HARDWOOD RECORD 



17 



the question than if the general advances were taken up as a single 

 question, and conditions in one industry forced to apply on other 

 industries. It is a well-known fact that some industries in some 

 sections of the country can much better stand increases in freight 

 rates than can other industries located in other parts of the country. 

 Shippers can feel even more secure in their position because of the 

 fact that Attorney Louis E. Brandeis has been delegated to represent 

 them. He will cooperate with representative shippers in preparing 

 such arguments as they wish to present. It is suggested that be- 

 cause of the possibility of overlooking the matter of suspending 

 some of the advances, shippers themselves protest to the commission 

 asking for such suspensions on specific tariffs which will be ordered 

 immediately without protest. This of course is merely a formality. 

 Thus the shipping contingent of the country, including the big 

 interests in the lumber business, will be assured of a fair and im- 

 partial trial of the question of the advancement of freight rate?. 



Of Paramount Importance to the Lumberman 



WHILE THE NATIONAL CONSERVATION CONGRESS orig- 

 inally started with the purpose of conserving the timber re- 

 sources of the country, it has spread to such proportions that the 

 average lumberman considers it to be of rather too wide a scope to 

 be of direct importance to him. The congress as it now exists em- 

 braces the conservation of many resources other than the actual 

 timber of the country, but the conservation of the timber has been 

 considered of such paramount importance that a special forestry 

 committee has been maintained and special thought is given at each 

 congress to work out the problems directly affecting the future 

 supply of timber and other conditions that have an intimate con- 

 nection with the forests of the country. 



It is announced that in order to give ample time for the presenta- 

 tion and discussion of sub-committee reports, the forestry committee 

 of the fifth National Conservation Congress will start its sessions at 

 the New Willard hotel, Washington, D. C, on November 17, a day 

 ahead of the opening of the congress itself. The forestry commit- 

 tee meetings will be working forums to add to the findings of the 

 ten sub-committees and results of work along these lines should be 

 interesting to every lumberman and forester because they have a 

 direct bearing on their industry or profession. 



Considerable interest is being manifested by lumber manufacturing 

 associations in the conservation congress, and in fact several of 

 them have at recent conventions delegated individuals who will be 

 sure to attend the various sessions of the congress at Washington. 



The purpose of arranging for the advance meeting of the forestry 

 interests is two-fold. In the first place by so doing the various ques- 

 tions pertaining to the conservation of the forests, the creation of 

 perpetual timber supply, and the complete development of water 

 power will have a discussion conforming to the importance of those 

 questions. On the other hand, by completing such discussion before 

 the regular sessions, lumbermen and foresters will not be compelled 

 to miss other sessions of the congress. 



With this interest in their welfare shown by those in charge of 

 the National Conservation Congress in evidence, lumbermen should 

 consider that the workings of that highly important organization 

 should be of sufficient interest and value to them to warrant at least 

 giving it their moral support. 



Another Indication of Efficient Work 



THE FACT HAS BEEN DEPLOEED on the part of the lumber 

 trade that the Census Bureau, because of lack of suflScient funds, 

 will not continue the compilation of lumber statistics. The loss of 

 such statistics while probably not effecting any direct hardship on the 

 lumber trade, would be a distinct loss to that branch of the busi- 

 ness body of the country. 



The National Lumber Manufacturers' Association has accom- 

 plished a great many important things in the past, of direct value to 

 the trade that it represents. It now comes to the front and an- 

 nounces that it has arranged with the Bureau of Statistics of the 

 Department of Agriculture to continue the work of gathering sta- 

 tistics with such coopcrntion as the associations affiliated with the 

 National Lumber Manufacturers' Association can give. 



According to the plan the gathering of statistics will be even 

 imtre trtrfiiplete than it, has been in the past as reports will be asked 

 from all sawmills in the country doing a commercial business, but 

 not to include as many of the unimportant mills as were covered 

 by the census' report. It is hoped that by close co-operation the 

 reports will be gotten out several months sooner than they were issued 

 by the Census Bureau. 



Thus is seen another instance proving to the lumber trade the 

 value of efficient association work. 



Securing the Architects' Support 



r\S ANOTHER PAGE IN THIS ISSUE of Hardwood Recced 

 ^^ is published an account of a banquet that was given at St. 

 Louis a few days ago by the Lumbermen's Club of St. Louis, at 

 which there were in attendance by special invitation seventy leading 

 architects. The idea was conceived by a prominent lumberman of 

 St. Louis that by getting in direct personal touch with the architects 

 and endeavoring to show them the real condition of affairs as applied 

 to wood and the various substitutes of wood, a change of sentiment 

 could be effected which would react to the lasting benefit of the 

 lumber business. The sentiment as expressed by the architects both 

 during and after the gathering was ample proof that the meeting 

 was not only thoroughly justified but was also a complete success. 

 The value of this gathering, however, does not lie so much in the 

 mere fact that it occurred but rather in the fact that it offers a 

 highly valuable suggestion to the numerous other organizations 

 representing the lumber trade in various committees throughout the 

 country. It is true that the meeting was directly in the interests 

 of yellow pine but it is equally true that the same beneficial effects 

 could be had by inaugurating a similar idea in the interests of 

 various other domestic woods. 



It is unquestionably a fact that to win the co-operation of the 

 architects of the country would mean creating a much more com- 

 prehensive idea of the value and proper uses for forest products. 

 It might prove entirely feasible to expend a portion of the money 

 now available for genera! advertising purposes for just this kind of 

 propagandist work, which would insure getting directly in touch 

 with the architects themselves and placing before them just the 

 kind of information which the trade is endeavoring to put into their 

 hands through other means. Unquestionably, also, such a method 

 would make a more profound impression upon the architect than 

 would the issuance of the same information in a more indirect way. 

 It is certainly an idea worth trying out more fully. 



A Promising Congressional Visit 



A LARGE COMMITTEE of Congress, to some extent self- 

 appointed, win soon visit the southern Appalachian region to 

 study the question of buying land to establish forest reserves. Such 

 lands have been bought on a small scale under the terms of the 

 Weeks law; but the funds for making the purchases have been some- 

 what grudgingly furnished by Congress, and many senators and 

 congressmen have been lukewarm in their support of the whole 

 proposition. A visit of two or three dozen national lawmakers to 

 the region where the land purchases have been made will unquestion- 

 ably result in good. Many congressmen are only slightly acquainted 

 with the southern mountain ranges and cannot fully appreciate the 

 questions involved in the purchase of forest lands in that quarter. 

 Their growing interest in the subject is evident from their purpose 

 of paying an extended visit to the region where they can study the 

 problems at first hand. 



Under the strict interpretation of the Constitution, forest lands 

 could not be bought for the purpose of conserving the timber supply; 

 but such lands may be acquired to protect or improve navigable 

 streams. It is on that ground that the purchases are made. Every- 

 body knows that the protection of growing timber, and the securing 

 of future supplies, are important results which will follow the prac- 

 tice of forestry methods on the high southern mountains; but if that 

 were the only result expected the lands could not be bought with 

 money appropriated by Congress. 



The protection of the lower courses of the navigable rivers will 

 follow the improvement of forest conditions near the sources of the 



