HARDWOOD RECORD 



39 



man in a responsible position with any big manufacturing concern in tlie 

 country. The plant is one of the great wagon making concerns In the 

 country and has an annual capacity of thousands of wagons as compared 

 with a few wagons of sixty years ago. 



R. J. Darnell, Inc., to Build at Batesville, Tenn. 



Much regret has been occasioned in lumber circles in Memphis by the 

 announcement of the decision on the part of R. J. Darnell. Inc.. to rebuild 

 its double band mill at Batesville, Miss., instead of at Memphis. This mill 

 was burned about a fortnight ago, together with the veneer machines 

 operated by the firm. It is proposed to re-establish the veneer machines 

 at Memphis and to operate about a dozen of these. There is also a 

 strong probability that a single band mill may be built at Memphis by 

 this firm. The main plant, however, will be established at Batesville, 

 where the company has its most extensive timberland holdings. It is 

 ■ regarded as cheaper to build the mill at Batesville, near the base of timber 

 supply, than to rebuild at Memphis and transport the timber to this point. 

 Batesville is the northern terminus of the Batesville & Southwestern rail- 

 road, which is owned by R. J. Darnell. Inc.. and which is now nearing 

 completion. This road will be used to facilitate the development of timber 

 on the land owned by the firm in that section. Mr. Darnell said recently 

 that he was making arrangements for the rebuilding of the mill at Bates- 

 ville and that work would begin as soon as possible. R. J. Darnell, Inc., 

 also operates two mills at Leland, Miss., and these are being used to fill 

 the orders of the firm as far as possible while the burned plants are being 

 rebuilt. 



New Mills in West Virginia 



Sawmill construction is being quite natively prosecuted in sections of 

 West Virginia. According to information received the Spice Run 

 Lumber Company, at Spice Run. on the Greenbrier branch of the Chesa- 

 peake & Ohio railroad, is completing the construction of a nine-foot band 

 saw of a capacity of about 50,000 feet a day, and will have a plant in 

 operation within about thirty days. The company owns 9.000 acres of 

 timberland, most of it hardwoods, with about twenty per cent hemlock. 



Another mill is being erected by the Modoc Lumber Company, of which 

 Mr. Wise is practically the sole owner. The plant is located at Clover 

 Lick, in Pocahontas county, and will consist of a six-foot band, with the 

 necessary appurtenances. Operations will bo commenced in about a month. 



Still another plant is going up on a tract of about 1.700 acres of hard- 

 wood timber purchased from the Eerwyn-White Company and located 

 along the Meadow river. The plant is being erected at the town of 

 Spriugdale by the Hutchinson Lumber Company of Huntington, W. Va., 

 alongside the railroad built by the Meadow River Lumber Company. This 

 plant will consist of a seven-foot band saw. and work on it is progressing 

 rapidly, though hardly more than the foundation; is up so far. 

 Givens-Wells 



James M. Wells, now with the American Hardwood Lumber Company. 

 St. Louis, Mo., was married on Monday afternoon, June 30. to iliss 

 Elizabeth Kathr.vn Givens of Nashville. Tenn. The ceremony took place 

 at Miss Givens' home in Xashville. and was witnessed only by intimate 

 friends and relatives of the bride and groom. Rev. S. E. Tull, pastor of 

 the First Baptist Church, officiated. 



The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John A. Givens of Nashville, 

 and she and her family have lived in that city for several years. 



Jlr. Wells was originally connected with the Tallahatchie Lumber Com- 

 pany of Philipps. Miss., and later with the Lucas Land & Lumber Com- 

 pany of Paducah, Ky. He severed his connection with the last named 

 concern some time ago and has since been with the American Hardwood 

 Lumber Company. 



The bride and groom are now on a wedding trip to western points, and 

 will be at home at H.jS.j Etzell avenue. St. Louis, after July 10. 



Pertinent Information 



Bough and Finished Lumber Under Different Classifications 



The Interstate Commerce Commission recently decided in favor of 

 the Eastern Wheel Manufacturers' Association as against the Ala- 

 bama & Vicksburg Railway m a suit involving classiflcation." In its 

 decision the commission suggested that the classifications of forest 

 products by the railroads could very justly be changed to insure 

 greater uniformity and, in order further, to establish the relative 

 rates on various classifications of forest products to each other. The 

 opinion stated that the rating of rough and finished products of the 

 forest under the present methods does not offer an eciuitable basis 

 and should be changed for a more logical classiflcation. 



In the case noted, the railroads have charged higher rates on ship- 

 ments of club-turned spokes than they did on lumber from the same 

 territory. It was established at the hearing that there is a great 

 variety of forest products similar to club-turned spokes which are 

 carried at the lumber rates, and that spoke manufacturers compete 

 with manufacturers of lumber and of other products carried at the 

 same rate in the purchase of stumpage. It was further brought out 

 in the testimony that lower rates are prevalent in certain southern 

 territory in which spokes are manufactured on shipments to the 

 East than are enjoyed by competing manufacturers on the same 



lines and in the same territory. It was also shown that east-bound 

 rates on these products are higher in most cases than are lumber 

 rates, while on shipments to the W'est they are practically the same. 

 The spoke manufacturers maintain that because of saving in freight 

 to the consumers and loss of tonnage to the carrier because of the 

 reduced weight of club-turned spokes as compared to spokes in. 

 billet form, increasing the rate on the spokes would not be justified. 

 The decision of the commission charged that it is unjust and a direct 

 discrimination to charge a higher rate on club-turned spokes than on 

 various other wooden articles more or less finished in character, 

 which now move at the same rate as lumber. The commission's 

 decision also suggested that there is too great a lack of uniformity 

 in the publication of rates on spokes and that this condition should 

 be remedied. 



Specifically, the decision provides that after and including Sept. 

 15, 1913, all club-turned spokes shall not take a higher rate than 

 oak and hickory lumber. Tbe decision is qualified, however, with 

 the suggestion that the carriers have the privilege of submitting re- 

 classification of ^ood products in conformity to the commission's 

 suggestion and that in case such a re-classiflcation is submitted, the 

 commission will reconsider the original petition. 



The commission makes specific suggestions relative to a re- 

 classification of forest products which, if they went into effect, would 

 have a tremendously important bearing on lumber shipments through- 

 out the country. The suggestions state that rough lumber and fin- 

 ished products should not be given the same rating but that the 

 differentiation must be based on correct principles of classification. 

 To arrive at this proper classiflcation. it is suggested that publicity 

 be given by the three classification committees of a uniform lumber 

 list to be divided into three or more classes. The first should include 

 rough lumber and the succeeding classes to include wood articles 

 in their various stages of manufacture. The opinion further suggests 

 that a fixed and proper rate relationship should be established between 

 the manufactured articles and the rough lumber from which they 

 are made. Also, publication of lumber rates in commodity tariffs 

 should under this arrangement automatically fix the rates on lumber 

 products at the proper differentials. 



Imports and Exports of 'Wood for May 



The figures which follow represent the imports and exports of wood and 

 the manufactures thereof for May, 1913, and arc supplied by the Bureau 

 of Foreign and Domestic Commerce : 



Imports : Briar root or briarwood, and ivy or laurel roots. .$10,437 ; 

 cedar, 1,076,000 feet: mahogany, 7,861,000 feet: other cabinet woods, 

 $180,935 : logs and round timbers, 23,776,000 : pulpwood, 90,867 cords ; 

 rattan and reeds, $84,608 : sawed lumber, 110,060.000 feet : laths 53.029,- 

 000 : shingles. 9S.135.000 : all other, $66,605 : thair cane or reed, $57,147 ; 

 furniture, $52.910 : woodpulp, 83,853.465 pounds. 



Exports of UinJlKT: Cypress. 1.973.000 feet: fir. 71.983.000: gum, 

 8,869.000: oak. 2S. 7.59.000 : white pine, 6,337,000: yellow pine. 94.393.000; 

 all other pine. 23,000,000; yellow poplar, 3,697,000; redwood 1.253.000: 

 spruce. 4.413.000 : all other, 18,091,000. Total lumber. 263.014.000 feet ; 

 joist and scantling. 2.239.000 feet ; railroad ties. 671.200 ; shingles; 

 6,835.000 : box shooks, 1.327,384 : other shooks, 228.093 : staves. 8.799.513 : 

 heading. $28,965 ; all other, $303,733 ; doors, sash and blinds. $164,392 ; 

 furniture, $614,763 : empty barrels, $33,558 : Incubatoi's and brooders, 

 $14,328 ; house trimnnngs, $77,811 : woodenware, $64,132 ; woodpulp, 

 $71,992; all other manufactures of wood. $718,423. Total wood manu- 

 factures, $11,902,580. 



Government 'Will Not Purchase Pisgah Forest 

 The Forest Service at Washington, acting under the Weeks' Law. 

 recently mad'? a thorough examination of Pisgah Forest. North Carolina, 

 owned by Cieorge W. Vanderbilt of Biltmore. N. C. with the idea of 

 purchasing it if available for the Appalachian National Forest. The 

 service announces as a result of the examination that it does not deem 

 Pisgah Forest a desirable purchase and hence the negotiations are off. 

 While no specific reason was given in the report, it is believed that Mr. 

 ■\'anderbilt asked too high a price to make the purchase feasible. It is 

 probable also that a contract recently entered into by 5Ir. Vanderl)ilt with 

 a certain lumber company, providing that it may cut certain timber within 

 a certain period, was another factor which influenced the minds of ihe 

 government experts. 



■Wisconsin's Free Employment Offices 

 A bulletin recently issued by the Wisconsin Free Employment Offices 

 gives an account of the progress made in that state in bringing employers 

 and laborers together. During nine years the officers have assisted 

 142.400 persons to find employment. It is not claimed that this success 

 is very great, but it is fairly satisfactory when difficulties and drawbacks 

 are considered. Private employment bureaus, which charge for their 

 services, are very active, and many laborers, particularly of the better 

 sort, patronize them because the public oflices look like charitable insti- 

 tutions and there is prejudice against them. The free bureaus promise no 

 jobs. Their purpose is to bring prospective employers and employes 

 together and leave them to make their own bargains. In other words, 

 they are simply information bureaus run in the interest of those who 

 want work and those who want workers. The free bureau is tbe means 

 of finding employment for 3.000 farm laborers a year. 



