FiniiRF. 40. — Thf ori^iual destination of the 1938 lumber shipments from northern Idaho mills. 



ponderosa pine. Since western white pine is being over- 

 cut and the allowable cut of ponderosa pine is probably 

 being slightly exceeded by the average logging drain, any 

 expansion ot the remanutacturing industries would not 

 help the unbalanced drain situation. 



The match block industry represents one of the best 

 markets for western white pine and probably the most 

 stable. This species is considered the perfect wood for 

 matches. Between 80 and 90 million board feet of western 

 white pine plank are sold to the match industry yearly 

 from the western white jiinc region, which is mainly 

 northern Idaho. The plank is sawed and chopped into 

 small blocks trom which tiie matches are split. Must of 

 this is ilone in seven block plants in northern Idaho and 

 Spokane, thus giving additional local employment. The 

 blocks are shipped el.sewhere to be split into matches. If 

 the match industry is able to till its needs for platik in 

 this region, it will continue to represent one of the most 

 important outlets tor western white pine. 



Halt ot the limiber consumed locally is uscil in con- 

 struction, and there is little prospect of material increase 

 in this use. 



More than half of the 19.^8 lumber shipments shown in 

 figure 40 were sent across the country to eastern States. 



Since rail rates are generally related to distance, the 

 burden ot transportation charges has a direct and im- 

 portant influence on the competitive position of northern 

 Idaho in these lumber markets. The average 1938 whole- 

 sale price ot white pine f. o. b. in the region was approxi- 

 mately $32 per M board feet. On lumber going to the 

 Chicago district, ?13.68 was added for freight. To Pitts- 

 burgh or New York City, the transportation charges on 

 western white pine were f 15.58 per M board feet, one-half 

 ot the local t. o. b. price. Since freight tariffs are com- 

 puted on the basis of weight, the average transportation 

 costs tor most of the other species are even greater. 

 Figure 41, comparing the average cost of delivering larch 

 and Douglas-fir from northern Uiaho {x>ints to Pittsburgh 

 with the average f. o. b. price of these species during l'>3'>, 

 emphasizes the weight of the freight rate in the delivered 

 cost, and therefore its importance as a factor in the com- 

 petition tor the eastern hmiber market. 



The northern Idaho mills are competing directly with 

 mills in the South which have the advantage of a shorter 

 and cheaper haul to the great consumii\g market between 

 Chicago and New York. They are also comj">eting with 

 Pacific Coast mills which enjoy the triple advantage o' 

 more economical intercoastal shipments, lower pnxiuction 



47 



