HARDWOOD RECORD 



January 10, 1919 



All the officers of the Southoru Hardwood Traffic Association 

 were reelected at the annual of this body in Memphis, January 7, 

 as follows: James E. Stark, of James E. Stark & Co., Memphis, 

 president; K. L. Jurden, Penrod-Jurden Company, Memphis, first 

 vice-president; and Frank B. Robertson, Eerguson-Palmer Company, 

 Inc., Memphis, second vice-president. 

 Directors elected for three years are: 

 Charles Dugger, Hudson & Dugger Company, Memphis; George 

 C. Ehemann, George C. Ehemann & Company, Memphis; T. M. 

 Brown, W. P. Brown & Sons Lumber Company, Louisville, Ky.; 

 S. B. Anderson, Anderson-Tully Company, Memphis; C. H. Sherrill, 

 Sherrill Hardwood Company, Merry ville, La.; Max Miller, Miller 

 Lumber Company, Marianna, Ark., and W. A. Ransom, Guyaso Lum- 

 ber Company, Memphis. 



The association also chose W. Brown Morgan, president of the 

 Morgan Veneer Company, Pine Bluff, Ark., as a director for one 

 year to fill out the unexpired term of the late F. L. Gregory of 

 the Bliss-Cook Oak Company, Blissville, Ark. 



The directors at their first meeting re-elected J. H. Townshend, 

 secretary-manager. He has been with the association in that 

 capacity practically ever since it was organized and through his 

 able and efficient management of the affairs of the organization 

 he has endeared himself in a peculiarly strong manner to all mem- 

 bers of the association. It is freely admitted by the officials of 

 the association that a very large measure of the credit for its 

 accomplishments belongs to him. He has proven himself able, 

 efficient, affable, energetic, progressive, up to date in all things 

 affecting the welfare of the membership and he has been imbued 

 throughout with but one idea: Thati of rendering the maximum 

 service to the members. 



The association is congratulating itself on having the able guid- 

 ance of President Stark during 1919 which is regarded as the most 

 important year in the history of this organization because of the 

 many problems which must be worked out. Mr. Stark is thoroughly 

 familiar with what the association has undertaken and with what 

 it has accomplished during the past two years. He is also keenly 

 aware of the problems, reconstruction and otherwise, that lie just 

 ahead. 



In President Stark's address upon taking the chair, he attri- 

 buted the rapid growth in membership, 101 during the year, to the 

 service of the association in the difficult traffic problems. He said 

 that every member had received results which paid him hand- 

 somely on the investment represented by his annual dues, and 

 which would strengthen his loyalty to the association. He re- 

 garded successful combating of the demurrage rules promulgated 

 by the United States railroad administration as among the most 

 important work of the year and believed that, during 1919, fur- 

 ther reductions in demurrage charges would be brought about, 

 together with the reinstatement of the average agreement plan 

 on cars for loading. He also referred to the tremendous saving 

 that had been effected in behalf of members in defeating the pro- 

 posal of the director general of the railroads to inaugurate switch- 

 ing and car-spotting charges that, in some instances, would have 

 run as high as $12 per car. 



He referred to the practical absence of export business during 

 the past year, except that done directly with the foreign govern- 

 ments that furnished their own transportation facilities, but 

 called attention to the fact that establishment of a booking and 

 forwarding department had been placed in the hands of an effi- 

 cient committee which would make report during the day and 

 which he felt sure would work out a plan that would be available 

 when there is resumption of export business. 



^ He urged the members to avail themselves of the services of the 

 claim department which has been collecting from $10,000 to $20,000 

 a month for members. 



He declared that the Louisville and Helena branch offices of 

 tlie association, under the management of R. R. May and J. A. 

 Koehler, respectively, had made an excellent record during the 

 year, and justifying the policy of establishing branch offices. He 

 announced, in this connection, that there would be a meeting be- 

 tween representatives of the association, the executive committee 

 of the United Cooperage Industries and other prominent lumber- 

 men, at St. Louis early in the year for the purpose of perfecting 

 ]ilans for the opening of a branch office at that point to handle 

 tlie traffic problems of the cooperage interests and lumbermen of 

 that city. 



Secretary Townshend's Report 



Among the prominent features of the report of J. H. Townshend, 

 secretary-manager, were the rapid growth of membership of the 

 association; the unusually large amount of money collected for 

 its members in the form of claims; the far-reaching rate victories 

 if had gained over the carriers; the wide range of activities of 

 til is organization and the magnificent accomplishments in behalf 

 of the members; and the manner in which this association has 

 developed because it exists for the purpose of serving its members 

 in every possible way and because it stops at nothing that will 

 contribute legitimately to the business of the men who are identi- 

 fied with it. 



He said that the experiences of the year had proved conclu- 

 sively that President James E. Stark and Attorney J, V. Norman 

 had "spoken more wisely even than they themselves anticipated" 

 when they prophesied, at the last annual meeting, that there would 

 be greater need for the association during 1918 than in any prev- 

 ious year. He added that, in his opinion, because of the question 

 of railroad ownership and other important developments that lie 

 not very far ahead, there will be even greater need for the as- 

 sociation during 1919 than during the year that had just passed. 

 Mr. Townshend devoted practically all of his report to a review 

 of the activities and accomplishments of the association. A few 

 of the things accomplished may be summarized as follows: 



Secured an amendment to the order of the United States railroad ad- 

 ministration by which it was possible to obtain minimum rates regardless 

 of the long or short route. 



Brought about amendment ot the new demurrage rules issued by the 

 United .States railroad administration so. as to greatly reduce the charges. 

 Secured abolishment of the plan of the United States railroad ad- 

 ministration for greatly increasing the revenue of the carriers without 

 increasing rates. This plan called for a charge ot $2 for pushing cars 

 to industrial traclis, etc. 



Obtained from the Interstate Commerce Commission in the fifteen per 

 cent case, a ruling by which the advance on lumber and lumber products 

 was placed at one cent per hundred pounds instead of the flat advance 

 of fifteen per cent. 



Obtained withdrawal by the United States railroad administration, in 

 connection with the twenty-five per cent advance that became effective 

 June 2.5, 1918, of the $15 minimum per car charge as applied to logs, 

 bolts, billets, cordwood, fuel wood, etc. 



Kept so closely in touch with the embargo situation that it was able, 

 from time to time, to forecast accurately when embargoes would be re- 

 moved, thus giving members the benefit of this service in a most concrete 

 and profitable manner. 



Obtained from the United States railroad administration an order 

 establishing flat net rates on logs, bolts and billets into all milling points. 

 Materially aided members of the association in securing cars for the 

 Inbound handling of logs and outbound shipments ot lumber and forest 

 products during the period when there was such a notable shortage of 

 cars. 



Handled the labor situation for its members, in co-operation with the 

 United State? employment service bureau and the educational service of 

 the Department of Labor at Washington, in such manner as to bring 

 excellent results and as to draw most favorable comment from officials 

 of the two agencies already named. 



Presented its ease to the United States railroad administration in 

 November for the establishment ot transit arrangements at Memphis, 

 Louisville and Evansville for the protection of the through rate on lum- 

 ber and forest products from point of origin to destination, plus two 

 cents per hundred pounds, with a minimum charge ot $10 per car, when 



