HARDWOOD RECORD 



41 



Ibo <iak maumaiiurrrs at tlio I'uicst I'nxlucts l::x|iuslti<^>u at ('liUajj" 

 and New Yurk. They secured space and buve uu excellent plan in mind 

 for a splendid exhibit of the king of all woods — the white oak tree. 

 Korty odd memliers of the trade have signiQcd their Intention to be a 

 part of this exhibit and at least fort}' others are expected to partlcl- 

 pirte. 



If YOU hare not siKnIlied your intention to give your financial and in- 

 dividual support to this introduction of the product of the while oak 

 tree to the general pulillc as well as the architect, contractor and other 

 workers of oak. now is the accepted lime for your co-operation. The 

 space allotted to the committee is well located and architects are now 

 maklDR designs for a special exhibit. 



Shippers Not Liable for Pro Rata Loss from Delays on Bills of 

 Lading 

 l-olbiwiUL- the acliiiu uT the Lumbermen's Club of .Miniphls in vlKor- 

 "iisly protesting against the acceptance of bills of lading containing a 

 .lause providing that shippers shall |)ay their pro rata of any loss 

 arising from strikes of stevedores or other causes resulting In delay In 

 the loading or unlo.iding of cargoes, as taken at the last meeting, replies 

 were read at the meeting of the club beld at the Hotel Gajoso, Satur- 

 day, February '21, from the steamship lines themselves indicating that 

 they had no intention whatever of adopting the suggestion of the Inter- 

 national Shipping Federation, the originator of this Idea. The manager 

 of the American, Atlantic Transport, Dominion, Leland, Red Star, Whiti' 

 .■<tar and White-Star-Dominion Lines, with headquarters at New York, 

 •vrote that "the clause in question has not been adopted by us and recent 

 advices received from cur principals in Fngland make It very clear that 

 they are entirely opposed to it and, this being the case, we think it 

 unnecessary for you to concern yourselves further about It so far as our 

 Interests are involved." The Virginia Line, with headquarters at New- 

 ptirt News, also wrote that it h.id no idea whatever of putting the clause 

 into effect. The impression created by these replies was that the matter 

 was practically at an end as a result of the vigorous protest of the 

 club and other shippers. 



An Early Bate Decision Promised 



The latest announcement from Wasbiugtuu is that the Interstate Com- 

 merce Commission will probably hand down its decision within three 

 months in the matter of the application of the railroads to increase 

 their rates on freight shipments Ave per cent. It was recently announced 

 that President Wilson bad intimated to the commission the desirability 

 of as early a decision as a proper consideration of the matters Involved 

 will allow. Before that time it was currently reported that no decision 

 would be announced in less than six months. No bint is given what 

 the decision will be, but it is said that some of the railroads believe 

 that it will be favorable to them. 



Eehearlng Missouri Ouster Decree Refused 



Th.- Missouri .*^tati' Supremo Court has refused a rehearing in the 

 famous Missouri ouster case, which was decided adversely to twenty- 

 Uve lumber companies, with the resulting fines and demands that they 

 remove their operations from the state of Missouri. 



It would seem that the payment of the fines and continued adherence 

 to the provisions of the drastic Missouri trust laws would make it pos- 

 sible for the ousted lumber companies to continue their operations within 

 that state. Otherwise it would seem that there can be no way out of 

 the difficulty except by appeal to the Supieme Court of the 

 t"nited States, and even then a reverse decision would be 

 nec»*ssar\. 



Report on Car Statistics 



A recent bulletin on car shortages and surpluses prepared 

 by the American Mailway Association shows that on February 

 1. 1914, there was a .surplus of 211.9G0 ears as against a 

 surplus on February 14. 1914. of 199,385 cars. On February 

 l.";. 101.3. the surplus was 52,700 ears. 



The shortage on February 1 of this year was 2,282 cars 

 as against a shonago on February 14 of 2,333 cars. The 

 shortage on February 15. 1913. was 30.517 cars. Thus it 

 can he seen that actual shipments do not seem to be starting 

 out as well this year as last year, although since the middle 

 of January there has been a slight increase in activity of 

 freight. 



Proposed New Lumber Bates in Lower Michigan 



.\t an informal gathering of railroad intirests and lumber 

 shippers of lower Michigan before the Michigan Railroad Com- 

 mission in Lansing. February 12, Commissioner C, L. Glasgow 

 stated that the object was to get both interests represented and 

 get both shippers and carriers to agree to some basis of rates 

 that would be acceptable to both. It must be understood that 

 the lumbermen of Michigan have gone on record as being 

 favorable to the five per cent advance in freight rates to 

 apply on lumber, provided there was a general similar advanci' 

 of five per cent in official classiflcatlon territory and that their 

 'ompctltors not cnly in upper Michigan. Wisconsin an>l Illl 



uols, but on lumber reaching .Mlcblgau I'-rriiory from ihe South and West 

 In competition with their own products must bear a similar advance. 

 With this understanding the railroads serving the eastern part of the state, 

 which include the Michigan Central Railroad, Detroit & Mackinac Railway 

 and Grand Trunk Railway, have issued tariffs at lumber in carloads on 

 exactly live per cent above their present lumber rates. The railroads 

 serving the western portion of the state, including the Grand Rapids Ac 

 Indiana Hallway, Pere Marquette Railroad. Ann Arbor Railroad, Manistee 

 it Northeastern Railroad and others have not Issued tariffs as yet, be- 

 cause of the uncertainty of their acceptance by the shippers and also the 

 Michigan Railroad Commission. 



It developed that the railroads serving the eastern part of the state 

 had granted shippers along their lines a comparatively lower scale of 

 rates than that which exists on the western side of the state, and there 

 was !^ contention between the lumber interests involved that the scale 

 of rates on lumber In carloads in the lower peninsula of Michigan should 

 be equalized, at least brought to a more common basis than heretofore 

 has been in effect. This proposition was objected to by the lumber 

 shippers Irom the Saginaw valley and eastern side of the state as they 

 did not care to have the basis changed in any way except the straight 

 live per cent advance. 



.\s a result of the conference the railroads serving the western side 

 of the state agreed to check in rates practically five per cent in advance 

 of the present rates, using the new proposed sixth class as a maximum 

 and tariffs of the carriers on the western side of the state will be tiled 

 on this basis. 



The lumber tariffs alreadjr issued and the proposed lumber tariffs will 

 all be protested until such time as the general advance of five per cent 

 goes into effect, otbeiwise the present lumber rates would not be 

 changed. 



The Exposition in Prospect 



In this connection is shown a cut which gives at least an idea of how 

 the Forest Products Exposition will look when it is tinally in place in 

 the Coliseum at Chicago. This cut has been prepared under the direc- 

 tion of Manager George S. Wood of the exposition company. 



Manager Wood announces that during the month of January he and 

 others connected with the exposition visited various important conven- 

 tions and in every instance the subject of the Forest Products Fxposition 

 was enthusiastically received and participation and attendance unani- 

 mously urged. 



The Joint resolution of the House of Representatives and Senate re- 

 cently recommended unanimously by the Committee on Industrial Arts and 

 Expositions, gives further impetus to the exposition and specifically pro- 

 vides for an unusual display by the Forest Service, which is now pro- 

 vided with $10,000 for this purpose. 



It is announced that as the time for the exposition approaches, it 

 will be possible to give a more or less complete list of the exhibitors 

 making preparations. On the whole, the entire proposition is working 

 out very satisfactorily, and gives promise of entirely fulfilling the best 

 wishes of those sponsoring the project. 



Lumbermen's Underwriting Bulletin 



Bulletin No. 09 has just been issued by the Lumbermen's I'liderwriting 



.\lliance of Kansas City. The alliance has just closed its ninth and heaviest 



loss ratio year. The bulletin says that in looking back over the year and 



its happenings it seems apparent that notwithstanding the unusual weather 





l^-;-*'" 





THE FORE.ST 



EXPOSITION IN PROSPECTIVE; SCENE 

 CKLISEI'M AT ClIICACiO 



IN THE 



