HARDWOOD RECORD 



35 



The only matter of any consequence that has 

 been brought to the attention of your railroad 

 committee during the last few months is the 

 tentative reciprocal industrial switching agree- 

 ment for the switching of cars within Chicago 

 switching limits. This tentative agreement was 

 read at one of our previous meetings and your 

 railroad committee was instructed to meet the 

 committee of railroad officials in conjunction with 

 committees from the Chicago Hardwood Lumher 

 Exchange and the Lumbermen's Association and 

 endeavor to obtain the best possible universal 

 switching rates. After a number of meetings 

 with these various committees and after thor- 

 oughly studying the rates set forth in the ten- 

 tative agreement, it was decided Jointly by the 

 committees from the three lumber associations 

 to accept the rates proposed in the tentative 

 agreement with a few minor corrections. De- 

 velopments since we accepted the proposed 

 switching rates tend to show that the railroads 

 can not agree among themselves, and from the 

 best information obtainable it would seem that 

 these rates will not go into effect at an early 

 date, if ever. 



It is the belief of your committee that at this 

 session of the legislature a bill should be passed 

 giving the Illinois Railroad & Warehouse Commis- 

 sion power to enforce universal switching rates 

 within Chicago switching limits. 



During the last few months many tariffs have 

 been issued, changing the rates from a large 

 number of southern sawmill points. Some of 

 these tariffs have canceled the through rates 

 from stations on various so-called tap lines, and 

 others have raised the rates from southern points 

 through the St. Louis gateway ; while still others 

 have raised the rates from Mississippi river 



are purchasing lumber from Missouri points 

 where it moves via St. Louis, that you examine 

 the distance tariffs and see that they are no 

 higlier than tlie new through rates to St. Louis. 

 January 1 a new tie rate of 8 cents a tie from 

 East St. Louis and 9Vj cents from St. Louis to 

 (^'hicago became effective. This tariff also speci- 

 fies the size of ties that will be accepted at these 

 rates. It is the belief of your committee that 

 wliere stocli is bought f. o. b. mill, special care 

 should be taken to ascertain the rates that may 

 become effective within the next few months. 



Chairman Frank B. Stone of the Credit 

 Committee stated that liis committee had held 

 no regular meeting, but that the credit of the 

 membership was in au excellent condition. 



Frank Porter of the Membership Commit- 

 tee suggested that the only way to follow up 

 the work of that body was to get a list of 

 every local concern eligible and to follow it 

 up energetically. One new application, that 

 of A. M. Todd, was passed upon favorably. 



The next order of business was the election 

 of directors for the ensuing year, the follow- 

 ing being placed in office: C. L. Cross, 

 George D. Griffith, George T. Nichols, George 



E. A. THORNTOX, E. A. THORNTON LUMBER 

 CO., PRESIDENT. 



crossings to a majority of stations in Central 

 Freight Association territory, as well as many 

 eastern points. Very few of these tariffs are 

 now in effect, having been set aside for a few 

 months by the Interstate Commerce Commission. 

 February 1 being the date set for a number of 

 them to" become effective. However, the latest 

 newspaper reports Indicate that the Interstate 

 Commerce Commission has asked for another 

 forty-five days in which to decide upon them. 



Several of the railroads entering St. Louis, in- 

 cluding the Cotton Belt and Gould lines, have 

 issued tariffs effective January 5, raising the 

 local rates to St. Louis 1 cent a hundred pounds 

 and making the East St. Louis rate the same as 

 St. Louis, which is a reduction of half a cent 

 from the old rate. This does not affect the 

 through rate on shipments originating far enough 

 south so they may be routed via Cairo or Tlicbes. 

 It does, however, affect the rate from a number 

 of points in Missouri from which members of 

 our association ship hardwoods. Protest was 

 made to the Interstate Commerce Commission by 

 several St. Louis lumbermen, as well as the 

 Lumbermen's Club. The Interstate Commerce 

 Commission ruled that the rates were not exor- 

 bitant and tney. therefore, became effective Janu- 

 ary 5. There are a number of points that now 

 taiie a higher rate to St. Louis by half a cent 

 for a hundred pounds than the combined local 

 rates published bv the railroads over which this 

 tonnage would move. The Interstate Commerce 

 Commission has ruled in various cases that the 

 railroad can not charge a higher through rate 

 than the combined locals where these local rates 

 are based upon the distance tariff rates jjub- 

 lished by the Railroad & Warehouse Commission. 

 Therefore, your committee would suggest, if you 



CIIAS. WKSTCOTT, H.^YDEX & WESTCOTT 

 LUMBER CO., VICE-PRESIDENT. 



J. Pope, E. A. Thornton, S. C. Bennett and 

 Cliarles Westcott. 



E. A. Thornton then . briefly reported the 

 status of the amalgmation movement up to 

 date. 



The Entertainment 



The entertainment of the evening was 

 started by L. E. Eolo, who sang a number 

 of parodies on local songs. E. D. Sullivan of 

 the Kimball-Sullivan Lumber Company, ren- 

 dered three songs very effectively, and was fol- 

 lowed by Bill Eager, who entertained with 

 songs and stories in a characteristic way. O^e 

 of the most delightful features of the evening 

 was a series of recitations by W. E. Moss, 

 a prominent Chicago lawyer, who made his 

 selections from the writings of James Whit- 

 comb Eiley and Ben King. Mr. Moss' de- 

 livery would be hard to excell. 



George Pope entertained with an address 

 of a more serious vein but none the less wel- 

 come, which showed evidence of a decj) 

 thoughtful nature. It was put in the form of 



a touching plea for the forests and their 

 ]iroducts. Other speakers of the evening were 

 E. A. Thornton, who told in a liumorous way 

 of his recent visit to the Southland; Charles 

 Westcott, who made a good humored but 

 nevertheless effective plea for the closer in- 

 terest in the financial as well as the social 

 side of the association work, and Douglass 

 Malloch, who entertained in an ingenious and 

 original way. 



Attendance 



J. D. Attle.v, J. M. Attlev & Co. 



F. B. McMullen, Fullerton-Powell Hardwood 

 Lumber Co. 



P. S. Fletcher. D. S. Pate Lumber Co. 



II. L. Dessert, Brown, McReynoids & Co. 



II. S. Hayden, Ilayden & Westcott Lumber Co. 



Mark S. Porter. Frank Porter Lumber Co. 



A. E. Bacone, Brown, McReynoids & Co. 



II. C. Wolter, D. S. Pate Lumber Co. 



F. M. Baker. Hardwood Mills Lumber Co. 



C. W. Cantrell, Railroad & Car Material Co., 

 Pittsburg. Pa. 



S. C. Bennett. Hardwood Mills Lumber Co. 



('. C. Hubbard, George D. Griffith & Co. 



(!. H. Holloway, Schultz, Holloway &. Co. 



W. L. Serrell. 



A. J. Cross, C. L. Cross. 



J. C. T'Iricb, Chicago Car Lumber Co. 



J. A. Nourse. 



S. C. BENNETT. HARDWOOD MILLS LUMBER 

 CO., SECRETARY-TREASURER. 



F. W. Roedter, Estahrook-Skeele Lumber Co. 



J. H. Halpin, C. H. Worcester Co. 



C. E. McLean. Chicago Car Lumber Co. 



H. D. Welch, Chicago Lumber & Coal Co. 



A. H. Ruth. G. W. Jones Lumber Co. 



E. II. Daiber. E. H. Dalbey Lumber Co. 



T. D. Phillips. McShane Lumber Co. 



J. H. Berry. E. A. Thornton Lumber Co. 



A. C. List, George T. Mickle Lumber Co. 



I<'rank B. Stone. 



Louis A. Smith, Fullerton-Powell Hardwood 

 Lumber Co. 



Robert D. Sullivan. Kimball-Sullivan Lumber 

 Co. 



George T. Jlickle. George T. Mickle Lumber Co. 



E. W. Meeker, Hakdwood Record, Chicago. 



William R. Moss. 



William A. Eager. 



L. E. Kollo, Chicago & Pinedale Lumber Co. 



E. A. Thornton. E. A. Thornton Lumber Co. 



Charles Westcott, Hayden it Westcott Lumber 

 Co. 



George J. Pope. D. S. Pate Lumber Co. 



Ben Collins. Jr.. Collins Lumber Co. 



W. B. Kehoe. Gillis & Co. 

 C. L. Cross. 



George D. Griffith. George D. Griffith & Co. 



A. D. Gillis. Gillis & Co. 



The Board of Directors of the Chicago 

 Wholesale Lumber Dealers' Association met 

 last Wednesday, January 18, and elected the 

 followingg officers for the year 1911 : Presi- 

 dent, E. A. Thornton; vice-president, Charles 

 Westcott; secretary-treasurer, S. C. Bennett. 



