AI11.-IISC In. llllil 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



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News from the National Capital 



Kepresentatives of the countr.v's leadiiiit Innilii'i- associations anil 

 other leading industries attended the eonfiMciU'e in Washington 

 on July 29, called by the National Association of Manufacturers 

 at the suggestion of Herlicrl Hoover, Secretary of Coninierce, to 

 discuss plans and methods of handling statistics of production. 



Secretary of (\ininierce Hoover addressed tlo' iiKiiiiif:utunTs and 

 merchants, felling them of the urgent neces.sity for a greater degree 

 of cocjperatioii in .\nieriean business to promote intelligent export 

 trade. The .Secretary pointed out that the British, by means i.f 

 organized methods, are onstrii)ping the American traders and tliti* 

 onlv bv eo-operation with the Government and careful organiza- 

 tion to eliminate wasteful methods and i|u]dications can this com- 

 petition be met. 



The .Secretary intimated that so well oignnized .'ire the British 

 foreign traders that they are getting as much, if not more, good 

 (Uit of the trade and statistical information gathered by the Amer- 

 ican consular and trade services than American business men for 

 whom these services are performed. He indicated that the depart- 

 ment would endeavor in the future to jirotoct this information 

 better and take steps to ri'strirt its use vvliile fresh to American 

 traders. 



After stressing the point lh.it an aiciuate determination of the 

 productive results of American industry is only possible if carried 

 out with the eo-operation of the industry itself, the Secretary sug- 

 gested that the manufacturers consider the utility of compiling 

 the next census of manufacturers on a commodit.v basis. Hitherto, 

 the census evaluation of ]iroduction has been in terms of money. 

 It is realized now, he said, how uncertain the monetarv valuation 

 of production can be and stated that it is highl.y desirable that 

 the new census should be in a form that would serve a practical 

 purpose to the various industries themselves. The recommenda- 

 tions were concurred in and J. Philip Bird, general manager of 

 the National Association of Manufacturers, chairman of the meet- 

 ing, expressed the hope that all the crafts able to supplv the T)e- 

 )iartnicnt of Commerce with their intimate statistical data should 

 do so to the extent of their abilit.v. 



Secretary Hoover mentioned the fact that many manufacturers 

 and their associations are engaged in the compilation of statistics 

 of their industrv on a monthly or quarterl.y basis, and in formulat- 

 ing this inquiry of the Department of Commerce ndating to its 

 policy regarding statistical information, he said he had in mind 

 that in industries in which frequent statistics are necessary and 

 useful, that the.v should form the groundwork of intermediate 

 statistics. The monthl.v figures also might be found useful when 

 incorporated as a basis for a monthl.v report on tlie entire national 

 resources, showing the trend of business throughout the countr.v. 



To supplement the recommendatious of Secretary Hoover, Wil- 

 liam M. Steuart, Director of the Census Bureau, had rcadv for dis- 

 tribution the proofs of the first printed report of the monthly busi- 

 ness survey which will be issued hereafter b.v the Department of 

 Commerce. Such a report was issued in mimeographed form for 

 June and besides numerical data on production, presents the ratio 

 between production and stocks of commodities for the current 

 month and the average monthl.v production and stocks in a normal 

 .vear, by means of index numbers. 



This report is not comprehensive as yet, as manv industries 

 either lack the facilities for compiling such information for pub- 

 lication by the Government or are reluctant to furnish it to the 

 Department of Commerce. 



!•'. M. Feiker, assistant to Secretar.v Hoover, spoke of the plans 

 the Department is inaugurating to serve iudustr.v, which in- 

 clude the organization of twelve major commodity sections of 

 which five now are operating. He said that there is a plan now 

 under wav to make cabled information on foreign trade available 



immediately to interested manufacturers. Dr. Julius Klein, direc 

 tor of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, addressed 

 the meeting on the commodity information which the department 

 will furnish to industries. 



After an all-day discussion the luiifeieMic aulliorized tlie aji- 

 liointnient of a committee for the jinrpose of having them further 

 confei with census officials on the scope and schedules of the 

 forthcoming census, the taking of which commences on January ], 

 next. The personnel of this committee consists of Nathan B. Wil- 

 liams, chairman, National Association of Manufacturers; General 

 L. C. Bo.vle, of the National Lumber Manufacturers Association; 

 Paul T. Cheringtou, National Association of Wool Manufacturers; 

 .J. W. Drake, National Autinnobile Chamber of Commerce; Ij. M. 

 Fanning, American I'etndeinn Institute; Albert E. Marshall, Chem- 

 ical Division, .\ liiaii lOiigineering Council; E. W. McCullough, 



Fabricated I'ldiliictimi Heparlment, Chamber of Commerce of the 

 United States; ;iiiil A. II. Willett, National Coal Association. 



Among the lumber associations represented at the conference 

 were the American Wholesale Lumber Association, Chicago; Oak 

 Flooring Manufacturers Association of the United States, Chicago; 

 National Lumber Manufacturers Association, Washington, D. C: 

 National Wludcsale Lumber Dealers Association, New York City; 

 Southern Hardwood Traflic Association, Memphis, Tcnn. 



What is regarded as the first successful blow in an alleged cam- 

 paign to abolish the Federal Trade Commission is seen in the ac- 

 tion of the Senate in adopting tlie conference report on the packer 

 control bill. The measure now awaits final approval by the House 

 before it goes to President Harding for his signature and beccinies 

 a law. 



The measure, as approved by the Senate, gives to the Secretary 

 of Agriculture the power to establish offices in his department 

 -similar to those already established by the Federal Trade Com- 

 mission, for the regulation of jiacking practices. 



Since the basic commodities over which the Federal Trade Com- 

 mission now has jurisdiction are food, shelter, fuel, and clothing, 

 friends of the commission contend that the foremost of these, food, 

 would be taken awa.v from the Commission by the packer control 

 bill. The Frelinghuysen coal bill, which appears to be dead for 

 this session, would relieve the commission of responsibility in tlie 

 matter of fuel, and alread.v, it is said, there are elements at work 

 to take from the commission jurisdiction over shelter and clothing. 

 ******* 



The Interstate Commerce Commission recently aimounced the 

 substitution of the .35 per cent for the 3:iV:i per cent increa.se 

 in the class and commodity rates between Eastern and Southern 

 groups and the Southwest was not justified. The increases pro- 

 posed were in joint class and commodity rates between points in the 

 Southwest and points in the defined territory east of the Illinois- 

 Indiana State line and of the Mississippi Eiver, Cairo, 111., and 

 South, constructed by the use of base rates to or from St. Louis, 

 plus arbitraries or diflferentials cast of St. Louis. 



The Commission, however, announced that increases jiroposed in 

 rates originally established and prior, to August 26, 1920, main- 

 tained on or intended to be on the basis of lowest combination of 

 local rates to and from the Mississippi Eiver crossings or other 

 rate basing points, were justified. 



Increases proposed in joint rates on cane and logging cars, 

 in straight or mixed carlo.ids, and on wrought and cast iron pipe, 

 were found justified and also increases proposed in joint rates on 

 hides from Fort Worth to Eastern tanning points were found not 

 justified. Excepting the proposed increasejl rates approved by the 

 commission, the carriers were ordered to establish new rates on, 

 or before, June 27. 



