HARDWOOD RECORD 



Nearly all the leading hardwood lumber firms 

 in this market were joint complamants with the 

 J. ^S". Thompson Lumber Company in the nase 

 against the Illinois Central and Yazoo & Mis- 

 sissippi Valley roads, bearing their share of the 

 expense and taking the matter before ■ the com- 

 mission. 



It is not expected that the reduction in rates 

 on hardwood shipments between Memphis and 

 New Orleans will have any material bearing on 

 export lumber business out of this city. The 

 reduction in rates will enable exporters in mak- 

 ing firm offers to shade their prices to the extent 

 of the reduction in rates, but the foreign market 

 is now so glutted with consigned stock that it 

 is doubtful if the lower rates will attract any 

 attention from foreign buyers. They are able, 

 from all reports received here, to buy lumber 

 abroad at such advantageous figures as to make 

 prices on this side look extremely high. It is 

 probable that the reduction of 10 cents per 

 hundred pounds on lumber shipments to the 

 Pacific coast will stimulate the demand from 

 that quarter. Business has been almost dead in 

 that direction since the ad%'ance became effective, 

 the freight rate being well nigh prohibitive. 



But much more important than the stimulus 

 to business for the immediate present is the 

 effect the decision is likely to have upon the 

 railroads themselves. The railroads have shown 

 a disposition during the past few years to ad- 

 vance rates in the face of all opposition, over all 

 protests and without adequate justification. They 

 had comparatively easy sailing until shippers 

 learned to carry their complaints before the In- 

 terstate Commerce Commission and until that 

 tribunal was given larger powers over matters 

 affecting rates. 



At the last meeting of the season the Lumber- 

 men's Club, acting upon the suggestion of Hon. 

 W. A. Percy, passed a motion to the effect that 

 the River and Kail Committee be empowered to 

 assume the aggressive in all matters pertaining 

 to changes in rates on the part of the railroads. 

 Mr. Percy stated that it was his opinion that if 

 the roads realized they would encounter serious 

 legal obstacles every time they threatened an 

 advance in rates they would be very slow about 

 making changes. As a matter of fact it is highly 

 probable that the commission may be given an 

 opportunity of passing upon certain phases of 

 the readjustment of rates out of Memphis to 

 compensate for the withdrawal of reconsigning 

 privileges. This is the statement made authori- 

 tatively by Mr. Foster, who has the matter in 

 hand as chairman of the special committee to 

 which reference has been made. Mr. Percy made 

 the statement before the club that the with- 

 drawal of reconsigning privileges was equivalent 

 to a straight advance of about 3 cents per hun- 

 dred pounds on lumber shipments out of Mem- 

 phis, and it is therefore not surprising that 

 lumber shippers are holding out for something 

 more than a concession of 1 cent. 



Lumber manufacturers in this section are be- 

 ginning to curtail production. They concluded 

 some time ago that it would be necessary to 

 reduce their output, but many of them had large 

 quantities of timber that had to be cut up in 

 order I" be savi-rt and could not follow this de- 

 ,i-i,.n -.Mil. I Among those closing down during 

 ,1,, .hiys or preparing to take such 



;i. ; , . ;! ilv datc Qve i J. D. Darnell, Inc., 

 Willi mill .1 M'liiphis and Leland, Miss.; Three 

 State Lumber Company, Burdette, Ark., and 

 North Mississippi ; Moore & McFerren, operating 

 two mills outside of Memphis and cutting cotton- 

 wood almost exclusively; L. H. Gage Lumber 

 Company, which has closed down its big mill at 

 Earl, Ark., for the lirst time in several years ; 

 Hale & K'is'i- and llif E. Sondhcimer Company. 

 The mill ■' •> . T' • ., :il (.-.r..ia u.-,s closed 

 down ...I' ■ -' '■ ' M.snmed 



to cut '" ' "';^^»« 



stock. I ' '■""' 



There 



this 



itory which 



have already closed down or will do so shortly, 

 but a complete list of them is not obtainable at 

 this writing. 



The gentlemen who went to Charleston, Miss., 

 as guests of the Lamb-Fish Lumber Company a 

 short time ago report as being very much pleased 

 with what they saw. The big mill is one of the 

 most complete of its kind in the country and 

 the yards are the best seen anywhere in the 

 South. Facilities have been arranged for hand- 

 ling business with all possible dispatch and the 

 company is receiving the congratulations of its 

 patrons and friends upon the magnificent plant. 

 The sawmill, machine shop and bending works 

 have already been completed and are now in 

 operation and work has begun on the box fac- 

 tory, planing mill and veneer plant. Work on 

 these will be rushed as rapidly as possible. The 

 capacity of the plant as operated at present is 

 about 125,000 feet a day, mostly oak. 



The Memphis delegation has returned from 

 Milwaukee, where they attended the annual 

 meeting of the National Hardwood Lumber Asso- 

 ciation. They were very much pleased with the 

 convention and its general results. They state 

 that they enjoyed every minute of the time they 

 were in Milwaukee and express themselves as 

 highly appreciative of the hospitality shown 

 them. The delegation were also much pleased 

 with the election of George D. Burgess, of Russe 

 & Burgess, as treasurer of the association for 

 the next two years. His selection is looked upon 

 as a recognition of the fact that Memphis, be- 

 cause of its wonderfully strong following in the 

 association, is entitled to consideration. 



The movement for consolidating the Memphis 

 Industrial League and the Business Men's Club 

 is under consideration again and it is probable 

 that something definite will be done in the next 

 few days. The directors of the two organiza- 

 tions have held several conferences and the Busi- 

 ness Men's Club has declared its intention of 

 taking over the Industrial League if 250 new- 

 members can be secured for the former. It is 

 believed that this will provide sufficient funds 

 for carrying on the work of the league. If this 

 plan is followed the Industrial League will be- 

 come a department of the Business Men's Club. 

 Commissioner I. F. Peters, who has been in 

 charge of the work of the league since its for- 

 mation, has handed in his resignation. The 

 work of the organization is regarded as too im- 

 portant to be allowed to drop. If arrangements 

 cannot be perfected with the Business Men's 

 Club other plans will be attempted. 



Shippers are very much alarmed over the 

 threatened advance in rates on the part of 

 southern and southwestern roads which, accord- 

 ing to current reports, is to become effective not 

 later than September 1. The statemeut is made 



that something definite will : 1 .n..>\ _:iiilnii.- 



what the roads propose i" ^ ' . "' m 



ten days. The commercial m _ i ii_! 



out the South will fight aii\ ;m1\:iii.. Hi r..:l.N 

 may attempt to make. The Lumbermeu's Club 

 of Memphis has committed itself positively to 

 this policy : The Little Rock Board of Trade 

 has expressed its intention of resisting the ad- 

 vance. The Lumbermen's Club has asked other 

 organizations to participate with it in such a 

 protest and, if the roads Insist upon attempting 

 to install a higher schedule it is certain they 

 will get a fight such as lumber shippers of Mem- 

 phis have recently proved themselves capable of 

 giving. 



Export conditions are still unsatisfactory. 

 One of the leading exporters of this market 

 today states that he does not expect any early 

 improvement In conditions abroad. Ue says that 

 there Is so much consigned stock that it is 

 almost out of the question to secure satisfactory 

 prices on lumber shipped from this side. He 

 does not believe, however, that the consigned 

 stock itself is a more depressing factor than the 

 general depression in trade conditions. Another 

 exporter is authority for the statement that 

 there will probably be some good to come from 



the heavy consignments of lumber abroad. He 

 believes this will take the shape of a stoppage 

 of advances against consigned lumber on the part 

 of foreign brokerage companies. These, in a 

 number of instances, according to his informa- 

 tion, will lose some of the money they have 

 advanced, for the reason that there is not 

 enough proceeds derived from the sale of this 

 lumber at auction to pay for the freight and to 

 reimburse them for the amount they have ad- 

 vanced. W. H. Russe some time ago advanced 

 the idea that the way to hreak up the consign- 

 ment evil was for the brokers to slop making 

 advances. If they incur losses a few times as 

 the result of advances they will be cured and 

 thus, through their own misfortune, brought to 

 their senses. 



Building operations in this city are on a 

 liberal scale. Weather conditions have been very 

 favorable and this has helped the movement. 

 The prospects are that the showing for June 

 this year in Memphis will compare most favor- 

 ably with the corresponding period last season. 



Box factories in Memphis are having a rather 

 quiet time. They usually expect to do only a 

 moderate business at this season of the year, 

 but the demand is smaller now than is cus- 

 tomary. There are some orders which were 

 taken on contracts a long while ago which are 

 being filled, but the manufacturers of boxes are 

 doing considerably less than the average for 

 June. 



Leland P. Arthur of the Arthur Hardwood 

 Flooring Company has returned from a recent 

 trip to Kansas City and other western points. 



George D. Burgess of Russe & Burgess, who 

 was elected treasurer of the National Hardwood 

 Lumber Association at its recent convention, is 

 in the East. He will not be at home for about 

 a week. 



Frank B. Robertson of the Robertson-Fooshe 

 Lumber Company and E. E. Goodlander of the 

 Goodlauder-Robertson Lumber Company, who 

 went West a short time ago on a business trip, 

 have returned. They came back with the dele- 

 gation from Memphis to the annual convention 

 of the National Hardwood Lumber Association. 



^EW ORLEANS 



Roderick S. Huddleston, secretary of the Otis 

 Manufacturing Company and manager of that 

 Company's Chicago branch, was a recent visitor 

 here. He was formerly a New Orleans resident, 

 and for many years was connected with the Otis 

 mill in this city. Mr. Huddleston says his firm 

 is doing a good business and expects to do well 

 this year, despite adverse conditions which have 

 affected the lumber business generally. 



L. M. Richardson, another Chicago lumber op- 

 ,111.1. «ii^ a 1.1. Ill visitor to New Orleans. 



II,,. iii.iMi I 1. 11 w." said Mr. Richardson 



:i, .i,-,.| -III- III. Ill 111. ill. "It is gradually get- 

 i.iit; Ijiuk lo a iiajiuy Lasis, and I think the fall 

 business will be quite brisk. The foreign market 

 is in fair shape, with no extraordinary features. 

 Some might regar^ it as poor, but that depends 



a J 1 fl.al iiiirm one's connections, and I have 



1. ,11 1 1. 1 ii . 1.11 1.. Her than I expected." Mr. Rlch- 



ai.i .,11 ii- -. Msscd the matter of federal stat- 



1,1,- i,.i ...n .ixiiig the forests. People who 

 Kii, ,. vi .! >- I ii.'st for their timber lands, he 

 - . I I. I I . hderal statutes to guide them. 



w , . I. ml, Jr., a prominent capitalist, 



,,; w , la., as the representative of a 



1,1 I II ii.li.ate has bought the big tract 



,.i \,. v.ii. i.iisli lands involved in the suit of 

 III. ii.i. IK} I rust Company vs. the Avoyelles 

 LauU .^ I'iiulie: Company. The lands are situate 

 chielly on the south side of Red river and north 

 of the Atchafalaya, approximately 70,000 acres 

 lying in one body. It is expected the tract will 

 yield about 900,000,000 feet of all kinds of tim- 

 ber. Mr. Chalfant and his associates paid $230,- 

 000 for the property. 



Announcement Is made that Cook, Douglas & 

 Co.'s mill at Grand Cane, La., has resumed opera- 



