HARDWOOD RECORD 



43 



so mucb for the members. The trustees also re- 

 viewed the government case, and their report 

 shows tliat the officers of the association are 

 confident as to the result of the suit. The trus- 

 tees' report stated that the suit has been jjending 

 in the Tnited States District Court tor the 

 southern district of Xew York since May, 1911, 

 and reviewed the proceedings in the suit. 



The substance of the petition upon which the 

 suit is based is that the retailers' association is 

 an organization in restraint of trade. Tlie com- 

 bination complained of is the agreement or 

 understanding among the dealers to prevent 

 wholesalers from selling to their customers. Ac- 

 cording to the petition, every effort of the retail 

 lumbermen to prevent wholesalers sellim; to 

 their customers in any manner is illegal and the 

 object of the petition is to obtain an injunction 

 forbidding such action. There is no question of 

 prices in the case and it has nothing to do with 

 local arrangements existing in some of the asso- 

 ciations, but is confined entirely to the question 

 above stated. 



The defendant association contends that there 

 has been no combination of any sort except to 

 distribute the oiBcial lists, which is merely 

 information to which the subscribers have a 

 right, and that even if there were such a com- 

 bination it would not be in restraint of trade, 

 but. on the contrary, would be a regulation of 

 business for the benefit of trade. 



Researches by the defendant's counsel have 

 revealed many cases in which similar questions 

 have come up for decision, and in the majority 

 of the arguments the defendants have been up- 

 held. Thus it would seem that, while there are 

 conflicting decisions upon the subject, the weight 

 of the authorities is in favor of the defendant 

 association. 



New Pittsburgh House 



C. E. Breitwieser .S: Co, is a new hardwood con- 

 cern which has opened up for business on the 

 eighth floor of the Bessemer building. "Charlie" 

 Breitwieser, head of the concern, is one of the 

 best and most favorably known lumbermen in 

 Pittsburgh, having been for many years identified 

 with the May Lumber Company on the north 

 side. The active manager of the office business 

 will be A. G. Breitwieser, formerly of the Breit- 

 wieser Lumber Company, who has twenty-five 

 years of lumber experience in Pittsburgh behind 

 him. The firm has secured some splendid agen- 

 cies for hardwood and cypress and will make 

 a specialty of the latter stuff. 



Tariff League Proposes Uniform Classifica- 

 tion 



On Nov. 14 the National Industrial Tariff 

 League met at the Hotel La Salle, Chicago. One 

 of the most important questions of discussion 

 was an act which has been passed by the United 

 States Senate, and is now before the House, 

 which if enacted would give the Interstate Com- 

 merce Commission control over classification mat- 

 ters, and would very likely result in the adoption 

 of uniform classification. 



The classification committee of the league re- 

 ported very unfavorably on this measure, and 

 suggested to the members of the league that in 

 place of supervision by the Interstate Commerce 

 Commission, a committee of from nine to fifteen 

 members be inaugurated with the idea of equaliz- 

 ing as far as possible the various classifications 

 which are now in effect in the three territories — 

 Western, Official and Southern. It was not recom- 

 mended, however, that complete uniform classifi- 

 cation be effected. Such a committee, according 

 to the report, should be continuous and should 

 be composed of railroad experts. 



A discussion of the report of the legislative 

 committee brought out some sentiment in favor 

 of uniform classification, but decidedly the ma- 

 jority of the members were strongly opposed to 

 it. The committee's report was finally adopted. 



On motion, the legislative committee was in- 

 structed to do everything possible to prevent the 



passage by the House of Representatives of the 

 proposed bill, which is known as Senate Bill No. 

 6099. 



The Interstate Commerce Commission has had 

 authority to suspend classification, and has 

 already suspended western classification No. .il, 

 but under present laws it has no authority to 

 consider the question of uniform classification. 



Discussion on freight storage, export de- 

 murrage, demurrage rules and storage charges 

 were also inaugurated. 



An Old Friend in a New Guise 

 The trade needs no introduction to J. H. P. 

 Smith, lately of the Hardwood Lumber Company 

 of Cincinnati, O.. as a personality; but there 

 may be a few who have not heard of his latest 

 move in the lumber business, which connects him 

 with the great Babcock Lumber Company inter- 

 ests of Pittsburgh. On Nov. 12 Mr. Smith opened 

 an office at 1656 McCormick building, Chicago, 

 to handle the entire business of that big firm in 

 the Chicago territory. Mr. Smith will cover 

 southern Wisconsin and Michigan, northern Illi- 

 nois, Ohio and Indiana. He has evidently com- 



J. H. P. SMITH, IN CHARGE NEW CHICAGO 

 OFFICE BABCOCK LUMBER COM- 

 PANY, PITTSBURGH, PA, 



pletely recuperated from his recent serious ill- 

 ness and, judging from the rush with which he 

 has been going after and securing business, there 

 is no doubt of his fitness. 



The Babcock Lumber Company is planning ex- 

 tensive increases in its operations. Its already 

 immense sawmill at Tellico Plains, Tenn., will be 

 doubled within a year, while at the Sewell, W. 

 Va., mill work has already been started, which 

 will result in doubling the capacity of that plant. 



The coupling of J. H. P. Smith's personality 

 and ability with the Babcock interests should 

 certainly result to the great mutual advantage 

 of both parties. 



With the Manufacturers' Association 



Under the progressive administration of Presi- 

 dent DeLaney of the Hardwood Manufacturers' 

 Association of the United States, another depart- 

 ment called the development bureau has been 

 added. This new work will be in charge of 

 Edwin E. Myers, who took charge Nov. 18. Mr. 

 Myers is a trained newspaper man, having been 

 with the Cincinnati Enquirer as financial editor 

 for a number of years. Plans have been formu- 

 lated by which, through this department the asso- 

 ciation expects a much enlarged membership. H. 

 C. Hoover, assistant secretary, is to be in charge 

 of general office affairs, and Secretary Doster 

 will spend practically all of his time on the 



road. Mr. Doster has been on a trip visiting asso- 

 ciation mills in the Mississippi valley, and has 

 met President DeLaney, who has also been in 

 southern territory during the past week on as- 

 sociation business, at New Orleans, where they 

 attended the meeting of the Southern Cypress 

 ilanufacturers' Association, held there Nov. 20. 

 The association has just issued a report on 

 conditions as reported by members covering trans- 

 actions for the month of October. It is to be 

 considered a supplement to "Market Conditions" 

 issued in October and covering September condi- 

 tions. The new report condensed is a verifica- 

 tion of the last issue, as very few changes are 

 noted regarding either prices or demand, all 

 mills reporting either fair or good demand. In 

 many cases list prices are being obtained. Re- 

 ports show that very few concessions were made 

 on any item, and a number of items are reported 

 as selling at better prices than the figures in last 

 report. Reports also show that the demand has 

 been even better during October than was re- 

 ported during the month of September, which was 

 considered one of the best months this year. All 

 reports indicate a continuation of present good 

 business, and members are planning accordingly. 



To Begin Operations In New England 



The New England Hardwood Company of Wil- 

 mington, Vt., is just now preparing to begin 

 operations as successor to the Deerfield Lumber 

 Company. The authorized capital stock of the 

 new company is reported as 5300,000, of which 

 .$100,000 is said to be paid in. It is reported 

 that the company has acquired a large amount of 

 timber rights and purchases ; it has bought the 

 standing timber on a large tract of land of the 

 Deerfield Lumber Company with its twenty-five 

 years' right to remove. 



The New England Hardwood Company is fit- 

 ting up its mill with new machinery and is pre- 

 paring to do a large volume of business. Herbert 

 S. Janes is president and Gardner I. Jones 

 secretary of the company. 



Baltimore Exchange to Meet 



The annual meeting of the Baltimore Lumber 

 Exchange will be held on the evening of Dec. 

 2 at the Merchants' Club. Yearly reports will be 

 read by officers and the various committees, and 

 statements of the activities of the Exchange in 

 the matter of inspection and other details will 

 be submitted. Officers will be elected for the 

 ensuing twelve months, the following ticket hav- 

 ing been put up by the nominating committee ; 



President — Theodore Mottu of Theodore Mottn 

 & Co., renominated. 



Vice-President — Ridgaway Merryman. 



Treasl'rer — Luther H. Gwaltney of the Ameri- 

 can Lumber Company, renominated. 



Maxagixg CojrsiiTTEE — William M. Burgan ; 

 Joseph D. Virdin, Canton Lumber Company ; 

 George B. Hunting. N. W. James Lumber Com- 

 pany : George E. Waters, George E. Waters & 

 Co. ; John H. Gels, John H. Geis & Co. ; John L. 

 Alcock, John L. Alcock & Co. ; Henry C. Matthews, 

 Thos. Matthews & Son ; Rufus K. Goodenow, Can- 

 ton Box Company ; Edward P. Gill. William D. 

 Gill & Son : Parker D. Dix, Surry Lumber Com- 

 pany, and Lewis Dill, Lewis Dill & Co. 



The managing committee elects the secretary 

 later. This office has been filled during the past 

 year by Mr. Gwaltney. and there is no reason 

 to expect a change. There Is also every reason 

 to assume that the ticket named will be success- 

 ful. After the business session a fine dinner will 

 be served. The monthly meeting of the managing 

 committee will take place in the afternoon on 

 the same day at the rooms of the exchange on 

 East Fayette street, when the work preliminary 

 to the annual meeting will be cleared away. The 

 past twelve months have been very prosperous, 

 and the reports are expected to reflect the feeling 

 of satisfaction entertained by the membership. 



