February ]0, I'.ni) 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



21 



Tlierc was a great deal of discussion of the various points 

 liroii^jlit nut li.v Mr. Abbott, quite a little of tliis centering upon 

 the litiestiou of JVo. '.i and tlie market for hardwood ties. It was 

 emphasized that it is very foolish to sliow any weakness whatsoever 

 in the tie market at present, as every ])oint in the outlook indicates 

 better prices in the very near future. 



Box plants, according to the sentiment of tlie organization, are 

 rapidly working up tlie large quantities they took in under war 

 conditions. It is anticipated that there will be a normal box busi- 

 ness and that any over accumulation of lunilier will be worked up 

 in the next few weeks. 



Orlando P. Barnes, member of the ta.v commission of the State 

 of Michigan, then delivered a most interesting talk on the gen- 

 eral question of fair taxation for timbered and cut-over lands. His 

 report was in reality a reading of the report he has submitted to 

 the Governor of Michigan, and outlined a plan for equitable taxa- 

 tion based not upon the present system of ad valorem taxation, 

 but iqicju the basis of classification of taxable properties. 



His theory regarding the proper method of taxing of timber 

 lands involves a specified tax on stump land, the tax on the growing 

 timber to be levied on the same principle as would be the tax on 

 other crops, such, for example, as those produced by the farmers. 

 This tax would be collected at the time of harvesting the timber. 



Following Mr. Barnes' talk the meeting adjourned for luncheon, 

 resuming very shortly thereafter. 



The afternoon meeting was given over mostly to a discussion of 

 the plans for developing export business. 



C. A. Bigelow, who is president of the Wisconsin and Michigan 

 organization of manufacturers behind this movement, outlined what 

 has been done and what will be done, telling of the proposed tour 

 of Eoy H. Jones, who will leave this country on the seventeenth, 

 sailing for a six-months' preliminary investigation. 



Upon favorable report being received from the preliminary trip, 

 the Wisconsin and Michigan manufacturers contemplate forming a 

 joint export company to operate under the Webb act, and with 

 ample backing and facilities to develop a largo export volume. 



Meeting of Cut-Over Land Association 



The Southern Alluvial Land As.sociation held its second annual 

 meeting January 31, at Memphis, Tenn., with President John W. 

 McClure in the chair, and a large attendance of rej)resentati.ve land 

 owners. In the president's address he stated that alluvial eut-over 

 lands have increased in value at a ratio exceeding that of any other 

 class of land in recent years, notwithstanding obstacles to development 

 due to the war. He declared that the largest and most prompt re- 

 sponse to publicity work had come from southern farmers, rather than 

 from those of other jjarts of the country, and he recommended that, in 

 future, greater attention be paid to these southern farmers for the 

 reason that they are better adapted to the climate of this territory 

 and that they have a much better understanding of living conditions 

 in this area. He pleaded for a larger membership, both active and 

 associate, and also for greater activity in community development, in 

 improved clearing methods, in better road construction, in better living 

 conditions and in higher standards of sanitation, and believed that 

 the association should have the active and sympathetic support of 

 every banker, merchant and business organization in the alluvial em- 

 pire, as well as the owners of both wild and cut-over lands. 



Secretary Stonebraker, in his report, told of the vast amount of 

 literature that had been issued and of the unusual activity in publicity 

 work in behalf of the alluvial lands, with resultant inquiries from all 

 parts of the United States, as well as from some foreign countries. 

 He referred particularly to an inquiry for information regarding 

 these lands which had recently reached the association from Paris, 

 France. He said the membership of the association at the end of the 

 year was forty-seven, a fair increase for the past twelve months. He 

 also reported that the association had been active in sending out 

 questionnaires to owners of lands in the alluvial area with a view to 

 ascertaining those which were available for the soldier-farm settlement 

 movement. In this connection he noted that the association had re- 

 ceived 6.50 separate offerings of cut-over and other lands, involving 

 1,150,54.5 acres. 



Secretary Stonebraker said that drainage work, hindered materially 

 by the war, was being resumed in Arkansas and Mississippi on a 

 pretty liberal scale and he created genuine interest and enthusiasm 

 when he said that several drainage districts in northeastern Arkansas 

 and southeastern Missouri had combined into big single drainage 

 organization which was digging 1,500 miles of ditches that would 

 drain approximately 1,500,000 acres of land near the border line of 

 these two states. This particular project was brought to his atten- 

 tion, he said, in a letter from Phil Gilbert of the Wisconsin Lumber 

 Company, one of the largest land-owners in that territory. 

 Election of Officers 



The principal work of the business meeting was the election of 

 ofticers and the hearing of reports. All the old officers of the asso- 



ciation were re-elected as follows, despite the fact that they have 

 already served during the two years the organization has been in 

 existence : 



President — John W. McClure. 



FiiiST ViCE-PnEsiOE.\T — A. C. Lange. 



Second Vice-Pkesident — W. E. Hyde. 



Treasubeu — John M. Pritchard. 



Directors : S. B. Anderson, W. C. Bonner, R. !>. Darnell, S. JI. N'ickey, 

 Earl Palmer, Rudolph Sondheimer, A. N. Thompson and J. R. Campljcll, 

 Memphis ; L. P. Dubosc, Charleston, Miss. ; A. C. Lange, Blytheville, Ark. ; 

 W. H. Dick, Phillip, Mis-s. ; Thomas W. Fry, St. Louis, Mo. ; Max Miller, 

 Marianna, Ark. ; B. K. Simonson, Luxora, Ark. ; P. K. Conn, Yazoo City, 

 Miss., and N. H. Walcott, Providence, R. I. 



F. E. Stonebraker, who had served as secretary during the past two 

 years, tendered his resignation in order that he might re-enter the 

 lumber export field in which he was employed when he assumed the 

 duties of the secretaryship. His successor has not yet been selected. 

 President McClure paid a high tribute to the splendid service ren- 

 dered by Mr. Stonebraker while the latter, in turn, expressed sincere 

 regret that it was necessary for him to sever his relations with an 

 organization which had already accomplished so much and which had 

 so bright a future ahead of it. 



Assessments Increased 



On the recommendation of the assessment committee, it was voted 

 unanimously to increase the assessment to 3 cents per acre, with a 

 maximum limit of $1,500 for any single member. The report of the 

 treasurer, John M. Pritchard, showed that increase in the revenues of 

 the organization was necessary if it was to go forward unhampered 

 in its activities. 



Resolutions were adopted favoring the plan of Secretary Franklin 

 K. Lane, of the Interior Department, for the settlement of lands in 

 this territory with returned soldiers and sailors as well as the bill 

 which has been introduced into congress providing $100,000,000 for 

 the clearing, drainage and stocking of such lands as may be provided 

 by the states or by individuals, firms or corporations for this purpose. 

 This action followed a brief outline of the plan by Bolton Smith of 

 Memphis, who was designated as its representative at this meeting by 

 the Interior Department. 



Interesting Topics Discussed i 



Aside from the election of officers and the delivery of reports re- 

 garding the business affairs of the association, the session was devoted 

 chiefly to addresses on particular subjects by men particularly quali- 

 fied to give advice and impart information. 



Arthur C. Davenport, manager of the Chicago Daily Drovers' Jour- 

 nal and of other agricultural papers, declared that the South 's oppor- 

 tunity consists in combining cotton growing and the raising of live 

 stock. Climate and soil favor these industries. ' 



