38 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



July 10, 1919 



Pertinent Information 



Cars Plentiful at Present 



Although there Is persistent talk of a threatened shortage o£ box cars for 

 the haniilius of shipments of hardwood lundier and forest products, the 

 Southern Hardwood Traflic Association announces that it anticipates, on 

 the basis of information received from Washington, that there will be mate- 

 rial Increase in the nundicr of box cars through induction of idle new equip- 

 ment into use in the near future. 



The association points out that it is inlormcd that "a committee of 

 bankers has completed plans for the creation of a general equipment trust to 

 finance the cars and locomotives ordered by the United States Railroad 

 Administration and allocated to individual roads." It emphasizes, in this 

 connection, that there is more idle new equipment on terminals and side 

 tracks In Memphis and the Memphis territory than ever before and says 

 that "this is interesting as Indicating the likelihood of an increased supply 

 of cars in the near future." 



The association also quotes Senator Cummins of the interstate commerce 

 committee as saying that "no railroad legislation in contemplation proposes 

 return of the railroads by August 1 next" because such action "would put a 

 great many of the roads into bankruptcy." 



Fighting Side Track Contracts 



The Southern Hardw i Tralhc Assiuiiaiim is actively interested in the 



movement on the part of the National Industrial Traffic League, of which 

 it is a member, to secure a modification of the terms that are embodied in 

 contracts with the railroads at the present time for putting in side tracks, 

 with special reference to those which impose lialiilities on industries entirely 

 beyond the control of the firm or corporation leasing such tracks. 



The association, in a statement issued to its members this week, reviews 

 what has been done during the past seven months, and, after pointing out 

 that very little headway has been made, adds that the committee of the 

 National Industrial Traflic League was. at a meeting at Washington, June 

 11, given authority to proceed with the employment of counsel and with 

 presentation of the entire subject to the Interstate Commerce Commission. 

 The league, it stiltes, is represented by Luther M. Walter and John Burch- 

 more of Chicago. 



The association is anxious to render all assistance possible and it is 

 therefore urging its members to advise it immediately of any difficulty expe- 

 rienced by them in connection with leases of side tracks. 



It would seem, from the outline of the case made by the association, that 

 the railroads are requiring industrials, whose leases are expiring, to sign 

 new forms which are characterized as standard and which are therefore 

 not subject to any modification whatever. These not only eliminate the 

 agreements which were considered fair under the old regime but force the 

 side track users to accept an agreement "placing upon him the liability for 

 any loss or damage that occurs and even specifically making the user of the 

 side track liable for the negligence of the railroads, its agents or employes, 

 to third persons over which the side track user has no control whatever." 



War Brings Changes in Coast Hardwood Markets 



Many new phases of the hardwood lumber industry have developed since 

 the signing of the armistice and not the least interesting of these is the 

 present situation with respect to Japanese oak. 



It now transpires that no Japanese oak whatever is being Imported Into 

 the United States for use in Pacific coast states. For a number of months 

 prior to the outbreak of the war, Japanese oak was brought into the Pacific 

 coast territory in such volume and was offered in such keen competition 

 with American oak that the latter was practically excluded therefrom. 

 Now there Is not a single foot of Japanese oak reaching this country and 

 American manufai'turers have this field entirely to themselves. 



On the other hand, .T. II. Townshend, secretar.v-manager of the Southern 

 Hardwood I'rafflc Association, is in receipt of Information that large quan- 

 tities of .lapanese oak are being shipped direct from Yokohama to London 

 "at prices about $3 per thousand lower than American oak from Atlantic 

 and Gulf ports." 



Thus, it would seem that, while competition has been completely elim- 

 inated in one direction, it has been encountered in rather aggravated form 

 in another. 



Roger Sands of the Khrlich-Harrisou Company. Seattle, Wash., who has 

 been visiting J. F. Emigh. his local representative in MemphLs, during the 

 past few days, is authority for the statement that there is a very strong 

 demand for southern hardwoods on the Pacific coast, principally for build- 

 ing activities. He jioints out that the ship-yards are requiring far less 

 lumber for the reason that they have comiileted the majority of their 

 Government contracts. 



Invention of a Novel Door 



The iuvenlion of a novelty door has b.^en reported by Consul Leroy 

 Webber, who is stationed at Nottingham. lOnglaud. He writes: 



One of the exhibits at the Model House K.vhibition now being held at 

 London is a door of novel ,-onstruction, which has been patented in Great 

 Britain under the name of "The Receivador." The door is a dm ble one 

 and is constriu'ted with compartments into which tradesmen nuv Insert 

 parcels without disturbing the occupier of the premises Inlwe the house 



another door gives access to the compartments, and the mechanical feature 

 of the contrivance is the alternating interlock, a clever device which makes 

 it mechanically impossible for both the outer and the inner door to be open 

 or unlocked at one and the same time. 



When the tradesman, after inserting his package, closes the outer door 

 of the compartment and turns the knob, this action automatically locks the 

 outer door and unlocks the inner door. When the occupier removes the 

 package and closes the inner door, the latter in the same manner is locked 

 and the outer door unlocked. The doors and locks are being manufactured 

 in Nottingham, and the inventor claims that his idea completely revolu- 

 tionizes shop-to-hoiii,' delivery service. 



The iiatentee. .I.i, ksoii Mitchell, an American citizen at present residing 

 in Nottingham, bus ;tlri-;idy matle application for patent rights in the United 

 States. 



Shortage of Hardwoods in Ontario 



A report dated June IS made by Consul P. S. S. Johnston, Kingston, 

 Ontario, Says : 



For the next two months there will be a scarcity of hardwoods in Ontario. 

 Until the last season's cut is seasoned stocks will be very small, and the large 

 requirements for both domestic and foreign consumption can scarcely be met. 

 Conditions in the southern states are such that the lumbermen are prevented 

 from getting out a cut of the usual proportion this season. Floods have cur- 

 tailed operations and a very considerable shortage is reported. This has 

 caused the diversion of a large amount of business to Canadian account, 

 which is helping to diminish stocks, and if there is sufficient ocean tonnage 

 to carry large quantities of lumber across the Atlantic the local shortage 

 will he aggravated still further. 



The automobile industry of the United States is taking large amounts of 

 Ontario hardwoorl. These manufacturers have ordinarily bought southern 

 wood, but they are unable to do so this season. This movement has been in 

 progress for the last few months, and such buying is likely to continue for 

 some time. The huge requirements of the automobile makers for military 

 trucks absorbed most of the thick oak and ash that is ordinarily used in the 

 manufacture of wheels, and. as sufficient quantities of these woods are no 

 longer available, the automobile manufacturers are now ))uying thick maple, 

 birch and elm for this purpose. 



Decisions of the Federal Trade Commission 



Recently in the United States circuit court of appeals for the seventh; 

 circuit in the Scans Roebuck & Co. case, it was held that the Federal Trade 

 Commission had the power to use its discretion in determining what are 

 "unfair methods of competition" the court saying that the commissioners 

 representing the government are to exercise couimon sense and stop all' 

 those trade practices that have a capacity or tendency to injure com-, 

 petitors directly, or thru deception of purchasers, quite irrespective of 

 whether the specific practices in question have yet been denounced in com- 

 mon law cases. This case, the first one to be decided in which the powers 

 of the commission were in question was heralded as upholding the powers 

 granted to the commission. 



That the commission must be very careful as to the manner In which it 

 applies its broad powers has been illustrated in the case of Federal Trade 

 Commission vs. Warren Jones & Gratz just decided by the United States 

 circuit court of appeals for the second circuit. Warren Jones & Gratz 

 had been ordered by the commission to cease and desist using certain un- 

 fair methods of competition. The respondents appealed to the court to 

 review the order of the commission. 



By the terms of the law creating the Federal Trade Commission when 

 a case is carried to the circuit court of appeals the court must accept 

 as conclusive the findings of the commission as to the facts if there is 

 testimony to support such findings. The court in the Warren Jones & Gratz 

 case held that there was no evidence to supjiort the findings of the com- 

 mission and therefore ruled that the commission's order be reversed. 



In discussing the trade commission law the court made it plain that the 

 commission did not have the power to take action except in cases where 

 unfair methods affect the public generally. In other words if an unfair 

 method of competition was harmful only as between individuals the com- 

 mission could not act, having only the power to act where such action 

 "would be in the interest of the public." 



It is probable that the commission will attempt to carry both the 

 Sears Roebuck & Co., and the Warren Jones & Gratz case to the supreme 

 court so that the powers of the commission may be definitely determined. 



Danger in Shafting 



The National Safety Council, with headquarters in Chicago, has sent 

 out a series of bulletins to mill and factory owners, pointing out dangers 

 in various kinds of machinery. It says of shafting : 



Transmission shafting in motion is a very grave source of danger to 

 the workmen who come in contact with it. Any unevenness whatever 

 may suffice to catch the clothes and wind them around. The man is 

 drawn in by the shafting as it revolves and is turned round with it. At 

 other times he may be dashed violently to the fioor and seriously injured. 

 Only one chance of escape offers itself to him, viz. : That ot having on 

 old or wornout garments which are easily torn away from him and would 

 let him fall before death came. Workmen have been seen completely 

 divested of their clothing by a revolving shaft. Even this single chance 

 of escape is quite accidental, for the fall may cause the workman to be 

 severely injured if not killed. 



It is a mistake to suppose that shafting must necessarily have a pro- 

 jection, such as the end of a key or the head of a screw, before one can 

 be caught by it. It is enough that the shaft should be a little greasy, as 

 is often the case, and that any loose part of a garment, or simply a torn 

 piece rub against it and become wrapped around it. There have been 

 numerous examples of this. 



Guards of netting or of other pattern can be easily provided to prevent 

 workmen from coming in contact with revolving shafts. Many states 

 have laws governing this matter. 



