January 25, 1916 



GEO. D. BURGESS, MEMPHIS, TENN., RE- 

 ELECTED PRESIDENT 



KCKMAX, CINCINNATI, 

 VICE-PRESIDENT 



O.. FIRST 



R. S. HUDDLESTON, NEW YORK CITY, 

 SECOND VICE-PRESIDENT 



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Emphatic assertions that a merchant marine flj'iug the stars and 

 stripes is of vital necessity to not only the development of the export 

 commerce of the United States, but to its preservation, were made 

 at the opening session of the National Lumber Exporters' Associa- 

 tion, which convened at the Hotel Sinton, Cincinnati, January 20, for 

 its sixteenth annual convention. The question of an adequate mer- 

 chant marine under the American flag was the one big topic of dis- 

 cussion at the meeting. 



President George D. Burgess of Memphis, Tenn., declared that the 

 war has brought the American exporter face to face with the perils 

 involved in the dependency of the country's shippers upon the ships 

 of foreign competing nations for the carriage of its goods. He said 

 that but ten per cent of the country's export trade has been shipped 

 under the American flag. 



In the discussion of this subject, the association was urged by the 

 speakers to get behind any movement that will put more ships flying 

 tlie American flag on the oceans. While not committing itself to 

 any special plan, such as government ownership, ship subsidies, or 

 subventions, the association will devote its efforts and give its assist- 

 ance to a rational campaign for the upbuilding of an American 

 merchant marine. 



Mr. Burgess, in his address, declared that after Congress passed 

 the amendment to the registry act, the number of ships under the 

 American flag steadily increased untU the LaFollette seaman's act 

 was passed. From that time on, not only did this increase stop, but 

 many ships were driven from under the American flag. He severely 

 criticized American lawmakers who have "succeeded in blocking the 

 restoration of our merchant marine ' ' and placed them ' ' in the front 

 rank of trade stranglers. ' ' 



Mr. Burgess declared that no country in the world had succeeded 

 in throttling its shipping so completely as the United States. The 

 seaman's act, Mr. Burgess held, is the logical outcome of years of 

 haphazard efforts to determine a problem, the solution of which 

 necessitated a settled policy and a well-defined purpose. 



The dearth of shipping facilities was declared to be the most serious 

 obstacle in the way of lumber export business. It was declared 

 to be outrageous that the American exporter had to depend for his 

 facilities wdth which to do business upon foreign competitors' ships. 

 The tremendous advance in ocean freight rates, which, in some cases, 

 was over five hundred per cent, was a severe burden, but even where 

 the shipper is wilUng to pay this charge, he is often unable to obtain 

 space, because there are no ships. The British government's re- 



quirement that all British ships sailing from American ports carry 

 at least fifty per cent of their cargo in food stuffs has seriously hin- 

 dered limiber shipments. 



That the British market needed all grades of American lumber in 

 large quantities was vouched for by Mr. Frank Tiffany, foreign 

 representative of the association, who reported on his activities for 

 the past year. Mr. Tiffany stated that Great Britain had been cut 

 off from the Swedish, Austrian, Eussian and Japanese lumber supply, 

 on which it formerly drew in large amounts, and now is looking to 

 America to furnish its lumber requirements. He said that there was 

 not an abnormal demand for lumber abroad, as had been popularly 

 supposed, but the subnormal shipping facilities gave the impression 

 of an abnormal demand. Mr. Tiffany's report was largely of a 

 confidential character, telling of the settlement of claims and con- 

 taining foreign credit information. 



At the banquet which was tendered the visiting members in the 

 evening at the Business Men's Club by local members of the associa- 

 tion, Guy M. Freer, traflSe manager of the Cincinnati Chamber of 

 Commerce and president of the National Industrial Traflic League, 

 gave an address on the congestion existing in export freight, applying 

 particularly to shipments of lumber to the seaboard for over-seas 

 delivery. The two important factors in this congestion, Mr. Freer 

 said, were the great increase in exports and the decrease in bot- 

 toms. Other influences in producing the congestion were strikes 

 of longshoremen and dockhandlers, the closing of the Panama canal, 

 the inefiicient lighterage service of the railroads, the negligence which 

 permitted the overflow of freight in the terminal yards and the 

 lack of good judgment in not placing embargoes sooner and the 

 general inadequate terminals in New Tork. 



As to remedies Mr. Freer said that there should be a continuance 

 of the embargoes until there is a complete clean up of the present 

 accumulation and the use of better judgment in placing embargoes 

 in the future. He advocated a more uniform performance in the 

 movement of export freight from interior points to the seaboard. The 

 exporters should furnish the railroads with accurate information, 

 where export freight is handled on domestic bill of lading as to 

 the country for which the lumber is destined, and where known, the 

 date of sailing of the vessel. He also urged the giving of prompt 

 disposition orders to the carriers on the arrival of freight and where 

 the freight is to be forwarded via a vessel under a deferred sailing, 

 the storage of such freight within the lighterage limits to await the 

 sailing of the vessel, instead of holding it in the carrier's cars. Mr. 



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