28 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



beyond. John R. Walker of Washington, will appear for the Him- 

 melberger-Harrison company. 



Hearings have teen announced by the commission as follows: 

 December 2-3, Portland, Ore., before Examiner Wood: Eastern Ore- 

 gon Lumber Producers' Association versus Chicago, Burlington & 

 Quincy, et al. ; December 8, Atlanta, before Examiner Watkins : Byrd- 

 Matthews Lumber Company, et al., versus the GainsvUle & North- 

 western; December 12, Birmingham, Ala., before Examiner Watkins: 

 Holland-Blow Stave Company versus Illinois Central ; Standard Lum- 

 ber Company versus Atlanta, Birmingham & Atlantic; Chickasaw 

 Lumber Company versus Louisville & Nashville; Scotch Lumber Com- 

 pany versus Michigan Central; December 14, Chicago, before Exam- 

 iner Butler: Indiana Silo Company versus Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, 

 Chicago & St. Louis. 



There seems to be a good chance of winning the case before the 

 Interstate Commerce Commission against the increase in the rate 

 on club turned spokes on central western lines. This case was argued 

 in Washington last week. The complainants are the Spoke Manu- 

 facturers' Association of Poplar Bluff, Mo., and the Hickory 

 Products Association of Moline, 111. In a former similar case the 

 commission ordrred the same rates used as applying to general 

 lumber. Tl>e same adjustment is sought in this case at the points not 

 involved in the former case. The railroads failed to show points of 

 differentiation in the present suit. 



The 1915 edition of the General Lumber Tariff, issued by the 

 Lumbermen 's Bureau of Washington, is in the hands of the printer. 

 It will be ready for distribution before Christma.s. It contains the 

 rates between nil lumber producing and consuming points. 



' TOmj«aim !) im i)^ miiii:>'.HimiTOwtTOiJ^ 



Shiphuilding and Lumber 



Among the interesting news items coming from Washington re- 

 cently was one stating that during the month of October there were 

 131 ships added to the United States merchant marine. Something of 

 this kind was to be expected because the cutting away of certain 

 restrictions around our navigation laws makes it practical for for- 

 eign built ships to enter under the American flag. It is not this 

 which is the startling feature of the news, however, but the fact 

 that of these 131 ships an even 100 of them were the product of the 

 American ship yards and of these ninety-two :\ere of wooden con- 

 struction and eight of metal. 



It is these ninety-two wooden ships, turned out by oui- ship yards 

 in one month, that constitute the center of interest in this item for 

 the lumber fraternity. The ships were not of so largo type or heavy 

 tonnage as some of those entered from other countries; neither were 

 they all ocean going vessels. The Atlantic and the gulf ports con- 

 tributed fifty-seven of the ships, the Pacific coast eight, the Great 

 Lakes twenty-two, and western rivers thirteen. So, part of these 

 were comparatively small, being river steamers, but even so it illus- 

 trates very graphically the activity in American ship yards and is 

 apparently but the beginning of a busy season that will continue 

 through the next year or two at least. 



This shipbuilding is calling for a heavy volume of lumber, much 

 i)f it being special stock tut to order. The work of the ship yards 

 should be attracting more general attention in the lumber trade than 

 it is. There are people who might profit from it directly who seem 

 to consider it not worth looking into. Some interior hardwood peo- 

 ple talked to on this subject show a disposition to pass it off with the 

 statement that it is a trade they have no direct connection with ; con- 

 sequently while there is evidence that it is doing good and helping 

 out in a way, tliey do not take enough interest to make inquiries 

 and to sec what the possibilities are for developing trade with ship- 

 liuilding concerns. 



Presumably, most of these ships are freighters and tliey do not 

 carry the elaboration in interior trim and cabinet work that is found 

 on the big ocean passenger ships. However, there must be cabin 

 work as well as rough decking and compartment work, and this is 

 interesting, both directly and indirectly, to everybody in the hard- 

 wood trade. Extensive shipbuilding means a more extensive use of 

 wood in millwork for equipping cabins; it means paneling, some in 

 solid wood and some in veneer, and finally, it means more in the furni- 

 ture line, which also increases the volume of consumption in hard- 

 wood. 



Indeed there is enough to interest every man in the hardwood 

 business in this inci'eashig activity among the ship yards, and if it 

 is practical for those in the interior to ship hardwood abroad it 

 should be practical for them to get in touch and supply the needs of 

 ship yards and of people who get out the millwork and furniture for 

 steamship equipment. The shipbuilding trade is helping the hard- 

 wood business right now, and by the manifestation of a little more 

 active interest in the subject, many in the hardwood trade might 

 reap direct instead of indirect benefits from it. 



t!^tatistics compiled b)' the United States Forest Service show that 

 the annual use of wood for boat and shipbuilding in this country 

 amounts to approximately 200,000,000 feet. Those employed in larg- 

 est quantity are yellow pine, oak and Douglas fir, but About forty 

 other woods find a place in this industry, and most of them are hard- 

 woods, including maple, birch, beech, chestnut, red gum, tnpelo, yel- 

 low poplar, ash, locust, Cottonwood, basswood, elm and even such 

 scarce woods as cherrv and black walnut. 



Forbach, Germany, is said to have the most profitable town forest 

 known; it jaelds an annual net gain of $12.14 an acre. 



The state school of forestry at Bottineau, N. D., announces that it 

 will have 1,000,000 trees for distribution to the citizens of the state 

 during 1915. 



The town forest of Baden-Baden, (>ermauy, yiehls an annual juofit 

 of +5.20 per acre, or a total net profit of nearly $,37,.500. 



O O O 



I § (g) '^mi 



.V CHANCE Fou TUK AMEltU.AN I.U.MIJEK .MA.NUrAClTJKEU TO FILL 

 HIS CHRISTMAS STOCKING 



