June 2.-), 1(121 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



19 



Detailed iiifoniiation on tlio plan for co-oijoration bctwocu the 

 Department of Commerce and manufacturers of lumber in the col- 

 lection and dissemination of lumber statistics is given by Dr. Wilson 

 Comptou in a bulletin issued from the headquarters of the National 

 Lumber Manufacturers 'Association in Wjishington, D. C, on June 

 11. This information describes the method which has been devel- 

 oped since the conference with Secretary Hoover on May 24, when 

 the representatives of various lumber trade associations, includ- 

 ing the American Hardwood Manufacturers' Association, agreed 

 to co-operate with the goveninient in tliis endeavor. Dr. Comptou 's 

 bulletin follows: 



The iictinn taken at a conlcr c between Secretary o£ Commerce Hoover 



ami rcpreseiilalivcs of tli'e lunilier industry on May 24, 1921, has been 

 widely i)ublislied in tl)e trade press. 



Participatiiij; in that cont'erence were representatives of the National 

 Lumber .Mamit'acturers' ,4ssociafinu and of each afBilatert association, the 

 American Ilardwiiod Mannfactnrors' .Association, the Southern Lumber 

 Exporters' .\asociatiou and the Lumber Maiiul'ai-turers of So\itheru New 

 England. The representatives of these associations assured Secretary of 

 Commerce Hoover of their purpose to join wltli the Department of Com- 

 merce in the effort to make available promptly and regularly essential 

 statistical information aliont sujiply and demand conditions in the lum- 

 I>er industry. 



By resolution of the associations thus represented at the conference the 

 matter of working out with the Secretary of Commerce the specific details 

 of a practical plan for co-oijeratinn was placed in the hands of the secre- 

 tary-manager of the National Lumber Manufacturers' Association. 



It was furthermore understood that the associations participating in 

 this conference would agree to the general plan thus worked out. Pur- 

 suant to this action the National Lumber Manufacturers' .\ssociation has 

 since the conference on May 24, been constantly in touch with the Depart- 

 ment of Commerce and the officials of the Bureau of the Census. 



INFORJUTION DESIRED 



The Secretary of Commerce first proposed that information to be secured 

 be confined to the following: (1) Production, (2) stocks, (3) consump- 

 tion. Sulisequent discussion imlicated that information as to consumption 

 was difficult to obtain, and at l)est could not be furnished by the lumber 

 manufacturers. It was finally agreed that information to he solicited 

 would be: (ll Production, (2) stocks, and (3) shipments. 



"Subsequent to the conference of May 24 it has developed in the judg- 

 ment of the Department of Commerce that an effort should be made to 

 secure regularly and promptly the prices on actual sales of representative 

 items in building materials, including lumber. 



MONTHLY UEPOKTS 



The present plan of the Department of Commerce is to secure monthly 

 reports from regional associations, by wire or by letter, giving essential 

 information compiled by such associations ; also to secure similar informa- 

 tion from representative mills outside of present association members. 



Report to the Department of Commerce from associations are to be 

 totals or averages, as the case may be, compiled by the associations them- 

 selves. Information is to be in possession of the department by the end 

 of a definite short period after the end of the month. Information thus 

 received and compiled from all regions is to be immediately released for 

 pul)licntiitii and to be made available at once for the lumbiT imlustry. 



riuiDrcTiox 



Present plans tentatively include monthly production statistics sepa- 

 rately for each leading species, as follows : 



Softwoods : Longleaf yellow pine. Nortli Carolina pine. Douglas fir, 

 western pine. Idaho white pine, California sugar pine, California redwood, 

 California white pine, spruce, cypress, hemlock, northern pine. 



Hardwoods : Birch, maple, oak, gum, elm. ash, poplar, chestnut, hickory, 

 basswood. tupelo, walnut, cottonw-ood. 



Production statistics are desired separately by species, but iii>t by grades. 



SHIPMENTS 



Shipment statistics will probably also be kept separate by species only, 

 with no effort to distinguish between the grades of product shipped. 



STOCKS 



In the statistics of stocks more detailed classifications are expected to 

 be followed. The chief classifications have to do with species, grade and 

 thickness. In the case of the major hardwoods, in a general way the 

 grades to be shown separately fnr each species wdll be firsts and seconds, 

 selects. No. 1. No. 2 and No. 3 common, with, of course, some variations in 

 individual species. 



In the case of .softwoods u similar plan of general classlflcation will be 

 followed showing separately the clears, first and seconds. No. 1, No. 2 and 

 No. 3 common, etc., with, of course, variations made necessary by the 

 grading rules applying to individual species. 



As to thickness no conclusion has as yet been reacheil whether classlfl- 

 cation also by each grade separately will be sufficient cu- whether classlflca- 

 tion by various thicknesses will be required. 



Obviously, however, boards, dimension, and timbers must be kept sepa- 

 rate. 



PRICES OV ACTUM. SALES 



In tile reporting of prices lumber will be classified by species, by grades, 

 ami by thickness. It Is expected, however, that the statistics will be 

 confined to the major species furnishing building nuiterlals ; recognized 

 standard grades of lumber used for construction purposes, and standard 

 thicknesses universally applleil by the trade to each particular species. 



For instance, longleaf yellow pine prices would thus be reported sejia- 

 rately for each grade, and for each standard size as determl!ie«l ui»ttn in 

 the plan for reporting. Timbers would be shown separately ; also .\o. 1 

 common boards, for exanipb'. would be shown, separate from No. 1 common 

 dimension. 



FURTHER DISCUSSION 



As result of pridimlnary discussion with represeutatlvi's of the Depart- 

 ment of Commerie and Bureau of the Census, the conference will be held 

 soon with the Secretary of Commerce in order to reach as nearly as possible 

 specific conclusions as to the degree of detail to which the lumber statistics 

 of production, shipments, stock and prices will be requested. 



.\s soon as possible, therefore, a further report will be made to the 

 regional associations indicating additional progress made iu working out 

 a plan for this co-operation with the Department of Commerce. 



Each subscribing association except one was represented personally 

 at the conference on May 24. It is impracticable to report in this manner 

 the evidence given the lumber Industry's representatives at that time by 

 the Department of Commerce of the department's purpose to surround 

 this co-operative activity with every possible safeguard to the industry. 



For instance, this work will be done by and through the Bureau of the 

 Census. This means that the information thus acquired will not be avail- 

 able to any other department of the government for any purpose. 



Furthermore, the Department of Commerce in this activity desires the 

 direct co-operation of the various associations, and its plan for compila- 

 tion and exchange of statistical trade information is in its opinion imprac- 

 ticable without the active assistance of the associations. 



The working out of definite plans with the Secretary of Commerce 

 having been left by the regional associations to the secretary-nmnager of 

 the National Lumber Manufacturers' -Vssociation. this work is being con- 

 tinued with the definite purpose to insure its success. It is the belief of the 

 officers of the National association closely identified with this wiu-k that the 

 success of this enterprise wdth the Department of Commerce is a matter of 

 much, and immediate, importance, ttj the lumber Industry. It is the pur- 

 pose, therefore of the National association with the authority lodged with 

 it to represent the regional associations in this latter, to aid the Depart- 

 ment of Commerce in every possible way, to formulate a practicable plan 

 insuring promptness and accuracy of reports. It confidently expects the 

 support of the subscribing associations in this activity. 



Transit Car Hearing Is Held 



Tcstimonj- for and against the elimination of the .$10 per diem 

 penalty on transit cars held for reconsignment was taken bj' the 

 Interstate Commerce Commission through U. S. Butler, assistant 

 chief examiner, at Chicago, from Monday to Friday, June 13 to 17, 

 .at the hciring on I. C. C. Docket No. 11818. The American Whole- 

 sale Lumber Association vs. Aberdeen & Kockfish R,'>ilway, et al. 



The complainant and others intervening in favor of its plea 

 introduced witnesses to show that the penalty seriously interferes 

 with the marketing of the product of the small lumber mills of the 

 country that are compelled to sell their lumber through whole- 

 salers, who finance them; this interference, it ■was said, resolves 

 into a burden of increased cost to the consumer, because the recon- 

 signcd shipments of lumber may be bought cheaper than the direct 

 shipments. Continued enforcement of the pen.alty would result in 

 the elimination of transit lumber, because the wholesaler could 

 no longer afford to finance the smaller producer, or do business, in 

 fact. This would result in the concentration of lumber production 

 in the hands of a comparatively few large operators who could 



