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Indications are that rate problems will require considerable atten- 

 tion at the hands of the Lumbermen's Traffic Bureau, as well as at 

 those of the lumbermen of Memphis, in the immediate future. J. H. 

 Townsend, manager of the Lumbermen's TraflSc Bureau, is just in 

 receipt of official notice from the Interstate Commerce Commission 

 that all the railroads operating between Jlemphis and New Orleans 

 have filed notice with that body increasing rates on all hardwood 

 lumber shipments from Memphis to New Orleans two cents per 

 hundred pounds. The present rate is ten cents and the new rate 

 will be twelve cents. The latter is to become effective Dec. 20. The 

 notice was filed by M. P. Washburn, agent of the Southeastern Missis- 

 sippi Valley Freight Association. Mr. Townsend has already asked 

 the commission to suspend this advance until the lumbermen here have 

 had an opportunity of presenting their side of the ease, and he be- 

 lieves that this action will be taken in accordance with the usual 

 custom of that body. The announcement of this advance brings 1u 

 niind the fight which was waged several years ago by the lumbermen 

 lit' Memphis in the case of the .T. W. Thompson Lumber Company 

 et al. vs. the Illinois Central and the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley rail- 

 road companies, in which the plaintiffs won a signal victory. The 

 twelve-cent rate was ordered cancelled, the ten-cent rate was ordered 

 restored and the plaintiffs were awarded reparation for the period 

 during which the advance of two cents was paid. The commission, in 

 giving its ruling at the time, pronounced this advance both unreason- 

 able and unjustifiable. 



The Illinois Central and tlie Yazoo & Mississippi Valley railroad 

 companies have also filed notice with the commission of an advance 

 of one cent per hundred pounds on cottonwood and gum shipments 

 from all points on their lines in Mississippi to New Orleans, with the 

 exception of several places where flat rates have been withdrawn and 

 class rates have been substituted. The latter action principally affects 

 points in the Leland, Helm and Vicksburg disbricts and amounts, in 

 effect, to an advance of from five to six cents per hundred pounds. 

 It does not, however, apply to any items except cottonwood and gum, 

 but it affects a number of ilemphis lumbermen and this proposed 

 advance, which also becomes effective Dec. 20, will be opposed by 

 the Lumbermen's Traffic Bureau. The first step will be. as in th^' 

 other cases, a request for the suspension of the advance until tlie 

 lumbermen can be heard. 



Aside from the advances already referred to the next most inter- 

 esting rate problem is that of securing through bills of lading on 

 export shipments from points west of the Mississippi river. The 

 Anderson-Tully Company has already filed a petition with the Inter- 

 state Commerce Commission against the western roads seeking through 

 bills of lading on export shipments. Chairman Prouty of the com- 

 mission will be in Memphis Dec. 16, at which time this subject will 

 be heard. It is pointed out by lumber interests that a most serious 

 hardship is worked upon them through the failure of the western 

 roads to grant through bills. Since this petition was filed the Shreve- 

 port, Vicksburg & Pacific has announced that it will issue through 

 bills of lading in all cases where arrangements have been made with 

 the steamship companies for the prompt transportation of cargoes in 

 question. It remains to be seen what effect the action of this road 

 will have upon the others west of the Mississippi. So far it has had 

 none. The Lumbermen 's Traffic Bureau here has taken up this sub- 

 ject with the Interstate Commerce Commission and has suggested 

 that it will be agreeable to the lumbermen if the western roads will 

 issue through bills of lading on somewhat the same terms as the 

 Illinois Central and other roads east of the Mississippi. These de- 

 mand the engagement of steamship room at specified sailings so that 

 the railroads may avoid the payment of demurrage at New Orleans, 

 and also prevent a recurrence of the serious congestion which occurred 

 in that port last winter and spring. 



Lumbermen here are very much interested in the decision of the 

 Rock Island System to place Memphis and Hopefield, Ark., frequently 

 known as West Memphis, on the same basis on west bound shipments. 

 Efforts have been under way for a number of years to get the Eock 

 Island System to agree to this equalization. When the Rock Island 

 purchased the Choctaw, Oklahoma & Gulf Railroad some years ago 

 it was understood that the former was to take over all the contracts 

 and agreements of the latter. The Eock Island, however, persistently 

 refused to equalize rates as between Memphis and Hopefield until a 

 few days ago, when it announced that it would do so. The Lumber- 

 men 's Club and the Memphis Freight Bureau were instrumental in 

 bringing about this equalization, which means a considerable saving 

 in freight rates to lumber shippers here. 



•J^ The Bughear of Innovations 



JfbL 



"No," said the Colonel, "you needn't tell me that hardwood ^s 

 in demand, is going higher every time you turn around, and that this 

 would be a mighty good time to spread out with the idea of making 

 more dimension stock in the woods to save some material that is 

 going to waste, reduce the amount of railway tonnage so we can Co 

 more business with the same ears, and save a lot of freight charge"!. 

 1 know that already, and have been thinking about it a whole lor, 

 and wondering why it is everybody has been so backward about this 

 Iiroposition that you all have urged so persistently in Hardwood 

 Record. And I believe I 've the answer— it is not so much a question 

 of the ultimate success of the dimension stock idea as it is the bug- 

 bear of innovations. Millmen and other lumbermen get into a rut, 

 and then instead of getting out when they see a way open before them, 

 take refuge behind the theory that it takes time, work and lots of 

 money to introduce a new idea to the trade. 



' ' We have the same thing at times when introducing a new cabinet 

 wood. It takes time and a little uphill tugging, and we shy at it 

 and go along the same level way. By and by some enterprising and 

 energetic fellows do take it up, though, and then they have great sport 

 and do a big business all at the same time, and the other fellows come 

 piking along in their w^ke afterward. 



"Do you know what it all makes me think about? Well, I'll tell 

 you. It takes me back in memory to a time when we boys who lived 

 out in the woods where the timber grows trudged through red clay 

 and dead leaves in the winter time to a little school house surrounded 

 by hills and trees to get a little readin,' writin' and rudimentary 

 reason. There was a moral lesson in rhyme in one of our readeis 

 that started off like this: 



Neil. 



" ' "fwould be royal (un cried laz.v 

 To coast uijon my fine new sled, 



And beat the other boys; 

 But then I can not bear to climb. 

 The tiresome hill, for every time 

 It more mid more annoys,' 



"The moral was that the other fellows were having a riproaring 

 good time, with less to do it on than Ned, but they had the will, 

 and didn't mind that little uphill trudge for the game. I can't 

 recall all of this moral jingle, but it wound up with Ned grown into 

 a man, and 



■• 'He dreailfd si ill 



That sillv bugbear of uphill. 

 And died a dunce at last.' 



"That's the thing that stands in the way more than anything 



—37— 



