HARDWOOD RECORD 



37 



Marion, N. C, about August 1, and will open 

 up a large timber territory, heretofore inac- 

 cessible by railroad facilities, in w.si.ni X.uth 

 Carolina, as well as southw -u i u NUmnii. 

 A number of mills are now li. mu luili il.nm 

 the line in western North c^uuliiui :iih1 «iU 

 begin shipment as soon as the road is com- 

 pleted and in operation to Marion. 



There is a slightly better tone to the lumber 

 business in this section. Shipments are a 

 little heavier, according to local lumbermen, 

 and the process of gradual but slow recovery 

 continues. Manufacturers declare that stock 

 can be produced at a profitable margin, on 

 the basis of the existing prices, though the 

 demand is not as strong as many have hoped 

 it would be by this time. The situation is 

 regarded, however, as eminently hopeful and 

 the consensus of opinion is that permanent 

 recovery will soon be eifected. Many will be 

 satisfied if things do not g:row worse, though 

 few anticipate a backset. 



The last meeting of the Lumbermen's Club 

 was given over largely to a discussion of 

 hardwood conditions and the outlook for the 

 future. A number of the more prominent 

 members were called upon for talks along 

 this line. It was admitted by most of them 

 that conditions are far from satisfactory, al- 

 though measurably better than they were a 

 short time ago. It was also the consensus of 

 opinion that the outlook is brightening and 

 that there are prospects for material better- 

 ment in the near future. A number of rem- 

 edies were suggested to help bring about bet- 

 ter conditions. Prominent among these was 

 the curtailment of production. W. H. Russe 

 declared that the salvation of the hardwood 

 interests of the country lay in sawing up the 

 logs on hand and shutting down the mills 

 until the situation had righted itself, and 

 until normal conditions prevailed between sup- 

 ply and demand. S. B. Anderson and others 

 thoroughly agreed with him on this point, and 

 Mr. Anderson said that, while it was neces- 

 sary for those who had gotten out their logs 

 to saw these up in order to save them, he 

 saw no reason for those who had their timber 

 standing in the woods to cut it down in order 

 to compete with those who were forced to run. 

 He believed in cleaning up the market and 

 thought that when this was done there would 

 be a decided change for the better. James E. 

 Stark favored selling the lower grades at con- 

 cessions where concessions had to be made, 

 and holding to the higher grades, as these are 

 relatively scarcer than the lower. B. E. G.ood- 

 lander called particular attention to the scar- 

 city of logs and the small amount of lumber 

 produced in this country during the past six 

 or seven months, and expressed the belief that 

 those who were selling their lumber at a sac- 

 rifice now were making a serious mistake. W. 

 R. Barksdale thought that it was better to 

 raise the price on lumber and miss a sale if 

 necessary than to cut the price in order to dis- 

 pose of lumber, attaching considerable impor- 

 tance to the attitude of the seller towards his 

 own product. 



As a result of the views expressed at this, 

 meeting it is probable that there will be ma- 

 terial curtailment of output within the next 

 few weeks. Some of the most prominent 

 manufacturers in this market have declared 

 their intention or shutting down their mills 

 just as soon as they have cut up the timber 

 they got out iJetore the financial depression. 

 It is doubtful if there was ever a year when 

 the amount of logging was on so small a scale 

 as now and, even it conditions should show- 

 material improvement, it would be some time 

 before any great quantity of logs could be 

 gotten ready for the saw. In addition to the 

 decision to curtail voluntarily, there is consid- 



erable shortage of production on account of 

 the unsatisfactory weather conditions prevail- 

 ing throughout the hardwood territory. Rains 

 have been on an exceptionally heavy scale, and 

 even where mills were anxious to log and to 

 run they have found it impossible to do so. 



A communication was read from the secre- 

 tary of the Lumbermen's Club at Cincinnati 

 asking the Memphis Lumbetmen's Club to 

 adopt resolutions favoring a return to the in- 

 spection rules cf 19«5 by the National Hard- 

 wood Lumber Association. After much dis- 

 cussion it was voted to oppose the resolution 

 and to advise the Cincinnati organization ac- 

 cordingly. It was specifically stated, however, 

 that the action of the club did not bind any 

 individual member on this point. 



The question of making the National Hard- 

 wood Lumber Association instead of individ- 

 ual inspectors responsible for grades turned 

 out by the latter was introduced and came in 

 for considerable discussion. It was decided, 

 however, that it was a matter of too great 

 importance for hasty action, and it was post- 

 poned until the next regular meeting, which 

 will occur May 23, 



A committee was appointed by the club to 

 co-operate with other commercial organiza- 

 tions in this city to the end that they might 

 all be represented at the forthcoming meeting 

 of commercial organizations in Chicago to pro- 

 test against the general advance in rates by 

 the railroads. It is supposed that this meet- 

 ing will be held in Chicago. A. L. Foster 

 was appointed chairman of the committee for 

 the Lumbermen's Club and it is expected that 

 other commercial organizations here will ap- 

 point similar committees and tliaf Memphis 

 will be well represented at this meeting, 

 which is scheduled for the near future. 



The Ozan Lumber Company has closed down 

 its sawmill at Piescott, Ark., and is using 

 both its day and night forces to build a rail- 

 road to fallen timber. It has about 5.000.000 

 feet of hardwood blown down during the re- 

 recent storm, and as soon as the road is built 

 it will be carried to the mill and prepared 

 for the market. The company will resume 

 operations on a large scale as soon as the 

 timber has been taken care of. 



The railroads entering Memphis have made 

 a proposition to the lumbermen of this city 

 to reduce rates 1 cent per hundred pounds 

 on north and eastbound freight to compensate 

 for the withdrawal of reconsigning privileges 

 which became effective February 29. The spe- 

 cial committee, of which A. L. Foster is chair- 

 man, having in charge the readjustment of 

 rates, states positively that this proposition 

 of the railroads will not be accepted and. that, 

 if no other basis for negotiations can be 

 reached, the matter will probal)ly be carried 

 before the Interstate Commerce Commission. 

 The railroads claim that they cannot make a 

 reduction of more than 1 cent without affect- 

 ing rates at other important centers, while 

 the lumbermen believe that they can make a 

 further reduction. The committee holds that 

 this reduction does not place Memphis on a 

 competitive basis with other points and that 

 it is a very poor compensation for the old 

 reconsigning privilege which represented a 

 saving of from 1 to 4 cents per hundred 

 pounds from the combination of the two lo- 

 cals. The committee is expecting to hold a 

 meeting within the next day or two to decide 

 upon its course, but one thing is quite cer- 

 tain: The committee has no idea of accepting 

 the proposition of the railroads. It is now 

 going over the rate sheets in order to show 

 the railroads that a larger reduction can be 

 made without interfering with rates from 

 other points and, it it is impossible to bring 

 the railroads to terras, recourse may be had 

 to the Interstate Commerce Commission. 



The Crescent Hardwood Lumber Company 

 has been formed here as successor to the J. P. 



Sullivan Lumber Company. J. P. Sullivan, 

 J. J. Ryan and others are the incorporators. 



The Memphis Industrial League has an- 

 nounced through its president that it has no 

 intention of abandonina: its efforts looking to 

 the^ location of noiv i,ul.,<;tries in Memphis 

 until its woik -. . n over by one of 



the stronger it was expected 



that the Busin^ M- n - . .ni, would take over 

 this work and carry it on as a separate de- 

 partment, but officials of that organization 

 state that the expense is entirely too heav\ 

 and that -it is therefore impracticable. The 

 league has been exceptionally valuable in locat- 

 ing new industries in Memphis, having at- 

 tracted large numbers of woodworking plants 

 from other portions of the country by its 

 excellent work in advertising Memphis and 

 the resources of the territory of which it is the 

 logical and geographical center. 



H. G. Fleming, former president of the Union 

 Railway Company of this city, died a few 

 days ago in St. Louis from a stroke of apo- 

 plexy, Mr. Fleming came to Memphis to 

 superintend the construction of the belt line 

 of the Missouri Pacific system, and was en- 

 gaged in this work until 1906, when he suf- 

 fered his first stroke. He never entirely re- 

 covered from this. After leaving Memphis 

 be became connected in a confidential capac- 

 ity with George Gould of the Missouri Pacific 

 system. Mr. Fleming was one of the best 

 known railroad men in this section. 



The Frisco system, as a part of its plan 

 for retrenchment, has given notice tliat the 

 shops at Memphis, Birmingham, Ala.; Amory. 

 Miss.; Jonesboro, Ark.; Thayer and Willow 

 Springs, Mo., will be closed down, where this 

 action has not already been taken. The man- 

 agement states that curtailment is absolutely 

 necessary and that none of the plants in the 

 territory indicated will be operated until they 

 are needed. When running full time the Mem- 

 phis shops employ several hundred persons, 

 but a large part of the force has already been 

 laid off. 



John Griffin has filed suit in chancery 

 against N. B. Haynes and the Buffalo Hard- 

 v/ood Lumber Company through which he 

 seeks to collect $15,000 which he alleges to be 

 due him under a contract to cut timber in 

 Mississippi. He claims that the defendant has 

 breached its contract. The instrument, ac- 

 cording to the declaration, was made in 1906 

 and breached in June. 1907. 



Sparks from a passing train are said to be 

 responsible for the fire which destroyed the 

 sawmill of the J. W. Dickson Company in East 

 Memphis several nights ago. The blaze start- 

 ed shortly after 9 o'clock and the plant burned 

 rapidly. Response on the part of the tire 

 authorities was prompt, but tliey arrived too 

 late to save the mill. They were instrumen- 

 tal, however, in preventing a spread of the 

 fire to the lumber on the yards and other 

 industries in that section. The estimated loss 

 is $10,000. covered by insurance. The man- 

 agernent has not announced plans for the 

 future. 



The plant of the American Car & Foundry 

 Company is now being operated with a force 

 of about 450 persons, all of whom are em- 

 ployed in the wooden car department. The 

 management proposes to increase the number 

 gradually. No orders have yet been received 

 for steel cars, but more inquiries are had. and 

 this is taken as an indication that there is a 

 much better future ahead. In fact, the man- 

 agement takes- a very cheerful view of the 

 outlook. 



Russe & Burgess, among the leading manu- 

 facturers and exporters of hardwood lumber in 

 this section, are in receipt of a letter from 

 one of their correspondents in Great Britain 

 dealing with conditions on the other side. It 

 notes that during the past month business 

 has been exceptionally quiet and that there 



