38 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



Kimball-Lacey Opens Chicago 0£B.ce 

 The Kimball-Lacey Lumber Companj of Arkansas City and Memphis 

 has taken office room at 2024 Railway Exchange building. Chicago. 

 T. B. Coburn, who has been at the office at Arkansas City, will have 

 charge of the Chicago business and will take care of trade in Illinois 

 and Missouri. Mr. Coburn requests that inquiries from this territory be 

 sent to him at Chicago. 



Lumber Company Involved in Unfortunate Suit 

 Arguments in the litigation of the Faepcke Leicht Lumber Company 

 versus Geo. Leavenworth were heard last week in the supreme court of 

 the United States. A valuable tract of hardwood timberland in Coahoma 

 county, Mississippi, is involved. The land was sold the lumber company 

 in good faith by J. F. Smith, the evidence showed, but Leavenworth de- 

 veloped what he alleges to be a prior claim. Leavenworth asks for an 

 injunction to prevent the removal of timber by the lumber company. 



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Pertinent Information 



Tie Kauri Gum Industry 



Kauri gum is used in making some of the best varnishes, and the 

 United States buys more of the gum than any other country. A change 

 in the method of grading is proposed, and it is not meeting with un- 

 qualified approval. The gum is mined in New Zealand on tracts where 

 forests of kauri pine once grew. The resin resisted decay and is now 

 found mixed with the soil. It is taken out by surface diggings, and is 

 of several qualities. A recent consular report from Auckland, New- 

 Zealand, says that the report of the commission appointed by the New 

 Zealand government to inspect and classify the kauri gum reserves in 

 the Auckland district has just been issued. The United States took in 

 1912 3,894 tons, valued at $1,131,782, out of a total exportation of 

 7,908 tons, valued at $1,952,951. 



The opinion of exporters of this gum is that this official report Is 

 comprehensive and valuable, but, speaking generally, the local firms 

 which buy and grade kauri gum for export do not regard as practical 

 the idea advanced by the commission for the government to undertake 

 grading the gum, claiming that no universal standard would be so satis- 

 factory for the varnish makers as the existing system of long standing. 



It is recognized that almost every large buyer of kauri gum has his 

 own special method of preparing the product which best suits his require- 

 ments. Exporters think that for the government to undertake the grad- 

 ing would only mean added expense to the industry with no adequate 

 result, as exporters generally would continue to rely upon their own 

 methods of grading, which were adopti.-d to suit their customers. 



Interesting Traffic Disputes 



X forcible reiteration of the stand of the Interstate Commerce Commis- 

 sion with respect to retroactive application of transit privileges was made 

 in a decision in the case of the Meeds' Lumber Company of Jackson, 

 Miss. This company charged that unjust and unreasonable rates had 

 been charged on certain east-bound lumber which provided for dressing 

 in transit. 



The McShane Lumber Company of Omaha, Neb., lost its case when Its 

 contention of misrouting and unreasonable rates was not sustained. 



A l)rief was filed last week for Chattanooga, Tenn., lumber shippers 

 in regard to lumber rates between Nashville and Chattanooga. The . 

 brief sets forth that the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railroad Is 

 the shortest line between Chattanooga and Nashville. The distance be- 

 tween the two places is 151 miles. The rate on lumber from Chattanooga 

 to Nashville is nine cents. The rate on lumber from Nashville* to Chatta- 

 nooga is seven cents. The Chattanooga shippers object to paying two cents 

 more and claim that it is a violation of the act to regulate commerce. 

 The brief is filed for the J. M. Card Lumber Company, the McLean Lumber 

 Company and the G. H. Evans Lumber Company. 



Thursday the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Company filed its 

 brief in the case. It is set forth that there are fourth section reasons 

 for the higher rate from Chattanooga to Nashville. The movement of 

 lumber in this direction is very light in comparison to that moving from 

 Nashville to Chattanooga, it is said. A rate as low as seven cents would 

 affect other and more important traffic .adversely, it is declared. It also 

 is stated that the seven cent rate from Nashville to Chattanooga grow 

 out of the intense competition with Ohio and Mississippi river crossings. 



Relief from fourth section provisions has been granted, pending investi- 

 gation, to the Tennessee Central and other railroads respecting rates on 

 cedar pencil wood from Tennessee points to Norfolk, for export. The 

 commission names a rate of twenty-six cents to Norfolk and thirty-six cents 

 to New York, rail and water. 



D. K. Jetfris, a lumberman well known in Chicago and in Louisiana, was 

 not able to secure the support of the Interstate Commerce Commission in 

 his charges of unreasonable rates against the New Orleans, Mobile & 

 Chicago Railroad and its connections. In a decision last week, the com- 

 mission found that the rates charged for transportation of certain ship- 

 ments of lumber from points in Mississippi to Chicago and Indianapolis 

 were not unreasonable, except in eases where the joint through rates were 



in excess of the sums of the intermediate rates to and from Cairo or Thebes, 

 111. Reparation for this portion of the haul, on which overcharge was 

 made, was left to be adjusted by the persons interested. 



Proposed increases of rates on lumber and forest products on the 

 Missouri & North Arkansas Railway have been suspended until January 28. 



The Powell-Myers Lumber Company of South Bend, Ind., has filed 

 complaint with the commission charging misrouting and overcharge. 



The Union City Hoop and Lumber Company of Union City, Ind., has 

 filed complaint covering shipments of logs from Ohio points. 



The Holland-Blow Stave Company of Decatur, Ala., has filed a com- 

 plaint of overcharge for shipments of stave bolts made between local stations 

 on the Louisville & Nashville. 



Bruer Bros. Lumber Company of Minneapolis, won its suit against the 

 Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul last week. Reparation was awarded on 

 account of collection by the defendant of a rate for switching in excess 

 of that authorized by its tariff. 



The much discussed lumber transit privileges at Buffalo will be the sub- 

 ject of a special hearing at Washington, November 24. Examiner Bradley 

 will take the evidence. 



.\n important ruling affecting the lumber trade was that of the Inter- 

 state Commerce Commission in the case of the National Casket Company, 

 versus the Southern Railway. In addition to the attorneys for the com- 

 plainants, Wm. S. Phippen appeared in the interest of the National 

 Wholesale Lumber Dealers* Association. The features of the decision may 

 be summed up as follows : 



Defendant's rules and regulations applicable to transit on lumber at 

 points on its system generally not found to be unduly discriminatory or 

 prejudicial to transit users in western North Carolina, but the refusal 

 to apply the transit rate on small shipments of lumber of a particular kind 

 of wood whicli. being a part of a mixed carload shipment, weighs less 

 than 1,000 pounds found to be unreasonable. 



Defendant's practices in respect to the weighing and billing of ship- 

 ments of transit lumber moving from Azalea, N. C., found to be unjust 

 and unreasonable. 



Transit charge of 2 cents per 100 pounds above the through rate not 

 found to be unreasonable in view of conditions surrounding the service 

 at .\zalea. Woodfin. Asheville. Biltmore and Marion, N. C. ; nor upon the 

 facts shown to be unduly discriminatory against the latter points as com- 

 pared with east Tennessee points. Evidence upon which a contrary con- 

 clusion was reached in Spiegel v. S. R.v. Co., 25 I. C. C. 71. and Bristol 

 Door & Lumlier Co. v. N. & W. Ry. Co., 25 I. C. C. 87. compared and held 

 not to mitigate the controlling effect of the evidence in this case. 



.Vfter years of effort, log shippers at last have obtained a ruling from the 

 Interstate Commerce Commission providing for an allowance of 500 pounds 

 to cover the weight of standards and supports used in securing logs on 

 flat cars. The decision was rendered in the case of the Berry Lumber and 

 Stave Company of Chattanooga versus the Alabama Great Southern Rail- 

 road Company. On most railroads there is a rule providing an allowance 

 of 500 pounds for dunnage used on shipments of lumber on flat, gondola 

 or coal cars. In practically all cases it is specified that no allowance will 

 be made on forest products other than lumber. In its ruling, the commission 

 holds that substantial justice does not require that reparation be awarded 

 ui)on past shipments of logs. As the rule involved is one of general 

 application, the commission did not enter an order, but will expect defend- 

 ants to amend their tariffs within sixty days so as to provide for the 

 500-pound allowance. 



The commission has made various adjustments in rates on logs In the 

 deciding of several cases brought by the McLean Lumber Company, of 

 Chattanooga. All the cases were related to the Ciiattanooga log rates. 

 O. L. Bunn appeared in the Interest of the lumber company. 



An important question of rates on rough hardwood lumber is involved In 

 the case of the Hugh McLean Lumber Company of Buffalo, versus the 

 Illinois Central and the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul. The lumber 

 company claims various overcharges. 



The Berthold & Jennings Lumber Company of St. Louis has entered a 

 complaint alleging overcharge on various shipments of lumber where 

 dressing in transit was specified but was not done. 



The Salmen Brick and Lumber Company of New Orleans was advised 

 last week that no exception would be made of its cars in the application 

 of the Safety Appliance act. The lumber company asked to be relieved 

 from placing certain equipment on its logging cars. While it is admitted 

 that in this particular case it works a hardship, the fact that the logging 

 cars arc used over a few miles of a line engaged in interstate traffic 

 makes it necessary that all provisions of the act be observed. 



The Lambert Lumber Company of Chicago and Minneapolis has filed a 

 reply brief in its case against the Great Northern Railway In regard to 

 coal rates. The R. J. Darnell Company, Inc., of Memphis, has asked 

 reparation of $512.15 on 107 cars of gum lumber shipped September 16. 

 1913, to February 25, 1914, from Leiand, Miss., to New Orleans for 

 export. It is stated that on December 20, 1912, the Vazoo & Mississippi 

 Valley advanced its rate on gum lumber between Leiand and New Orleans 

 from ten cents to eleven cents. Attention is called in the complaint to 

 the commission's order to apply a ten-cent rate on gum lumber, staves 

 and headings, south of the Southern Railway In Mississippi and eleven 

 cents north of that line. Reparation for excess charges Is asked. 



After the St. Louis Southwestern and its northern connections failed 

 to agree on divisions of rates on lumber and other forest products from 

 points in Arkansas and other states to points in Iowa, Minnesota and 

 other slates, the Interstate Commerce Commission arranged the divisions 

 in a report handed down last week. It was decided that the through 

 rates should divide 18 cents to East St. Louis and the balance to the 

 lines be.vond. With respect to the rate via the Wabash Railroad, the 



