 



1906 30 00 1919 61.60 



1907 33.50 



• Gold. 



