May 25, 191. 



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Has Car Shortage a Purpose? 



Some timely suggestions in connection witli tlie present car short- 

 age and i^roposed advances in interstate freight rates have been 

 offered by J. V. Stimson of Huntingburg, Ind., who operates hard- 

 wood band mills in that city, and also at Owensboro, Ky., Memphis, 

 Tenn., and Little Rock, Ark. Mr. Stimson relates conditions as he 

 has observed them in his own town, and elsewhere, and endeavors 

 to show that there is something behind the attitude of the carriers. 

 In a letter to the Louisville Hardwood Club Mr. Stimson enclosed a 

 copy of a letter mailed to Secretary F. M. Smith of the Indiana 

 Manufacturers' Association, on May 17, in which he relates some 

 interesting facts. This letter is based on actual facts in Hunting- 

 burg, and information received relative to conditions in Louisville. 

 In his letter to tlie Louisville club Mr. Stimson in part said: 



I believe this is a field tUat will bear investigation and tliat sometbing 

 may be accomplished by the accumulation of evidence along the lines that 

 I have indicated in this letter, because I am positively convinced that the 

 railroad companies are using the present situation, and condition of 

 public sentiment for definitely furthering their own interests, and I be- 

 lieve that this matter should be fully investigated, and if so done we can 

 possibly stem the tide of the threatened freight advance. 



In his letter to the Indiana organization Mr. Stimson said: 



I have been writing the National Wholesale Lumber Dealers' Association 

 today along certain lines, and I want to give you some facts in substance 

 pertaining to the railroad situation. 



I have been following this matter for some time with great care and 

 detail, and I am convinced that the present railroad situation is to some 

 extent the result of what appears to me as a prearranged plan among the 

 railroads to force the public into definite action along lines liberal to rail- 

 roads. I don't blame the raOroads very much for taking this attitude, 

 but it should become a club in defense of the business interests of the . 

 country. 



The railroads are not utilizing their oars properly. Louisville people 

 have recently accumulated considerable amount of data in relation to the 

 empty car situation. They have gathered a lot of data, including photo- 

 graphs, etc., of yards full of empty coal cars and other cars in Louisville 

 standing idle Indefinitely, with coal mines out of cars and able to worl; 

 only a short time. 



We do business 'n a small city where the railroad yards are limited in 

 extent. For instance, some ten days ago we were in distress for cars, and 

 my manager went down through the yards and side tracks and located 

 twelve empty cai's in one cut on one siding, belonging to the local railroad 

 company, standing in idleness where they had been for some time. My 

 manager went to the yardmaster and asked about these cars. The yard- 

 master said they were in bad order. My manager asked him if he would 

 set the cars for us for loading if he, personally, would have the car inspec- 

 tors here locally to examine the cars and pass them. The yardmaster said 

 "yes." My manager took the car inspectors, had them examine the cars 

 and they said they were in good order and gave It to him in writing. The 

 yardmaster then, to carry out his word, set the twelve empties on our sid- 

 ing. They were all company cars and all in good order without a nickel's 

 worth of work. The superintendent came here just after the yardmaster 

 had set the twelve cars on my siding for loading, and he called him in and 

 wanted to know what he meant. He told him that we had had these cars 

 passed and he couldn't help himself and had set them in for our loading. 

 The superintendent said : "Now, here, it won't do to set all these cars for 

 Stimson : we must divide them and give some to someone else." And 

 since that we had had no trouble in going out and finding plenty of empty 

 system cars standing idle for all the shipments we could move. It is only 

 because the yards are limited and we know the conditions and can watch 

 when empty cars are set there and idle, and then go and ask for the 

 specific cars for loading. 



I am giving you this to suggest to you the idea that there is a purpose 

 behind all this, and the purpose Is to force the public to the point of a 

 radical advance in freight rates on the theory that the railroads haven't 

 the equipment to move the freight, and I think that with due investigation 

 and search this condition will be found to prevail in every local center. 

 I may be giving you information that will cause the railroad companies 

 to move the empties to some other place where shippers are less diligent, 

 but my purpose is to state a fact to you that I firmly believe exists, and 

 that Is being worked for definite purpose, and I am endeavoring to give 

 you this information for the general benefit of the public. 



There is no question In the world but that this condition exists and has 

 existed here for some time, and I can see no reason for such actions other 

 than the one mentioned in my letter herein, and I only want to present It 

 to you In a statement of fact, as I know it to be, and as I have experienced 

 it, and as I can prove it, in order that you may be able to transmit the 

 information to the shippers throughout the state in a manner that they can 

 perhaps take some advantage of, or. In other words, I want to give it to 

 you for exactly what it is worth. 



In my judgment this Is an element of evidence that should be presented 



to the Public Service Commission in Indiana as well as to the Civil Service 

 Commission. It seems to me that through the gathering of definite and 

 correct Information along these lines the shippers may be able to counter- 

 act the threatened freight advance, for it does seem to me that the rail- 

 roads are slopping jver a little along these lines, and that they are making 

 some serious mistakes that should at least react against them. 



Honey Locust for Wagon Felloes 



There is no report that lioney locust has ever been made into wagon 

 felloes, but there are possibilities that might be worth looking after. 



Wagon makers who do business in the southwestern part of the 

 United States go to much extra expense to procure Osage orange felloes 

 for that hot, dry region. This is used because of its small tendency 

 to shrink. Tires remain tight all summer in that desert country. 

 The wood shrinks so little that tires remain in place under conditions 

 which speedily prove fatal to wheels with oak felloes. 



Why will not honey locust do as well as Osage orange for felloes? 

 Tests show that it shrinks even less than Osage orange. It is very 

 strong, hard and is slow to decay. It is more abundant than Osage 

 orange and ought to be cheaper. Trees attain larger size and trunks 

 are of better shape than Osage orange. 



The locust grows from Pennsylvania to Nebraska and southward to 

 the gulf coast. It has been greatly extended by planting since the 

 settlement of the country. Trees grow rapidly, and if experience shall 

 prove that the wood is suitable for felloes, an adequate supply wUl be 

 assured. 



Osage orange felloes are unsatisfactory on rocky roads because of 

 the unyielding character of the wood. It breaks under hea'vy jolts. 

 Honey locust is much more elastic and it might stand up under jolts 

 which break the Osage orange. It rates thirty per cent higher than 

 Osage orange in elasticity. 



Annual Output of Crossties 



Purchases of crossties were smaller in 1915 than in other years. 

 The total number bought by all classes of purchasers was approxi- 

 mately 121,402,611. The inquiry covered steam railroads, electric 

 railways, and light, heat, and power companies. No attempt was made 

 to determine the prices paid for crossties, or the number of ties laid 

 in new track, or to show separately the number of hewed and sawed 

 ties purchased. 



The information was obtained by the Forest Service entirely by 

 means of correspondence; and the total number of ties reported by 

 the purchasers of all classes who sent the information requested was 

 97,106,651. The estimated total of all purchases was obtained in the 

 following manner: The actual number reported by steam railroads 

 was 88,498,655. The mileage of roads so reporting amounted to 78.46 

 per cent of the total mileage of the country. Assuming that the non- 

 reporting roads made purchases in proportion to their mileage, or 24,- 

 295,960 ties, the total for all steam railroads amounted to 112,794,615. 

 To this is added the number purchased by electric railways and light, 

 heat, and power companies, or 8,607,996, and the gi-and total for 1915 

 is estimated to be 121,402,611. 



The purchases by species, actually reported, are shown below, for 

 1915: 



White oak 32,461,555 



Red oak 16,872,326 



Southern pine 14,115,681 



Douglas flr 6,950,910 



Cedar 5,122,103 



Chestnut 4,548,352 



Cypress 4,478,612 



Eastern tamarack 2,606,794 



Western yellow pine. . . . 1,402,836 — 



Lodgepole pine 1,316,819 All kinds 97,106,651 



During 1915 crossties to the total of 37,085,585 were given preserva- 

 tive treatment in the United States. 



—17— 



Western larch 1,251,304 



Beech 1,173,490 



Maple 1,069,547 



Hemlock 859,662 



Redwood 563,685 



Gum 485,466 



Birch 465,815 



All other 1,361,694 



