34 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



January 25, 1919 



Traffic Conference at St. Louis . 



J. H. Townshend, secretary-manager of the Soutliern Hardwood TrnfEc 

 Association of Memphis, attended a joint meeting of the St. Louis, Dallas 

 and New Orleans district freight traffic committees on Januar.v 21. at 

 which consideration was given to proposed advances in rates on hard- 

 wood lumber and forest products from west side points to destinations In 

 Central Freight Association and Eastern Trunk Line territories, notably 

 the latter, amounting to one to eight cents per hundred pounds. Mr. 

 Townshend said before leaving for the meeting that operators of saw 

 mills and yards on the west side of the Mississippi had advised him that, 

 if the rates were ad%'anced as proposed, it would mean shutting them 

 entirely out of Eastern Trunk Line territory, which includes Canada. 



He further said that he would propose to the Joint conference that tariffs 

 be issued showing just exactly what the three committees desire to do. 

 and that the association would make its position known when it had this 

 definite, tangible evidence on which to proceed. It therefore looks as if 

 the conference will be rather preliminai'y and that no decision will be 

 reached regarding the question of advances in west side rates. Thus far 

 it appears that the different freight traffic committees participating in the 

 conference have not yet definitely agreed among themselves as to what 

 they want and that there is something yet to be done in the way of har- 

 monizing their position. 



With the Trade 



Will Re-enter Wholesale Business 



The announcement is made that J. C. West will take up again the 

 wholesale lumber business in Cincinnati, Ohio, Room 2506 Union Central 

 building, under the name of J. C. West Lumber Company. 



Mr. West sensed the government in the airplane work, his particular 

 function being the purchase of southern hardwoods for propellers. When 

 the armistice was signed he tendered his resignation, but was induced to 

 remain to help adjust some of the contracts, and he was not released 

 from government duty till December 31. He at once perfected his arrange- 

 ments to take up business along his former line, selling lumber by whole- 

 sale. 



Lumber Company Reorganized 



The Johnson-Tustiu Luml)er Cnnipany, Memphis, Tenn.. has been reor- 

 ganized and its name changed to the Tustin Hardwood Lumber Company. 

 J. F. Mingea was elected secretary and sales manager to succeed J. T. 

 Jones, who resigned recently to become identified with the Cherokee Lum- 

 ber Company. 



Mr. Mingea began his lumber activities as yard clerk for the C, M. k 

 St. P. railway and the Western Steel Car Company. That was in 1902, 

 after he had served two years in the Philippines. Subsequently he was 

 in the purchasing department of the Central Locomotive & Car Works, 

 and from there he rose by promotion to buyer, and in that capacity 

 traveled through all the southern states during five years directing the 

 work of assistant buyers and inspector.s. purchasing yellow pine and 

 hardwoods for building freight and passenger cars. He was of an 

 inquiring mind and spent much time in the woods, where he became 



acquainted with logging and sawing operations. Experience thus gained 

 has greatly assisted him in his subsequent work as salesman and sales 

 m;mager. 



When Mr. Mingea decided to enter the selling field, he joined the Faust 

 Brothers Lumber Company, then located at Paducah, Ky., and soon after- 

 wai'ds opened an office in Chicago, where he became manager of sales. He 

 remained with that company several years, when he resigned to go with 

 Ila.vden & Wescott Lumber Company of Chicago. The next year he 

 decided to quit the lumber business and devoted two years to other work ; 

 but he returned to his former calling and opened a Chicago sales office 

 for the Arkla Lumber & Jtanufacturing Company of St. Louis, but soon 

 afterwards he returned to his old position with the Hayden & Wescott 

 Lumber Company and remained in that work until he went south to take 

 a position as assistant to Mr. Tustin, president of the Johnson-Tustin 

 Ijumber Company. He took up his position in November, 1918, and on 

 January 6, at the company's .annual meeting, he was elected secretary, 

 lie is well known to a large number of manufacturers of lumber, having 

 bought lumber in the markets for years, and he enjoys the friendship 

 of a large number of factory buyers. 



The Johnson-Tustin Lumber Company was organized in 1913 with a 

 capital of $15,000. Under the direction of its president, C. E. Tustin, the 

 business has grown from an average of twenty cars per month in 1913 

 to an average of 150 cars per month during the last year. The volume of 

 business in 1918 was around $800,000, and the capital has grown to 

 .$75,000. 



Mr. Tustin has been in the lumber business since he was fifteen years 

 olil, having begun with the Citizen's Lumber Company, Parkersburg, W. Va. 



Death of George Mercereau 



On January 5, 1919, at his home in Uuion, N. Y., occurred the death of 

 fieorge Mercereau at the age of eighty years. He was for many years a 

 dealer in lumber and ties at Huntington, W. Va. After leaving Huntington 

 he retired from active business. He was formerly connected with the Mer- 

 lereau-Hawkins Tie Company, with which his nephews are still identified 

 at Staunton and Roanoke, Va. 



Korn-Conkling Closes Out at Memphis 



At the annual meeting of the board of directors of the Korn-Conkling 

 Company of Cincinnati and Memphis, held on Tuesday, January 16, a new 

 board of directors and officers were elected. The officers are : Chester 

 F. Korn, president and treasurer; Mrs. Francis H. Korn, vice-president: 

 John H. Horst, secretary. Mrs. Korn is the wife of Chester F. Korn and 

 Mr. Horst is cashier of the Winton Savings Bank, of which Mr. Korn is 

 president. The new board of directors is composed of Mr. and Mrs. Korn, 

 Mr. Horst, Miss Alice A. Wolkert and Frank A. Conkling. 



Walter C. Palmer resigned as secretary and emplo.ve of the company, 

 effective January 1, and has taken a position with Maley & Wertz of 

 Evansville, Ind. Mr. Conkling has since resigned and has made no definite 

 plans as to his immediate future. It is probable though that he will 

 shortly be established in a strong connection in the southern hardwood 

 field, as he has spent his entire business life in this line of work. 



According to instructions of Mr. Korn, the Memphis office is now being 

 closed up and the records are being prepared for shipment to the main 

 office at Cincinnati, O. 



Mr. Conkling temporarily maintains bis address at 906 Bank of Com- 

 merce & Trust building, Memphis. 



J. C. WEST, CINCINNATI, O, 



C. R. TUSTIN, MEMPHIS, TENN. 



J. P. MINGEA, MEMPHIS, TENN. 



