«4 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



AugUBt lU, lUl.'l. 



pnlh» foli n.l prospooturs. Cninpiii); U (leliKlitful 



if suflicii-nt iiii'uiin luivi- ln-i-ii providivl for coinbnttinn momiuKoeu, 

 whirh swiirm by iiiillioiiii in the forcHlH. 



Nonrly ouc-third of tlii' iiilaiul, or iiluiut tliirti'oii tlioimniul 

 square miles, is covered by lakes, whii-li nre so iiuiiiorous that 

 many of tliera have never received nnines. They afford good 

 hiuhways for traveling from place to |.Iium'. The triivelers are 

 provided with light canoes or folding canvas boats. The boat 

 carries the man ovrr the water and the man carries the boat 

 over the land. 



Securing Dependable Results 



TtE VALUE OF ORGANIZATION is seldom shown to better 

 advantngc than in the nietliod adopted by the Chamber of Com- 

 merce of the United States to secure and compile tJio opinions of 

 tlio business men of the country on the much discussed Seamen 's Act. 

 The sponsors of that law say that it will build a great American 

 sea trade; while opponents declare their firm belief that if the law 

 goes into effect it will speedily drive from the seas the few American 

 flags still to be seen there. The act will not go into effect for some 

 months, and the national chamber of commerce has begun one of 

 tlie widest business campaigns ever planned in this country, and its 

 purpose is to hear from associations and individuals. Inquiries went 

 to six hundred chambers of commerce and trade bodies in all parts 

 of the United States and in Hawaii, Porto Rico and the Philippines. 

 These in their turn obtained the views of their members, and with 

 the returns received and compiled it will be a reliable and valuable 

 index to business sentiment on the subject. 



The vote thus taken will be at the disposal of Congress when 

 that body meets. The national lawmakers will then have reliable 

 means of knowing what the business interests want done with the 

 Seamen's Act, It may be given a trial, it may be amended, or it 

 may be repealed; but whatever action Congress may take will not be 

 taken blindly. The thorough and rapid work that is being done in 

 this instance would be wholly impossible without the organization of 

 associations brought into working line by supreme body, the Cham- 

 ber of Commerce of the United States. Party politics will have 

 no voice and should have none in a question of this kind, for it is 

 a pure matter of business and is not bound up with the policies or 

 platform of any party. The result will be awaited with interest, 

 for it is a new departure in legislation, quite different from the 

 refcrendnms which appeal to party prejudices. 



A National Traffic Bureau Imperative 



THE INTERSTATE COMMERCE COMMISSION'S announce- 

 ment, of its own volition, that it will hear evidence on the request 

 of the railroads for the reclassification of lumber before such reclassifi- 

 cation on the status advocated by the railroads is definitely effected, 

 obviates the necessity for a])peal to the commission and forestalls 

 the railroads in their attempt to secure the advantage of the initial 

 step. It is entirely safe to say that this hearing will be one of the 

 most important wliich has ever confronted the lumbering industry, 

 and it is evidently imperative that it present its case with the unani- 

 mous backing of the trade and without the evidence of internal dissen- 

 sion regarding any of the views advocated in opposition to those set 

 forth by the railroads. 



In view of the fact that fully ninety-five per cent of the hardwood 

 lumber is shipped in the rough, the hardwood interests would not seem 

 to be directly concerned in the commission's revision as to reclassifica- 

 tion for dressed and undressed lumber. However, there is a tre- 

 mendous possibility dormant in this case which can be brought into 

 actuality if it is advocated by the trade unitedly, and this possibility 

 is of importance to the extent that it would make possible a reduction 

 in rough lumber rates and at the same time eliminate a great many 

 causes for transportation trouble. 



It has been suggested that the obviously fair basis for reclassifica- 

 tion, a basis fair to the lumber shippers and to the railroads, would 

 not have to do with any general increase in rates or provide for a 

 reduction to the detriment of the carriers. 



It is common knowledge among the shippers of lumber that the pres- 



ent mininuim carload of 34,000 pounds is much too low to moot actual 

 conditions. Inasmuch hs hauling cost is determined by wheel friction, 

 and inasmuch as wheel friction \aric-s directly in ]iroportiun to the 

 number or wheels in any train iii cimlact with the rails, it is apparent 

 that Uio n\t!rnge carload of lumlicr can l>c materially increascil in size 

 and weight without proportionately increasing hauling charges. In 

 other words, were the minimum increased from 34,000 pounds to 45,000 

 |)0und8, each car of lumber woiiM contain approximately one-third 

 more weight and a third less cars would be m-eded to haul the same 

 total quantity. Hence wheel friction would be reduced nearly one- 

 third and hauling cost cut proportionately. The ((uestion of enqities 

 would not be altered tt the detriment of the railroads but. on the 

 tither hand, as it would require fewer cars to bring the lumber into 

 the lumber markets, there wouhl Ih" fewer empties returned. 



The aim of the reclassification effort is to secure a differential 

 between the carrying charge for rough forest products and tiiose in 

 semi-finished and finished stat^-. On the face of it this would a)>pear 

 an entirely natural desire. However, it is not true that this reclassi- 

 fication must necessarily result in any increase in the cost of carry- 

 ing, or any additional charge for transportation of forest products. 



The lumbermen have contended that their products bear an undue 

 liroportion of the general cost of transportation, and they argue truth- 

 fully that the traffic simply could not bear additional burden. It is 

 apjiarcnt then that it would be but fair for the railroads to agree to 

 a basis of reclassification if it could be shown that they would not 

 lose by putting this basis into effect, and especially as it can be 

 proven that they would actually liciiefit and that the trade to which 

 they cater would benefit not alone through direct money saving, but 

 because the lumberman could afford under this arrangement to utilize 

 a greater percentage of the poorer jjroducta of the log. 



It is easily unilerstood that were this plan of reclassification 

 adopted, it would be advisable to let the present rates on <lressed 

 lumber stand, to load cars to a much greater capacity, thus reducing 

 tlie actual cost of transporting a given volume of rough lumber from 

 twenty-five to thirty-five per cent, which in turn would nmke feasible 

 a reduction in actual rates on such lumber, thereby effecting the 

 reclassification, insuring an equal if not greater return to the rail- 

 roads from the handling of forest products and making possible con- 

 serving our forest resources to an immeasurably greater extent. 



The hardwood interests would be affected favorably by this measure 

 through the possible reduction in rough lumber rates. If this reduc- 

 tion could be brought about, it goes without saying that the lumber- 

 men would be willing to make the effort necessary to accomplish this 

 end, but there is not the sliglitcst chance that without a generally 

 concerted representation, the lumbermen will get the worst of the 

 argument. 



Inasmuch as hardwood interests would not be especially affected 

 by a reclassification on the basis advocated by the railroads, but would 

 be tremendously affected by a reclassification on the other basis, it is 

 certainly up to them to do everything within their means to secure a 

 ruling on the latter basis. It is useless to urge such action, however, 

 unless the hardwood interests could act concertedly, which illustrates 

 the absolute necessity for some national hardwood traflic bureau which 

 can take care of just such questions. 



This ease offers the very condition which would make such an 

 organization possible and feasible. This opportunity which con- 

 fronts the hardwood men is one of the biggest things with which 

 they have ever been faced. To make the possibility a reality can 

 be accomplished only by their acting through one central body repre- 

 senting the entire hardwood trade. There is time for the organiza- 

 tion and perfection of such a body before the hearings, which will 

 take place in the fall. It is most apparent that it is up to the hard- 

 wood men to act. 



Freight Weights and Shipping Facilities 



IF ANY ONE UAS KEPT an even apjiroxiniatc record of the 

 number of freight-carrying craft sunk on the Atlantic and adja- 

 cent waters since the war started he will begin to wonder what 

 effect this wholesale destruction of shipping facilities will have 

 when the war has stopped and when the demand for raw material, 



