40 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



• TOroiaMi)aiaiimw)tgOTimiaM>iat^^ 



^eivs Miscellany 



Meeting of Memphis Lumbermen's Club 



The Lumbermen's Club of Memphis, at the meeting- held at the Hotel 

 ■Gayoso, Mar. 15, unanimously adopted resolutions approving the bill to 

 be introduced into the Tennessee legislature for the purpose of creating 

 a forestry department in charge of a state board of forestry composed 

 of nine members, headed by the governor of the state. This action w"as 

 taken following an address by H. W. Lewis setting forth the objects 

 to be accomplished by the bill. He said that the forests of Tennessee 

 were being cut at such a rapid rate as to insure depletion of the timber 

 supply within a comparatively short time unless steps were taken to 

 reforest the waste lands. He declared that It was not the purpose of 

 the bill to do anything that would be Objectionable to the lumbermen of 

 the state in any way, but that, on the other hand, it would be the pur- 

 pose of the department to provide timber that would be suitable for the 

 lumbermen in later years. He outlined the measure, briefly pointing out 

 that the work was to be under the direction of the board, which was to 

 employ a chief forester to be recommended by the head of the forestry 

 department of the United States and one assistant forester for each of 

 the three grand divisions of Tennessee. He also said that experiment 

 stations were to be established In practically all the counties and that 

 seedlings were to be furnished to lumbermen at actual cost. As an illus- 

 tration of the working of the proposed measure Mr. Lewis said that there 

 were 100,000 acres of land outside the levees In west Tennessee so sub- 

 ject to overflow as to be unavailable for agricultural purposes. He 

 thought that this would afford an excellent opportunity for reforesting 

 with Cottonwood. He said the land would be vastly Improved and that a 

 merchantable supply of cottonwood would be available within thirty 

 years. Mr. Lewis said that the Southern Commercial Congress was 

 behind the bill and that, when It had been passed in Tennessee, efforts 

 would be made to secure similar legislation in the other southern states 

 not already having a forestry department. His address created very great 

 interest and was followed by a number of questions prompted by what 

 he had said. 



S. B. Anderson of the law and insurance committee said that he had 

 gone over the bill very carefully and bad ascertained the fact that there 

 was nothing therein objectionable to the lumbermen. He approved the 

 fundamental principles of the measure and declared that the forests of 

 Tennessee were being cut at such a rapid rate that some steps toward 

 reforesting ought to be taken. He believed In adopting the plan of Ger- 

 I many, which is to put all lands in forests, which are unavailable for 

 agricultural purposes. He particularly approved the suggestion of Mr. 

 Lewis for reforesting the lands outside the levees in west Tennessee, 

 .as well as the islands in the Mississippi river. He suggested that the 

 club adopt approving resolutions which had already been prepared. This 

 was done by unanimous vote. 



J. W. Spaulding of the Paine Lumber Company addressed the club in 

 behalf of red gum. He brought a round of applause when he expressed 

 the hope that red oak might be $15 per thousand higher in order that 

 red gum might become the standard for interior finish. He thought this 

 lumber was superior to red oak in more than one respect and pointed 

 out the fact that there were no hidden defects and that the figuring was 

 much more perfect. He told the lumbermen that he has done everything 

 in his power to secure the change in specifications from birch to red 

 gum in connection with the new f'hicsa hotel which is being erected 

 here. The Paine Lumber Company has the contract for the mill work 

 in connection with this building. 



It was quite apparent from a report made by C. W. Holmes of the J. J. 

 Holmes Lumber Company that the insurance companies had already begun 

 revising rates for Memphis as a result of the activity of the law and 

 insurance committee. Mr. Holmes said that he had been advised that 

 revised schedules had been issued reducing the rates in the case of a 

 number of yards in New South Memphis and that he understood that 

 still further reductions were to be published at an early date. M. V. 

 Kush of Moffet, Bowman & Rush advised the club that the rates on the 

 yards of his firm had been reduced from $2.26 to $1.4.5, with a further 

 reduction to be made as soon as there had been compliance with regula- 

 tions regarding the fire alarm boxes to be used. This revised schedule is 

 being published under the auspices of the Tennessee Inspection Bureau. 

 Lumbermen are very much gratified with the reduction in rates by the 

 law and insurance committee, which has had this matter in charge and 

 will continue its activity to the end that further reductions may he 

 effected. 



J. ,W. McClure of the river and rail committee reported that he and 

 other members of his committee had spent practically all the past week 

 attending the hearing before the Interstate Commerce Commission at the 

 Hotel Gayoso, involving the proposed advance of two cents per hundred 

 pounds on hardwood lumber from Memphis to New Orleans. He said 

 the results of this hearing would be very far reaching, as further advances 

 were being held up by the railroads pending the outcome in this case. 

 He felt sure that the ruling would be particularly important as affecting 

 cottonwood and gum, which the railroads were seeking to raise to the 



same rates as other hardwoods. He pointed out that the case was handled 

 admirably by the .Southern Hardwood TratEc Bureau and that much splen- 

 did work had been done by the lumbermen who testified that the com- 

 mittee was hopeful of the outcome. 



A letter was read from the Lumbermen's Club of St. Louis, extending 

 to members of the local club an Invitation to make their headquarters 

 at the offices of the former whenever they were in St. Louis. It was 

 pointed out that codes, telegraph blanks and other facilities for the 

 transaction of business would always he found ready to band. The 

 club acknowledged this communication with thanks and extended an 

 invitation to the members of the Lumbermen's Club of St. Louis to make 

 their headquarters in the offices of the Lumbermen's Club of Memphis 

 when in this city. 



This meeting was exceptionaly well attended and proved one of the 

 most interesting as well as the most enjoyable held this year. 



The following new members were elected : Active — C. T. Whitman of 

 the VThitman Lumber Company. Earl, Ark. ; J. S. WiUiford, Bellgrade 

 Lumber Company, Memphis : Chris H. Meyer, Nickey Brothers Hardwood 

 Company, Memphis : Associate — George F. Eammelsberg, Clarendon Car 

 Factory, Clarendon, Ark. ; H. H. Alexander, Alexander Brothers. Belzoni, 

 Miss. ; Thomas H. Paine, Ward Lumber Company, Sunflower, Miss. 



Monthly Meeting Philadelphia Lumbermen's Exchange 



The Lumbermen's Exchange held its regular monthly meeting, pre- 

 ceded by a luncheon. Mar. 13. President William F. Betts in the chair. 

 It was announced at this meeting, that the annual banquet would be" 

 held this year on Apr. 10. on the roof garden of the Bellevue-Stratford 

 hotel. 



J. Randall Williams. Jr.. chairman of the coifimittee on forestry, gave 

 notice that the Penns.vlvania Forestry Association would hold an exhibi- 

 tion In Horticultural hall, from May 19 to 24| to which the exchange is 

 urged to send an exhibit. The State Forestry Association and the various 

 state colleges are sending elaborate exhibits. The president appointed J. 

 Randall Williams, chairman, B. Franklin Betts, Amos Y. Lesber, Isaac 

 Troth and John E. Lloyd, a committee to take the matter up. 



An interesting address by Amos Y. Lesher, on "Why Retailers Should Be- 

 come Members of the Lumbermen's Exchange," was much appreciated at 

 this meeting. A resolution was passed that a copy be sent to all who 

 are not members of the Exchange. The reading of papers on topics of 

 particular Interest to lumbermen at these Exchange meetings is an in- 

 stitution of President William T. Betts, who Incidentally admits that it 

 was through a suggestion of, Secretary John H. Lank, that his attention 

 was first called to the matter. They will be the means it is believed 

 of enlarging the attendance, and so increasing the membership of the 

 Exchange. 



Bailroad Constructors Meet 



The fourteenth annual convention of the .\merican Railway Engineering 

 Association was held at the Congress hotel, Chicago, Mar. 18-21. The 

 sessions bi-ought out a vast quantity of useful discussion and numerous 

 papers of high practical and technical value. There were submitted bul- 

 letins on railways and organization; iron and steel structures; track: 

 rail : economics of railway location ; wooden bridges and trestles ; wood 

 preservation ; ties : signs ; fences and crossings ; conservation of national 

 resources: buildings; grading of lumber and numerous other topics ot 

 equal importance. On the fourth day of the meeting, those in attendance 

 visited the National Railway Appliances Exhibition at the Coliseum. The 

 annual dinner was held on the evening of Wednesday, Mar. 19. 



National Inspection for February 



The statement of the inspr-ctiou bureau of the National Hardwood 

 Lumber Association for February, 1913. shows the total of 9.903,727 feet 

 which is an increase of 709.394 feet over February, 1912. The salaried 

 inspectors' work for the month covered 1.771,433 feet more than Febru- 

 ary, 1912, while the fee inspections are about 1,000,000 feet under the 

 February, 1912, record. This volume of inspection cost the association 

 $593.93 in excess of amount earned, which is due in a large measure to 

 the unfavorable weather conditions that prevailed in many sections. 



Since the last report of Feb. 15, fifteen new applications for member- 

 ship have been received, bringing the total for the present fiscal year 

 to 110. 



The sixteenth annual convention will be held June 5 and 6 at Chicago. 

 111., with headquarters at Hotel Sherman. There is sure to be a very 

 large attendance and the secretary expects to announce the program of 

 business and entertainment at an early date. 



Biltmore Doings for February 



Students of the Biltmore Forest School left their winter quarters at 

 Darmstadt, Germany, for their annual trip to the Black Forest of Ger- 

 many on Feb. 6. Of all the wooded districts of Germany Aone presents 

 such beautiful and varied landscape as the Black Forest nor is any so 

 famous both s.vlviculturally and historically. En route the students 

 stopped at Karlsruhe. Here they were privileged to visit, under the 

 guidance of the forest superintendent, the city forests and also a forest 

 of several hundred acres owned by a stock company, which pays about 

 four per cent on the par value of the stock. These stockholders are 

 using the forest for a hog pasture, owing to which a natural second 

 growth of pine presents itself. 



