28 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



tightened with a small socket ring, but 

 both of these styles do work loose. There 

 has been put on the market recently, how- 

 ever, a set screw that is very good, and it 

 is said that the United States Navy De- 

 partment uses no others in their shops. This 

 is the so-called hollow set screw which has 

 an octagon shaped hole in it and with which a 

 special wrench to fit is furnished. These 

 screws are short and do not project above 

 the collar, and when once set they will 

 never come loose. An investigation of these 

 screws will certainly prove that they are 

 worth trying. 



# * * 



One of the first things to be learned in 

 connection with machinery and transmis- 

 sion is the old iLile that a belt will travel 

 to its highest point, or rather (o the point 

 farthest away from its driver. This is a 

 fact, that has been taught men for years 

 and 3'et it is not always true. Even with 

 a brand new belt, it will not always work, 

 although why, I do not know. 



Recently we purchased a fine new eight- 

 inch single leather belt which gave us not 

 a little trouble before we got it to run 

 properly. The belt was to run from a large 

 flat face pulley on the line shaft down to a 

 pair of T and L pulleys on the counter- 

 shaft. Before we put the belt on we trued 

 up the counter to the line shaft and had it 

 in perfect line and level, and yet when we 

 put the belt on and started it, it would 

 not stay on the tight pulley at all. "When 

 it finally was put in good running order 

 where we wanted it, we found that we had 

 had to ])ut that end of the shaft one-half 

 inch nearer the line shaft than the other 

 end. In this ease the belt run to its nearest 

 point. This experience with old belts is 

 not new to me, but I have never had the 

 trouble before with new ones. There are 

 exceptions to all rules, and it would be 

 rather interesting to know the reason of 

 this one. 



* * « 



In talking to a prominent broom manu- 

 facturer not long ago, he made the remark 

 that he could never understand why the 



children 's handles were always quoted from 

 two to three dollars per thousand higher 

 than the regular sized stock. It seems that 

 he uses a large number of these small han- 

 dles and that he will take only one grade, 

 1 he extras. Eight there is the secret of 

 the whole matter. The small handles do 

 rot require any more stock or take any 

 , more time to manufacture or finish than the 

 parlor size, but as there is but one grade 

 used a great deal of waste occurs in cut- 

 ting, and so the price has to be advanced 

 to cover this loss. Now it will probably 

 be argued that the proper thing to do would 

 be to gauge the stock before turning and 

 so produce nothing but the extras, but this 

 is really not possible. We have tried it 

 again and again and found that it is not 

 ieasible. In our shop we do not care to 

 make these handles at all, but as the trade 

 demands them we of course must produce 

 a few. When we start on them the cut-off 

 man is instructed to select only the clear 

 boards and then the rip-saw man and his 

 off-bearer are told to lay out everything 

 that does not look good, and, finally, the 

 lathe operator is told not to run a blank 

 into these handles unless it is perfectly 

 clear. By this means it would seem that 

 there should be nothing but extras turned, 

 yet when we come to grade and inspect the 

 stock we nearly always find them running 

 in about the following percentage of 

 grades: Extras, 85 per cent; No. 1, 10 per 

 cent; No. 2, 4 per cent, and culls, 1 per cent. 

 If the average is always as good as this 

 it would be quite satisfactory. The No. 1 

 and No. 2 grades are very hard to sell, 

 and they bring a much lower price than the 

 same grades in the parlor size. This style 

 of handle is used mostl\- in the highest 

 class of brooms and is made lighter in 

 weight, except on the butt and knob, and 

 this takes away the weight that is wanted 

 in the parlor handle, and so when an at- 

 tempt is made to sell the low grades it is 

 found that the only place that they can be 

 used is on the extremely cheap brooms and 

 then they must be sold at very low figures 

 or they cannot be disposed of at all. 



Deputation of American Exporters 

 Visits England 



An uncertain market for any commodity in 

 this country invariably has a tendency to 

 prompt the producers to seek an outlet for 

 their product in the foreign market. This 

 condition has been notably evident in the lum- 

 ber bu.=iness during the more or less pro- 

 nounced' depression which has prevailed for 

 some time, and the consequently accelerated 

 export of lumber from this country to the 

 English market lias resulted in a chaotic condi- 

 tion of the trade situation. There has always 

 been a great disparity between terms of sale 

 and specifications existing in the two coun- 

 tries, and this disparity has led to a great 



deal of ill feeling between importing firms 

 and the exporters in the United States. In 

 order to in some way place the trading con- 

 ditions with England on a basis just and satis- 

 factory to both sides, the National Lumber 

 Exporters' Association has sent a deputation 

 of American exporters to Europe to vhiit the 

 English and other European centers. 



The reception accorded the visitors upon 

 their arrival in London was a token of the 

 hearty interest of the Englishmen in the mis- 

 sion of the American representatives. On the 

 day following their arrival the deputation met 

 in conference with the chairman and a special 



committee of the hardwood section of the 

 Timber Trade Federation of London. Among 

 prominent Americans present were H. M. Dick- 

 son, president National Lumber Exporters ' 

 Association; W. H. Eusse, Memphis, Tenn.; 

 J. L. Alcoek, Baltimore, Md.; R. McLean, 

 Buffalo, N. Y., and E. J. Darnell of Memphis, 

 Tenn. Among the subjects for discussion be- 

 fore the conference were the questions of the 

 proposed United Kingdom Hardwood Contract 

 Form, the determination as far as practical 

 of what should be the average width for each 

 class of lumber, the question of stain in sap 

 gum, variations in measurement in carload 

 shipments and the methods by which evidence 

 may be obtained to support claims against 

 ship owners for breakage and damage, and the 

 question of forged bills of lading. 



The following day the discussion was re 

 sinned, particularly on the question of claims. 

 Another matter referred to was indiscriminat'^ 

 consignments, which was followed by some dis 

 cussion as to bills of lading. The seriousness 

 of past frauds and fraudulent bills of lading 

 was fully appreciated by those attending, and 

 the discussion consequently had their closest 

 ntlcntion. 



Following the London meeting the American 

 delegates left that city for Liverpool, where 

 they went into conference with the Liverpool 

 Timber Trade Association for the discussion 

 of matters of trade interests to both bodies. 

 The next point touched will be Antwerp, where 

 the trade association has appointed a special 

 committee to receive the visitors. 



Foreign Trade Opportunities 



The consular reports of the Department of 

 Commorce and Labor at Washington, tabulate 

 llie following foreign trade opportunities : 



No. 5629. Leather Transmission Belting : — An 

 American consular officer in a European country 

 reports that a local business man is desirous of 

 obtaining American leather transmission belting, 

 especially black rawhide. The writer wants cat- 

 alogs, price lists and other particulars, with a 

 view of forming business connections. 



No. 570i. Agricultural Machinery Imple- 

 ments : — An importing house in the far East 

 is in the market for American agricultural ma- 

 iliinery. Inasmuch as the demand for this class 

 of goods is very likely to increase, the consul 

 writes that he would like to receive catalogs, 

 price lists, etc., in duplicates. 



No. 5704. Turpentine and Oak Staves : — A 

 business man in Italy wishes to represent an 

 American firm manufacturing the above. He 

 states that he can furnish any required reference. 



No. 5635. Lumber and Woodworking Ma- 

 chinery : — A consular officer in a European coun- 

 try reports having received inquiries from vari- 

 ous bouses for the above, particularly planing 

 and dressing machinery and of the woods, oak, 

 pitchpine, cottonwood and hard maple. 



No. 5619. Platinum and Forest Concessions 

 for Sale : — Copy of a letter has- been forwarded 

 by a consular officer in an Asiatic country, con- 

 taining a request for the names of American 

 eapitalists who might be Interested in the de- 

 velopment of about one million acres of forest 

 land which is said to contain platinum. Tlie 

 value of the tract is approximately $.1,000,000. 



No. 5624. Butt-cut Hickory Kit for Bending : 

 — Tlie proprietor of a timber concern in the 

 far East desires to obtain the above for his 

 district. The concern is in a position to pay 

 cash and will buy in fair sized lots. 



