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HARDWOOD RECORD 



couragement is seen in the fact that the long proposed forest ex- 

 position is definitely provided for in the incorporation of the 

 Forest Products Exposition Company under the laws of Illinois. 

 This provides that comprehensive expositions will soon become a 

 fact in several of the larger cities of the country. 



This step, however, is broad in its character and will not affect 

 the question immediately under consideration. It is certainly up 

 to Eome particular element of the lumber trade to nip this pro 

 posal in the bud and it would seem that the local association of 

 New York lumbermen, the national association with headquarter.s 

 in that city, and the National Lumber Manufacturers' Associa- 

 tioji are the ones in the best position to argue successfully before 

 the New York board of aldermen against the passage of such ;\ 

 regulation. Latest advices indicate that the latter organization 

 is already planning to uphold lumber in this controversy and it 

 is to be hoped that any efforts which it makes will be backed in 

 every possible way by the other national associations and by the 

 lumber trade as individuals. It is sincerely to be hoped that the 

 lumber trade will be well represented at the hearings which it is 

 understood are now going ou, regarding the passage of such a bill. 



The commiitf-e on buildings of the board of aldermen held a meet- 

 ing on August 5, at which there was brought up for discussion the 

 recommendation giving specifically the places where lumber must be 

 eliminated in large building construction. According to reports, the 

 committee seemed to be disposed to .seek a fair solution of the propo- 

 sition. It arrived at the recommendations submitted after extended 

 investigations and it is anticipated that they will be reported to the 

 full board of aldermen for adoption. The meeting was well attended 

 by lumbermen, more especially by manufacturers of inside trim, 

 flooring, etc. 



The National Wholesale Lumber Dealers' Association will present 

 an argument in behalf of tiie lumbermen in the form of a carefully 

 prepared brief. This association solicits the best ideas of the trade 

 with the hope of obtaining favorable action by the New York City 

 authorities. 



Further Indications of Car Shortage 



REPOETS ARE CURRENT from various sources of late that 

 the supply of available freight cars is already beginning to 

 be more or less limited because of preparations for shipments of 

 crops both in the North and the South. Various lumber shippers re- 

 port definite shortage in the available supply of rolling stock and 

 the situation should be well borne in mind and due preparation 

 made to prevent the serious condition which has prevailed in 

 former years because of this condition. 



Labor a Factor 



THE STATEMENT RECENTLY MADE by one of the biggest 

 lumber manufacturers in the state of Wisconsin to the effect 

 that while he needs five hundred woods and mill workers he is 

 absolutely unable to secure more than seventy-five men at present, 

 is rather startling in its revelation of the practical control which 

 the supply and demand of labor has on manufacturing conditions. 

 If this condition were true all over the lumber belt in the North 

 and South, the mueh-talked-of curtailment of output would auto- 

 matically become a fact. As it is, the diflSculty is more or less 

 localized, being felt among hardwood manufacturers mainly in 

 upper Michigan and Wisconsin. The reason for this is that those 

 two states are nearer to the crop jiroducing states of the West 

 than any of the other jnoducing territories of the country. 



In this connection it is interesting to note a warning published 

 by the trades and labor council of Canada to the effect that there 

 has been a huge increase in the stream of immigration which has 

 flooded the labor market of Canada and especially the western 

 cities, to such an extent that every city of any size has its quota 

 of uncmplojed. There are more mechanics in Canada today than 

 eaii over hope to get employment in their various trades and 

 these will be driven to scramble with the unskilled men for 

 whatever rough work there may be during the summer. A great 

 number of people in the United States appear to have been at- 



tracted Ijy the lure of the new Northwest and a vast number of 

 these are hoping to find work at their trades or as ordinary 

 laborers. It is difScult to understand the reason for such a 

 migration from territory absolutely in need of labor to a terri- 

 tory where the laboring element must surely know that the field 

 is already overcrowded. It might be possible to co-operate with 

 the bureau above-mentioned for the purpose of returning to the 

 mill and woods work in the North a great many of the laborers 

 unsuccessfully seeking employment in the Canadian states. 



S])caking of the usual indirect effects of the proverbial "ill wind," 

 it seems that the present situation in the copper mining regions of 

 tlie North, where a general strike of mining employes has been in 

 effect, is of material assistance to woods operators in adjacent terri- 

 tory. The woods superintendent of one of the biggest operators in 

 that region states that his Avood.s force has been considerably aug- 

 mented and in fact been brought up practically to a full crew by the 

 inH\ix of mine operators who cannot afford enforced idleness and 

 must seek employment, even it" tenipoiarv in cliaracter, in other lines. 



A FooUsh Attack 



Ax ARTICLE containini; ;in ill advised attack on lieudock lumber 

 recently found its \\;iy into a number of daily papers. It 

 appeals that no trade paper used it, because the unfairness and 

 falsity ol the article were too apjiarent to deceive any one who is in 

 the least acquainted with the ])roperties of the wood. There is no 

 wood in the world so ]ioov as hemlock was represented to be, and 

 that is proof that the autlior of the article was malicious or ignorant 

 — probably botli. That, however, is not the point most open to criti- 

 risni. Hemlock has stood on its merits a long time, and will continue 

 to do so; but aside from any consideration of that matter, it is poor 

 policy for any person interested in lumber to knock any particular 

 kind of lumber. Tin- s;ulistitute i)eople are ever ready to take up and 

 magnify any criticism of v.ood; and anything that hurts any part 

 of the lumber business hurts the whole trade. One class of wood 

 ]iroducts cannot gain anv pernmncnt advantage by running down 

 another class. One cannot be hurt or helped without hurting or help- 

 ing all. That is the sentiment which every lumberman should hold 

 and the spirit which he should always exhibit. It is perfectly proper 

 for him to push and advertise the particular commodity in which he 

 is interested, but that can be done without attacking the commodity 

 which his neighbor is handling. Every such attack places ammunition 

 in the hands of the enemies of wood and the ammunition is used in 

 fighting the whole lumber industry. Rivalry among advocates of 

 difl'erent woods is stimidating, but liostility is destructive. 



False Forest Fire Reports Harmful 



THE SUGGESTION was made by tlie president of the Michigan 

 Hardwood Manufacturers' Association at the meeting held at 

 Detroit, Mich., a short while ago that false reports in the daily 

 press regarding the extent of damage caused by forest fires in 

 Michigan had proven a very serious thing with large stumpage and 

 sawmill owners in that section of the country. It seems that the 

 daily press of the larger cities such as Detroit, recognized the 

 news value of forest fire reports and wired their representatives 

 to secure forest fire news without fail, presumably whether they 

 had to invent the stories or not. As a consequence grossly erron- 

 eous figures were given, reporting losses sustained by industrial 

 plants, homes and in the forests themselves. These reports were 

 naturally regarded as truthful just as the average statement 

 made by the daily press is considered so and the natural conse- 

 quence was that the insurance companies carrj'ing insurance in 

 that section of the country immediately became panic stricken 

 and in many cases straightaway wired their representatives to 

 cancel insurance. As a matter of fact the actual losses did not 

 even approach the figures oft'ered by the newspapers. So far in 

 the calendar year 1913 reports have been issued of many large 

 forest fires throughout Michigan which resulted in an immense 

 amount of property loss. As an actual fact, the total loss as 

 shown in the report in a recent issue of Hardwood Record covering 

 big timbered districts of the mainland of Michigan aggregated 

 oulv a little over $.'!,(inO. 



