April 10, 1917 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



21 



nianufactiiring facilities making possible the complete utili7ati? n of thf 

 tree. Among these will be modern farilities_for paper maiuITacfure^ 



This is the lirst move that the Gooilyear people have made to go into the 

 manufacture of southern pine on tbeir own account, although they are 

 well represented among important pini' operations going under other names 

 and in which other interests are affiliated. It is not yet decided where on 

 the tracts the mills will be located. One of them will be on the Northeastern 

 and the other on the Gulf &. Ship Island lines. The first mill will probably 

 be located either at Derby or Poplarville. and the other either at Lumberton 

 or Columbia, although Picayune is being considered also. This question will 

 be decided iu time so that mill construction be completed to enable actual 

 cutting by October. 



The C. A. Goodyear hardwood mill at Tomah, Wis., has been permanently 

 shut down and the work of dismantling it for shipment south is about under- 

 way. This is the highest type of mill in every particular. It is electrically 

 driven by individual motors throughout and after having been properly 

 altered to adapt it precisely to the new needs will constitute one of the 

 manufacturing units. Extensive purchases of new equipment of a modern 

 character in every particular are being made so as to fill out the manufac- 

 turing facilities in the most efficient and up-to-date manner. It is probable 

 that the other mill will be steam driven. The combined equipment will in- 

 volve the use of five band saws. 



Th'? Goodyear interests are represented in northern operations, in the 

 west coast redwood, pine and fir territory, and the new unit will round out 

 the organization completely. The three principals are well-known, Mr. 

 Rowlands and Mr." Goodyear having been connected mainly in the North 

 while Mr. Crosby is a Mississippian, who has had strong connections in pine 

 operations for a long time. 



John M. Smith Brought Back from Honduras 

 John JI. Smith, formerly a prominent hardwood lumber operator at 

 Dickson, Tenn., has been arrested in Honduras, and brought back to 

 Tennessee to answer charges in connection with the bankruptcy of his 

 concern at Dickson, which had^liabilities of about $100,000. The charge 

 against Smith is that of falsifying liis schedule of assets and liabilities. 

 Nashville lumber concerns were creditors to the amount of .flO.OOO or 

 more. Smith at one time was in the trade at Nashville and had a good 

 standing. 



Lumberman's Son Joins the Colors 

 Wayne F. Palmer, son of Earl Palmer of the Fergiison-ralmer Com- 

 pany, Inc., Memphis, with headquarters at Memphis, has been graduated 

 from Dartmouth college and, although he is a member of the submarine 

 chaser reserve of the naval service, he is now, according to a letter re- 

 ceived by his father, assigned as aide to the commandant of the Ports- 

 mouth navy yards, with the rank of ensign. Young Palmer broke the news 

 of his enlistment in the naval service in a telegram to his father and the 

 latter replied in characteristic fashion as follows : "The news in your 

 wire is a bit tough and knocked us all in a heap. However, I am proud of 

 you and of those who go with you from Dartmouth. Our country's chief- 

 est dependence at this time is upon such young men as you and your com- 

 panions who still retain faith in its institutions and who possess the will 

 and the courage to defend that faith." In this connection it may be 

 noted that young Mr. Palmer took the initiative in making application 

 to the governor of New Hampshire for enlistment and for the graduation 

 of his class, with the result that he is largely responsible for the fact 

 that some forty young men are thus placed in the naval service. 



New Laboratory Chief 



Carlisle P. Wiuslow has been appointed chief of the Forest Products 

 Laboratory, Madison, Wis., to succeed Howard F. Weiss, who resigned to 

 accept a position with a private company engaged in research work. Mr. 

 Winslow has been connected with the laboratory for several years and is 

 well known as a scientist and investigator capable of doing the highest 

 class of work. The government laboratory there has done a great deal for 

 the country's lumber interests by investigating the properties and uses 

 of woods, and especially the possibilities in the Held of by-products. Mr. 

 Winslow has been closely identified with that work and it may be taken 

 for granted that the activities of the laboratory will continue along the 

 same practical lines as heretofore. 



Pertinent Information 



Pushing the Webb Bill 



The lumber organizations of this country are advocating the passage of 

 the Webb bill by the present session of Congress. The Southern Pine Asso- 

 ciation and the western lumber Interests are leading the fight. This law 

 was in a fair way to pass at the late session, but was killed for lack of 

 time. Under the existing laws of the United States, American manufac- 

 turers are forbidden to do the very thing which European governments en- 

 courage and practically require of their manufacturers, that is. co-operate 

 in joint selling agencies for foi-eign trade. For the permanent prosperity of 

 the United States it appears unquestioned that every possible barrier to the 



_e.;t£iision of our foreign commerce should be removed. The Webb bill 

 allows and encourages the formation of such selling agencies for foreign 

 trade under federal supervision to prevent abuse of the privilege of thus 

 organizing to get business. 



Promoting Shipbuilding in Canada 



Consul E. E. Young reports from Halifax, N. S., that a bill has been intro- 

 duced in the provincial legislature with a view to promoting shipbuilding 

 in Nova Scotia. It provides for the appointment of a commission of five 

 and a secretary. The duties of the commission are to investigate the facili- 

 ties existing^ within the province for the building or ships and the manu- 

 facturing industries incident thereto, and to make suggestions tending to 

 the adoption of practical rules and regulations to encourage the utilization 

 of all natural and other resources to facilitate the development of the ship- 

 building industry in Nova Scotia. Authority is given the commission to 

 'engage whatever technical or expert assistance may be necessary. The com- 

 mission may, under the provisions of the bill, be created a body corporate 

 by authority of the governor in council and w'hen so created it will have the 

 necessary authority and power to acquire ships by construction, purchase, 

 lease, or otherwise, and to equip, maintain and operate such ships. 



A shipbuilding plant with a capital of $1,000,000 is in process of organi- 

 zation in St. John, and its successful completion is practically assured. 



The company is known as the St. John Shipbuilding Company and will 

 operate under a Dominion charter. It proposes building at first wooden 

 ships with-all sail or auxiliary oil-burning engines as power. 



The ships will be built on the principle that obtained in the old days when 

 St. John was celebrated for its shipbuilding industry, separate companies 

 being formed for the building of each vessel, the owners to sell or operate the 

 vessels as they may determine, the parent company to build the ships at 

 cost plus ten per cent and turn them over to the owners at that figure. 



Memphis Car Shortage Increasingly Oppressive 



Although lumber is moving in larger volume than for some time, the 

 fact remains that the car shortage, as measured by the actual needs of 

 the trade, is even more acute than It has been at any time this year. 

 J. H. Townshend, secretary-manager of the Southern Hardwood Traffic 

 Association, takes this view of the subject and a number of prominent 

 hardwood manufacturers say that, while getting more cars, they are secur- 

 ing a smaller percentage of their requirements than even a fortnight ago. 

 This condition is explained by the rush orders that are in the market follow- 

 ing the lifting of the recent embargoes. Consumers and distributers of 

 hardwood lumber who have perforce allowed their stocks to got down to 

 small proportions are trying to get them rehabilitated in short order and 

 ever.v manufacturer and wholesale dealer is experiencing an activity of 

 demand that is quite striking. There appears to be an idea, too, that 

 the government is going to have large orders to place for hardwood lumber 

 and lumber products in carrying out its preparedness program and, since 

 lumber interests here and elsewhere have signified their intention of giving 

 preference to government orders over all others, general consumers and 

 distributers are making an effort to get ahead of the government in se- 

 curing their requirements for a while. There also seems to be a well es- 

 tablished idea that the carrying out of its plans by the government will 

 derange shipping still further and this is given as an added reason why 

 there are so many rush orders in the market. Mr. Townshend said re- 

 cently that more cars were being rushed South, but he saw little prospect 

 of any improvement in shipping conditions for the immediate future. He 

 pointed out that conditions are worse on the west side than on the east 

 side lines. 



Cotton interests are up against the same scarcity of cars as the lumber 

 people. The transportation committee of the Memphis Cotton Exchange 

 is quite as aggressive in its fight for relief for cotton men as the Southern 

 Hardwood Traffic Association is in behalf of lumber shippers. Cotton 

 and lumber are the two big tonnage items in the southern fields and par- 

 ticularly in the Memphis territory, and for once at least the railroads are 

 making no discrimination as between cotton and lumber, being equally un- 

 able to take care of either. The Southern Hardwood Traffic Association 

 continues to maintain its efficiency bureau, through which it is keeping in 

 close touch with the needs of its members and through which it is keep- 

 ing tab on the cars available. It is thus insuring as equitable distribution 

 of cars as possible and is thus able to afford some slight measure of relief 

 where relief must be had. 



There has been no change in the plans of the Southwestern Hardwood 

 Traffic Association which will hold the meeting at Little Rock scheduled 

 for April 14 to deal with car shortage, freight rates and other pressing 

 traffic problems. The west side lines, as already suggested, are giving 

 even poorer service than those on the east side and every effort will be 

 made at this coming meeting to handle the subject in such vigorous man- 

 ner as to secure at least a fair measure of relief. Mr. Townshend, who 

 acts in an advisory capacity to that organization, will attend the meet- 

 ing. 



The Southern Hardwood Traffic Association has asked the National 

 Lumber Manufacturers' .\ssociation to lead the fight for proper dunnage 

 allowance on the part of the railroads in all parts of the country. Mem- 

 bers of the former have already gathered a great deal of information 

 and data in conjunction wijh this subject and it will co-operate with the 

 latter in the event it agrees to handle the subject. 



