44 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



it has many very desirable and alluring social features, will be 

 a business meeting, and before the convention will be brought 

 up every topic that is of vital interest to the hardwood ;ind '■oft 

 wood branches of the industry at the present time. 



The host of the occasion is the Louisville Hardwood Club, and 

 this bare statement stands for the best there is in hospitality and 

 good fellowship. Ask any member of the rlnb for anything you want 

 while in Louisville. 



H:;i;^A^^KK/^>i;«^X:Aii!i^iaaiiv:w^is^^ 



The Mail Bag 



B 190 — Disapproves of Duty on Japanese 

 Oak 



San Francisco. Cal.. I-cb. l(i. — Editor Hard- 

 wood Kecord: Wc should like to get further 

 idpas from you regarding the proper classifi- 

 tatlon of oak. Our object in getting these 

 ideas is the fact that Japanese oak logs have 

 been imported to this market and a very nomi- 

 nal import duty charged thereon, with the 

 result that subsequently large shipments of oak 

 lumber manufactured in Japan have been arriv- 

 ing on this coast and have been classified as 

 under paragraph immediately following the 

 classificaiion of the log, which permitted the 

 lumber to be entered under a payment of $1.25 

 per M import duty. It is obvious that the 

 cost of transforming rough hewn logs into lum- 

 ber is a great deal more expensive in this coun- 

 try than it is in Japan and the duty of $1.2.5 

 per M is out of all proportion. We have always 

 contended that oak should come under a head- 

 ing in the tariff which allows cabinet woods 

 to come in free, provided they are rough hewn 

 square logs or round logs ; and that when these 

 woods are manufactured in foreign countries 

 Into lumber, that they pay a duty of 15 per 

 cent ad valorem. The object of the tariff in- 

 the first place is to encourage and protect man- 

 ufacturers in this country and has provided 

 generally a free importation of raw material 

 which. If converted into a finished product in 

 foreign countries, came in tmder a heavy tariff. 



Regarding oak, whether it is a cabinet wood 

 or not, the object of the producer of oak lum- 

 ber is, first, to get clear lumber and veneers 

 to be used principally in high class cabinet 

 work : the other uses to which this wood is 

 put. such as flooring, railroad ties, etc., are 

 only consequential. In other words, these other 

 uses come through the production of a great 

 deal of defective wood which cannot be used for 

 anything else. Nobody would ever think of cut- 

 ting our oak logs for the sole purpose of making 

 railroad ties or flooring If these logs were at 

 all suitable to the proper uses. In fact, it 

 would really be a crime to deplete our valuable 

 forests of oak for such purposes. Kindly give 

 us all the Information you can on the subject, 

 for which we anticipate thanks. 



DIECK.MANN Hardwood Company. 



The writer of the above letter has been 

 advised that there are a good many incon- 

 sistencies with the lumber tariff, but Uaed- 

 wooD Eecord fails to see where any relief 

 can be secured under the present law in 

 getting a diminution of the duty on Jap- 

 anese oak in the form of lumber. This 

 inferior variety of oak comes into compe- 

 tition with the product of this country, and 

 it would be of no particular hardship to the 

 San Francisco house or to all users of oak 

 on the Pacific coast if the duty were high 

 enough to make the importation of Japanese 

 oak entirely unprofitable. 



The only reason that attempts are made 

 to import this variety of wood into this 

 country is owing to the unreasonable freight 

 rates exacted by the railroads on its ship- 



ments of harilwoods from oak producing 

 sections to the coast. Japanese oak has no 

 merits that are equal to even the inferior 

 qualities of American grown oak, and it 

 would seem logical that' if just representa- 

 tions on the subject of the inroads of this 

 variety of wood on the coast were made to 

 the railroads, they would reduce their ex- 

 cessive rates, at least enough to make it un- 

 profitable to import the Japanese variety, 

 even if no duty were exacted. — Editor. 



B 191 — Work of National Hardwood Lumber 

 Association 



H.\RmvooD Record is in receipt of tlic 

 following letter from Secretary Fish of 

 the National Hardwood Lumber Associa- 

 tion, reciting the details of the association 's 

 inspection work for the month of January. 

 The detailed report accompanying shows 

 that about six and one-third millions of 

 the inspection was done by salaried inspect- 

 ors, and three and one-third million by fee 

 inspectors. 



Chicago. III.. Feb. 15. 

 To the membership : 



The enclosed statement of the work of our 

 inspection bureau for January, shows that we 

 inspected 9.7S0.831 feet of hardwood lumber dur- 

 ing that month. 



This is the largest amount ever inspected 

 during the month of January, and it exceeds the 

 amount for January, 19]!. by 2.2(;4.0fl4 feet — 

 what we might have accomplished it the weather 

 man had not l>een out after a record during the 

 same month, it is not possible for us to say. 



On account of the severe weather out* men 

 were not able to work steadily, and the opera- 

 tion of the bureau cost us $S.'!4.29 more than 

 was paid by our members for the work. 



We have received eighteen applications for 

 membership since our last letter was written, 

 which makes a total of 12fi since the Memphis 

 meeting. 



At the meeting of our board of managers last 

 month it was decided to hold our annual con- 

 vention on .lime (5 and 7, and it was practicall.v 

 agreed to have our headquarters and un'oting at 

 the New Sherman hotel on account of its splen- 

 did convention hall, and other provisions for 

 taking care of a large meeting. 



Mark these dates on your calendar and do not 

 fail to be present and enjoy the hospitality of 

 the Chicago lumbermen. 



Very truly yours, 

 F. F. FISH, Sec'y-Treas. 



B 192 — Seeks Veneer Packages for Shipping 

 Dry Chemicals 

 Midland. Mich., Feb. 10.— Editor IIahdwood 

 Ui'icoRD : If you are able to do so, we would 

 thank you to advise us of whom we could 

 probably purchase veneer packages, both boxes 

 and casks, suitable for the transportation of light 

 weight dry powders. We would piefir to have 

 the names and addresses of more than one mano- 

 faeturer, and prefer those located near this 

 point. 



COMTANY. 



Manufacturers of veneer packages suit- 

 able for containing and shipping the mate- 

 rial in question will be put in eniumunica- 

 tion with this prospective purchaser on 

 application, by referring to B 102, and 

 addressing this office. — EDITOR. 



B 193 — Seeks Basswood Rotary Cut Stock 

 Hay City, Mich., Feb. 20. — Editor Hakdwooi> 

 Kkcohd : We are in the market for rotary cut 

 bas.swflo1 veneers for the making of boxes. 

 Will you kindly put us in communication with 

 uiannl'acturers of this material? 



• Comi-any. 



The writer of the above letter has been 

 placed in communication with several Mich- 

 igan and Wisconsin manufacturers producing 

 basswood veneers, and any other who would 

 like to figure on the requirements of a fore- 

 most Michigan box producing house, can have 

 the address by referring to B 19.3, and ad- 

 dressing this ofSee. — Editor. 



B 194 — Reprints of Editorial on Lumber 

 ' Trade Conditions Abroad 



Baltimore, Md.. Feb. 10. — Editor Hardwood 

 liECORD : We note an editorial in your issue 

 of February 10, announcing the appointment of 

 an emissary by the Department of Commerce 

 and Labor, to seek and disseminate information 

 in respect to conditions of the liimbcr trade 

 abroad. 



Several members of the National Lumber Ex- 

 porters' Association suggest it would be a goo<3 

 idea to send all of our members a reprint of this 

 article, and therefore would be very much 

 obliged if you would send me at your earliest 

 convenience, about one hundred copies of it. 

 J. AIcD. Price, Secretary. 



The secretary of the National Lumber 

 Exporters' Association has been supplied 

 with the reprints of the editorial in ques- 

 tion, agreeable to his reqjiest. — Editor. 



B 195 — Liability of Railroads for Slow 

 Freight Delivery 



.Jasper, Ind., Feb. 14, — Editor Hardwood 

 Kkcord : Can you inform me whether or not I 

 could bring a claim against a railroad company 

 for non-delivery of freight within a reasonable 

 time? I shipped a carload of quartered white 

 oak lumber to Grand Hapids. Mich., on .Tan. 6 

 .Mild have been notified that the car has not yet 

 arrived. I have always been under the impression 

 that freight had to be moved fifty miles a day, 

 and according to that the car should have ar- 

 rived at destination within at least two weeks 

 from date of shipment. Is there any ruling in 

 regard to above? ■ — . 



This correspondent has been advised that 

 a claim can be instituted against a railroad 

 company for non-delivery of freight within 

 a reasonable time before the Interstate Com- 

 uicrce Commission, but it is doubtful if tWe 

 efi'ort would pay for any possible award of 

 damages that might accrue. So far as 

 Hardwood Rkcord knows, there is no enact- 

 ment that compels a railroad to move 

 freight fifty miles a day, although it is 

 universally conceded that it should move 

 cars at least that far daily. — Euri'oi;. 



B 196 — Approves. Record's Editorial 



Meihphls, Tenn., Fob. 13.— ICdIlor Hardwood 

 I{i;i oiiD : I have read the article on the foreign 

 luuilier industry exploitation with the greatest 

 Interest, and' 1 am writing the secretary of the 

 National Lumber Exporters' Association today, 

 asking hlin to press the membership to enter 

 vigorous protest to the Department of Commerce 

 and Labor. 



