34 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



March 25, 1919 



Another Commission Sent Abroad 



Industrial conditions in Europe, with special reference to the building 

 liusiness are bping investigated by R. R. Otis of .Vtlanta, Ga., a member o£ 

 the Employers' Industrial Conimi.ssion. Mr. Otis is one ot the most 

 jironiinent iniildcrs in this country, and the information he obtains abroad 

 will, it is expected, be of great value to the trade. 



The commission was sent abroad under the auspices of the Department 

 iOt Labor, and its aim is to collect data from European sources which will 

 enable the United States to profit from what has been experienced and 

 what is being accomplished abroad in the interest ot better relations be- 

 tween employer and employe, and in the interest of business as a whole. 



One of the subjects that will be investigated is the methods of the gov- 

 ernment and the attitude of the employers in handling problems of pro- 

 duction that arose during the war. Special reference will be made to the 

 adjustment of labor disputes both as to wages and to labor's voice in 

 management. 



Favor Net Rates on Logs 



Director Chambers, of the U. S. Railroad Administration, according to 

 .1. II. Townshend. secretary-manager of the Southern Hardwood Traffic 

 Association, has "agreed to immediately establish net rates on logs, bolts 

 and billets into milling points providing the establishment of such rates 

 will not reduce the carriers' earnings." He made announcement to this 

 effect immediately after his return some days ago from Washington, where 

 he conferred with Director Chambers .and other officials of the adminis- 

 tration. 



Mr. Townshend is authority for the statement that the opposition so 

 far manifested by the carriers against a,pplication of the net rates is 

 based on the belief on their part that products manufactured from logs, 

 bolts and billets are largely consumed locally and that they should there- 

 fore carry the gross rates. He is of the opinion that, if members of the 

 association will file reports showing that the bulk of their products are 

 shipped away and not consumed locally, all this opposition will disappear. 

 He has therefore requested members to make up such reports in duplicate 

 to be filed with the association so that a copy of each may be forwarded 

 to the railroad administration at Washington. 



Must Provide River Terminals to Insure Barge Service 



Unless Memphis builds river terminals here that are in keeping with 

 the requirements of the situation, there is a possibility that the barge line 

 being established on the Mississippi river may leave this city high and dry. 



This is the substance of a message brought to business men of this city 

 by M. J. Sanders, federal director of transportation on the Mississippi and 

 Warrior /ivers, and James E, Smith, St. Louis, president of the Mississippi 

 Valley Waterways' Association. 



Memphis acquired the property of the old River & Rail Storage Com- 

 pany and converted this into river terminals. It develops, however, that, 

 while these are ample tor package freight, they are wholly inadequate tor 

 hauling lumber and other commodities shipped in carload lots. The Lum- 

 bermen's Club recently went on record as favoring terminals for handling 

 car load freight, leaving the present ones to look after package traffic. 

 The city spent approximately .$275,000 for the present terminals and still 

 has something like .1i225,000 of the bond issue of $500,000 for that pur- 

 pose. The club appointed a committee, or rather continued its old special 

 committee, to take the subject up with the other business organizations in 

 Memphis. 



Regarding Disposal of Wood Left in Belgium by German Army 



It !.■; reported from Belgium that in their retreat the Germans left on 

 hand large quantities of wood which had been accumulated for the main- 

 tenance of their armies. A great deal of this wood has been gathered 

 through spoliation of Belgium supplies when the Germans looted lumber 

 yards, forests and buildings. The lack of wood for public consumption 

 was complete in 1918 and the price of the rare quantities found which 

 were hidilen to prevent requisition attained f**n times their real worth. 



The Germans abandoned important quantities of wood in Belgium to 

 the extent of 2,000,000 to 3,000,000 cubic meters of various species. It is 

 stated, though, that the largest part of this is not suitable for reconstruc- 

 tion. -The principal stocks are in Antwerp. Ghent. Bruge.s and Tournai. 

 In .\ntwerp the Germans left between 500.000 and 800,000 cubic meters. 

 all piled up together, being a mixture of logs, planks, board.s and other 

 specifications. It will require several months to classify and remove 

 this wood, but as it now obstructs the quays, it must be removed. The 

 ijiaterlais are not dried and are mostly unfit for building work. 



A great deal of the wood was imported from Russia by railway. It is 

 jestjiblished that this imported quantity reached the total ot 1,700,000 

 fnbic meters, of which 1,000,000 meters were left in Belgium, consisting 

 mainly of pine. It is stated that the demands tor revictualling the popu- 

 lation hiuilers the revival of commerce because the means of conveyance 

 is used mostly for distributing food, and the railways and canals were 

 very largely destroyed by the retreating Germans. The want of horses 

 and motor cars also aggravates this situation. Partial sales of the inven- 

 toried portions cannot take place before May, 1919, In fact, it would be 

 useless to sell before this as the means of conveyance will no.t be re-estab- 

 lished at an earlier time. 



The report coming from the American Woods Bureau states that it is 

 important to inform American exporters that the woods remaining in 



Belgium are not fit fur reconstruction work and that American mann- 

 facturers must foresee orders of consequence for .some months. The writer 

 of this report .says that the wood manufacturers in Belgium are confident 

 of the future recovery of business and they are already desirous of buying. 

 He also speaks confidently of the solvency of the Belgian purchasers. 



Building Permits for February 



Building permits officially reported to The American Contractor from 

 153 cities of the United States total $32,058,628 for February, 1919. 

 Compared with the total of $21,680,314 for the same cities for February, 

 1918. this indicates a gain of 48 per cent over last year at this time; and 

 compared with the total of .$23,869,215 for January, 1919, a gain of nearly 

 35 per cent over the month previous. The improvement is even more 

 marked when it is considered that January. 1919. showed a loss of 12% 

 per cent over January, 1918. It is evident that the construction outlook 

 is improving. 



However, comparing the total for February. 1919, with the totals for 

 previous Februaries, shown in the following table, the February of the 

 dull year 1918 is the only one over which the current February shows a 

 gain. 



No. Cities No. ot Estimated 



Year Reporting Permits Yalue 



1919 153 17,037 $32,058,628 



1918 153 11,220 21,680.314 



1917 115 14,544 52,739,254 



1916 107 16,977 54,021,755 



1915 81 44,280,506 



1914 77 47,351,171 



The mean average of estimated amounts for l)uilding permits per city 

 for the six years included in the table is $412,781. The average per city 

 for 1919 is $209,533. While this is of necessity a rather rough method 

 of estimating because a city is not a fixed unit by any means, still it fur- 

 nishes a fairly good comparison. B.v this comparison February, 1919, is 

 still shown to be about 50 per cent below the average for the last six years. 



Little improvement is shown over January in the average value of the 

 individual building permits. The average estimated value of permits for 

 January was .$1,700 ; for February. .$1,900. Construction is for the most 

 part still confined to repair work and minor projects. 



Of the 153 cities reporting, 97 show gains over 1918. Among the im- 

 portant cities showing gains are New York City. Philad^phia, New Or- 

 leans. Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Detroit, Portland, San 

 Francisco, Toledo and Seattle. These cities represent e%'ery section of the 

 United States. In almost every section other important cities show losses. 

 Some of the latter are Chicago, Baltimore, Boston, Cincinnati, Cleveland, 

 Duluth, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Washington, D. C. 



Standard Wagon Width 



In a great many instances dealers have gotten the impression that the 

 present standardized track of farm wagons is the same as the former 

 narrow track wagon. This is absolutely wrong. The former narrow track 

 was 54 inches center to center of tires on ground ; the former w^ide track 

 was 60 inches : the present standardized or auto track is 56 inches center 

 to center of tire on ground. From this it can be readily seen that the 

 present track is but four inches narrower than the former wide track 

 wagon and is at the same time two inches wider than the former narrow 

 track. 



There is only one width for motor trucks, and it is considered equally 

 desirable to have i)ut one for horse-drawn vehicles, including buggies. | 



Hardwood News Notes 



MISCELLANEOUS 



The Wilder Manufacturing Company, St. Louis. Mo., has sustained a loss 

 by fire. 



The Fuller-Goodman Company. Oshkosh. Wis., has increased its capital 

 to $200,000. 



The Arkadelphia Milling Company. Arkadelphia. .\rk.. is closing out its 

 lumber department. 



Recent incorporations are : The Consumers Box Company, Crystal 

 Springs, Miss. ; the Carolina Lumber Products Company, Augusta, Ga. ; 

 the Greenpoint Packing Box Company. Brooklyn. N. Y., capital $10,000. 



CHICAGO 



The Official lland-Book, volume 30, of the National Hardwood Lumber 

 Association is just oft the press. The book is the largest and most repre- 

 sentative ever published. Since the previous edition, November, 1918, 

 seventy-three new members have been added, making a gross gain for the 

 current fiscal year of 183. As noted elsewhere in thi.s issue, this brings 

 the membership over 1,000. 



In another part of this number will be found an interview with Ernest 



