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HARDWOOD RECORD 



sive than at present, Mr. Edison's figures are wild on the subject 

 of mere cost. Good seasoned oak can now be bought for con- 

 siderably less than two cents a pound, and weiyht for weight, 

 steel now costs more wlien manufactured in sh.ipo for furniture 

 making. Of course, steel may be rolled into sheets of any de- 

 sired thinness, but cannot wood be cut into veneers as thin! In 

 either case, there must be some sort of backing or braces to hold 

 the sheets in place and give the piece of furniture the necessary 

 rigidity. In case of wooden furniture this backing is made of 

 cheap woods, while only the outer part is of expensive material. 

 The interior braces required in metal furniture must add consider- 

 able weight, and consequently, add to the cost. It must be ad- 

 mitted that if a purchaser insists on pricing high-grade wooden 

 furniture, and is satisfied with any sort of sheet metal substitute, 

 the cost of the latter may be less than of the former; but if both 

 kinds are to be high class, there is considerable doubt as to the 

 higher cost of wooden furniture. 



Mr. Edison depends upon "the increasing cost of wood" to 

 bring his prophecy true. Wood will disappoint him. It will ad- 

 vance in cost as years go by, but not to the extent he seems to 

 believe. The advance in cost will be partly or wholly offset by 

 closer utilization and better methods of manufacture, so that a 

 given quantity of wood will go farther. 



It is unsafe to put too much dependence in the predicted ad- 

 vance in cost of wood while taking for granted that steel will not 

 advance also. Geologists have pointed out many a time that the 

 easily-worked iron mines are not exhaustless. There are vast de- 

 posists of low grade ores, but improved methods of mining and 

 reducing these must be waited for, or the price of iron will go up. 

 Many people are exceedingly liberal with their prediction of 

 wood's greater cost in the future, but they seem to forget that 

 metals are likely to share in the advancing cost. 



Mahogany, which is a widely used furniture wood, was about 

 as expensive in this country 175 years ago as it is now. 



Cost is only one of the things to consider in prophesying con- 

 cerning the future use of wood in furniture making. Best an 

 hour some summer day on an iron bench in a park, and then try 

 a wooden bench. The difference in favor of wood is so notice- 

 able that iron benches are vacant and wooden benches all occu- 

 pied, when both are alike convenient, and there are not enough 

 people to fill all. Wood will have to go pretty high before iron 

 chairs will find room in any civilized man's home. The same may 

 be said of bureaus, dressers, tables, and many other articles of 

 furniture. Wood is more comfortable wherever it is subjected to 

 touch or contact; it is more handsome; more durable. Knocks 

 which would scarcely mar a wooden cabinet would dent and dam- 

 age one of sheet metal and make it unsightly ever after. 



A New Light on the Rates Petition 



THE PETITION OF FIFTY-TWO EASTERN RAIROADS that 

 they be permitted to advance rates has met with new compli- 

 cations recently. An inquiry has been under way for some time, 

 but its purpose was to find out whether the railroads are receiving 

 enough revenue to meet expenses and provide a reasonable profit. 

 The railroads contended that they were not, and they asked for 

 permission to increase their rates in order to raise more revenue. 

 The evidence submitted seemed, on its face, to substantiate the 

 claims made by the roads. 



Just as the necessity for more revenue appeared about to be 

 proved, the Interstate Commerce Commission struck a new track. 

 It was found that the railroads are not making the most of their 

 present rates. They are performing too much free service where 

 they have a right to make charges. They have done this for 

 large shippers who are amply able to pay for the service. It may 

 not be strictly correct to call these free services rebates, but they 

 are in effect the same thing. 



"No well informed persons," said Commissioner Harlan in a 

 recent announcement, "can doubt that the discontinuance of these 

 free services would save the carriers millions of dollars of expense 

 annually, nor can any well informed person doubt that if such 



service should be measured in relation to its cost and its value 

 and the general conditions surrounding it, and should then be 

 made to contribute on a reasonable basis to the revenues of the 

 carriers performing it the income of the carriers would be in- 

 creased by many million dollars a year." 



The commission has taken the stand that before the railroads 

 can with justice ask for a general increase in rates they must first 

 collect all the revenue possible under their present rates. In other 

 words, they must not ask the public to pay more in order that 

 free service to a few favored shippers may continue. 



It is said that a discontinuance of such free service will save 

 the railroads not less than $15,000,000 a year. When that sum has 

 been added to the revenues of the roads, it will then be time to 

 ask the Interstate Commerce Commission for authority to increase 

 the rates in order to make good any deficiency of revenue which 

 can then be shown to exist. There will now be supplementary 

 hearings to determine reasonable charges for such free service. 



The trend of the investigation thus far has made it plain that 

 the people generally are willing that the railroads should have 

 rates high enough to produce fair returns on their investments; 

 but, at the same time, the public has a right to insist that all 

 shippers be treated alike. It is manifestly unfair to raise rates 

 for the majority that special privileges be granted to a few. 



A Worthy Effort 



HARDWOOD RECORD IS IN RECEIPT of a communication 

 and circular from a prominent hardwood manufacturing con- 

 cern of Memphis in the interests of the Ransdell-Humphreys biU. 

 It is very apparent that those situated or having interests in the 

 vast Mississippi Delta country are doing everything within their 

 power to stir up interest in this levee measure to secure its passage. 

 Disregarding entirely facts and figures regarding the importance 

 of the project, — as the importance of some means of controlling 

 the floods Ln this territory is pretty generally conceded, — it seema 

 apparent on the face of it that it is possible to construct levees that 

 would hold the river in control while it is passing through this 

 country. It is simply a question of building these retaining walls 

 of suflScient height and strength to overtop the water at its highest 

 peak and to withstand the pressure at its greatest. That the plan 

 is feasible is vouched for by the army engineers. If it is feasible 

 it is certainly the simplest way of getting at it and, regardless of 

 the value of any other suggestions or of the feasibility of any other 

 plans, this offers an immediate means of checking the annual ravages 

 of the Mississippi and it certainly seems worth trying out. It is 

 apparent that if this plan is not adopted it will be a difficult job 

 to arrive at a satisfactory decision regarding any other plan and it 

 will be years before the question is even decided. Therefore, as. 

 stated, it looks as though this Ransdell-Humphreys bill should go 

 through and that the vast Mississippi delta territory and its tre- 

 mendous resources should be given an opportunity of full and 

 unhampered development. The levees have demonstrated their ability 

 to hold in certain places where they have been adequately and 

 properly constructed. Is it not reasonable to suppose that they 

 can hold as the general retaining waUs of the river? 



Advertising the Lumber Industry 



THAT THE WEST COAST LUMBERMEN have seized an excel- 

 lent opportunity of advertising the lumber business is shown in 

 a, report from the Pacifiic Coast Shippers' Association, stating that 

 that organization has prepared a splendid lot of educational moving 

 pictures, having now about 2,500 feet of films showing the lumber 

 industry as operated on the Pacific coast from the stump to the car. 

 These pictures are now being shown at twelve of the most prominent 

 retail lumber dealers' associations' meetings throughout the country. 

 Lecturers have been engaged to explain the pictures at these con- 

 ventions and the opinions expressed by the various audiences have 

 been to the effect that the entertainment is splendid. It wiU take 

 two months to show the pictures at all the conventions slated, and 

 after the convention season is over copies will be made and be shown 

 on the regular motion picture circuits. 



