HARDWOOD RECORD 



17 



in this broad question. In fact, the apathy exhibited by the lumber 

 trade, with a few notable exceptions, has been rather startling. 



There seems, however, to have been a decided change of thought 

 regarding the merits and demerits of the two types of cars in ques- 

 tion, and while the old projiagandist 's type of article in which the 

 steel car is lauded in glowing headlines is extremely common in the 

 daily press, H.\rdwood Eecord has secured in the last few months 

 numerous clippings from the daily press in various parts of the 

 country, all of which papers are in good standing, in which the line 

 of thought outlined in various articles appearing in this publication, 

 has been followed closely. These articles have pleaded for a fair 

 trial for the modernly constructed wooden car and that the public 

 be not too anxious to claim the steel car to be a saver of life without 

 ascertaining pretty definitely whether or not such a claim is based 

 on absolute fact. 



Haedwood Eecokd will not be so foolish as to claim that this 

 publication's articles alone have effected any country -wide change in 

 sentiment regarding the steel railway coach, but it is absolutely cer- 

 tain that in a number of the instances referred to the papers in ques- 

 tion have been convinced and have secured their lines of arguments 

 from the articles appearing in Hardwood Kecord previously. 



Another interesting phase of the situation has developed during the 

 last few months in connection with the remainder of the lumber trade 

 press. Hardwood Eecord has never suggested directly that the other 

 papers might further the cause of the lumber business by following 

 up the same question with a united front on the part of the lumber 

 papers themselves, but has felt nevertheless that if the rest of the 

 papers published in the interest of the lumber business would adopt a 

 broader view of the matter than to consider it merely as a policy 

 adopted by a competitor, and which they hence could not adopt, the 

 effort would be given much greater weight. On the contrary, the 

 efforts of Hardwood Eecord were in some quarters received at first 

 with more or less ridicule, but Hardwood EecOrd is delighted to note 

 the change in sentiment recently evidenced in the editorial pages of 

 its contemporaries in the lumber business. Practically all of the 

 leaders in the lumber trade journal field are now carrying more or 

 less connected argiiments along the same lines as those originally 

 suggested by Hardwood Record. 



It is to be hoped that this united effort is not too late to be pro- 

 ductive of the desired results. 



Export Rates and Through Bills Via New 

 Orleans 



ANUMBEE OF PEOMIXEKT exporting firms in Memphis who 

 recently refused to sign for ocean freight room have within the 

 past two or three weeks entered into annual contracts for their 

 needs for the ensuing year. As a rule rates are somewhat higher 

 than those which prevailed last season, but the efforts of local 

 exporters to get them lowered through refusing to sign earlier 

 have apparently failed. The export movement of cotton is not 

 as large as was anticipated and advices from Galveston and New 

 Orleans indicate that freight rates may go somewhat lower. There 

 are some exporters of lumber who have not yet renewed their con- 

 tracts and they may possibly profit by the somewhat lower tendency 

 of ocean rates. 



The west side lines have entered into an agreement with the 

 steamship companies, or rather with a half dozen of the larger 

 ones, through which the latter will honor through bills of lading 

 on exports of lumber. The west side lines, it would appear, put 

 the issue squarely up to the steamship companies with the state- 

 ment that they would not participate in through bills of lading 

 on cotton if the steamship companies did not honor through bills 

 of lading on lumber exports. It is believed here that the action of 

 the steamship companies entering into this agreement will force the 

 other steamship companies to take similar action, with the result 

 that the bill of lading controversy is regarded as well along toward 

 settlement so far as the west side lines are concerned. The Illi- 

 nois Central and other east side lines were to have discontinued 

 through bills on lumber Sept. 15, but the date has passed and they 

 have not done so. Officials of the Illinois Central have had the 



matter under advisement during the past two or three days, but 

 no decision has been reached. J. H. Townshend, general manager of 

 the Southern Hardwood Traffic Bureau, stated recently that, in 

 his opinion, the action of the Illinois Central would depend largely 

 upon the lumber exporting firms. He said that if the latter did not 

 rush lumber shipments into Kew Orleans in such manner as to cause 

 congestion and long delays in that center the Illinois Central would 

 probably continue to issue through bills on lumber. He also called 

 attention to the fact that, with a car shortage impending, the 

 Illinois Central would insist upon the loading of all cars to full 

 capacity where export shipments are concerned. Mr. Townshend, 

 who is very closely in touch with traffic conditions and who has 

 been handling this bill of lading controversy, believes that the out- 

 look is very bright and that the matter, if the lumbermen co- 

 operate with the^railroads and steamship companies, will settle it- 

 self. Already conditions are regarded as vastly improved and there 

 is a' larger movement of lumber into export channels than has been 

 the case for some weeks. 



Lumber Cut and Shipments Compared 



piGUEES EECEXTLY PUBLISHED by the Northern Hemlock 

 * and Hardwood Manufacturers' Association furnish interesting 

 comparisons in the cut and shipment of lumber for August. 1912, and 

 for the same month in 1913. In that month in the first year fifty- 

 seven firms cut 40,308,000 feet of hemlock, and shipped 46,831,000 

 feet; in 1913 the same firms cut 43,929,000 feet, and shipped 

 32,110,000. There was a decrease of five per cent in the cut, and 

 a decrease of thirty-one per cent in the shipments, comparing the 

 latter month with the former. The cut of all hardwoods in August, 

 1912 was 13,793,000 feet, shipments 29,883,000; cut for the same 

 month in 1913 was 17,523,000 feet, shipments 21,923,000. The in- 

 crease in cut was twenty-seven per cent, decrease in shipments twenty- 

 seven per cent. Considering both hardwoods and hemlock, the increase 

 in total cut was two per cent, decrease in total shipments thirty 

 per cent. 



This means overproduction and an accumulation of stock, if the 

 figures are taken at their face value. A single month, however, is a 

 short period on which to base general conclusions. Local factors or 

 temporary influences may produce results which would not appear if 

 long periods were considered. 



The cut of the hardwoods in the month of August, for both years, 

 falls far below the shipments for the same time, which is seen as 

 follows, the figures representing feet: 



Cut Sliipijed Cut Shipped 



Wood .li/g., 1012 Aug., 1912 Aug. 1913 Aug. 1913 



Ash 354.000 940.000 493.000 900,000 



Basswood 2,670,000 4,380,000 2,798,000 3,487,000 



Birch 3,65.5,000 8,938.000 4.639,000 8,455,000 



Elm 1,457,000 2,599,000 1,125,000 1,782,000 



Maple 3.819,000 9,665,000 5,971,000 4,292.000 



Oak 145,000 186,000 293,000 295,000 



Mixed 1,693,000 3,166,000 2,204,000 2,712,000 



Total 13,793,000 29,883,000 17,523,000 21,923,000 



Significant Car Statistics 



THE EEGULAE STATISTICAL BULLETIN of the American 

 EaOway Association under date of September 22 gives the usual 

 figures covering total surpluses and shortages of freight cars. On 

 September 15 the total surplus of all freight cars was 61,753, and 

 the surplus on September 1 was 73,576. The surplus on September 

 12, 1912, was 27,380. 



The total shortage on September 15 was 21,594 cars; on September 

 1, 15,270, and on September 12, 1912, 36,000 cars. 



There is a two-fold significance in these figures. For instance, a 

 comparison of the surplus and shortage figures for September 15 as 

 compared with September 1 will show that the surplus on September 

 15 was 11,823 cars less than on September 1, while the shortage 

 increased during the same period by 6,324 cars. This would indicate 

 that the available supply of freight cars is becoming constantly less 

 with the increasing movement of the grain, cotton and other crops. 

 This decrease in available cars is not, however, as startling as the 



