HARDWOOD RECORD 



17 



that state were fined heavily and (.'oninianded to remove their opera- 

 tions outside of the state limits, is surely evidence that some such 

 nutiunal regulations of trust questions would lie highly hoiiefii'ial. 

 This is particularly true inasmuch as it is very prohlpmatical if the 

 decision handed down is an entirely fair one. In fact, it seems that 

 it is really the close application of an obsolete law as compelled liy 

 a court which seems to have been rather biased in the question. 



The principal charges on which the decision was ultimately rendered 

 ^oemed to be the issuance of price lists, suggestions on the part of 

 members of the association regarding curtailment of cut, and the 

 maintaining of information regarding the various customers of tlie 

 pine association. While the ultimate ruling is very likely correct as 

 far as legal technicalities are concerned and as far as its conformity 

 to obsolete law is in evidence, it is certainly not a decision based on 

 real justice. Hence, while it obeys the law it does nut ;i|ppo.ir to 

 Im? a measure living up to the real purpose of the law. 



While the defendants were unquestionably technically guilty of 

 the charges specified, it was proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that 

 the motives behind their various actions were- anything but motives 

 whicli should rightly lead to criminal prosecution. One of the most 

 prominent of the defendants said that in all their actions the yellow- 

 pine manufacturers had endeavored to conform closely to the re- 

 quirements of the law, but that it was impossible even for expert 

 lawyers to specify the strict legality of all actions considering the 

 very much invohcil character of present Missouri statutes reganling 

 these matters. 



It is highly probable that with some real regulations of trust and 

 corporation conditions instituted by the federal government, justice 

 of a more real- i-haracter would l>e the result. 



Buffalo and the National Wholesalers 



GK.\.\TING THE RE.\SOXABLKXKS8 of the policy of shifting 

 the convention points for the important lumber associations, the 

 decision of the board of governors of the National Wholesale Lum- 

 ber Dealers' Association to hold the next annual meeting March u 

 and 6 at Buffalo, should meet with the entire approval of everyone 

 interested in that most worthy organization and its purposes. Not 

 only is Buftalo an entirely logical meeting place, for this association 

 in partliular. but it is a city which is amply able to take care of 

 the hundreds of visitors who will arrive, and it is further a city that 

 is noted for its live organizations of lumbermen and other business 

 men who will certainly take care of the entertainment features of 

 the convention in a style that will leave nothing to be desired. 



Buffalo is a city which has made really remarkable strides of late 

 in the growth of its population and of its industrial and commercial 

 importance. As far as the lumber business is concerned it repre- 

 sents two very important branches of the industry, the rail ship- 

 ments and the cargo shipments. It is an important distributing point 

 for many large interests and, withal, its connection with the factors 

 related to the National Wholesale Lumber Dealers' Association ren- 

 der it an entirely logical point for that organization to get together 

 for its annual meeting. 



The Forester's Annual Report 



APKKTTV I'TLL SiNOl'^lS of the annual rcjioit of the 

 I'niteil States Forester will be found in this issiu-. It is 

 important not only on account of what it contains, but for wluit 

 it does not contain. There is not one word in it which can be 

 construed as a defense of, much less an apology for, the Forest 

 Service. Time was when half of the Forester's energy was used 

 in defense of his policies ami his work. Hai)pily, that is no longer 

 necessary, and all the resources of the Forest Service are employed 

 in pushing ahead. The storms of hostility which were so common 

 and so violent a few years ago have died in the distance, and, to 

 paraphrase Milton, critics "have ceased to bellow through the 

 vast and boundless deep." The solitary voice of opposition still 

 now and then raised, no longer disturbs the jdans and [irogress 

 of the work. 



The report is a straightforward account of whal the Forest 

 Service has accomplished during the past year. It is a story of 

 progress along the whole line, with no interruption or setback any- 



where. The sales of government timber during the year amounted 

 to 2,000,000,000 feet, in eighteen states, including Alaska. Most 

 of the sales have been made to strong companies which are able 

 to build railroads and carry on up-to-date development. 



A prediction formerly heard with frequency has failed to come 

 true, it was feared that the government timber would be thrown 

 on the market in such large amounts that private timber owners 

 could not i-ompcte. In fact, there were not wanting men who 

 owned luj timber but who advocated that very policy for the 

 purpose of [iroviding lumber at or below cost to the people. That 

 is, they wanted the government to use its timber to smash the 

 lumber market. Such a course would have been the height of 

 folly, and a policy like that never had any advocates inside the 

 Forest Service or among sound business men outside. 



Time is proving the wisdom of the course followed. No buyer 

 of government timber, as far as is known, has broken or disturbed 

 any market. Such buyers pay too much for their timber to dump 

 it |iromiscuously. They calculate as carefully as does the man 

 who buys timber from private individuals. 



The result is the atmosphere has cleared. This is apparent in 

 the tone of the Forester's report from beginning to end. A well- 

 defined business policy has been inaugurated and there is no 

 apparent reason why it cannot be carried to the end, though that 

 end corres]ionds aiijiroximately with the end of time. 



Give Justice Where It Is Due 



I'T HAS BKKX GRATrFYING to note the sentiment us expressed 

 ' by the various lumber trade associations during the last few 

 months regarding the proposed horizontal increase of five per cent in 

 freight rates in the official classification territory. Practically with- 

 out exception clubs and associations are placing themselves on record 

 as desiring that the question be settled without partiality, and that 

 if it be demonstrated that the railroads would really feel the con- 

 tinuance of present freight rates, they be given the benefit of the 

 proposed increase. 



Hardwood Record has contended since this question came up, that 

 the railroads' case is a logical one, and indeed not considering tech- 

 nical evidence, the vast array of figures and statistics which will un- 

 questionably be presented, the evidence as it exists is on the side of 

 the railroads. 



It is not logical to suppose that the various big systems of the 

 country prefer to o|)erate short handed as to men and equipment or 

 that they would willingly run the risk of losses resulting from acci- 

 dents due to poor road beds and to imperfectly repaired rolling 

 stock. It^ is a|iparent, however, to all those in touch with actual 

 transportation and to those who do any amount of traveling on the 

 railroads, that the various systems of the country could very com- 

 fortably use an increased supply of rolling stock and motive power 

 as well as i)assenger equipment and .that the passenger's safety 

 would be very materially augmented by thorough repairs on the road 

 beds of a great many of the important lines, and that there are a 

 great many other very necessary improvements which should be made. 

 Thus it is reasonable to suppose that the railroads would make 

 these iiM|u-ovenients if they could, and it is hardly reasonable to be- 

 lieve th.it they are foregoing such expenditures merely to create an 

 object les.son which will assist them in securing the increases which 

 they desire. 



.Vs the matter affects the Uunber business, the activity or inactivity 

 of the railroads has a great deal to do with the prosperity of that 

 branch of business in general. For instance: The first indication 

 of the jiresent la.xity in business was the beginning of the policy of 

 retrenchnu'nt on the jiart of the railroads, which condition caused a 

 general let-up in the demand for forest products. It is a known 

 fact that the railroads as customers of the lumbermen are far more 

 important than any other branch of the consuming industries, and 

 hence it is evident that it should be the policy of those merchandizing 

 forest products to give the railroads the benefit of the doubt, and 

 support them in their contention for advanced freight rates, at least 

 until it is conclusively proven that they are making such demand on 

 false pretenses, and that their recent policies have actually been the 

 result of a determiu;iliori to intimidate the public. 



