May 10, 1915. 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



29 



Red Gum as War Material 



It is claimed that war orders have cousumed 15,000,000 feet of red 

 gum, chiefly in the form of boards for wagon beds. Much of this has 

 been bought in Chicago. A pretty high class of material is demanded for 

 a wagon bed. The wood must be clear of knots and other defects, and 

 free from checlting, splitting and warping. A surface is required that 

 will hold paint well. The box boards range from twelve to sixteen feet 

 in length and from thirteen to seventeen inches in width. 



Walnut as Fine as Ever Cut 



The accompanying illustration, reproduced from a photograph taken in 

 the walnut lumber yard of H. A. McCowen & Co., of Louisville, at 

 Logansport, Ind., will give an idea of the sort of walnut lumber that Is 

 still being manufactured. Some of the boards which are shown are 

 24 to 36 inches wide, and 14 to 16-foot lengths are numerous. At the 

 time the picture was taken, a few weeks ago, the company had 2,000,000 

 feet of walnut lumber on sticks at Logansport alone, and of this more than 

 half a million feet consisted of long, wide stock of the sort indicated 

 In the picture. Though the illustration does not show the coloring of the 

 wood, the boards laid out are the characteristic rich brown wood which 

 has made American walnut "distinctively individual." 



New Ruling on Overloads 



The Corporation Commission of North Carolina recently put into eflFect 

 a ruling which has been of special benefit to certain North Carolina m.'uui- 

 facturers of lumber and products taking the same rates as lumber. Hereto- 

 fore it has been the policy of roads in that part of the country to charge 

 double rate on all excess weight in freight cars overloaded in excess of ten 

 per cent beyond the specified capacity. It says the purpose is to discourage 

 th? tendency to overload cars, thus creating a hazard in shipments. 



The commission recognized that the overloading of cars is hazardous, but 

 maintains that the rule was unfair in that it did not nor could it be ex- 

 pected to stop the practice. Moreover, it contends that shippers should 

 not be penalized under the circumstances as the power lay with the trans- 

 portation lines to prevent the same through the use of estimated weights 

 provided for in the classification. 



In order to carry out the commission's suggestion, the following rule was 

 adopted by the Corporation Commission as an addition to its "Rules Gov- 

 erning Transportation of Freight" : 



Rule 39. Cars containing lumber and articles taking lumber rates may 

 be loaded in excess of the marked capacity to the extent of ten per cent 

 of said marked capacity, provided that said ten per cent does not exceed 

 4,000 pounds and cars so loaded will be charged for at the regular carload 

 rating, but if loaded in excess of 4,000 pounds the transportation company 

 may decline to accept same for transportation until load has been lightened 

 to conform to the rule above. 



In order to arrive at weights it will be the duty of shippers to furnisli 

 transportation companies information as to the contents of cars, the (juan- 

 tity, kind, dimensions and conditions (whether green or dry) so that an 

 estimate of the weight can be made by use of the classification giving th" 

 weight. This rule applies only at points where scale weights arc uno'»- 

 tainal)le. 



Mine Timbers Scarce in England 



The exigencies of war have caused the au- 

 thorities in England to take careful stock of 

 some of their resources. It is found that the 

 home supply of mine timbers, chiefly pit props, 

 will barely last three years. The year's require- 

 ments are 4,000,000 tons. In round numbers 

 that is equivalent to 2,000,000,000 feet, board 

 measure. Consequently, there are now growing 

 in England, Scotland, and 'Wales small timber 

 ready to cut for mine timber, the equivalent of 

 6,000,000,000 feet, board measure, or about 

 three-fourths as much as the estimated stand of 

 yellow poplar in the TJnited States. 



Fortunately, there are enormous quantities of 

 timber suitable for pit props within reach of 

 England. Supplies are already being drawn 

 from Canada, where the resources of that class 

 of timber are very great. The United States 

 has enough to supply the world. Small trees of 

 any species will do, provided their trunks are 

 long enough. The forests of paper birch and 

 aspen in the North, loblolly pine in the South, 

 and lodgopole pine in the 'West are resources of 

 great magnitude. These are aggressive species, 

 and neither axe nor fire can keep them down. 

 Aspen and paper birch are short-lived, but they 

 quickly attain sizes suitable for mine props. 

 Loblolly pine Is also of rapid growth, but it 

 reaches large size if left to grow ; while lodge- 

 pole pine grows very slowly but enormous areas 

 are covered with it in dense stands. There is 

 no danger of a pit prop famine. 



To Consolidate Business Under One Roof 



.\s intimated in ll.ARDWfiriD KEConD a short time ago when James E. Stark 

 purchased the controlling interest in the Memphis Veneer & Lumber Com- 

 pany, the offices of James E. Stark & Co. and the Memphis 'Veneer & Lumber 

 Company are being consolidated. The offices used by the latter are being 

 doubled in floor space in order to give sufficient accommodation to the large 

 corps of employes. There has been very little change in the management of 

 the Memphis Veneer & Lumber Company, following securing of control by 

 Mr. Stark. J. E. 'Walsh has been made sales manager for both firms. He is 

 being ably assisted by J. C. Steele and J. E. Thomas. James E. Stark & Co. 

 are engaged in the handling of hardwood lumber at wholesale, while the 

 Memphis 'V'eneer & Lumber Company manufactures both lumber and veneers, 

 making a specialty of mahogany, which is imported in large quantities from 

 South America and Honduras. 



Oak Hurt by High Freight Rates 



It would appear strange that high freight rates should hinder the 

 importation of .•Vmerican oak into England and give Japanese oak an 

 advantage over it in that country. Advance in carrying charges ought 

 to affect oak from Japan as well as oak from America ; but such does 

 not seem to be the case, judging from a recent article in the London 

 Timber Traders' Journal. That paper learns from many quarters that a 

 steady and rapid increase in the sale and consumption of Japanese 

 oak is taking place. All descriptions are saleable, and it is finding its 

 way into consumption In all directions — for cooperage work, for employ- 

 ment in the building trades, among cabinet makers, and in all other 

 industries where oak is needful. It is not surprising that it should meet 

 with favor, at the present time, as putting on one side its undoubted 

 merits, it holds the field at the present time as the only oak that is 

 obtainable, and looks like maintaining this position so long as the freight 

 difficulty hinders the shipment of American supplies, and the continental 

 position stops the export of Russian and .\ustrian wood. There has 

 been a decided upward movement in prices. 



Late Glosgow Market Report 



The timber trade of Glasgow and the west of Scotland has been remark- 

 ably dull during the past; few weeks, buyers still keeping to the policy of 

 purchasing only against immediate requirements, and putting into stock as 

 little as they possibly can. Prices indicated are not of the nature to 

 encourage speculative buying, nor are they likely to be otherwise for some 

 considerable period. Taken all over, F. 0. B. values are about the same, 

 but advances in the freight position seem to reach no limit, and in some 

 cases the freight asked is more than the value of the timber. The ship- 

 yards, still busy with admiralty requirements, seem to call tor most mate- 

 rials in large quantities with the exception of timber, a state of affairs 

 which is likely to continue for a long time. When the war is over, 

 however, there is every probability of a boom in the shipbuilding industry 

 to replace the wastage caused by the war. Stocks all over are becoming 

 lower every day, with almost nothing coming in to replace them. 



Recent arrivals include the S.S. "Athenia" and S.S. "Lakonia" from 

 Baltimore and Newport News with oak planks, scantlings and boards, quar- 

 tered oak hoards, wbitewood, and silver pine or Virginian spruce, and large 

 clearances from both shipments liave taken place. The S.S. "Kyleakin" 

 arrived a few days ago from Mobile with a large quantity of pitch pine 



'WALNUT LUMBl 



:i: u.\ Lii(;.\Nsrni:T. ixd.. Y-\i;ti lU' ii. 



LOUIS\lLLE, KY. 



