Reptenibor 2."., 1917 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



33 



(('I'litinued from page 23.) 

 says he iimit-istniuls tlint the railroarts are fi;oinj; to singh' out Uiml>er 

 as the ehiel' eiunmoiHty to be penalized with higher rntes ami quut<'il 

 an oflBcial of one of the l)ij; railroads as saying tliat luuilter is heiiig thus 

 singled out "because it is one of the chief products handled by the rail- 

 roads" and "because the tariffs are in such shape that they can be amemled 

 ■ with comparative ease." 



The association, however, does not propose to sit idly by and see bard- 

 wood rates advanced. It has already declared its intention of offering 

 the most vigorous opposition possible, and past experience has proven 

 that it knows something about how to fight. According to Mr. Townshend. 

 lumber interests feel that tbey are paying all the freight their business 

 will stand under present conditions. This is their principal ground for 

 opposition but no effort is made to conceal resentment over the alleged 

 policy of the roads in singling out lumber for a continumis fight. 



Against Poindexter Bill 



The Hardwood Manufacuuers' Association of the I'nited States has 

 taken a decided stand against the Poindexter bill in the Senate proposing 

 an eight-hour day for the ]uml>er industry. A letter has gone from the 

 . executive offices of the association in Cincinnati to its membership urging 

 them to at once address protests against the I»ill to their representatives in 

 Congress. The letter'says : 



Hardwood mills are not Jiuilt to ojiprate on an eight-hour basis, and if 

 such a law l>e passed present mills will not be al)le to exist and get a fair 

 return on their investments in mills, lumber, railroad, logging equipment, 

 etc.. as their plants and all the equipment would lie idle two-thirds of the 

 time. 



The Southern Pine .Association has taken similar action. 



Contracts for Ships 



The Southern Hardwood Emergency Bureau has distriliuted to hardwood 

 mills orders for hardwood for twenty ships. The contracts were awarded 

 by the Emergency Fleet A.ssociation and call for oak of different grades and 

 dimensions. The twenty schedules are for the following yards : Potomac 

 Shipbuilding Company, Quantico. Va,, seven; Portland Ship Building Com- 

 pany, Portland. Maine, four; York River Ship Building Company, West 

 Point, Va.. eight and Frceport Shipbuilding Company, l^^reeport, Maine. 

 one. 



Want to Stop Cross-Town Switching in Memphis 



J. H. Townshend, seeretary-manager of the Southern Hardwood Traffic 

 Association, says railroad officials at Memphis are discussing the advisa- 

 bility of eliminating all cross-town switching of lumber and other com- 

 modities. They any that something like 1000 cars are necessary each 

 month for this cross-town switching and they express the belief that this 

 service could be rendered by trucks, wagons or other vehicles, thus releas- 

 ing many cars for the public good. 



Lumber interests, while anxious to facilitate the railroads in their 

 laudable purpose of improving the general service, are opposed to the 

 elimination of this cnxss-town switching and will make an effort to resist 

 an order to that effect if the railroads attempt to carry out their plan. 

 It is understood that cr(»ss-town switching has already been eliminated at 

 Louisville and that it is under consideration at other points. 



Bills for Government Construction of Freight Cars 



Lumber interests at Memphis are pleased with advices from Washington 

 indicating that bills have been introduced into both branches of Congress 

 providing for an appropriation of ^100,000,000 to be used by President 

 Wilson in building box cars or other equipment for the use of the rail- 

 roads. Tile bill introduced earlier in the session by Senator Hoke Smith, 

 of Georgia, was part of an appropriation measure, it is understood, and 

 was lost. The new bills, however, revive the project. 



The idea that the government should build freight cars for the railroads. 

 to be used by the latter on a rental basis, originated with James E. Stark, 

 president of the Southern Hardwood Traffic Association, who was instru- 

 mental in securing adoption by the Lun-bermen's Club of Memphis of reso- 

 lutions strongly endorsing this move. The Chamber of Commerce of 

 Memphis later adopted resolutions* to the same effect and the subject 

 was put squarely up to the United States Chamber of Commerce for a 

 referendum vote and also to the proper authorities at Washington. 



The plan is believed by officials of the Southern Hardwood Traffic 

 Association to be entirely feasible and a long step in the right direc- 

 tion, and they hope the present bills will be enacted into law. 



Traffic Association Considers Referendum 



The Southern Hardwood Traffic Association is sending out two ques- 

 tions, submitted by the I'nited States Chamber of Commerce, to its mem- 

 bers for a referendum Tote : Railroad regulation and government control 

 of prices. 



f^nder the head of railroad legislation, the Chamber of Commerce 

 recommends : 



That provision he made for federal regulation of the issuance of rail- 

 road securities: that Congress pass a general railroad incorporation law 

 under which all railroad carriers sul^i^ft to the jurisdiction of the Inter- 

 state Commerce iVimmission may organize ; that, if Congress passes a 

 railroad incorporation law. all railroad carriers subject to the jurisdiction 

 of the Interstate Commerce Commission, both those now existing and . 

 those hereafter to be created, be required to organize under this law. 

 and that, in view of the fact that conflict has arisen with respect to the 

 jurisdiction of the Interstate Commerce (.'ommission over intrastate 

 rates, even though such rates affect interstate commerce, the commission 

 be given authority by statute to regulate intra-state rates when these 

 ratofi affect interstate commerce. 



Under the heading of price control, the chamber recommends : 

 That there f)e additional regulation to control prices during the war; 

 that this authority should extend to all articles which have importance 

 in basic industries as well as in war and which enter into the necessaries 

 of every day life: that this authority should extend to both raw mate- 

 rials and finislied products: that this auth.trity should extend to prices 

 the public pays as well as those paid by the government ; that this author- 

 ity shoubl l)e administered by a small executive board appointed by the 

 presiilent ; also that an agency working in harmony with the board" con- 

 trolling prices sliould have authority to distribute availal)le supplies to 

 those purchasers whose needs are most directly related to the public 

 w^elfare and that each leading industry and trade should create a repre- 

 sentative committee to represent it in conference and to advise with 

 agencies that control prices and distribution. 



The governing board of the association has discussed these subjects 

 but the only point that is clear as to the attitude of the officials of the 

 association is that they will oppose the extension of the jurisdiction of 

 the Interstate Commerce Commission to a point where it will supersede 

 the state authorities in the control of intra-state rates. The fear is felt 

 that, if this extension is granted, it might result in higher rates on bolts, 

 logs, lumber and other rough material. More than a year ago the asso- 

 ciation took strong ground against the very extension of the jurisdiction 

 of the Interstate Commerce (."ommission proposed in this referendum. 



Series of Lumber Meetings 



Announcement 1ms been made by the secretary of the National Lumber 

 Manufacturers' Association of a series of meetings to be held in Chicago, 

 Octolier and 10. These meetings and their purposes were set forth in the . 

 form of a program as follows : 



There will be a meeting of the trade extension committee of the National 

 Lumber Manufacturers' Association, J. W. Blodgett, chairman, at 10 A. M., 

 October 9. at the La Salle Hotel, Chicago. The oltject of this meeting is to 

 discuss ways and means of perfecting the federation of all organizations 

 and individuals working for the common cause of promoting the use of 

 wood. 



The following organizations are invited to attend this meeting : 



1. The trade extension committee of the National Lumber Manufactur- 

 ers' Association, which includes the chairman of the trade extension com- 

 mittees of the lumber manufacturers' associations throughout the United 

 States. 



2. The secretaries of these associations. 



M. The pre.sid.-nts and secretaries of the state retailers' associations. 



4. The directors of the National Retail Lumber Dealers' Association. 



There will be definite plans of cooperation in trade extension work 

 presented. The question of establishing a consumers' paper to promote the 

 use of lumber as proposed by Mr. Hollis will be acted upon together with 

 other suggestions for coordinating the lumber association interests. 



Following this meeting on Oct. 9, will be a general conference October 

 10, 10 A. ^L, on market conditions in the lumber industry, both as to 

 manufacturing tonditions and market outlook in the various productive and 

 marketing regions. This meeting will be conducted by Edward Hines, 

 chairman of the statistics committee. At 2 P. M. there will be a meeting 

 of the directors of the National Lumber Manufacturers' Association at 

 which the work of the legislative committee will be discussed and the organ- 

 ization of this committee and plan of work will be presented by the chair- 

 man. Chas. S. Keith. 



The representatives of the retail dealers' associations will be invited 

 to confer with the directors of the National Lumber Manufacturers' As- 

 sociation to the end that the plans presented at all these meetings may be 

 put on definite working basis. 



On September S a meeting was held in Chicago for the purpose of dis- 

 cussing a plan proposed by W. G. Hollis, Minneapolis, to publish a paper or 

 magazine which will promote the use of lumber. Assurance was given 

 Mr. Hollis that funds would be provided for the preliminary expense of 

 issuing the first copy of the proposed publication. 



Grand Piano in Red Gum 



A baby grand piano, made entirely of red gum, is on exhibition in the 

 windows of the O. K. Houck Piano Company, MemphLs, and is attract- 

 ing unusual attention because of its extreme beauty and artistic finish. 

 It is one of two manufactured by the Brambach Piano Company. New 

 York, N. Y., as a result of the efforts of D. C. Harmon, who is connected 

 with the O. K. Houck Piano Company and who is a great booster of 

 red gum. The latter took the subject up with the manufacturing com- 

 pany and, when he secured the latter's consent, had no difficulty whatever 

 in getting gum veneer manufacturers to supi)Iy the necessary material. 



Mark P. Campbell, president of the Brambach Piano Company, was so 

 enthusiastic over the beauty of the instruments sent here that he was 

 in Memphis on their arrival. While here he told John M. Pritchard. 

 secretary of the (tuui Lumber Manufacturers' Association, that he intended 

 to build 100 of these pianos from gum, and since his return home he has 

 written Secretary Pritchard the following letter: 



I regret very much that I did not again have the pleasure of seeing 

 you before leaving Memphis. I wanted very much to go over with you 

 the great possibilities of your gum lumber." I think, however, that "the 

 baby grand now on exhibition in your city, made entirely of gum lumber, 

 tells the story more completely than any combination of English words 

 could possibly do. 



It might, however, help some puzzled manufacturer who uses quantities 

 of lumber for me to say that I cannot see any i>ossible reason why gum 

 veneers cannot be used as effectively as any other form of veneering 

 provided prop_'r care is taken in the preparation of tlie wood. That, how- 

 ever, is true of all woods used in any form whatsoever. 



As for the finish of gum. I am sure that your association, by reason 

 of its extensive research, is in position to recommend proper materials 

 and the application of them to produce durable finish. 



It is my intention to further experiment with your thicker lumber 

 and I will be very glad to report the results to you. 



This small grand being the first grand ever nuide of gum. I am sure 

 that your local newspapers will want to give it proper publicity. I can- 

 not imagine anything more important to the community than to have 

 properly heralded the splendid value of your gum forests. 



