22 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



There has been no importation of birch logs, but the consump- 

 tion has been small and stocks are light with firm prices. In birch 

 planks there has been a moderate import, with moderate stock and 

 firm prices. 



As a general proposition it seems as though there is little or 

 no demand for medium and low-grade hanlwood lumber in the 

 English market, and that generally speaking the receipts of high- 

 grade stock are fully equal to the comparatively light demand. 



The coal strike has militated against many other lines of 

 industry, including lumber consumption, and it would ma^iifestly 

 be a mistake to make any further shipments of either hardwood 

 logs or lumber to Great Britain at the present time, save on posi- 

 tive sales at guaranteed prices. The market is a remarkably sensi- 

 tive one, and even a little overloading at this time would surely 

 demoralize values on American lianlwoods. 



Fireproof Literature 



Right now there is a perfect deluge of magazine, booklet and 

 circular literature devoted to "fireproof" building problems. One 

 of these publications, whose chief advertising patrons are the 

 Dahlstrom Metallic Door Company, and the National Fireproofing 

 Company, makers of clay tile, carries in great primer type on one 

 of its editorial pages, the following legend: 



The world runs on confidence. It seems a shame to 

 abuse it and even become an tmscrupulous liar by claim- 

 ing that your structure is fireproof for the sake of a 

 little bloody, filthy lucre. 



There is no question about the verity of tlie observations con- 

 tained in the above, but it is really a shame that these i)articu- 

 larly lurid, red-covered, fireproof publications should, in preaching 

 the gospel of sanity in building construction, resort to exploiting 

 materials advertised as fireproof, which, as a matter of fact, have 

 really little even of fire-resisting qualities. Surely the world runs 

 on confidence, and it is a shame to abuse it. 



Many magazines of this general type pretend to work in liar- 

 mony with the fire insurance companies in urging steel, concrete, 

 clay products, metal furniture and other things as a panacea for 

 the solving of all fireproof problems. Did it ever occur tn tlie 

 reader that if all structures were actually and absolutely fireproof, 

 there would be no necessity for anyone carrying fire insurance, 

 and hence the fire insurance element would be out of business? 

 What the fire insurance man wants is practically immunity from 

 fires, and fancy rates for the slight risk that he does take in 

 insuring your property. There is proof today that the average 

 fire insurance company is getting an extravagant price for the 

 protection it gives its clients, based alone on the handsome saving 

 the mutual and other strictly lumber fire insurance companies are 

 making their patrons on sawmills, planing mills, wood-working 

 factories and lumber yard risks, which are touted in all the fire- 

 proof literature as being extra hazardous. 



There is a lot of "con, bunk and piffle" in this alleged fireproof 

 literature. 



Steel Car Advertising 



The smoothest advertising propaganda in evidence at the present 

 time is that of the steel interest in putting forth editorial matter 

 through hundreds of newspapers in favor of steel iiassenger car.s. 

 Of course these interests, which include several prominent car com- 

 panies and railroads, have a world of money at stake. The invest- 

 ment and facilities for producing steel material for the building 

 of these cars is fabulous; the investment the Pullman Company and 

 others have in equipment for making them is also great; and 

 equally monumental is the money involved in the steel cars already 

 purchased and under contract by several of the prominent trunk 

 lines. The}' are ])utting up a desperate effort to save their faces. 



Hardwoou Record '.s dipping bureau develops hundreds of dupli- 

 cate editorials showing that these interests oven are trying to 

 make capital out of the recent New York Central wreck near 

 Poughkeepsio, with the same old talk about the tremendous destruc- 

 tion of life that would have ensued had the train not been of steel. 



No one was actually killed in the New York Central wreck, but 

 these articles fail to even refer to the St. Paul wreck of an exactly 

 similar character, which was a train made up of mixed wood and 

 steel cars, in which there was about an equal number of injured, 

 although no one was killed. Both wrecks were occasioned by the 

 failure of a steel car to stay on the track. 



These articles do not refer to the recent Iron Mountain wreck 

 caused by a steel mail and baggage car jumping the track, which 

 was the cause of the derailment of the heavy wooden Pullmans. 

 No one was killed in this accident and very few injured. There 

 is nothing in the history of recent railroad wrecks to indicate that 

 the steel car offers any more jirotection to human life than is 

 possessed by wooden Pullmans with reinforced steel underfranies. 



Obviously, everyone should have tho right to exercise his own 

 judgment in the type of railroad car in which he wishes to ride. 

 Some may prefer steel cars, others wooden cars; but it is definite 

 that everyone will approve of riding in a car that has a fair chance 

 of staying on the rails. Failure to do this is the inherent weakness 

 of the present type of steel passenger cars. 



Incidentally, tremendous pressure is being brought to bear on 

 Congress to force all railroads, by enactment, to provide full ecjuip- 

 ment of steel passenger cars. The latest of several bills introiiuced 

 on this .subject provides that after .lanuary 1, 1915, none but steel 

 passenger cars shall be used by railroads engaged in interstate 

 commerce. 



This question goes away beyonii insuriiig to the luiidier industry 

 the sale of the little twenty thousand feet of lumber necessary to 

 liuild a passenger or sleeping car. There is not one lumberman in 

 a thousand who would approve of building railroad coaches of wooil 

 if he felt the steel type of car is the safer vehicle. H.ardwooi> 

 Record believes it voices the sentiment of the large and best 

 majority of lumbermen when it states that whenever the steel 

 trust, the car builders and the railroads can demonstrate that the 

 steel car is the safer, they will cheerfully accept the loss of busi- 

 ness and agree to become converts to steel cars. 



Wood Substitutes and Progress 



As heretofore reiitecl in these culiinms, liAiiDWuoD Keiokd does 

 not want to appear in any wise as an obstructionist to human 

 progress. While its interests lie primarily in seeing wood utilized 

 in logical quantities in a logical way, it does not want to urge the 

 use of wood for any purpose where other materials are manifestly 

 better. 



When the steel trust, the car builder and the railroads can 

 demonstrate that steel cars are saner and safer than wooden cars, 

 this publication will commend them. 



When the steel trust and automobile builders can demonstrate 

 that stovepipe steel is a better material for an automobile body 

 than honest wood. Hardwood Rkcord will be with them. 



When the steel door and inferior trim makers can demonstrate 

 that this sort of material is a panacea against the destruction of a 

 building by fire, or has any fireproof (|ualities over solid wood, this 

 imblication will be with them. 



When the builders of steel ollicc furniture can demuiistrate tliat 

 this type of furniture has superior merits, and offers added i)ro- 

 tection against fire for their contents over furnifiiie built of wood. 

 Hardwood Record will be with them also. 



When the cement man can demonstrate that concrete floors in 

 factories are of such a character that employes can walk and standi 

 (in them without imjiairmeiit nl I heir health, and when it is demon- 

 strated that the dust and grit Irum this type of floors will not reach 

 the bearings and ruin machinery, Hardwood Record will be an 

 ailvocatc of concrete floors in factories. 



Wlien the discijjlcs of steel and concrete construction <an denmn- 

 strati! that the ordinary buildings built of this material have a 

 substantial character, superior to slow-burning wood construction, 

 it will readily aidcnovvledgo the fai'l. and bi'iimie an .Mdvocate of 

 this type of mill, factory and warehouse construction. And, so on 

 down tho line. 



