HARDWOOD RECORD 



37 



makes a superior railroad crosstie. created a new demand for that 

 class of timber that if sawed to lumber would produce a large pro- 

 portion of low grade. Many tests of treated ties made of maple, 

 beech and birch have proven the superiority of these ties, and several 

 of our largest railroad systems have adopted them. Both the New 

 York Central lines and the Pennsylvania system, because of the 

 proximity of some of their branch lines to the supply of maple, beech 

 and birch, are using these woods extensively for ties. The New York 

 Central lines have ties treated at Toledo, Ohio., at Shirley, Ind., Rome, 

 N. Y., and at Bradford Junction, near Pittsburgh. The Pennsylvania 

 lines have ties treated at Philadelphia, Mount Union, Pa., Orrville, 

 Ohio, and have contracted for the treatment of ties at some points on 

 the G. R. & I., probably at Cadillac. Of these plants, the following 

 treat birch, beech and maple: Toledo, Bradford Junction, Mount 

 Union, Orrville and Cadillac. 



Whila the test of treated beech ties commenced several years ago. 

 the test of time is the real test, and it is only within a few years 

 that the use of northern hardwood ties has been adopted to any 

 considerable extent. 



The records indicate that there was a great increase in the employ- 

 ment of beech, birch and maple ties from 1907 to 1911, and that the 

 amount of ties that were chemically treated during the same period 

 nearly doubled. The total consumption of treated beech and maple 

 ties now constitute 7.3S per cent of al Ithat are used by railroads. 



Beech ties treated with creosote, whicli have been on the road- 

 beds in France, show a large proportion of sound ties after twenty- 

 eight years. Beech ties treated with zinc chloride,' one of the cheap- 

 est processes, which have been in the roadbeds of the United States, 

 show a large proportion of sound ties after fourteen years. 



Of the woods available and formerly used in this part of the United 

 States tor untreated ties, the species showing the greatest resistance 

 to decay have been cedar, chestnut and white oak; but neither cedar 

 nor chestnut has been considered long-lived ties for, because of 

 their poor resistance to abrasion, they were not adapted to the heavy 

 traffic of the main lines. Their use on the better roads has been con- 

 fined to sidings and branch lines, where the traffic was not heavy. 

 White oak will stand the heavy traffic, but it is an expensive tie. The 

 supply is limited and when not treated the average life is estimated 

 at only from eight to nine years. These ties cost the railroad in 

 the rough eighty to eighty-five cents each. It has been proven by 

 various tests and is conceded by the best informed authorities that 

 beech and maple ties properly treated will last just as long as the 

 treated white oak ties, and that they are the equal of white oak in 

 every respect, even its superior in some respects, as the beech and 

 maple ties hold the spikes better than white oak. Being the equal of 

 white oak in every respect and costing much less, it is not surprising 

 that the use of maple and beech ties has increased so rapidly in a few 

 years. We sh/ill see them specified in many more roads in a few 

 years it we can demonstrate our ability to supply them. 



The matter of economy and source of supply will compel the use 

 of the maple and beech ties in many of the northern states. Untreated 

 white oak ties cost the northern railroads, delivered on their lines, 

 eighty to eighty-five cents, with an average life of eight to nine years; 

 if treated with creosote, $1.05 to $1.10, with an average life of fifteen to 

 twenty years. The beech and maple ties, with zinc chloride treatment, 

 cost approximately seventeen cents each and have an average life of 

 twelve to fifteen years, or about fifty percent longer than the un- 

 treated white oak ties; beech and maple ties treated with the creosote 

 process at a cost per treatment of approximately thirty cents each, 

 have an average life of thirty years, the same as the white oak 

 tie. By deducting the cost of treating an oak tie, thirty cents, from 

 $1.05 to $1.10, the cost of a treated white oak tie, and comparing the 

 result, seventy-five to eighty-five cents, with what the railroads have 

 been paying for treated beech and maple ties, you will readily under- 

 stand why they will be in favor of the latter. Or compare the 

 untreated white oak tie, at a cost of eighty to eighty-five cents and 

 an average life of eight to nine years, with what the railroads are 

 paying for the beech and maple ties, plus the zinc chloride treatment 

 of seventeen cents and an average life of fifty per cent in favor of the 

 beech and maple ties, and see where you land. 



You will find the beech and maple tie most desirable, not only from 

 the standpoint of reasonably satisfactory returns from the ties as 

 compared to what might be realized for the stock if cut into lumber, 

 but also from the standpoint of the influence the tie business has on 

 the supply of and the price for both beech and maple lumber. As 

 you will note from the statement of the number of beech and maple 

 ties treated, it is only, within the last two or three years that these 

 woods have been used to any considerable extent and, you will note 

 also how rapidly their use has increased. In the opinion of your 

 committee, the demand /or beech, birch and maple ties will increase 

 much faster than it is possible to increase the supply. 



Taking northern hardwoods right through the list, there does not 

 appear a weak spot anywhere. This condition is reflected not only 

 by our own stock list, but by the stock li"t of the Wisconsin associa- 

 tion, and in fact by reports from all other sources. In consequence of 

 this, prices ail along the line must neces.sarily advance. Even if we 



were inclined to be benefactors by trying to hold prices down, it would 

 be Just as Impo.^sible for us to do so as it has been for us to prevent 

 the extremely low prices for northern hardwood lumber during the 

 past three or four years. The supply is short and the demand of 

 the consuming manufacturers will force prices up regardless of what 

 th? producer thinks best to do or their efforts to control the situation. 



We have gone into this price and stock condition more in detail at 

 this time than usual for the reason that this is one of the best oppor- 

 tunities wo have to exemplify the oft-repeated statement made by your 

 con.mittes that prices are controlled absolutely and completely by the 

 laws of supply and demand, and that the only way prices may be 

 controlled is by the control of the supply. Because of the thousands 

 of sawmills throughout the United States, it will be just as impossible 

 to control the lumber supply as it would for the farmers to control 

 the supply of potatoes. 



It is the opinion of your committee that, judging from the various 

 stock reports, the prices that have been obtained for lumber recently 

 and from general business conditions, present values are reasonably 

 well indicated in the appended list. We do not pretend to forecast 

 the future, but we do believe that we shall see higher prices on most 

 items before we see lower prices on any of them. 



The recommendations made by this committee on changes in 

 values were comparatively slight but a few conservative advances 

 in price were suggested. In a few instances the suggestions 

 amounted to a two or three dollar increase a thousand on high- 

 grade stock and a considerable number of items were reported 

 as worth one dollar nioe. 



On motion, the report was accepted and placed on file. 



Bruce Odell, on behalf of the advertising committee, commended 

 the work of the Northern Hemlock and Hardwood Manufacturers' 

 Association in advertising birch and hemlock, but suggested that 

 Michigan operators make chiefly maple and beech and recom- 

 mended an advertising appropriation of not to exceed one cent 

 a thousand to exploit these woods, especially in relation to their 

 utilization as flooring materials. 



President E. A. Hamar of the Northern Hardwood and Hemlock 

 Manufacturers' Association addressed the meeting on the methods 

 employed by his association in advertising birch and hemlock. 



Secretary B. S, Kellogg of the same association, in an address 

 elaborated on the same subject, reciting the specific methods pur- 

 sued by it. He suggested financial co-operation of the Michigan 

 manufacturers on the hemlock campaign. 



Considerable discussion followed and the report of the adver- 

 tising committee was adopted with the understanding that the 

 initial fund raised should be turned over to the Maple Flooring 

 Manufacturers ' Association for expenditure. 



On motion of Henry Ballou, an assessment on the hardwood 

 outpiit of members of the association of two cents per thousand 

 was authorized to carry on the regular association work for the 

 coming year. 



On motion of C. A. Bigelow, Bruce Odell was authorized to con- 

 sult with the Maple Flooring Manufacturers' Association to de- 

 termine the amount of funds for the joint maple advertising cam- 

 paign. 



It was announced that by agreement effective November 1 next, 

 the leading Michigan hemlock manufacturers had agreed to 

 establish sizes in both sawing and finishing their product. 



The meeting then adjourned. 



American Saws in Germany 



The popular belief that the German-made tools are cheaper in 

 that country than similar tools imported from America is not well 

 founded in the case of handsaws. An article recently published 

 in a hardware dealers' magazine at Bunzlau, Silesia, shows that 

 .American handsaws are much cheaper than the home-made article. 

 An American 20-inch Saw costs thirty-three cents, the German 

 fifty-nine cents; American 22-inch, thirty-five cents, German sixty- 

 three cents. It is stated that the American saw is preferred, even 

 when both sell at the same price. Much of the superiority is 'due 

 to the workmanship, for the German saw manufacturers admit 

 that some of the American tools which are capturing the markets 

 in that country are made of German steel imported into the United 

 States, here manufactured, and the finished product is exported 

 to Germany. 



