24 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



November 25, 1920 



News from the National Capital 



Protest has been filed by the American Wholesale Lumber Asso- 

 ciation with the Interstate Commerce Commission against the can- 

 cellation of present competitive rates on shipments of lumber and 

 forest products by water. 



The proposed increase in rates ranges from 214 cents to 8 cents 

 per 100 pounds, the association declares, and cannot be made law- 

 fully until a hearing is held before the commission and the com- 

 mission finds that such rates rest upon changed conditions other 

 than the elimination of water transportation. Since May 31, 191S, 

 these rates have been increased over 60 per cent, and the pro- 

 posed increase will result in a total increase amounting, in some 

 instances, to more than 100 percent, the association states. 



In addition to alleging that the proposed rates are unreasonable, 

 the association charges that they are unduly prejudicial as disturb- 

 ing the rate structure on traffic from southeastern to eastern and 

 New England points. The effect of the increase, says the asso- 

 ciation, will be the shutdown of mills which cannot absorb the 

 added cost and the turnover of such commerce to producers in other 

 territory. The recent general flat increase in rates already has 

 had a disastrous effect in curtailing demand for Pacific coast lumber, 

 the association declares. 



Investigation Nearly Finished 



It is understood that the lumber investigation which has been 

 under way for some time by the Federal Trade Commission, at the 

 request of the Department of .Justice, is nearly completed. 



It has not been decided, as yet, whether the report will be made 

 public by the Federal Trade Commission, when it is given to the 

 Department of Justice or not. Inasmuch as it is supposed to be a 

 confidential report to the Department of Justice, it does not seem 

 likely that it will be made public by the Federal Trade Commission. 



Cities' 1919 Building Bill 



Approximately $951,047,495 was spent in 1919 in new building 

 operations in leading cities of the United States, according to a 

 report just issued by the Geological Survey, Department of the 

 Interior. 



The report shows the number and cost of buildings erected in 

 128 of the larger cities, classified by the character of the principal 

 material entering into their construction; also the number and cost 

 of additions and repairs and alterations to buildings in those cities. 



In these cities thgre were 186,933 new operations, costing $951,- 

 047,595; 131,729 additions, alterations or repairs, costing $171,024,- 

 832, and 20,846 miscellaneous operations, costing $15,246,422. 



In 141 cities, 365,972 permits were issued for buildings erected 

 in 1919, representing a cost of $1,302,998,607. Approximately the 

 same cities reported 210,538 building operations in 1918, costing 

 $430,041,365. The record for 1919 thus shows an increase of 155,434, 

 or 74 per cent in operations and of $872,984,242 or 202 per cent in 

 cost. The average cost per operation in 1919 was $3,560, the highest 

 recorded. 



Huge Shipping Board Sale 



Sales of surplus materials on the Pacific coast, including a large 

 amount of lumber, with an estimated valuation of $15,000,000, was 

 announced here by Admiral Benson, chairman of the Shipping 

 Board, to Barde Brothers, Inc. 



The board is guaranteed 50 per cent of the appraised value of 

 the materials, which must be sold by Barde Brothers west of the 

 Rocky Mountains within one year. 



The purchaser is to get all returns in excess of 50 per cent 

 up to 60 per cent,and all returns above 60 per cent are to be divided, 

 75 per cent to the Shipping Board and 25 per cent to Barde 

 Brothers. A bond for $1,000,000 was deposited by the purchasers. 



Efforts to dispose of the materials by direct sales failed to bring 

 advantageous offers, and the board then adopted the present plan. 



Cost of Running Freight Trains 



The average cost of running a freight train one mile, as indi- 

 cated by a comparison of the principal items of expense selected 

 by the Interstate Commerce Commission for statistical purposes was 

 23.2 per cent greater in July of this year than in 1919. The total 

 of the selected 'accounts was $1.89 per miles this year and $1.54 

 last year, an increase of 35 cents. In January the cost was $1.85 

 and in February, the last year of government operation of railroads, 

 it was $1.91, shovdng that the increase occurred before the return 

 of the railroads, and that there has been a small decrease since. 



In March, the first month after the return of the roads to private 

 management, the cost was $1.79; in April it was $1.87 and in May 

 $1.78, in June $1.87 and in July $1.89. 



Application of the Texas & Pacific Eailway and other carriers 

 to continue rates on lumber from Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas, 

 without observing the long-and-short haul provisions of the Inter- 

 state Commerce Act, was denied by the Interstate Commerce Com- 

 mission on November 15. 



Will Reopen Water-Rail Rate Hearing 



Hearings on regulations for the payment of freight rates on 

 commodities shipped by rail and water will be reopened by the 

 Interstate Commerce Commission, on December 13, before Assis- 

 tant Chief Examiner Butler, at Washington. 



The rates in dispute concern shipments partly by railroad and 

 partly by water, subject to the provisions of the Interstate Com- 

 merce Act, which operates both by rail and by water; wholly by 

 the water lines of such carriers by railroads; partly by railroad 

 and partly by water, under through-route arrangements between 

 such carriers by railroads and water lines operated independently 

 of such carriers by railroads; partly by railroad and partly by 

 water, under through-route arrangements between such carriers by 

 railroad and water lines ovimed or controlled by railroads; and that 

 in each, inclusive, delivery or relinquishment of possession at desti- 

 nation of the freight so transported is effected by or through the 

 water line. 



Thompson Will Succeed Murdock 



Federal Trade Commissioner Huston Thompson will succeed 

 Victor Murdock as chairman of the Federal Trade Commission on 

 December 1. This is in accordance with the regular procedure of 

 the commission, as the chairmanship is a rotating office. 



Commissioner Murdock has been chairman of the commission a 

 year and a half, owing to the fact that Governor Fort of New 

 Jersey, who was chairman of the commission, had to resign on 

 account of ill health and Mr. Murdock was acting chairman for 

 six months, as well as being chairman during his own one year's 

 term. 



Saw Logs Tariff Suspended 



The Interstate Commerce Commission on November 13, sus- 

 pended until March 15, 1921, the operation of certain tariffs of the 

 Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Eailway Company, providing 

 for the cancellation of existing commodity rates on saw logs from 

 points in Wisconsin and Michigan and Chicago, Milwaukee and 

 St. Paul Eailway, Cooper Eange Eailway, Mineral Range Eailroad 

 and Wisconsin Northwestern Railway, resulting in increases vary- 

 ing from y^ to 10% cents per 100 pounds. 



