50 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



February 25. 1*21 



Pertinent Information 



Cleveland-Oconee Company Reports on Cyclone 



One white person was killeii and twenty-nine negroes injurea in the 

 eyclone which struck the residence section of Gardner, Ga., about 1 :45 

 p. m., Feb. 10, according to a report o£ the disaster received from the 

 Cleveland Oconee Lumber Company of Atlanta, Ga., which has mills 

 situated near the territory ravaged by the cyclone. Twenty-two houses 

 were demolished, together with a churcli. dining hall, barn and three 

 houses belonging to the Central of Georgia Railroad. The company's mills 

 and lumber yard wore on the edge of tlie storm area and were damaged 

 very little. The mill, which was in operation at the time, has been repaired 

 sufficiently to permit resumption of operation. The company plans to 

 rebuild tlie demolished houses at once in order to reorganiise its crew and 

 get back to normal business. This is expected to take several daj's. 



The company writes that the homi'less have been well taken care of, and 

 commends the American Red Cross for the prompt relief given, sending 

 nurses and supplies and performing wonderful service for the restoration 

 of order and the relief of the suflfcrei-s from the storm. 



Welsh Joins Serfas Sales Organization 



The Serfas Lumber Company, Kaston, I'm., announces that K. C. Welsh, 

 formerly of the Berry Lumber Company of New York City, has been added 

 to its sales fori-e and is covering Eastern I'ennsylvania and New Jersey. 

 Mr. Welsh has hml years of experienci' in the lunilicr Imsincss. 



Log Loading Tariff is Reduced 



The Missouri I^acific system has issued tariffs, effective March 1, 1921, 

 providing for a charge of $100 a day for locomotive and train service in 

 log loading as against the present rate of .|1.35 a day, according to 

 announcement made by the Southern Hardwood Traffic .Vssociation, The 

 laiiff became effective as of Oct. 1. I'.lL'li on L<.uisiana State trafBc. 

 Railroad Company Organized to Develop Big West Virginia 

 Timber Holding 



.Vunouncement has been made in Iinnliar. W. Va., of the organization 

 ..f a company capitalized at $7,500,000 for the purpose of building a 

 standard gauge railroad for developing the coal and timber resources 

 slong Glade creek in Kaleigh and Summers counties. The new railroad 

 will connect with the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad, which will necessitate 

 the building of a bridge 750 feet in length across New River at the mouth 

 of Glade creek. The plans conceive of ultimately exti'uding a heavy coal 

 and lumber traffic standard gauge railroad through the great Flat Top 

 mountain region of Raleigh and Mercer counties, to i-oiimvt with the 

 Virginian and Norfolk and Western systems. 



In the construction of the railroad the coal people will be associated 

 with lumber interests, headed by Ernest S. Simmons, vice-president and 

 general manager of the Boon Timber Company. Mr. Simmons has acquired 

 extensive holdings of virgin timber in the Glade creek section of Italeigh 

 county, consisting of white oak, poplar and white pine, and c<mtemplates 

 the construction of a modern nine foot liand mill with re-saws. 



The railroad will lie constructed by the New Ifivi'r and I'ocahontas 

 railroad company, which has been incorporated for $1,000,000 by Ernest A. 

 Simmons. Charleston: Robert F. liopes, New York City: William (i. 

 Conley, Lee Ott, James T. Lightner of Charleston. 



It is estimated that there will be between lDO,000,0(io and 200,000.000 

 leet of lumber to come to market over the New River and I'ocahontas i-ail- 

 road in addition to the tremendous coal tonnage to be developcil. 



The general headquarters of the railroad will be at 11 Stone street. 

 New York City and an office may be opened in Charleston, W. Va. 



File Overcharge Claims Before March 1 



The Southern Hardwood Traffic Association, vunb-r date of Feb. 17. 

 iidvised its members that it had received information from the Interstate 

 Commerce Commission suggesting the advisability of filing with that body 

 all claims for straight ovcrchart/eK and that Fel). 2.S, 1921, is the last date 

 for getting such charges properly registered with that body. This ruling 

 applies to claims for overcharges arising under federal ailministration of 

 the railroads, and is based on the fact that the Transjxirtation Act of 

 1920 gave one year from March 1, 1920, for the filing of such claims with 

 the commission. 



This ruling is in direct contrast with the interpretation made by J. V. 

 Norman, general counsel of the associiition, and is therefore coiiti-ary to 

 the position heretofore taken by this organization. 



The association points out that failure to register these "straight over- 

 charge" claims will not bar those who hold them from taking them into 

 the courts. 



The association has prepared a form on which these claims ma.v be regis- 

 tered, and it has advised its members to (ill these out immediately and send 

 them under registered letter, so that receipt may be had, in order that they 

 will reach the commission "not later than Feb. 2.S, as Mar<-h 1 will be ton 

 late." 



Baltimore Export Values Cut Sharply 



The statement of exports of lumber and logs from Baltimore for Decem- 

 ber from this port, which was issued hist week, shows a sharp decline in 



the declared valuation, as compared with the saine month in 1919, indicat- 

 ing a marked shrinkage in the movement and reflecting the effect of the 

 quiet that has prevailed tor some time. The total declared value of exports 

 was only ,|282,248, as compared with .f535,019 for December of 1919, with 

 oak boards in first place with 639,000 feet shipped, of a value of $90,4.S5. 

 I'oplar was represented by only 1-1,000 feet, of a value of $2,2G1, while 

 hardwood boards figure on the list with 243,000 feet, of a declared value of 

 $40,025. Other items are: Hardwood logs, 11,000 feet, value at $1,350; 

 other lumber, $14,487 : furniture, $2,750 ; implement handles, $19,289 ; 

 staves, $19,798, and "other manufactures of wood," $63,340, In December, 

 1919, not less than 1,409,000 feet of oak boards, of a declared value of 

 $143,060, was sent out, together with 908,000 feet of poplar boards, 

 valued at $95,.S93 : 1,561,000 feet of hardwood boards, valued at $212,342; 

 doors, sash and blinds, $17,407 : implement handles, $4,880 ; staves. 

 $17,030, and "other manufactures of wood," $28,723. The advance in the 

 value of the shipments, in some divisions at least, seems to have been 

 arrested, prices having apparently gone up as high as they could be put, 

 which development may be expected, in the long run, to produci' a good 

 effect upon the business, putting an end to the hesitancy th.it liMS pre- 

 vailed. 



January Building Statistics from 203 Cities Show Fifty Per Cent 

 Drop Compared with Same Month of 1920 



Building permits for January, 1921, issueil in 2o:i cities, as officially 

 ri.'portcd to The American Contractor, total $62,150,401, as against $126,- 

 387,654 for the corresponding month of 1920. This is equivalent of a 50.9 

 per cent decrease in projected activity, but is not so disparaging in com- 

 parison as it might seem on first sight, because in January, 1920, an 

 abnormally high valuation of permits was issued. 



A comparison of activity in fourteen cities* from 1914 to 1921 shows 

 the following very pertinent facts: 



Percentage 



Total relation of 



valuation Valuation January 



of building of January permits to 



Yiar permits permits year's total 



1914 $450,000,000 $38,330,000 8.5 



1915 512,000,000 30,5.30,000 5.9 



1016 : 033,000.000 35,600,000 5.6 



1017 394.000,000 38,890,000 9.8 



1918 211,000,000 16,010,000 7.9 



1919 711.000,000 12.890.000 l.S 



1920 705.000.000 72.000.000 9.4 



inai 32.240.000 .... 



The seventy-two mUlion valuation of permits in these fourteen cities 

 for January, 1920, was far out of the ordinary range of the first month 

 figures and out of proportion for the total valuation of the year's permits. 

 The average relation of January permits to the total volume of the year 

 from 1914 to 1920 is six and six-tenths per cent. Being conceded that 

 January of this year is not an auspicious month for a start, it follows 

 that the actual figures make a very good showing, and that if the year 

 n:ns on the average relation of January to the whole year, the total 

 volume of 1921 permits will be around $519,000,000. 



Very few cities show a January, 1921, volume equal to last year's. The 

 I ities going over the million dollar mark in either January, 1920, or in 

 1921. are listed, and it will be noted that in only two cases. New Bedford, 

 Mass.. and Kansas City, is there a gain for this year over last. The 

 i-i'inainiler of these important cities refiect the hindrances imposed by 

 Sack of flow of money to investment building. 



Damning materijii prices and labor costs keep out the little money which 

 might ooze past the attractive channels to bond investment wherein eight 

 I er cent yields are so sure they need no advertising here. 



The cmly noticeable channel which has been dug to let a little money 

 flow to buihling is the increase in labor efficiency, and the cry for lower 

 «-ages has been so loud that attention has been diverted from this factor, 

 which really merits more attention. Men are laying more brick and wheel- 

 ing more liarrows per hour than they were six months ago, and the saving 

 is a real saving, which can be kept in the investor's pockets. Men can be 

 .gotten ftir the jol» without troul>]e and efficiency has increased. 



*'/'//(■ fourtrfn citirx which The Amenca)i Cmitractor /i«.v Ksrd an a base 

 fur siircial stuily from 1914 to 1921 arc Baltimore. Itoston, Chimgo, Ctevc- 

 hiiiil, Detroit. KnH.<ta.t Citii, Los Angeles, flew Orleans, New York (five 

 hr,rf}ii!ihs). Philoitrlithia. Pittshurgh. fan Francisco and Seattle. 



Start Sash and Door Factory 



Notwithstanding the un|iromising outlook at the present time, C. D, 

 Mabry and associates have begun the construction of a sash and door 

 factory in the western part of Beaumont, Tex., and expect to have it in 

 ftperation within the next sixty days. 



The mill will be equipped with new and modern machinery, electrically 

 il riven throughout. The jilant will cost approximately $15,000. 



Fish Company Speeds Up 



The Chas, W. Fish Lumber C*>nipauy. which operates five large saw- 

 mills in Northern Wisconsin, started up the day shift at its Antigo, 

 Blrnamwood and Tiles mills on Feb. 1. It is expected that the Crandon 

 mill will start sawing about March 1. 



The mill at lllcho. Wis., which was struck by lightning and burned last 



