38 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



January 10. 1918 



Enters Petition on Minimum Weights 

 The NortluTU licmlnck & llnrdwooil .Manufiu-turcrs' Assncintlon, ttirougb 

 Its traffic manager, l\ M. lUickcr. has filed a petition with the Interstate 

 Commerce Commission at Washington, D. C, respecting proposed regula- 

 tions for the minimum loading capacity of cars with lumber as a special 

 war emergency measure. The text of the petition follows: 



Your petitioners, the Northern Ui'mlock & llardwnnd Manufacturers' 

 Association, is a voluntary unincorporated »»r^!iuization, representing 

 eighty-two lumber manulacturers of the state of Wiscuiisln and the u[)itor 



Fienlnsula of Michigan, and as surh are vitally intert'stod In any change 

 n rules, rates or regulations affecting the charges for transportation. 



Your petitioners represent that there has been filed by E. H. Boyd, as 

 agent for \Vestern Trunk Lines, IHtb section Application No. lit*).'!, wherein 

 It Is sought to Increase the nilnlmuni weight on lumber to 4(1. (»00 pounds. 

 in all classes of equipment, in Western Trunk Line territory. That the 

 present niinlnuims are .'iO.Oi'O pounds for cars under thirty-six feet In length 

 and 84.000 pounds for cars thirty-six feet and over In length. 



Your petitioners further represent that the lumlier operators in this ter- 

 ritory are making every effort in the furtherance of car efficiency and 

 conservation of cQuiiunent, thus vicing with each other to utilize every 

 available foot of loading space and will continue to do so. 



Thercl'ore yonr petitioners are not at this time offering objections to the 

 general proposition of Increased mininuun weights on lumber, but feel 

 that the plan as suggested by carriers should be subject to such modifica- 

 tions as will adequately protect the interests of shippers and at the same 

 time bring almut the utilizatitm of equipment to the fullest gosslble extent. 



Your petitioners therefore do not offer objection to changes made in con- 

 formity with the following plans : 



A minimum of 40.000 pounds to apply to ships in shipments in cars 

 36 feet and longer, subject to th<' following : 



(1) That where cars are lomlr-d to full visible capacity, actual net 

 weights will govern without regard to the minimum. 



(2) Where a car of the character ordered by shipper can not be fur- 

 nished and for convenience of the carriers a car of different character is 

 furnished, the car so furnished may be used on the basis of the minimum 

 weight applicable to car ordered, or on basis of actual weight of shipment 

 in greater than such minimum. 



On cars under 36 feet in length your petitioners offer no objection to a 

 minimum of .*i4,000 pounds, subject to rule covering cars when loaded to 

 full visible capacity. 



If therpfore it seems expedient to the commission that change in mini- 

 mum weights applicable to lumber be made at this time, we respectfully 

 urge that such steps be taken in the promulgation of such changed mini- 

 mums that the interests of shippers be properly protected. 



Traffic Affairs 



Traffic notes from Washington im lude the following notes of interest 

 among others : 



Priority- Director Robert S. Lovett not long ago issued an order giving 

 priority of shipment to materials for cantonment construction, including 

 lumber, but since then has suspended indefinitely all priority orders. This 

 action was taken after a conference between Judge Lovett and Secretary 

 of the Treasury Mc.\doo, in order to permit fuel shipments to be rushed 

 ahead of everything, including passengers. 



The eastern commodities case involving lo per cent rate increases on 

 certain lumber and other goods shipped throughout the East has been 

 suspended until .Tune 30. 



The commission has dismissed the complaint of D. C. Stlmson et al. 

 against Louisville. Henderson & St. Ivouis Ry., involving rates on lumber 

 from Owensboro, Ky.. to New York and Brooklyn and Philadelphia. The 

 commission said the rates were not shown to have been or to be unrea- 

 sonable or unduly prejudicial. 



The commission I'as assigned for hearing Februarv 11 before Examiner 

 Gibson at Tampa. Fla., Fiftoonth Section Application No. 2240 by O. K. 

 Caldwell, chairman of the southeastern carriers" committee and coastn'ise 

 steamship connections, in conjunction with the pending Southeastern Rate 

 Adjustment case. The application seeks approval to file revised rates from 

 Ohio and Mississippi river crossings and related Doints. eastern cities. 

 interior eastern points, and from Buffalo-Pittsburgh territory to points 

 In the Southeast and Mississippi valley on furniture material, naval stores, 

 woodenware and other artirles. The railroad people sny that the proposed 

 revi-ion is part of the general revision required by the commission's order 

 rpquiring adjustment of southeastern violations of" the long and short haul 

 law. 



Thp commission has ordered decrease from TjOO to 200 pounds in the 

 allowance for weight of standards, strips and supports on c. 1. ship- 

 ments of lumber or logs on flat or gondola cars, provided in certain cases 

 in connection with Cincinnati. New Orleans & Texas Pacific and Southern 

 railways. 



Cancellation of the 1. c. 1. ratings on box. sbooks and ends, egg case 

 material, wooden hoops, rough and dressed lumber, and hoop poles pro- 

 vided in noto 65 of exceptions, pages 407. 408 and 401) of I. ('. C. No. 22 

 (Southern Classification No. 43) ratings in classification proper there- 

 after to apply, to establish a uniform application rating over the entire 

 Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Ry. 



File Exceptions to Reclassification Report 

 In view of the hearing scheduled at Washington .January 18 in the 

 lumber reclassification case, the commission is receiving many briefs and 

 exceptions to Examiner Esch's tentative report on the question from par- 

 ties interested in the subject, especially railroads and lumbermen. Lum- 

 ber manufacturers, other firms in the business, trade associations, box men 

 and railroads take exception to the examiner's suggestions. William 

 A. Wimbjsh has filed a brief for the National Lumber Manufacturers* 

 Association. Northern Hemlock & Hardwood Manufacturers" Association. 

 Hardwood Manufacturers' Association of the United States, Michigan 

 Hardwood Manufacturers' Association, Western Carolina Lumber & Tim- 

 ber Association, Southern Cypress Manufacturers' Association. Southern 

 Pine Association, Georgia-Florida Sawmill Association, North Carolina 

 Pine Manufacturers' Association, and Northern Pine Manufacturers' As- 

 sociation. 



Hal H. Smith, as attorney for the Strable Lumber Company, Nichols 

 & Cox Lumber Company. William Horner, and other users of transit 

 privileges, has filed exceptions to the report. Mr. Smith objects especially 



to the proposition that uniform transit provisions should be adopted by 

 nil carriers. He chanicterlzes this provision us Illogical and confusing. 



.leffery and Campbell and K. C. GIfford have filed a communication with 

 the conunlssion in behalf of the Imjx manufacturers* association, excepting 

 to Examiner Esch's findings that crate and box material and the raw 

 nmterirtl from which shooks are manufactured slioubl be given the lumber 

 rate; that the carload minima should dcpeml upon the size of cars: that 

 a basis of 15 pounds per cubic foot is taken for revenue at the minimum 

 base rates; that a sliding scale of minima is proposed based upon 4ri.0OO 

 pounds as 100 per cent as applied to box shooks and their raw material. 



The box people suggest that no further action should be taken by the 

 commission until after the war and commercial conditions throughout the 

 world have been readjusted to a more normal basis. 



Exceptions have also been filed to Mr. Esch's tentative report In Its 

 various features by attorneys representing the southwestern lines, South- 

 ern Pacific and Western Pacific railroads, western trunk lines. Official 

 classification lines, Santa Fe and other western and transcontinental 

 lines. 



Chicago's Lumber Trade 



Chicago's lumber trade has not suffered on aicuunt of the war, at least 

 not in quantity of lumber handled. Figures for 1917 show that receipts 

 were greater than those of any former year. About one-twelfth of al) 

 the lumber sawed in the United States in 1917 was shipped to Chicago. 

 The people of the whole United States use about 400 feet of lumber per 

 year each, but the people of Chicago use about 600 feet each. They re- 

 ceived during the year ,1,349.000,000 feet, resliipped 1.485,000,000 feet. 

 The receipts in 1916 were .'^.,017.000. OOti feet and reshipments 1,39.3.- 

 000,000. 



Decision in Michigan Percentage Cases 



The Interstate Commerce ( V>nimissi(pn has handed down its decision in 

 what is known as the "Michigan I'ercentage Cases" concerning rates In 

 manufactures of wood. The opinion by the commission gives a history of 

 the case and the findings in a report of nearly sixty pages. Practically 

 all the railroads doing business in Michigan are mentioned as defendants. 



The defendants are required to cancel present rates b>* February 15, 

 and are obliged to maintain rates to New York City and points taking the 

 same rate not in excess of those based on prescribed percentages of cor- 

 responding rates between Chicago and those points and to maintain pro- 

 portionate rates to all trunk line and eastern trunk line territory. 



I Hardwood l>Jews l>Jotes 



■< MISCELLANEOUS > 



The Benoist Aeroplane Company, Sandusky, O., has assigned. 



The Tinsman Lumber Company lias completed a new hardwood mill at 

 Tinsman. Ark., to have a daily output of 3.5.00(1 feet. 



Bliss & Van Auken, Saginaw. Mich., arc rebuilding their Sooring factory, 

 which was Ijurued some months ago. and will have a considerably Improved 

 and enlarged plant. 



The Western Planing Mill Company, of Wichita. Kan., has changed its 

 name to the Tnited Millwork Cnnii>any. 



The Pelican Lumber Company of Mouml, La., reports that it recently 

 suffered a fire loss. 



.John A. Smith, president-treasurer of the Smith Sash & Door Com- 

 pany. Kochester, N. Y., died recently. 



The Slidell Shipbuilding Company, Slidell, La., has been reorganized 

 as the Louisiana Shipbuilding Company. 



Tile death is anuftunced of Charles Crabbe of the Charles Crabbe Com- 

 pany. Hockaway Beach, N. Y. 



Jacob Goldman & Sons (Inc.). have filed an involuntary petition in 

 bankruptcy at Brooklyn, N. Y. 



.\t Sylvia, X. C.. the National Products Coriioration has been incor 

 porated at S130,000 and will manufacture furniture. 



The Wootex Manufacturing Company is a recently incorporated con- 

 cern at Michigan City, Ind., to engage in the manufacture of furniture. 



The Carrier Lumber & Manufacturing Company, Sardis. Miss., had a 

 fire recently, at its plant. 



-\n involuntary petition in bankruptcy has been filed by the Scarritt- 

 Comstock I'^irniture Company of St. Louis, Mo. 



Capitalized at $2.j.000. the William Huke Uattan & Willoware Manu- 

 facturing Company is engaging in business at St. Louis. Mo. 



The Detroit Furniture .Manufacturing Company, Detroit, Mich., suffered 

 a fire loss recently. 



The Mitchell Eastern Parquetry Corporation. Brooklyn. N. Y,. has been 

 incorporateti. 



--•<, CHICAGO y- 



H.4RDW00D Record has been favored with attractive calendars from 

 the following concerns: George C. Brown & Co., Memphis, Tenn. ; Wood- 

 Mosaic Company, Inc.. Louisville. Ky. ; John M. Woods & Co., East 

 Camhridire, Mass. ; Bellgrade Lumber Company. Memphis, Tenn. ; Welsh 



