October 10, 1919 



HARDWOOD RteCORD 



41 



(Continued from pagf'.24)- 

 agreemeut of the steel men to effect a 15 per cent reduction in the 

 price of basic steel items. It was only after the board had been 

 shown that the war-time lumber prices were not comparable with 

 the wartime steel prices that the use of this argument at Wasliing- 

 ton ceased. It was explained that if lumber prices during the war 

 had been fixed for the same purpose and by the same formula as 

 liad been used in fixing steel prices, namely, to encourage maximum 

 production, the price fixed on southern pine would have been $39 

 instead of $38, and the price on fir would have been $25 instead of 

 $26. Thus the hectic advance in lumber values is really only a 

 process through which lumber is coming to a fair relative position 

 in regard to other goods. Mr. Compton closed with an analysis 

 of the general economic conditions throughout the world, explaining 

 the high prices of all commodities. 



J. E. Rhodes, secretary and manager of the Soutliern Pine Associ- 

 ation of New Orleans, was scheduled to deliver a talk entitled, 

 "Co-operation in the Sales Department." However, he found at 

 tlie last moment he was unable to attend. 



The session closed with a remarkable talk by H. E. Dewey, 

 general sales manager of the Edward Hines Lumber Company, 

 Chicago, entitled, "My Ideals of a Sales Organization." Mr. 

 Dewey 's talk contained too many pertinent facts and too clear a 

 perception of the future to warrant its being briefed. It will 

 therefore be carried as a special article in another issue of 

 Hardwood Record. This concluded the business session of the 

 meeting. 



Would Prohibit Lumber Exports 



One of the most drastic, freakish and unreasonable pieces of 

 legislation which has ever been proposed was submitted to the 

 House of Representatives on September 27, by Representative 

 Jefferis in the form of bill H. R. 9567. The matter has been taken 

 under advisement by the National Lumber Exporters' Association 

 and other bodies interested in exporting, and it hardly seems pos- 

 sible that there is any chance of the matter going through. As a 

 matter of fact, it may not get beyond the committee on the 

 judiciary, but nevertheless it is a line of thought which must be 

 overcome and every lumberman interested in a steady market must 

 give his best effort to seeing that the sentiment of the industry 

 is unmistakably recorded in Washington. Read the bill which fol- 

 lows and then take the matter up with your senators and repre- 

 sentatives and whomever you can think of to write to at Wash- 

 ington : 



A Bill 



rrohiliitins the exportation of lumber from the United States and pro- 

 viding penalties for violation thereof. 



Be it enacted by the Senate and Hou.se of Representatives of the United 

 States of America in Congress assembled, 



That the exportation of lumber or products of lund)er from the United 

 States be, and the same is hereb.v prohibited for the period of two years 

 from and after the passage of this act. 



Sec. 2. That any person, firm or corporation violating any of the pro- 

 visions of section 1 of this act shall be fined in an amount not to exceed 

 the value of the lumber so exported. 



Strikes at Abuse of Transit Car Privilege 



October 3 is the date of an order issued by the Railroad Admin- 

 istration, which is of prime importance to the lumber industry in 

 all its branches, as it strikes directly at the abuse of the transit 

 car privilege. Some time back manufacturers and retailers under- 

 took a co-operative movement to fight this common evil, an evil 

 that not only works a hardship on industry but imposes special 

 burdens on the public through tending to disturb an already excited 

 market. These cars, in the hands of speculators, are put on the 

 rails and are literally auctioned. This method cannot help but 

 work evil results under present conditions. Therefore, the order 

 of tlie Railroad Administration is not only in the interest of car 

 supply, but is indirectly of very great value to the public from 

 the angle indicated. As a result of an investigation by the Rail- 

 road Administration it was found that lil ^rally hundreds of transit 



cars were being held for over a week at a time, tliereby taking 

 much needed transportation facilities away from their proper use. 



Every legitimate manufacturing, retail and wholesale interest in 

 the country should be gratified over this order, and as already 

 stated, it is manifest that the public will be greatly lielped. 



The order follows: 



To study the expedition of the movement of freight cars both loatied and 

 empty within terminals in order to ovel-come avoidable delays and thus 

 increase the efficiency of the freight car equipment of the country, special 

 terminal committees have l>een arranged for at seventy of the principal 

 terminals of the nation, each to be composed of local railroad representa- 

 tives ami a representative of shippers. 



The work on these comnnttees will be pushed vigorously and every possi- 

 ble effort maile to prevent delays to freight cars at terminals. 



Tlie Railroad Ailniinistration has received numerous complaints recently 

 that refrigerator cars were Ijeing unduly detained at destinations and that 

 cars loaded with lumlier helil tor reconsignment were also being unduly 

 held. 



During the present emergency, in order to prevent undue detention of 

 equipment, authority has been given to publish immediately for account 

 of all carriers under federal control effective on seven days' notice, the fol- 

 lowing rules : 



1. On refrigerator cars which are not unloaded at the expiration of 

 five days after the hour at which free time begins to run under the demur- 

 rage rules, a storage of ,$Hi per car will be assessed for each day or frac- 

 tional part of a day thereafter that such car is held under load. 



2. On cars loaded with lumber held for reconsignment, a storage charge 

 of $10 per car will be assessed for eac^ day or fractional part of a day 

 that a car is held for reconsignment after 48 hours after the hour at which 

 free time begins to run under the demurrage rules. 



3. These charges will lie assessed regardless of whether cars are held 

 on railroad hold tracks or delivery tracks, including consignee's or other 

 private sidings, and will be in addition to any existing demurrage and 

 storage charges. 



These rules were authorized for publication after consultation with 

 shippers. 



Forest Policy Advocated 



Henry S. Graves, United States Forester, lias published in con- 

 siderable detail, a plan by which the government may co-operate 

 in the protection and management of private, municipal, and state 

 forests. This plan is essentially the same as that advocated by 

 Mr. Graves in various public addresses and papers within the last 

 year or two; but details are more fully worked out, leaving less 

 room for controversy as to what the real meaning of the plan is, 

 and what is its scope. 



He advocates government assistance for private, municipal, and 

 state lands, in the form of money to be expended for fire protection, 

 protection against insects and other pests, and in securing better 

 utilization of timber, and in renewing forests that have been or 

 may be cut. It is not intended that the government shall expend 

 more on such land than is spent by the owners, whether the owners 

 are private, municipal, or state. 



But it is not proposed that the government shall go to that ex- 

 pense without receiving something in return. -The consideration 

 must be a share in the management and control of the land, the 

 planning and execution of the fire protection, the cutting of tim- 

 ber, the regulation of waste, the reforestation of the land, and other 

 matters of supervision and direction. 



The plan of co-operation extends to taxation and the passage of 

 state laws sufficiently favorable to the timber holder to encourage 

 him to let his trees stand until ready to cut, rather than cut them 

 prematurely to escape the burden of taxes. 



The extension of the terms of the Week's law is advocated until 

 the government has fome into possession of land that it ought to 

 own. A better classification is recommended, so that what is good 

 for agriculture shall not be used for forests, and vice versa. 



Two hardwoods commonly listed in the minor class are apt to be 

 in larger demand in the future than in the immediate past. They 

 are dogwood and persimmon, and the expected demand will come 

 from the textile industry. It is probable that activity in the spin- 

 ning and weaving business will increase with the return of peace, 

 and shuttles will be in demand. Most shuttles are of these two 

 woods. They are not particularly scarce but are scattered and if 

 large quantities are wanted they must be collected from wide areas, 

 principally in the south. 



