November 10, 191E 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



15 



many other things on hand now to pay much attention to lumber, and 

 this is the time when the hot iron should be struck by exporters of 

 the United States. If our foreign lumber business cannot be extended 

 now and in tlie period imiTie,diatel3' following the close of the war, there 

 will be little prospect of ever extending it. 



It has often been said that there is a tide in the affairs of men which, 

 if taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. The signs of the times 

 indicate that such a tide is approaching the American lumber business. 

 It has long been expected, and limibermen seem to be ready to take it 

 at the flood. 



A Protest Filed 



OVKRWHELMING DEFEAT SEALED THE FATE of New 

 York 's proposed new constitution which met its Waterloo in 

 the election on November 2. It went down under a majority of 

 nearly four hundred thousand votes. It is evident that the people 

 of the state rejected the constitution because they did not like it, 

 and the dislike must have been strong and general to produce an 

 adverse majority so large. Many features were unpopular, but the 

 one of most interest to lumbermen and foresters was that which pro- 

 vided for enclosing the vast areas of public state timberland within 

 a Chinese wall, as it were, and let the trees stand, fall, and decay 

 without being put to any use. The state forests were to bo locked up. 

 They were never to be touched. Though the standing timber might 

 be worth millions of dollars, and fully mature, the constitution for- 

 bade all use of it. 



That attitude seems to have been taken by the politicians who 

 framed the constitution because they feared that gangs of other 

 politicians might some time in the future get hold of the timber- 

 land and exploit it. To head off such a possibility, the sale and use 

 of the timber were forbidden forever. Hardwood Kecord voiced at 

 the time its disapproval of any such dog-in-the-manger policy. It is 

 a satisfaction to note that the voters of New York reached a similar 

 conclusion, and killed the proposed constitution. There were, of 

 course, many other issues involved, and the timber problem was not 

 the sole or even the leading matter to be considered; but there is no 

 question that it had its part in rolling up an adverse majority of 

 hundreds of thousands. . 



American Trade Helped by the Interest of For- 

 eign Buyers 



AMONG THE MANUFACTURERS OF AMERICAN PRODUCTS 

 available for use in various foreign markets are two classes 

 which could profit by consideration of certain measures of activity in 

 commercial circles in this country. One class comprises those Amer- 

 ican manufacturers who do not give sufficient thought to the possibil- 

 ities of developing foreign trade either because their methods are 

 notable for a certain inertness or because they do not feel they can 

 afford to bother with export business. The other class covers those 

 who feel that all they have to do is sit back and wait for the flood 

 of orders to come in from foreign countries. 



As to the first class mentioned, considering of course that it is 

 possible for them to export their commodities, the constantly increas- 

 ing number of agents, representatives and members of foreign firms 

 who are covering this country with a view to establishing agencies 

 abroad for handling American business argues that the opportunity 

 for handling foreign business on a real business basis is imminent 

 and that if they can profitably ship abroad there are dozens of oppor- 

 tunities for making the right connections with reliable individuals 

 who have taken the trouble to come to this country to investigate 

 sources of supply in person. 



As to the second class, their belief may be partially justified by 

 the presence of these foreign business men. There are some twenty 

 nations represented by men of prominence in the business world in 

 foreign countries but in order to take the fullest possible advantage 

 ■of the opportunity afforded, it is necessary to go even further and 

 make an analysis of trade conditions and requirements of purchasers 

 in markets which it is contemplated to cultivate. 



All things considered the chances for developing our commercial 

 relations with markets in other parts of the world are much greater 



today than they have ever been and the opportunity presented to 

 American business men by the advances of foreign importing firms 

 is of such significance it cannot be over-estimated. The course of 

 events over which we have had no control and for which we can take 

 no credit will result in a saving to American exporters of many 

 years' hard work in certain directions necessary to establish the per- 

 sonal contact immediately with those foreign agents. This oppor- 

 tunity should be fully utilized not only to realize on the immediate 

 advantage offered to American exporters by the present receptive 

 mood of foreign buyers, but in order that the initial advantage may 

 I)lace us that nuich further ahead in the general play for widening 

 foreign markets in the future. In other words we should not merely 

 take off this the cream of the trade and let the future possibilities 

 take care of themselves, but we should make, this merely a stepping 

 stone to a permanent relationship and commercial development for 

 future years that will not be altered by the outcome of the European 

 trouble. 



Law and Lake Boats 



THE SEAMAN'S LAW WENT INTO EFFECT on November 4. 

 This measure is frequently referred to as the Lafollette law be- 

 cause its author and finisher was Senator Lafolette of Wisconsin. The 

 newspapers announced that only one boat in twenty on the Great 

 Lakes was able to conform to the terms and comply with the regula- 

 tions of the law. Seeing that such would probably be the case, those 

 in authority on the lakes were directed to be lenient with the owners 

 of vessels who had made an honest effort to obey the law. 



When the lake traffic is found to be in a fair way to suffer extinc- 

 tion or very great damage because of the new regulation which Con- 

 gress enacted, it brings the matter close home to the people of the 

 Middle West. So long as the blow fell on ocean shipping only, the 

 effect was not directly apparent in the interior of the country; but 

 when lake business is hit, the result comes straight home. 



The seaman's law was placed on the books on the strength of the 

 claim of its sponsors that it would benefit the American sailors and 

 make conditions easier for them. It has not yet been tried under 

 actual working tests, and a little time should be allowed to give it a 

 chance to show good results; but up to the present time every indica- 

 tion points to harm instead of good. Some of the best American 

 ships were driven from the seas, even before the time for the law 

 to go into effect. Owners of ships did not believe they could do busi- 

 ness at a profit under the new law, and they sold their vessels and 

 retired, while the purchasers took the vessels to foreign waters. 



It is difficult to figure out how the American sailors have been bene- 

 fited by a law which drives vessels from American commerce, and fills 

 the place, if it is filled at all, by vesels manned by Chinese, Japanese, 

 Greeks, Italians, Scandinavians and other foreigners. The American 

 sailor has been struck a blow which has put him out of business, and 

 it has been done by a law which was enacted under the solemn prom- 

 ise that it was to benefit him. 



The business man who depends on water-borne traffic is as badly 

 hit as the sailor or shipowner is. A large part of the lake traffic 

 consists of lumber, and if the Lafollette law breaks up traffic on the 

 lakes as quickly and completely as it has done it on the Pacific ocean 

 between our ports and foreign lands, the conditions will become 

 serious for those who ship and receive lumber by the lake routes. 

 Foreseeing this^ the federal authorities will be lenient in enforcing 

 the law, if newspaper reports are correct. 



It is a pity that a little more ' ' foreseeing ' ' could not have been 

 possible before the unworkable law was placed on the books; and some 

 of this uncalled-for and unnecessary trouble might have been averted. 

 It is another ease where "weak men, clothed with a little brief 

 authority, play such fantastic tricks before high heaven as make the 

 angels weep. ' ' 



Weight in the stationary parts of a machine is always a good 

 thing, though, of course, proper distribution adds much to its value. 

 Weight in the running parts is rarely permissible unless it adds to 

 the strength; and its proper distribution is of the utmost import- 

 ance. 



