36 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



March 10. 1917 



Paine Lumber Company Out of Debt 



Two big events in tlie affairs of the Paine Lumber Company (Lta.), of 

 Oshliosh, Wis., tool< place last week. The company has been in the hands 

 of receivers for over two years, and on Saturday of last week Circuit Judge 

 George W. Burnell authorized the receivers to pay off the balance of the 

 indebtedness which approximates .$191,000, the same being fifteen per cent 

 of the original Indehtedness of the company. The receivers announced 

 cash on hand and notes receivaldc sufficient to meet the final obligations. 

 They also secured permission of the court to issue promissory notes in be- 

 half of the company to an amount not to exceed $125,000 up to June 1 of 

 this year. 



The other great event In the annals of the company's affairs was the an- 

 nouncement of a distribution to employes in the form of wage increases 

 and wage divisions in the sum of $120,000 for the currgnt year, of which 

 $70,000 will be in wage increases to the 1,700 employes, and $50,000 in 

 dividends or bonuses. The wage increases range from five to twelve and a 

 half per cent, while the bonus money depends largely upon the term of 

 employment. The increases are of March 1. 



Pertinent Information 



White Birch Paving Blocks 



Reports on the lOl.T and 1916 inspections of the experimental wood 

 block pavements in Minneapolis credited white birch with a remarkable 

 showing. After ten years of service it was found to be in fully as good 

 condition as longleaf pine. A report received by the laboratory from a 

 company which laid both white birch and longleaf pine blocks In a factory 

 floor in 1909, stated that the white birch was much more satisfactory than 

 the pine. It seems likely that if white birch can be delivered to treating 

 plants in such condition that there will be only a small loss during the 

 manufacture, it may find a wide use as paving block material. Efforts 

 are now being made to determine whether this can be satisfactorily accom- 

 plished : and the Forest Products Laboratory is also trying to locate and 

 secure reports on other "white birch pavements. 



K. K. Knecht, cartoonist with the Evansville Courier. Evansville, Ind., 

 has been engaged in working up a series of graphic illustrations describing 

 the industries of Evansville, entitled : "Through Evansville Work Shops 

 with K. K. Knecht." The modern plant of the Evansville Veneer Com- 

 pany Is No. 5 in the series, and Mr. Kn>cht's illustration is reproduce<l on 

 this page. It is especially valuable in that it gives to the layman a general 

 idea of the method of producing veneers. 



Building Operations for February 



The expected has happeneil. For the first 

 time In twenty-one months, the monthly state- 

 ment of building operations shows a decrease as 

 compared with the corresponding month of the 

 previous year. In July, 1915, building oper- 

 ations were 15 per cent below those of July 1, 

 1914, the latter month being that immediately 

 preceding the outbreak of the European war. 

 Each succeeding month, since July, 1915. has 

 shown the comparative gain. It was very slen- 

 der, once or twice, merely a thin edge, but the 

 showing was always on the right side. Now 

 comes the occasion for using red ink In striking 

 the balance. 



The building permits. Issued In 102 principal 

 cities for February, 1917, according to official 

 figures, received by the American Contractor, 

 Chicago, total $51,232, 6,S6, compared with $54,- 

 021,755 for February, 1916, a decrease of 5 per 

 cent. The number of permits also shows a de- 

 crease from 16,977 to 14.235. 



The losses are by no means uniform — only 

 53 lose In the comparison, 49. or nearly one-half, 

 gaining in volume over a year ago. New York 

 City makes a substantial gain, due to the In- 

 creased activities In Manhattan. Philadelphia 

 also scores the substantial increase of 60 per 

 cent. But Chicago loses out by 50 per cent and 

 Boston and St. Louis show smaller shrinkages. 

 Cleveland makes the sharp gain of 79 per' cent. 

 And so the records go. pro and con. 



There is a bright side to the statement. It is 

 generally agreed that consideralile construction 

 Wijrk is being held up on account of the high 

 lirices of material and also on account of the 

 difficulty of procuring early deliveries of steel 

 and some other forms of material. This large 

 latent volume of work will doulitless come into 

 view with a change in the conditions noted. 



Historic Beech Tree 



On lanil belonging to W. H. Potter, in 

 Letcher county, not so far from Lexington, Ky., 

 there stands on the banks of Boone's Creek, 

 300 feet from that stream's contluence with the 

 north fork of the Kentucky river, a historic 

 beech tree. ,\ section of this nuijestic sentinel 

 of the forest has recently been cut by Mrs. R. L. 

 filling, historian of the Bryan Station Chapter 

 U. D. C. by permission of the owner of the tree. 

 The section, or slab cut from the tree bears this 

 inscription, deeply cut, "D. B. 1781." 



The slab was brought to Lexington a few days 

 ago and will be forwarded to Washington to be 

 placed permanently on display in the Kentucky 

 room of Contin<'ntal hall. Tradition in the 

 foothills of the Cumberiands has establisheil 

 that the initials were cut out by Daniel Boone, 

 the Kentucky pioneer, who is known to have 

 camped near the tree's location. The initials 

 stand out boldly and if not actually cut by 

 Boone, at least were cut many years ago, as 

 experts who examined the initials testify. 



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