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HARDWOOD RECORD 



October 10. 1920 



Enthusiasm Marks Logging Meeting 



The tenth annual meeting of the Southern Logging Association was 

 held at the Grunewald Hotel, New Orleans, October 21, 1920. Great 

 enthusiasm and an unusually large attendance marked the meeting 

 which was taken up with a number of excellent papers, all of which 

 were exhaustively discussed. 



The election resulted in the following new officers: President — 

 C. C. Curry, of Sylacauga, Alabama; First Vice President — V. E. 

 Landry, of Lutcher, La.; Second Vice President — E. L. Bass, of 

 Eunice, La.; Secretary — James Boyd, of New Orleans, La.; State 

 Vice Presidents — E. E. Jackson, Eiderwood, for Alabama ; J. D. Keys, 

 Malvern, for Arkansas; Norman Hopkins, for Florida; G. L. Fuller- 

 ton, for Louisiana; C. J. Pettibone, of Lumberton, for Mississippi; 

 J. M. Campbell, of Brokenbow, for Oklahoma; A. M. Horton, of 

 Memphis, for Tennessee; J. F. Woods, Weir Gage, for Texas; T. E. 

 Camp, of Franklin, for Virginia. 



The first session on October 19 was opened with the address of 

 the retiring President, E. L. Weathersby of the Kirby Lumber Co., 

 Silsbee, Texas. The other officers' reports followed in order. Secre- 

 tary Boyd read a most interesting paper entitled ' ' Waste in Logging 

 as Observed by a Timber Cruiser," by J. A. Clark, of Houston, 

 Texas. Extensive discussion following it developed that many are 

 now practicing Mr. Clark's ideas. Increased attention to waste was 

 manifest, the discussion endorsing Mr. Clark 's theory of cutting 

 crooks, it being developed this is done easiest at the mill, thus leaving 

 the worthless lengths in the woods. Major M. J. Sliields, Eed Cross, 

 gave an interesting illustrated lecture on first aid methods, special 

 interest centering about artificial respiration following electrical 

 shocks. 



A general and spirited discussion of the best methods of cutting 

 hardwood timber occurred in the beginning of the afternoon session. 

 It was the consensus of opinion that the cutting of short lengths is 

 uneconomical, though, in the judgment of some, prices justify any 

 length which will make the grade. Following a discussion of water 

 transportation for hardwoods, and a talk on costs, Parrish Puller 

 addressed the meeting on the subject, "Logging Mixed Stands of 

 Pine and Hardwood. ' ' Mr. Fuller pointed out the loss of economy 

 due to the widely separated operations of many of the companies. 

 The tendency, he said, is to discriminate against the woods end of 

 the business in favor of the mill end. The woods management though 

 must keep closely in touch with the woods help. It must originate 

 plans and, to secure co-operation and understanding, the woods de- 

 partment must recognize the same problems as does the mill depart- 

 ment. 



Wednesday Morning Session 



Due to the absence of J. M. Cooper, who was to have read a paper 

 on Track Laying Machine Experiences, a discussion of this subject 

 was started without preliminary remarks. The discussion developed 

 that most users preferred machines laying tracks ahead. It was gath- 

 ered that there is little saving in cost and that machines are sometimes 

 diflicult to handle. 



There followed a general discussion of pile driving and bridge 

 building, which brought out many interesting and valuable comments. 

 One member reported that he had successfully used tractors for pile 

 driving, particularly in swampy regiona. 



J. E. Ehodes, secretary -manager of the Southern Pine Association, 

 analyzed southern pine reports of decreasing sales. Stocks, according 

 to Mr. Ehodes, are above normal, but are not maximum. Decreased 

 prices and increased wages mark the present period of depression. 

 Mr. Ehodes predicted higher price levels on the opening of demand in 

 the spring. 



Blue prints were distributed illustrating the proposed standard type 

 of community house, which house is adaptable to varying conditions, 

 and is so designed as to be easily movable. It is pointed out that 



this type of house is economical compared to separate buildings. Sev- 

 eral members now employing community houses were emphatic in their 

 praise. 



Eoy Morse of Quitman Mills, commented on the growth of the 

 Association and the benefits to be derived. He suggested a Program 

 Committee that might shape a program for the next meeting, which 

 would be followed strictly. 



Secretary Boyd read replies to the truck and tractor questionnaire 

 and was followed by a general discussion of tractor operations. Com- 

 ments referred to the expensive upkeep and repair charges, in spite 

 of which, such machines more than paid for themselves. 



No action was taken on the invitation to hold the next meeting at 

 Atlanta. 



Thursday's session was given over to discussion of the skidding 

 and loading of pine and hardwood. 



President Opens Meeting 



Opening the meeting with his annual address, E. L. Weathersby, 

 Kirby Lumber Company, Silsbee, Texas, spoke of the ' ' vexing prob- 

 lems, " with which the lumber industry has had to wrestle during 

 the past year. "We have seen a further advance in the cost of 

 production," he said, "with a falling lumber market, handicapped 

 by embargoes and scarcity of equipment upon which to move our 

 finished commodity. Increase in all commodities, over which we 

 have no control, and which are essential in logging, have had an 

 upward trend. Long periods of rain, with a continued restless and 

 unsettled labor situation, which makes the payroll heavy and seem- 

 ingly excessive and causes the stockholder to sigh, are largely re- 

 sponsible for some of the loggers' sleepless nights. Stabilization 

 of these conditions seems yet uncertain, and it is going to require 

 our very best talent to work out a satisfactory plan to meet the 

 future. ' ' 



Waste in Logging as Observed by a Timber Cruiser 



"Conservative log cutting might be a good caption for this 

 paper," said J. A. Clark of Houston, Texas, addressing the southern 

 loggers on the "Waste in Logging as Observed by a Timber 

 Cruiser." But he must not lose sight of the fact, Mr. Clark 

 continued, that "its chief object is to show the loss in the present 

 wasteful methods, in defense of the timber estimator, or 'cruiser' 

 as you choose to call us, and his unwillingness to jeopardize his 

 reputation in putting his estimates closer to what he thinks you 

 ought to cut from it. Perhaps it has never occurred to some of you 

 that "close estimates" are impossible by any action or neglect of 

 your own. Perhaps, too, not any of you know that from 15 to 40 

 per cent of a loss is sustained by your own carelessness, or rather 

 indifference, because I can not urge myself into the belief that you 

 are not aware of it when, as a matter of fact, I doubt that not one 

 of your 'flatheads' is ignorant of it." 



Subsequently in presenting the methods by which he believes 

 much timber might be rescued from waste in logging, Mr. Clark 

 cited pine operations. But his remedies might be considered by 

 hardwood operators with profit to themselves, as the conditions 

 he described in pine operations are more or less paralleled in hard- 

 wood logging. 



In part, Mr. Clark said: 



Trees do not grow alike ; they do not look alike ; neither were two logs 

 ever cut so that they were just alike, or even looked exactly alike to a 

 very close observer. This dissimilarity of appearance does not affect the 

 laws of their growth ; thus no built-up office rules will aptly apply to the 

 distinct individualism of any and all trees, yet we have found that their 

 distinctive features very nearly and very often completely fill the respective 

 wants of the mills' order books when a general rule has been applied of 

 cutting each tree as a separate individual upon its own conditional merits 

 or demerits ; then, therefore, the laws of nature are made subservient to 

 the laws of demand when rightfully applied. 



To lessen the waste in cutting logs, one must consider thp tree itself, it? 



{Continued on page 24) 



