I 



RESULTS OF OUR FOREST POLICY 351 



tailment campaign carried on in 1904 by the Southern Lumber Manu- 

 facturers' Association, one influential lumberman stated: "That 

 values are what they are to-day is the result solely of this curtail- 

 ment movement."^*' 



Mr. R. A. Long, one of the most influential men in the yellow pine 

 field, in speaking of curtailment among the producers of yellow pine, 

 said in 1905 : "Some of the most successful men in our line of business 

 shook their heads and made the statement that we could not 'legislate 

 prices'; that supply and demand must govern and that the supply 

 would be governed by the 'survival of the fittest.' In spite of these 

 prophecies we succeeded in securing the cooperation of about 80 per 

 cent of the manufacturers of yellow pine, and so the plan was entered 

 into and tested between July 1 and October 1. In less than 10 days 

 from July 1 the downward tendency of prices had been checked, and 

 within 30 days a substantial advance had been made. Before we had 

 reached October 1 it was believed that the commencing of the opera- 

 tion of our mills on full time on that date would practically mean a 

 loss of all we had gained, and an effort was made, and accomplished, 

 continuing the curtailment until January 1 of this year. On October 

 15, a further notable advance was made. Desiring to be as nearly 

 correct as possible as to the extent of the advance between July 1 

 and October 1, and as to the further advance made between October 

 1 and January 1, I addressed a letter to a number of the larger 

 manufacturers asking their views on this point, also as to whether 

 or not they attributed the advance to the curtailment movement or 

 otherwise. These replies did not vary to any great extent, and the 

 summary of the same developed an average advance between July 1 

 and October 1 of $1.19 per M. and between October 1 and January 1 

 of $1.04 per M., all agreeing that the curtail movement was that 

 which brought about this favorable condition. "^^ 



A letter written in 1912 by C. E. Patten, "Chairman of the Manu- 

 facturers' Curtailment Committee" of one of the coast associations, 

 contains the following: "Our close-down during December, January, 

 and February was a very satisfactory one, fully 50 of the mills being 

 closed from 30 to 90 days. In addition to this, a large number of our 



36 "Lumber Industry," IV, 129: Miss. Valley Lumberman, Jan. 27, 1905, 35. 



37 "Lumber Industry," IV, 76. 



