42 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



January 25, 1918 



from the members and keep the bureau here and the government 

 advised where needed material can be obtained promptly. Com- 

 mittees are to be established in St. Louis and other cities besides 

 those already organized, the chairmen of which are as follows: 



J. W. McClure, Memphis ; T. 11. Brown, Louisville ; E. A. Lang, Chicago ; 

 S. n. Swcnson, Helena, Ark. ; D. S. Watrous, Little Uock ; R. H. Wliltbeck, 

 Alexandria, Iji. ; E. O. Robinson, I'lnclnnatl ; E. K. Malion, Huntington, 

 W. Vu. ; E. M. Vestal, Knoxvlllo. Tenn. ; E. L. Davidson, I'arkorsburg, 

 W. Va. ; Fred Am, Chattanooga : M. H. Massee. Macon, Ga. ; W. M. Farrls, 

 Nashville. 



Frank Neilsen of Minneapolis, who is in town, says that there 

 are great quantities of walnut timber and lumber in the Middle 

 West and other sections avail.able for airplane propellers and other 

 war production purposes. 



The first annual report of the Council of National Defense, says 

 that while it was not easy to secure adequate importations of 

 mahogany for airplane propellers, due to lack of shipping, "the 

 situation was clearly well in hand as long as black walnut and 

 even birch could be used with success for propeller construction." 

 Hereafter simply red cypress or tidewater cypress will be specified, 

 it is understood, and not Louisiana red cypress. 



The navy has also adopted the specifications and inspection sys- 

 tem of various lumber trade associations in connection with lum- 

 ber purchases for the navy, except certain special material like 

 long planks, stock for boat building, etc. Several trade associa- 

 tions are making inspections of lumber for the navy under the im- 

 proved purchasing plan worked out by W. M. Morford, lumber 

 expert of the bureau of supplies .-ind accounts. The National 

 Hardwood Lumber Association's inspectors are making inspec- 

 tions where desired in accordance with government specifications. 



Mr. Morford recently bought 5,500,000 feet of southern pine for 

 overseas shipment for the navy. He is also buying 1,500,000 feet 

 of cypress, 6,000,000 feet of fir, 1,600,000 feet of North Carolina pine, 

 and various quantities of poplar, oak and other hardwood lumber. 

 The navy has been letting contracts for portable houses to Burton 

 & Co. and to a Michigan company. 



Tests are being made by the shipping board and the steamboat 

 inspection service of fir and spruce oars for the lifeboats on gov- 

 ernment vessels, with a view to substituting such material for ash, 

 which has been universally specified by the government for oars for 

 many years. These tests are the result of a shortage of ash, owing 

 to the quantities needed for airplane and military vehicle con- 

 struction. 



Eecent government lumber orders include 28,000,000 feet to the 

 North Carolina Bureau for a new army cantonment for engineer 

 troops at Belvoir, Va., the army proving ground at Aberdeen, Md., 

 and Hog Island ship yard; 1,600,000 feet to the same bureau for 

 additions to the camps at Columbia, Spartanburg, Greenville, 

 Peter.sburg and Charlotte; 4,700,000 feet to the same bureau for 

 the government filling plant in Maryland, 2,120,000 feet for Frank- 

 ford arsenal, and 7,800,000 feet for construction work at Alexan- 

 dria, Va. 



Also 4,250,000 feet to the Southern Pine Bureau for the Italian 

 navy, nearly as much for the Italian railroads, 3,500,000 feet for 

 the British government purposes in France, and 20,000,000 feet for 

 government barges. 



Besides the new army camp at Belvoir and the big barge con- 

 struction program, American lumbermen are to be called upon for 

 materi.al for other big government construction works. Notable 

 among these are the powder factories at Charleston, W. Va., and 

 Nashville, Tenn., which Thompson-Starrett Company is to build. 

 It is estimated that many million feet of lumber will be needed for 

 operations at Charleston alone, including the construction of a lot 

 of dwelling houses for men employed in the government powder 

 plant, projectile, armor plate, steel and munition factories. 



With the munition plants scarcely under way, the government 

 is reported as about to undertake the construction of storage ware- 

 houses at central distributing points for supplying army camps. 

 Atlanta, St. Louis, Dallas and other places are mentioned as loca- 

 ■tions of these establishments. 



The government housing operations are rounding into shape 



with the recent passage by the senate of a bill authorizing the 

 shipping board to spend $50,000,000 on housing tor ship yard em- 

 ployees and allotments already made by the board of $5,000,000 

 to the Bethlehem Steel Company for construction work near Spar- 

 rows Point, Md., and $1,500,000 to the Newport News Shipbuilding 

 Co. for similar work near Newport News. 



Big housing operations are to be carried on in and near Phila- 

 delphia and Camden, N. J., to accommodate workers at the Hog 

 Island ship yard, and also at Newark, N. J., and Chester and 

 Bristol, Pa. 



Director Gifford of the Council of National Defense testified 

 recently before a senate investigating committee that the council 

 had saved $20,000,000 by having the cantonment plans changed 

 from one story to two-story buildings, $2,000,000 on cantonment 

 lumber in price regulation, and $2,850,000 on spruce for airplanes. 



Lumber interests have been declared exempt from the Garfield 

 coal conservation order to the extent that sawmills cutting ship 

 schedules, ship yard material and airplane stock need not close 

 down on the days specified. 



However, other sawmills and woodworking plants were required 

 to close even though they burnt no coal, but only mill waste. 

 Water power run mills were also expected to close, the prime ob- 

 ject of the order being to relieve the transportation situation by 

 checking production temporarily. 



The Reconsignment Case 



The reconsignment case has been decided by the commission In a man- 

 ner satisfactory to the railroads and to the Southern Pine Association, 

 it is believed. The commission holds that most of the proposed Increased 

 reconsignment charges were Justified by the carriers. 



Tbe official summary of the decision, giving some of the leading points 

 at issue, follows : 



Upon consideration of increased charges and changes in regulations affect- 

 ing the diversion or reconsignment of carload shipments, proposed by 

 practically all of the carriers of the country ; Held : 



1. Proposed charges of .$2 and .'?5 per car for change in name of con- 

 signor justified to the extent that they do not exceed $1 per car. 



2. Rule providing that if request is made for the diversion or recon- 

 signment of freight in carloads the carrier will make diligent effort to 

 locate the shipment and efl^ect the desired service, but will nut be respon- 

 sible tor failure to do so unless such failure is due to negligence of its 

 employees, justified as a continuation of the rule now" in effect. 



3. Proposed charge of .f2 per car for diversion or reconsignment in 

 transit prior to arrival of shipment at original destination or terminal 

 yard serving that destination Justified. 



4. Proposed charge of ^2 per car for diversion or reconsignment when 

 order for that service is placed at billed destination in time to permit In- 

 stniotious to be given to yard employees prior to the arrival of the car 

 justified. 



.5. Proposed charge of .?2 per car for stopping car prior to arrival at 

 billed destination to be held for orders Justified. 



6. Proposed charge of i?5 per car for diversion or reconsignment at 

 original destination to a point outside the switching limits, on orders re- 

 ceived by the carrier after arrival, or too late to permit instructions to be 

 given to yard employees before arrival, Justified ; but held that the same 

 charge proposed for reforwarding to a similar point cars which have been 

 placed for unloading but have not been unloaded has been justified only 

 in so far as such charge will be lawful under the fourth section when con- 

 sidered in connection with the charges approved in rule 7. 



7. Proposed charge of local tariff rates for reforwarding to a point 

 within the switching limits cars which have been placed for unloading 

 but have not been unloaded found Justified. 



5. Proposed rule found justiiied providing that — 



(a) A single change in the name of the consignee at first destination, 

 and for) a single change in the designation of his place of delivery at 

 first destination, will be allowed without charge if order is received in time 

 to permit instructions to be given to yard employees prior to arrival of 

 car at first destination or at the terminal yard serving such destination. 



(5) If such orders are received in time to permit instructions to be 

 given to yard employees within 24 hours after arrival of car at terminal 

 yard a charge of .f2 per ear will be made. 



(c) If such orders are received subsequent to 24 hours after arrival 

 of car at terminal yard a charge of ^^ per car will be made. 



9. I'roposed application of charges for reconsignnient regardless of the 

 method of freight rate construction Justified. 



10. I'roposed regulation prohibiting reconsignment to an embargoed 

 point justified in part. 



With respect to certain provisions not included in the general rules : 

 Held: 



Increased charges for diversion and reconsignment proposed by certain 

 New England carriers not justified. 



i^'harges proposed by some respondents for transferring the contents of 

 certain reconsigned cars not justified. 



A logging railroad operated purely as a plant facility of the mill owning 

 It does not have to pay tax as a common carrier, according to a ruling 

 expected daily from the Commission of Internal Revenue. If, however, 

 the road hauls freight for other concerns it must pay such tax. 



Many exceptions to Examiner Fred Esch's tentative report to the inter- 

 state commerce commission in the lumber reclassification case are taken 

 In briefs just filed with the commission by attorneys for the Wholesale 

 Mlllwork Association. Pacific coast and Inland Empire lumber interests, 

 and southern railroads. 



