24 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



July 10, 1922 



News from the National Capital 



More efficient admiuistration of federal forest reserve affairs is 

 being sought by Congress by. giving Forest Service officials and 

 employes more power under the law. For this purpose, Senator 

 George W. Norris (Nebraska) introduced on June 29, half a dozen 

 bills having this as their object. The bills, before being intro- 

 duced by the chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and 

 Forestry, were approved by Secretary of Agriculture Wallace and 

 officials of the Forest Ser\-ice. One of the bills would also permit 

 the sale of, without advertisement, timber and cordwood, not ex- 

 ceeding $1,000 in stumpage. 



Favorable action by Congress on forestry legislation during the 

 present session of Congress is doubtful. The major forestr.v bill 

 now before Congress is the Forestr.v Legislation bill, now lan- 

 guishing in the Senate Agricultural Committee, and which would 

 provide an increased financial co-operation with the states, by the 

 federal government, in forest fire protection, tree planting at pub- 

 lic expense, and continual extension of Jiational forests by pur- 

 chase. 



"There can be no hopes for forest legislation this term of Con- 

 gress, V Senator Norris, chairman of the Senate Agriculture and 

 Forestry Committee, announced when the House adjourned on July 

 1. "The Senate committee has not had a chance to go into the 

 matter, as it must do before passing on the measure, and aside 

 from this, the present indications are that the tariff and bonus 

 will occupy the entire time of the Senate. ' ' 



Until the Senate committee can take up the forest legislation, it 

 is not considered likely that the House side will do anything 

 with it. 



The establishment of a national fire policv for federal forests and 

 a national forestr.v policv. both to be administered by the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, has been urged on members of Congress by 

 the American Farm Bureau Federation, numbering in its ranks a 

 membership of 1,600,000 farmers. 



The need of these two policies has been outlined in a petition 

 from the Farm Federation to the National Lumber Manufacturers' 

 Association, dated June 26. The farmers and the lumbermen of 

 the United States are equallv interested in conservation of the 

 forests of the nation, both bv fire and in the method of production. 



"The inauguration of a general forest policy, with a view of in- 

 suring future timber supplies and making sylviculture a permanent 

 industry, as contrasted with the lumber of the past, which has been 

 conducted more like a mining industry than a creative industry, the 

 farmers are convinced is necessarv and urge that a national policy 

 be secured," the Farm Federation Bureau has stated in its definite 

 acceptance of the Lumbermen 's Association to join hands with it 

 in conserving the standing timber. 



"Fire protection from the lumber industry must also be more 

 adequately provided. This can best be done by a national policy," 

 states the bureau, recommending that the farmers and lumbermen 

 get together and support the program for a national fire policy as 

 well as a national forestry policy. 



A consideration of the reconsigning charges on lumber and forest 

 products assessed b.v the railroads involved and the establishment 

 of a fair and reasonable charge has been asked by the National 

 Retail Lumber Dealers' Association, in a complaint filed on June 30 

 with the Interstate Commerce Commission. 



The carriers are charged with holding lumber and forest products 

 on their lines, at specified points and reconsigning the lumber 



shipments from these points at $3 per car after arrival, making 

 the charge for recousignment at these points the same after arrival 

 as before arrival and at the same time maintaining from other 

 points on their lines the $7 per car charge for reconsignment after 

 arrival. 



For several months past, it is also charged, the defendant car- 

 riers, "without tariff publication, have instituted the same prac- 

 tice bv holding cars of lumber short of billed destination and re- 

 consigning from points held at a charge of $3 per car, thus defeat- 

 ing the purpose of their tariff publication which establish a 

 charge of $7 per car if shipment is reconsigned after arrival." 



A hearing has been requested, and the petition urged that the 

 commission's consideration of the complaint be given at the same 

 time with the lumber reconsignment case to be heard at Dupo, 111., 

 on July 20, and that the proceedings be consolidated. 



It is set forth in the brief that on three occasions the commis- 

 sion has suspended tariffs proposing to reduce the $7 charge to $3 

 and on two occasions has ordered tariffs canceled, the third case 

 being that set for hearing at Dupo. The Mobile & Ohio railroad, it 

 is charged, has already asked the Central Freight Association lines 

 to suspend its new tariff filed to become effective Julv 10, which 

 restores the charges of $7 and $3. Unfair competition between 

 the railroads will result from different rates applied by some roads, 

 unless the reconsigning practice is stopped, which is prayed for in 



the petition, it is stated. 



* * * 



Au increase in movement of forest products has been reported 

 bv the Car Service Division of the American Railwav Association. 

 Figures of car loadings of lumber and other forest products for 

 week ending June 24 show 64,082 cars were loaded, representing an 

 increase of 1,724 above the previous week and 13,519 above the cor- 

 responding week last year. It was also 2,614 cars in excess of the 

 corresponding week in 1920. 



Miller Company Acquires Big Tract of Hardwoods 



A most important timber deal has recently been consummated whereby 

 the Miller Lumber Company of Marlanna, Ark., has purchased a big tract 

 of hardwoods from George C. Brown & Co. of Memphis, Tenn. The exact 

 amount of the consideration has not been made public, but the deal in- 

 volves something like half a million dollars. 



This tract of timber consists of something like fifty million feet of the 

 very choicest St. Francis basin red gum and other hardwoods. Max D. 

 Miller, president of the Miller Lumber Company, stated that with this 

 addition to the present timber holdings of the company, the supply will 

 be ample to furnish logs to meet the maximum capacity of both their large 

 mills for several .vears to come. The company is now preparing to build 

 its own tracks into that part of the timber adjacent to the railroad, and 

 by September expects to begin cutting logs and moving them by rail to 

 Marlanna. 



The Miller Lumber Company operation is one of the most important 

 in eastern Arkansas. It consists of two big saw mills, a box factor.v and a 

 wholesale and retail yard, located at Marlanna. It employs something like 

 from five to six hundred men. The assurance of a steady supply of logs 

 from the new purchase near Hughes will insure a capacity operation the 

 year around. 



The Brilliant Handle Co.. of Brilliant, O., has been chartered with a 

 capital of ?5,000 to manufacture handles and other wood articles. In- 

 corporators are Elbridge Kehr, Robert Brogan, James N. Parsons, W. K. 

 Kodgers and G. H. Hathaway. 



The Ohio Lumber Co., of Cleveland has been chartered with a capital 

 of .$15,000 by B. D. Glick, E. M. Ackerman and others. 



F. B. Pryor, salesmanager of the W. M. Ritter Lumber Co.. reports a 

 strong demand for hardwoods in Columbus and central Ohio. While re- 

 tailers are still the best customers, still there is an increasing demand from 

 fact'.rifs making boxes, implements, automobiles and musical instrumeats. 

 Pritos are firm all along the line. The higher grades of oak. chestnut 

 and ptijilar are rather scarce. 



