58 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



ull ((iiosilmis iuisiiiK out of it. Slnco tin- I'i<loi-ul court liaH olecleil In 

 ntnln this Jurisdiction, Judge Tricber held that it has the right to restrain 

 clnimants from prosecuting their claims in any other court. He further 

 stated that In view of the fact that each claimant had a separate cause of 

 action, and if allowed to sue indlsoriminately a multiplicity of suits in 

 the state courts would result, and In view of the further fact that 

 it will he necessary to construe the action of the federal court in the 

 main case, which according to his Idea should he done by the federal 

 court Itself, he retained jurisdiction In all cases. 



Quoting from a Supreme Court decision, Judge Trieber said : "The 

 prevention of conflict of authority between state and national courts, 

 and the protection and preservation of the Jurisdiction of each free 

 from the encroachments of the other, are considerations which lie at 

 the very foundation of ancillary Jurisdiction." 



In view of the fact that the time has expired. January 1, 1014. lor 

 tiling the claims against the Iron Mountain railroad with the special 

 master of the federal court, the recent decision of the federal court 

 means that no more claims can now he made against the St. r.,ouls. Iron 

 Mountain & Southern railroad. Although the St. Louis Southwestern 

 railroad was not Included in the case above mentioned, the same con- 

 ditions apply to It. as this road was also involved In the main Arkansas 

 rate cases, decided by the United States Supreme Court recently, and 

 the special master of the federal court was appointed to receive claims 

 against that road also. 



On January IG Henry Armstead, of the law firm of Cockrill & Arm- 

 stead of Little Rock, made the opening argument before the Inlerslatc 

 Commerce Commission at Washington In the case of the Wisconsin k 

 Arkansas Lumber Company and seventeen otlier lumber companies against 

 the St. Louis. Iron Mountain & Southern and other railroads, involving 

 the blanket rates on lumber from Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas points 

 to Ohio river points. Judge Sam H. Cowan of Fort Worth, Tex., ap- 

 peared in behalf of the Texas and Louisiana lumber companies, and 

 urged the retention of the present rates. The Arkansas lumber mills are 

 seeking to break the present blanket rates providing for the same 

 charges in hauling lumber from Arkansas to Ohio river points as are 

 made from Ijouisiana and Texas, some 400 or 600 miles farther, to the 

 same Ohio river points. 



Cottonwood in the Mississippi Valley 

 The Department of Agriculture has published a bulletin dealing with 

 the problem of the Cottonwood supply in the Mississippi valley. It was 

 written by A. W. Williamson of the Forest Service. It contains inter- 

 esting information concerning the use and value of Cottonwood in the 

 past, but the main purpose of the publication is to set forth the pos- 

 sibilities of growing new supplies to meet the country's needs. The 

 lower Mississippi valley Is considered the most promising region, be- 

 cause Its soil and climate insure the most rapid growth and the largest 

 size, but the Cottonwood grows fairly well in most parts of the United 

 States where moisture is sufficient. Where seed trees abound there is 

 seldom any necessity to plant cottonwoods, because the tree is an abun- 

 dant seeder and the wind scatters the seeds widely. As many as 40,000 

 seedlings have been counted on a single acre, but all except a hundred 

 or so will be crowded to death before the trees reach large size. How- 

 ever, a good acre of Cottonwood will produce 15,000 or 20.000 feet of 

 logs in thirty-five or forty years. Those who have land with young cotton- 

 woods on it. or which is suitable for this tree, will find the bulletin 

 Just issued to be a valual)lc source of information. 



Baltimore Export Figures for 1913 

 The figures relative to the export trade in lumber, logs and wood 

 products from Baltimore are available tor the last year, and they tend to 

 show that the aggregate result of the year's activities for the exporters 

 is better than the returns for the various months had indicated it would 

 be. The monthly statements showed almost invariably a reduction in 

 the quantities and corresponding declines in values of exports, the trend 

 having been downward since last spi-ing. It appears fFom the full show- 

 ing, however, that gains in certain directions served to make up in large 

 part for deficiencies in others, so that the aggregate appears decidedly 

 more favorable than exporters had reason to feel it would be. Taking 

 all of the exports items together, it seems that the value of the ex- 

 ports for 191.1 was a matter of somewhat more than .$100,000 below that 

 for 1912. To be sure, this represents a large quantity of lumber, but 

 cuts no very great figure alongside of the grand total of two and a 

 quarter millions for the year. The decline, as was to have been ex- 

 pected, proved most pronounced in oak, the flooding of some of !he for- 

 eign markets with oak planks having served to check the movement to a 

 great extent. The exports of oak lumber dropped from 30,244,000 feet 

 in 1912 to 23,888,000 feet in 1013. Oak logs fell from 306,000 to 208,000 

 feet, hickory from 1,564,000 to 1,185,000 feet. The freedom in the 

 poplar movement, on the other hand, is shown in an increase from 

 2,524,000 to 3,741,000 feet, and the classification of "all other lumber" 

 rose from 2,989,000 feet to 4,753.000 feet. Of white pine there was not 

 a foot exported in so far as the records of the custom house here go. 

 while reductions are to be noted in the shipments of gum and cypress. 

 .\1 together it was not a favorable year for the exporters, whose ex- 

 pectations had been raised by a brisk demand early in 1913, only to 

 experience the ill effects of congestion before the summer was far ad- 



vanced. The slateiiient of t'xports, with the exception of various itema 

 not to he classed among hardwoods, and divided Into logs, lumber and 

 manufactures of wood. Is as follows, the figures for 1913 being given in 

 comparison with those for 1912, so as to show the extent of the decline 

 or increase in the various items; 



a'sUMMARY of THK KXPOHTS KRO\f BAI-TIMOBE FOR 1913, AS COMI'AKEI> 

 WITH 1912, IS AS FOLLOWS : 



Quantity, 



Peet. 



1.185,000 



208,000 



l.«5»,0UO 



478.000 



18,000 



13.000 



i3, 888. 000 



-1913- 



Logs. Hickory 



Logs, Oak 



Logs, Walnut . 

 Logs, all others 

 Lumber. Cypress . . . 

 Lumber, Gum ... 



Lumber, Oak 



Lumber, White pine. . . 

 Lumber, Pitch pine. . . . 

 Lumber. Yellow pine. . 

 Lumber. Poplar ...... 



Lumber. Spruce 



Lumber, all other lumber 4.753.000 



Shocks. Box .'524 



Shooks. all others 34.255 



Shingles 33.000 



Slaves ; 1 1.2:12.402 



Headings 



7,017 

 132.228 

 19,993 



Quantity, 



Peet. 

 L5(!4.UOO 



-1912- 



1,666 

 ).164 

 ).305 

 .'.070 

 1.406 



16.000 

 3.120.000 

 2.741,000 

 3,588.000 



Trln 



ufs. ot lumber. 



• 793 

 99.117 

 112.200 

 99.397 

 229.365 

 389 

 42.852 

 250 

 68.070 



lilRCii 

 35.285 

 21.558 

 9.701 



408,673 



3C5.4 



$2,358,214 



Total $2,246,916 



Importance of Ozark Hardwoods 



The growing demand lor the hardwoods of the .\rkansas Ozark mountains 

 is lieing felt by the Harrison headquarters of the Ozark National Forest. 

 With the diminishing of the supply of hardwoods in Tennessee, Kentucky 

 and other states where hardwoods were once abundant the demand on 

 Arkansas is increasing. The indications of the demand are probably being 

 shown more strongly by the numerous applications for the privilege to buy 

 timber from the national forest than in any other way. 



Recently a sale of 1,300,000 feet of white oak timber to be cut from 

 the Ozark National Forest in Stone county, Arkansas, was awarded to 

 Chess & Wymond of Louisville, Ky. This contract was the result of an 

 application made to the Ozaric National Forest, and under the terms of the 

 contract the lumber company is to remove the timber by December 31, 1914. 

 This is but one of the many contracts of a similar nature by which the 

 fedei-al government is improving the national forest reserves in this state 

 by the removal of the mature timber, which gives room for the oncoming 

 young timber. 



The government foresters have made a careful study of the rate of 

 growth and the amount of the old and young timber on the ground and have 

 determined that 12.000.000 feet of timber, mostly white oak. can be safely 

 cut each year from the Ozark national forest without injuring the future 

 supply. 



The sales of timber from the forests serve to nourish the woodworking 

 industries in Arkansas and also to create revenue for the immediate benefit 

 of the present generation in the way ot constructing roads and improving 

 school buildings. Under the arrangement by which the national forest con- 

 tracts are sold thirty-five per cent of the amount received reverts to the 

 states from which they originate and this amount is devoted to road build- 

 ing and school improvement. A concrete example of the improvement being 

 made by this means is seen in the new road which has recently been con- 

 structed by the forestry officers in charge of the Ozark national forest in 

 Stone county, at a cost of .$1,600. 



The national forests of Arkansas, including the Ozark national forest 

 and the Arkansas national forest, are the only bodies of protected hard- 

 woods of their size west of the Mississippi river. The timber from those 

 forests is not only sold to manufacturers under the above plan, but is also 

 sold to the settlers for the purpose of improving their claims. Settlers 

 whose funds are insufficient to buy timbers from these forests are allowed 

 to cut certain designated trees the value of which does not exceed .$20.00 

 each year. These timbers are used for building purposes and constructing 

 fences. Timber is also donated under the forest reserve plan to com- 

 munities for the building of schools and churches and for the building and 

 improving of roads. 



BuUding Operations for the Year 



The December showing of building operations throughout the country 

 fs eminently satisfactory — that is, satisfactory in comparisons for the 

 returns for other months during the latter half of 1913. There is a loss 

 as compared with the operations ot December. 1912, but it is a small loss, 

 only five per cent, a much smaller loss than that shown in November. 

 The reports from 70 cities received by the American Contractor. Chicago, 

 show that building permits reached a total valuation ot .$57,266,319, as 

 compared with .$60,280,282 for December, 1912, and a specially inter- 

 esting circumstance is that a number of cities show rather phenomenal 

 gains. Thus the permits issued in Buffalo for the month gain 257 per 

 cent; in Cedar Rapids, 216 per cent; in New Haven, 516 per cent, and 

 in Wichita. 649 per cent. In the last named city there were three new 

 works ot importance, the Wichita public library, an addition to Wichita 

 hospital and three handsome, modern public school buildings. Of the 

 70 cities in the list 33. or almost one-half, show gains, important im- 

 provement, besides the above, being recorded as follows ; Birmingham, 



