12 



THE HARDWOOD RECORD. 



A GOOD SHOWING. 



On Saturda.v, Scpit'inbcr 27, tlie Ti-affi<" 

 Committee of the Xatioiiiil Haidwooa 

 Lumber Association held a meeting and 

 went over tlie worli of Mr. Hurlbiit and liis 

 assistants, and the showing made by Mi: 

 Hui-lbut was most gratifying-. 



This Traffic Department has only been 

 in existence about three mouths, but al- 

 ready it has demonstrated that such a 

 department, under Uie management of so 

 thorough a railroad man as Mr. Hurlbut. 

 can be of untold benefit to tlie lunber 

 trade. 



Knowing but little of the railroad busi- 

 ness, we had but little knowledge as to 

 the lines upon whicli Mr. Hurlbut would 

 proceed, and the results he has achieved 

 were something une.xpected. 



On September Si Mr. Hurlbut sent out 

 the following letter; 



September 23. 1002. 

 To Association Memliers. 



Gentlemen:— "We tlnd that in a great 

 number of cases the rates on hardwood 

 lumber shown in the tariffs published b.\- 

 the Illinois t'eutral Railroad and the 

 Yazoo iV- Mississippi Valley Railroad .is 

 applying from .stations south of the Ohio 

 River on those two mads, to points on the 

 Illinois Central Railroad in Illinois, In- 

 diana, Wisconsin, Iowa. Minnesota, and 

 South Dakota, are higher than should be 

 charged under the so-called "long aiid 

 short haul" principle; in other cases, the 

 pulMished through rates are higlier than 

 the combination of local rates. 



These conditions have existed for some 

 time ijast and have not yet Ijeeii corrected, 

 but steps have been taken which, we be- 

 lieve, will bring about tlie desired improve- 

 ment. In cases where the higher rates 

 have been ehai^ged, overcharges have re- 

 sulted, and, with a view of having tlieni 

 refunded, you are requested to send to the 

 undersigned, as early as practicable, a 

 statement showing tlie following informa- 

 tion, bearing in mind that it .should ineluiic 

 only hardwood lumlier shipped from and 

 to the points above mentioned (but not 

 including St. Louis. East St. Louis, Cairo, 

 Evansville and Chicago) from .lune 2.5, 

 1900, to date; 



Dates of shipments, in consecutive order. 

 Car numbers and initials. 

 Shipping point. 

 Destination.. 



Kind of lumber (oak. ash, etc). 

 Weight. 



Freight charges. 



For convenience an ali)habetical list of 

 the points of destination on the Illinois 

 Central Railroad in Illinois. Indiana. Wis- 

 consin. Iowa, Minnesota and South Da- 

 kota, is here^^■ith enclosed. 



Yours truly, 



W. D. HURT,BUT. 

 Traffic JIanager. 

 From this it will be seen that the work 

 of tiiis department promises to be of direct 

 practical beneUt not only to the hardwood 

 ti-ade, but to all branches of the lumber 

 business. 



The work of going over that portion 

 of the Illinois Central system mentioned 

 in the lettei- occupied almost tlie entire 

 time of Mr. Hurlbut and his three assist- 

 ants for six weeks, and each one of them 

 is an expert. It would take a lumbenuan 

 a year if he could do it at all. The result 



is that it would not be done at all. The 

 Traffic Department has done the work 

 for all lumbermen. 



Tile Traffic Department will now pro- 

 ceed to go over the t.-iriffs of the other 

 roads throughout the lumber regions, and 

 the service he is prepared to render is of 

 esijeclal value to the large yellow pine 

 shipping interests of the South. A large 

 yellow pine concern in the South will 

 ship to nearly all the small cities through- 

 out Illinois or Indiana, and it is to 

 such points that the iiieciualities exist. 



The lumljer trade can well afford to sup- 

 port the Traffic Department, in fact, it 

 cannot afford to do otherwise. 



THE COAL STRIKE. 



There was never in the world such a 

 spectacle presented for human contempla- 

 tion as that presented by the coal trust in 

 its relation to the govenunent and peo- 

 ple of the United States at tile present 

 time. 



Here is a country with Tii.ddii.niMi iieo- 

 lile in it, comprising tlie greatest nation 

 in the world to-day. l>eing deprived of oil" 

 of the necessaries of life by a coiijoratioa 

 of its own creation. Tilings liave already 

 gone so far that business in many lines is 

 crippled, and so far that no matter what is 

 done now there will certainly lie great suf- 

 ferin.g in many sections before the winter 

 is over, and ever.y family in the laud in 

 moderate circumstances will Inne to stunt 

 itself to pa.v its coa! bill. 



The feeling of the people over the situa- 

 tion is one of mingled Irritation and as- 

 tonishment. They are receiving an object 

 lesson regarding the jxywer of a trust from 

 which they are learning more in a few 

 months than they could ever learn from 

 books or siieeches. 



Throughout all the anthracite regions a 

 state of anarchy exists, and the spirit is 

 spreading. The people of Chicago have 

 not suffered as yet, but because of the 

 spirit of recklessness and lawlessne.ss 

 which seems in the air. they are seizing 

 billboards, board ^^■alks and even frame 

 tenements which hajipen to be vacant, and 

 convertin.g them into fuel. What the con- 

 dition will be before the winter is over is 

 hard to sa.v. 



We cannot detei-mine from tlie many con- 

 flicting statements what the merits of the 

 sti'ike are, but the miners have alwavs 

 been ready to go back to work and sub- 

 mit their chrims to arbitration: and :ill 

 things considered, the operators shonhi 

 have done this. 



All other efforts having failed. President 

 Roosevelt has expressed a determination 

 to settle the strike, if possible. We trust 

 he may be able to do so, but have our 

 doubts. For the government to seize tlie 

 mines by armed force and operate them 

 for the pulilic benefit, as many conserva- 

 tive men and conservative newspapers ad- 

 vise, would, it seems to us. be a dangerous 

 and desperate course to pursue. 



The West and South have not the inter- 

 est in the matter which the Piast has, as 

 they are not so entirely deiK'udent upon 

 anthracite coal, bu; throughout the Mid- 

 dle. Xew England and Atlantic coast 

 stiites there is certain to be great suffer- 

 ing the coming winter, even though the 

 president succeeds in affecting a settio- 

 iiient at an earl.v date. The mines Avill 

 have to lie punipe<l out and put in con- 

 dition to operate, and it will be earl.v 

 winter before any anthracite coal of con- 

 sequence can be put into the channels 

 of trade, and winter will be over before the 

 legitimate demand can be anywhere nearly 

 met. 



This is the Hrst strike the president of 

 the t'uited States has been called upon tn 

 settle, but it probably will not l)e the last. 



MEETING OF THE BOARD OF MAN- 

 AGERS. 



Since the aliandoiiment of the semi-an- 

 nual meeting of the National Hardwood 

 Lumlier Association, it has been tlie ciis- 

 tom to call a meeting of the Board of 

 Managers in the fall to see that things 

 are running smootlily. Such a meeting 

 was held on. September 26, the following 

 members being present: 



F. H. Smith, president. St. Louis. 



W. H. Russe. tirst vice-president. Mem- 

 phis. 



W. II. White, second vice-president, 

 Boyne City Mich. 



A. R. Vinnedge, secretarj-, Chicago. 



J. W. Thompson, director, Memphis. 



C. R. Mengel. director. Louisville. 



O. O. Agler, director, Chicago. 



W. A. Bonsark. director, St. Louis. 



Not much business of importance was 

 transacted, everytliing lieing in such sat- 

 isfactory shape that no' changes or new 

 le.gislatiou was deemed uecessai-y. Sur- 

 ve;vor-General Wall made an extende<I re- 

 iwrt showing remark.-ible growth in his 

 department. Mr. Fathauer. chairman of 

 the Rules Committee, reported that tlie 

 trade seemed sitisfled Avith the rules as 

 they are, and his committee liad no su.i:- 

 gestion,s to make. Secretary ^"innedge re- 

 portetl a steady growth In membership, 

 and healthy finaucia! condition. Chairman 

 W. H. Russe, of the Traffic DejBirtment. 

 reported tlie progress being ma<le. but as 

 that matter is treated in another article, 

 we will not consider it here. 



While not much important business was 

 transacted, it was a good meeting, in that 

 a good many tilings which had been pro- 

 po.sed and were a.gitating the membership 

 to some extent were discussed, considered 

 and re.jected as not lieing fur "the good of 

 the organization. 



In the evening the visiting members of 

 the bojird were entertained at an infoniial 

 banquet at tlie Athletic Club by O. O. 

 Agler and A. It. ^"illnedge. tiie resident 

 members, in Iiaiidsonie style. 



All tlie visiting members attended the 

 banquet with the exception of :\Ir. \\'. H. 



