August 25, 1921 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



23 



which the lumbermen have ever fought, involving, as they do, the 

 question of whether or not those engaged in the manufacture and 

 distribution of hardwood lumber and forest products shall remain 

 in business or whether they shall bo forced to contract their opera- 

 tions or go out of business altogether. As indicating the deter- 

 mined spirit that prevailed at this conference, it vk'as voted unani- 

 mously that an assessment, equal to one-fourth of the annual dues 

 of members of this organi/^ition, should be levied to defray the 

 expenses of this contest, and that ten per cent of the assessment 

 should be called for by the ])resident of the association as soon 

 as needed. 



Iiumbermen Have Been Patient 



The lumbermen, in deciding to fight, submit that they have not 

 acted hastily. They have given tlie executives of the railroads 

 serving the hardwood producing territories three distinct oppor- 

 tunities to lower freight rates or to make adjustments that would 

 put the hardwood industry in a position where it could compete for 

 business in the great consuming regions of the United States. 



The first opportunity was given when the association asked 

 officials of the roads serving the hardwood producing territory to 

 meet them in conference at the Hotel Gayoso early in March this 

 year. They laid their cards on the table and asked the carriers 

 for substantial reductions and adjustments. The railroad men 

 countered with the proposition that the carriers were in bad shape 

 financiallj' and that they could not undertake anything that would 

 impair their revenues. The lumbermen argued that lower freight 

 rates would produce a vastly larger tonnage and therefore increase 

 revenues, but the spokesmen for the carrier suggested that every- 

 thing be left in abeyance until about the first of July. 



The association, together with spokesmen for other construction 

 industries, appeared before the carriers in Washington early in 

 June and urged a reduction in freight rates but, after a week or ten 

 days had elapsed, following this conference, they again announced 

 that they could not see their way clear to grant any reductions or 

 make any substantial readjustments. 



J. H. Townshend, secretary-manager, again apjieared before the 

 carriers and the Interstate Commerce Commission in the latter 

 part of June and, instead of asking reductions on forest products, 

 appealed for a readjustment that would put members of this organi- 

 zation on a better competitive basis. No decision was reached 



until the date of the Memphis conference, July 12, and then S. M. 

 Nickey, president of the association, announced that he had just 

 received a long distance message from Chicago, apprising him, 

 through a high official of the Illinois Central, that the railroads 

 had decided that they could not undertake any readjustments 

 sought by this org.-inization. 



The complainants joining with the association are: Mobile Lum- 

 lier Manufacturers' Club, Evansville Lumbermen's Club, Louisville 

 Hardwood Club, Corinth Lumbermen's Club, Nashville Lumber- 

 men's Club, Spoke Manufacturers' Association, Lumbermen's Club 

 of Memphis, Southwestern Hardwood Manufacturers' Club, West- 

 ern North Carolina Lumber & Timber Association, Cincinnati Lum- 

 bermen's Club and Appalachian Logging Congress. 



The complaint is directed against the Illinois Central Railroad 

 Company and .iU lines of railway in the United States. 



Table of Bate Increases 



The complaint includes a table showing the increase in cents per 

 100 pounds and ]ier car of 50,000 pounds, as a result of the advance 

 made under Ex Parte 74, and the spread between rates from rep- 

 resentative producing ])oints to Chicago, caused by the same gen- 

 eral advance. The table is presented herewith: 



Rates Increase 



Per Per car of 



i'rom 8-25-20 Present 100 lbs. 50,000 lbs. 



Wausau, Wis 12i^ 17 4% .$22.50 



St. Louis, Mo 12 17 5 25!oO 



Edinburg, Ind 141/. 20% 6 .'iO.OO 



Cairo, 111 HVa 2OV2 6 30.00 



Huntingburg, Ind 17 24 7 35.00 



Huntington, W. Va ISVa 26 7% 37.50 



Parkerslnirg, W. Va 18% 26 7% .•i7.50 



Ironton, Ohio 18% 26 7% 37..50 



Morehouse, Mo 21% 29 T^/2 37.50 



Memphis, Tenn 24% 321/2 8 ' 40.00 



Brasfield, Ark 27% 37 9% 47.50 



Charleston, Miss 28% 38 9% 47.50 



Vicksburg, Miss 28% 38 9% 47.50 



Knoxville, Tenn. (hemlock). 28% 38 9% 47.50 



Knoxville, Tenn. (oak) 29% 39% 10 ' 50.00 



Richwood, W. Va 25 35 10 50.00 



Greenwood, Miss 29% 39% 10 50.00 



Little Rock, Ark 29% 40 10% 52.50 



New Orleans, La 31% 42 10% 52.50 



Macon, Ga. (h:irdwooil) 32% 43% 11 55.00 



Alexandria, La 32% 44 11% 57.50 



Pertinent Information 



Invents Electric Spoke Shave 



J. B. riamacheok. Sr., of Two Kivers, Wis., whose business address is 

 York Building. Sheboygan, Wis., has applipd for a patent on a portalile 

 electi-ic spoke shave. This tool is operated at a high rate of speed and 

 will do the same Itind of work that the well known hand spolte shave will 

 do. It is designed in such a wa.v that it will take a cut automatically 

 from 1/1000" up to %" on straight, curved or convex work. This tool is 

 said to be a wonder and that it increases the quantity and quality of the 

 work many times. 



Ford Ships from New Mill 



The Michigan Land. Iron and Luniljcr Company of Iron Mountain, Mich., 

 more familiarly linown as the "Ford sawmill," being owned and operated 

 by Henry Ford and son of Detroit, is now making regular shipments tu 

 the Ford company's plants. The first shipment of the mill, which was 

 formally opened aliout the middle of July, consisted of four carloads 

 loaded on the Ann Arbor carferry No. 4 to Reed City, Mich., the location 

 of a large dry kiln of the Ford company. All shipments from Iron Moun- 

 tain to the lower peninsula will be made through Menominee, Mich., on 

 Ann Arbor carferries. In addition to its own timber and log supply for 

 the new mill, the Ford interests have recently let a contract for 2,000,000 

 feet of logs. Perrin Bros, of Gogebic will cut 1,500.000 feet, and the 

 remainder will be cut by Elliott Bros, of Basswood, Mich. Shipments 

 already have been started to Iron Mountain. 



"Virgin Growth" and "Second Growth" 

 Specifications often call for "virgin growtli" ipr "scfomi growth" timber, 

 yet the terms are without fi.\od significance, and the material when dollv- 



orcd can not be positively idontitied as belonging to one class or the other. 



"Virgin growth," also called "first growth" or "old growth," means tim- 

 ber which grew up in a standing forest under conditions of active com- 

 petition for sunlight and moisture. 



"Second growth," when applied to a forest stanil. usually means timber 

 who.so main growing period occurred under conditions of lessened competi- 

 tion, after all or a portion of the original stand had been removed l>y cut- 

 ting, fire, wind or other means. In connection with the individual trees, 

 the term is used to mean any whose growing conditions approximatetl 

 those which would produce a "second growth" stand. To the wood user, 

 "second growth" means material cut from either of these sources. In 

 general, the term is associated with the idea of a second crop of timber, 

 though specific applications may vary. 



Virgin gi-owth is generally thought of as slow growing timber, while 

 second growth, due to more favorable conditions, is relatively rapid. A 

 faster rate of growth is evidenced by wider annual rings. These are popu- 

 larly supposed to indicate stronger and tougher wood In the hardwoods, 

 such as ash, hickory, eim and oak ; and weaker and brashy wood in the 

 conifers, such as pine and flr. Hence, for uses in which strength and 

 toughness are essential, .second growth is sought among the hardwoods, 

 whereas in conifers virgin grttwth is desired, 



.\8 a second growth forest attains maturity, the rate of growth slows 

 up, and the annual rings may be no wider than in virgin growth timber 

 of the same size. On the other hand, when a slow-growing suppressed 

 forest tree is freed by removing the neightioring trees, it ma.v grow rapidly 

 for a long period. Therefore it is possible to have some wood with the 

 characteristics of virgin growth and some with those of second growth 

 in the same tree. Furthermore, individual trees in a virgin growth forest 

 may have the characteristics of second growth throughout and vice versa. 



Instead of broadly specifying "second growth" or "virgin growth" or 

 depending upon requirements on the width of annual rings to secure good 

 material, the Forest Products Laboratory considers it advisable to dis- 

 regard rate of growth and rely upon density as a guide to quality. 



