38b 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



October 25, 1017 



In ndilltUin, the compaiiy lias another tract on the Lanrel Creek hnineh 

 ot the Chesapeake and (Ihlo ailjolniug the Stark operntlou of the Ameri- 

 can Column iS; Lumber Company. Tills tract will take three or fcjur years 

 to cut over. 



The company controls the cuts of quUe a number of small mills at 

 different West Virginia points and Is maklne a very substantial amount 

 of headway In \\'est Vli-^lnia oiieratinp cireles. 



New Operation Commenced 



Tlie ISUie Utiljie Timber I'omiiauy recently organlze<l and in(M)ri)orated 

 under the laws of North Caroliua, with au authorized capital stock of 

 $1011,000. lias Just started to manufacture a very liiKh class tract id' lim. 

 her at Max Meatiows, Va., on the main lino of the Noi-folk & Western 

 Kaihvay. The general offices of thiv company will be at IliKh I'oint, N. C., 

 from wliich office the sale of several mills in western Norlli Candimi will 

 be handled. The output of the Max Meadows mill will be taken care 

 of from that office. The company aso proposes to start operations in 

 Surry cmutt.v, Xortli Carolina, within the near future. 



The stockholders and officers of tlie company arc as follows: Lee A. 

 Ilrlles, president ; ]■:. C. Slater, vlco-presideiit and general manager, and 

 R. IL Wheeler, secretary-treasurer. 



The management of this business is in the hands of a southern lumber- 

 man who has spent many years in the management of hardwood o|)eriitions 

 in several southern states and in the various stages from the "grmind 

 hog" to the most modern double band, and the new coinpHiiy is enter- 

 ing the held under very favorable conditions. 



Charles Fremont Braffett 



Charles Fremont Braffett. vice-president of the Simonds Manufacturing 

 Company, located at 1.500 S. Western avenue, Chicago, and head of tlie 

 Upton .Machine ('ompany, St. .loscph. Jlicli., killed himself in his home, 

 .■iOOl South Seventh avenue. La Orange, III., on Thursday evening, Octolier 

 IS. Denth was due to his inhaling gas. 



Willie no note of explanation was left, the coroner's jury 

 day after that the deceased had made away wilh hims If 

 of despondenc.v over ill health. 



.Mr. Hrafl'ett leaves a widow, a son, .Tolin W. lii-.ilTett. and 

 Mrs. Katlierine 1>. I'ratt of La (Irangc. 



Mr. Hrafl'ett was a Mason and a niemhiT of the Hinsdale (iolf Cluli. 

 lie was sixty-one years of age and had a long career in business manufac- 

 turing circles, being very well-known in many parts of the country. 



Masonic services for immediate friends and relatives were held at the 

 late residence at La Grange on October 21 at 11 o'clock in the morning. 



leiided the 

 [tn account 



1 daughter. 



Pertinent Information 



Carriers to Again Ask 15 Per Cent Increase 



nanhviMid mtpivsts have licen ivi)ri'si'iilc*<l rci-i-iitly at two or three 

 hcariiiirs and conferences at Washington hefure the Interstate Commerce 

 t'oniniission by J. H. Townsend, secretary of the Southern Hardwood 

 Traffic Association, and J. V. Norman of LouisviUe, attorney for the as- 

 sociation. 



They were present when the railrnad reprcscntat ives told the commis- 

 sion the other day that they would like to present an application for 

 permission ti> lile tariffs iucreasinj? commodity rates >;enerally through- 

 out Official (.'lassitication Territory by l.l per cent, as the commission re- 

 jected a simihir jiroposed increase in (Un-iding the oriijinal 15 per cent 

 advanced rate case and because the railroads claim that their revenues 

 are decreasing and their expenses increasing. Capt. K. A. Selfridgo of 

 the California Redwood Association and member of the lumber committee. 

 Council of National Defense, also atteudeil this conference. 



The commission announced late on Monday that it had reopened tin- 

 case and set November 5 in Washington for hearing. Incidentally the 

 <'omniission opened the way for southern and western roads to get in 

 their claim, which they are expected to do. for advances in their parts 

 of the country, which would make the proposed freiglit rati' increases 

 nation-wide, if they are approved by the commission. 



The commission holds that the eastern railroads' suggestion that hear- 

 ings recently set for the l."> per cent case here on November 1 to lie i)ost- 

 poued GO days to give the carriers time to prepare their applications for 

 permission to file revised tariffs proposing a general 15 per cent rate 

 advance, was "in error," in view of the carriers' corttention that their 

 financial situation is such that they need immediate relief. 



It is understood that shippers interested in the iri per cent case will 

 be notified of the hearing November ."> and tbat all parties will be given 

 ample time to present evidence. A decision on the merits of the i)ropo- 

 Kition is not expected for some weeks. 



Enormous Increase in Freight Traffic 



In the month of July the railways of the I'nited States handled -^s, 

 per cent more freight traffic than in July, I'.tlo, rnd 40 per cent more 

 than in July. 1914, says the Railway Age iiazette. The Railroads" War 

 Hoard has just issued statistics showing that the ton mileage of freight 

 handled in Julj', 1917, was 20.2 per cent more than it was in the same 

 month of 1916. This increase in the traffic handled reflects a remark- 

 able performance in view of the fac-t that tin- trathc of 1010 far sur- 



passed all records up to that time. It should be borne In mind that there 

 has been almost no increase in railway facilities wit bin the last two 

 years, 



Baltimore Uncertain as to Export Permit Office 



It locks now as If this port would not get a bnirMli otlir.- nf the KxportB 

 Achiiinistratlvc Hoard as soon as had been expcitfd. The latest informa- 

 tion received by Robert Beacham, secretary of the Merchants and Munu- 

 faclurers* Association, is that Hoston and rhiladelphia will receive atten- 

 tion before this city is looked after, and it is intimated that some time 

 may elapse before Rallniore receives attention. This delay in regretted 

 espccl.'illy by the exporters of hanlwoiids, who had (-ntertalned hopes 

 that they wouhl soim have accessible an official from whom could be 

 obtained permits to make shipnfents to Kurope. Inlimalions have been 

 receivi'd of late thjit considerable space for the shipment of lumber woubJ 

 be available, especially (»n French steamers, and the exporters desired 

 to take advantage (tf the opportunity. Of course, they can get the neces- 

 sary documents at Washington, but this always re<|uires a trip to the 

 capital and entails dela.v that may prove serious. Now. when there is a 

 chanci' it must he acted upon without delay, and there is not always time 

 to go to Washington, which requires the greater part of the day without 

 any real certainty that the object of the trip will be accomplished. The 

 exporters hi-re feel that the importance of the port entitles them to a 

 branch o(U<*e, anil they especially desire that the representative at the 

 branch be emi><>wered to issue permits under which shipments can be made 

 by way of other ports as well, since it is not always feasible to make 

 shipment by way of I'altimon". 



Wood Exports in July 



Figures have just been published showing the expor' 

 other forest products from the United States in July 1 

 td' these figures follows : 



ts .1 

 ist. 



Ilcinnd logs. . . 

 r'ii'ewood . . . . 

 S(piare logs. . . 

 liailrnnd ties. . 

 Fir hiniber . . . 

 (lum lumber. . 



Oak 



Wliite pine. . . 

 Longleaf pine. 

 Shuitlcaf pine. 

 * tlbcr pine. . . 

 VcHow poiilar. 



Value 

 1910 



, .$ 95.2:{7 



, . i:^,7-i4 

 . . aofi.ioo 



, . 200,29.-. 



. 2r.4,r,2:i 



, . H7.027 



, . 199.4:J9 



. 10S.9i:^ 



. 0n4.229 



2.044 



, . 108,.'i.i.T 



. . 51,127 



Value 



1017 

 . 70.717 



22.079 

 204,4.^S 

 22:^»,707 



on.:i27 



00.752 

 307,72:^ 



4S,020 



371,047 



400 



168,025 



3i.:ioo 



Redwood 



Spruce 



All other lumber 

 Doors, sash. 



blinds 



Wooden furniture 



Handles 



Barrels 



Box shooks. . .". . 

 Barrel shocks. . . 



Staves 



Heading 



House trimming. 

 Wood en ware . . . 



lumber and 

 A summary 



I,.'i2l 62.412 



74 102.4R7 



•.25S 70.10G 



Trade Opportunities 



Wasbitigtoti has received a report from Fnited States Commercial 

 .Utache Vedits at I'aris that the French minister of the Interior has in- 

 vited offers from manufacturers and dealers for 20.onO wooden lied frames 

 in lots of 500, each concern to be permitted to furnish not over five lots, 

 and various other furnishings, etc., for home and other buildings in 

 French territory from which the Germans have been driven. 



.\ special agent of the department of Commerce has transmitted the 

 namr- nf a person in Ecuador who is interested in knocked-down furniture. 



Clear-cut Analysis of War Tax 



The income and excess profit tax legislation — the war tax of 1917 — 

 is given a very clear and succinct digee^t in a book recently by the 

 National City Bank of New York City. The book is entitled "Digest 

 of the Federal Income and War Excess Profits Tax I^ws." It covers 

 tlK* entire question in a way that makes it possible for users of this book- 

 let to arrive at their proper standing under the tax law and feel per- 

 fectly confident that they are working in the right direction. 



We understand that a copy of this booklet is available to anylmdy who 

 will apply for it. 



Scientific Lumber Drying 



Advance notices annnunii- that a scientific, treatise on kiln drying lum- 

 ber will soon come from the press of the J. B. Lippincoti <'ompany, Phila- 

 delphia. The author is Harry D. Tiemann of the Forest Products Lab- 

 oratory. Madison, Wis. He is well known to the hunber trade as a scien- 

 tific investigator of the first order, and his Imok may be depended upon 

 as high authority on the seasoning of lumber. 



More Wood to Be Used in England 



Reports reaching the offices of the National 1-umlier 

 Association, Chicago, indicate that there will soon b<j 

 use of wood in England. During the past two year 



Manufacturers* 

 an increase in the 

 England has been 



living very largely upon its fixed capital so far as wood is concerned, and 

 little has been done to make repairs or erect new buildings. The rail- 

 road companies put oif necessary work in the hope of better comlitions 

 bul this cannot be longer postponed. The construction of wiprkmen's 

 cottages must also go ahead since many munition and other workers are 

 homeless while the great increase in shipbuilding and ship repairing is 

 bringing an inevitable ilemand for more ship timber. At the same time 

 the requirements of the British Army for packing boxes and cases, furni- 

 ture, light railways, aerodromes, and other luiildings. make a constant 

 demand for lumber. 



The c<mclusi(m of the English timber firms is, therefore, that the time 

 has arrived when a larger timber consumption must take place, and 

 that the government will act wisely if it allows a larger importation of 

 foreign stocks. 



