jlugust 25. 1922 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



17 



Hardwood Traffic Victories Reviewed 



Southern Hardwood Traffic Association at Semi-Annual Meeting Promises Support 



to Railroads in Finish Fight with Shopmen 



Outstanding features of the special membership meeting of the 

 Southern Hardwood Traffic Association, held at Memphis, August 9, 

 aside from the adoption of resolutions against restoration of 

 seniority rights of the striking shop crafts and the decision to 

 appoint a committee of twelve to fifteen heads of representative 

 firms to go to Washington whenever necessary to assist the indus- 

 try in its efforts to secure its full share of the available supply of 

 cars under present and prospective strained transportation condi- 

 tions, as reported in a special telegram to the Hardwood Record, 

 were the report of J. H. Townshend, secretary-manager, covering 

 the activities and accomplishments of this organization during the 

 past seven months; the outline of strike conditions and the trans- 

 portation outlook by J. V. Norman, general counsel, and Frank 

 Carnahan, eastern manager, with headquarters at Washington; and 

 the decision to issue tariffs showing rates on hardwood lumber and 

 forest products from all member-producing points to all destina- 

 tions in the TJnited States and Canada as soon as 400 subscriptions 

 have been received from members on the basis of $40 per annum. 

 These tariffs are to be issued in loose-leaf form and are to be cor- 

 rected so as to keep them up to date. It is estimated that they 

 will cost about $25,000. They are to be available to non-members 

 on a basis of $100 rental per annum. 



Associ-atiou Is Indispensable 



J. F. McSweyn, vice-president, who occupied the chair in the 

 absence of President S. M. Nickey, declared that the Southern 

 Hardwood TraflSc Association is "Indispensable to the hardwood 

 industry" and that it stands as high as, or higher than, any other 

 traffic organization in the country with the railroads because of its 

 fairness and justice to the carriers, notwithstanding the fact that 

 it has found it necessary on more than one occasion to fight for its 

 rights against them. He attributed the splendid success of the 

 a.ssociation primarily to the energy, efficiency and resourcefulness 

 of J. H. Townshend, .sp-ret,"rv maiia-er, but he did not fail to men- 

 tion the fact that the officials of this organization do not hesitate 

 to line up behind him, somewhat after the manner of football 

 players, whenever there is any problem that needs immediate 

 attention. 



Notable Victory 

 Won 



Secretary Town- 

 shend, in his report, 

 declared that the 

 victory of the asso- 

 ciation in the Hard- 

 wood Rate case was 

 the most important 

 ever won by this or- 

 ganization because 

 it gave shippers of 

 hardwood lumber 

 from a big portion 

 of the producing 

 territory a reduc- 

 tion of 3 cents per 

 hundred pounds long 

 before the general 

 reduction ordered by 

 the interstate com- 

 merce commission, 

 effective July 1, 

 1922, because it 



McSweyn, Vice-President, Who Presided 



saves them about $500,000 and because it was a big factor in paving 

 the way for the general reductions which became effective later. 



He also indicated that extensions in rough material tariff time 

 limits had saved members of the association "hundreds of thou- 

 sands of dollars. ' ' 



Referring to rate reductions, Mr. Townshend showed that the as- 

 sociation had been able to secure a reduction of three to ten cents per 

 hundred pounds from points in the Southwest to upper Ohio river 

 crossings on hardwood lumber and forest products and that it had 

 secured a reduction of 12 cents per hundred pounds on the same 

 commodities moving over the Chesapeake & Oliio, Norfolk & West- 

 ern, Virginian and other roads via Virginia ports for export. 



Current Traffic Problems 



Among the more important traffic matters now being handled by 

 the association, he mentioned the effort to secure rates on hardwood 

 lumber and forest products from southwestern points to Carolina 

 destinations 2 cents higher than those in effect from points east of 

 the Mississippi, and the negotiations with the carriers looking to 

 the establishment of "double net rates" in the Southwest. He in- 

 dicated probable success in both instances. Southwestern carriers, 

 he pointed out, are contending that their tariffs provide for only 

 one net rate but the association is emphasizing that, under this 

 condition, lumber moving from the mills to box, furniture and 

 other fabricating plants must carry local rates, thus restricting the 

 outlets of the manufacturers of this commodity and at the same 

 time limiting the sources of supply for the fabricating plants. 



He also reported about 100 miscellaneous rate reductions and 

 adjustments secured during the past seven months in behalf of 

 individual firms and groups of firms in all parts of the hardwood 

 producing area. 



Had Humble Beginning 



Mr. Townshend pointed out that the association began ten years 

 ago with a membership of 27 and a doubtful income of $.300 a 

 month and that, with two exceptions, all of the original members 

 are still identified with the association unless tljey have gone out 

 of business. 



The membership 

 committee, in its re- 

 port, showed that it 

 had secured eighty- 

 eight applications 

 since January 1 and 

 indicated that it 

 would secure a total 

 of 175 during the 

 year. The commit- 

 tee stated that res- 

 ignations have been 

 small and that few 

 firms who have ever 

 received the bene- 

 fits of identity with 

 this organization 

 have ever severed 

 their connection 

 therewith except for 

 financial troubles. 

 It further showed 

 that, as a rule, when 

 resignations are 



J. H. Townshend. Secrctary-Manager ''ased On this COn- 



