HARDWOOD RECORD 



31 



sub-committees be appointed for the purpose of appoarins before retail 

 associations before the date of the mass meeting in order to work up 

 sufficieot interest in that field. 



3 — That a committee of three be appointed by the chair tor the purpose 

 of raising funds for the committee's immediate use, estimated to be about 

 $2,000, to take care of the launching of the mass meeting, and tliat this 

 committee have power to collect and distribute such mone.v. 



Mr. Barth moved the adoption of the recommendations, wliieh 

 motion was duly carried. 



There followed considerable discussion on the various recommenda- 

 tions. The date for the mass meeting was finally set for February 

 24-25, same to be held in Chicago. 



Building Code Expert Talks 



A. W. Herbst, director of safety of the American Society for 

 Fire Prevention of New York, then addressed the meeting. Mr. 

 Herbst said that in the two years prior to 1914 he was in charge of 

 writing the new New York City building code. Mr. Herbst stated that 

 most of the agitation against wood is launched by so-called uplift 

 societies which, as he described them, are made up of incompetents 

 who are not capable of following any definite line of business and go 

 into such work merely because of its elastic character. He said that 

 representatives of such a body approached his committee when it was 

 forming the New York law and protested against the use of wood 

 in city construction. In fact they went so far as to prepare papers 

 and elaborate arguments against the use of anything that would 

 burn. He asked what could be expected of a legislator who must 

 follow the ruling of the majority. He said that in accord with those 

 ideas the committee recommended prohibiting the use of wood in 

 buildings of over 100 feet high, which would have meant a ninety 

 per cent reduction in the use of wood in New York City. This was 

 followed by a great protest which resulted in an investigation by the 

 board, which investigation developed that the agitation was not 

 wholly on the part of the trades interested in manufacture of com- 

 petitive materials to wood, but that real estate men who were finan- 

 cially interested in tall buildings were as much to blame as they fig- 

 ured that by restricting the height of buildings the value of their 

 own structures may be made even greater. 



He stated that the lumbermen's cause was jjresented weakly be- 

 cause instead of the lumber trade being represented as a whole, indi- 

 viduals came to protest, and for this reason the committee was con- 

 stantly skeptical regarding the arguments presented, figuring that 

 these arguments might very well be based on desire for mere aggi'an- 

 dizement on the part of lumbermen. 



The society with which Mr. Herbst is now identified was formed 

 as he described it, for the purpose of giving fair consideration and 

 providing fair play for all. He deplored the arbitrary attitude of 

 the insurance people. Speaking of shingles, Mr. Herbst said that 

 the agitation against that type of roofing has become general because 

 people as a whole feel that because a piece of wood will burn when 

 it is put into a fire all wood is dangerous. In closing Mr. Herbst 

 came out very emphatically regarding the lumbermen's cause and 

 expressed his opinion of what they are up against when he said 

 "don't wait until you are kicked. If you start this thing, keep 

 always at it and don't try to approach the question singly. You will 

 get a square deal in New York. ' ' 



W. W. Knight of Indianapolis, Ind., first vice-president of the 

 National Wholesale Lumber Dealers' Association, maintained that 

 lumbermen are up against peculiar economic conditions. He deplored 

 the tendency to fight the advocates of wood ami to belittle legiti- 

 mate competition. 



Chairman Rhodes expressed himself as being entirely satisfied with 

 the results of the discussions and what had been accomplished. 



Herman H. Hettler of Chicago advised the lumbermen to get on the 

 aflSrmative side, as he expressed it, if possible. He said the lumber- 

 men pay much higher premiums for insurance than is justified 

 because everybody is inclined to believe that wood is the cause of aU 

 fire losses whereas actual records show that losses have been far 

 greater in concrete building. 



Geo. E. Watson, secretary of the Southern Cypress Manufacturers' 

 Association, New Orleans, spoke on the question of advertising, 

 saying that he wanted to prepare the minds of those attending for 



future consideration as to the cost of the work outlined. He said 

 that he believed the manufacturers e.xpect to absorb most of the cost, 

 but that he would look to the retailers to use their influence on 

 the manufacturers to bring them in line on the work. 



W. B. Greeley, assistant United States forester, Washington, D. C, 

 said that the Forest Service, of course, could not take any partisan 

 position in the controversy, but is vitally interested in seeing lumber 

 being developed along logical, educational lines. He stated the Forest 

 Service's attention is directed toward securing from trees a great 

 money value, ami that its ultimate aim is to make it pay to grow 

 trees. 



Chairman Rhodes then announced the committee of Jive, which was 

 recommended by pireviously appointed committee, as follows: R. H. 

 Downman, New Orleans, La., president National Lumber Manufac- 

 turers' Association; Gordon C. Edwards, Ottawa, Ont., president 

 National Wholesale Lumber Dealers' Association; L. W. Crow, Chi- 

 cago, president Lumbermen 's Association of Chicago ; Julius Seidel, 

 St. Louis, Mo., J. R. Moorehead, Kansas City, Mo., secretary South- 

 western Lumbermen 's Association. 



Following the appointment of this committee the meeting adjourned. 



Increased Rate Allowed 



TliK Interstate Commerce Commission has granted the live p4'j' 

 cent increase in freight rates to ti^.e eastern railroads. The 

 result will affect about siTcty-four thousand miles of lines Eorth 

 of the Ohio and Potomac rivers and east of the Mississippi, and will 

 increase their revenues from $20,000,000 to $30,000,000 per year. 

 Coal, coke and ores are not included in the advance, but practically 

 all other commodities are. More than one hundred railroad companies 

 will profit by the increase in rates. Rail-lake trafiic is not aflfected. 



The railroads in the designated territory have been granted prac- 

 tically what Ihey asked. A few items fall short, but in the main the 

 railroads have won the victory for which they have put up a long 

 and determined fight. Their increased revenue will come out of the 

 pockets of shippers. If the matter ended there it would be a plain 

 case of robbing Peter to pay Paul; that is, it would be taking money 

 out of the pockets of shippers and consumers and putting it in the 

 treasuries of the railroads. Solemn promises, however, have been 

 made by the railroads that the increased money going into their 

 treasuries shall not be absorbed in paying increased dividends, but 

 that it shall be expended in buying materials, making improvements 

 and in 'financing present and future business. That promise has 

 reconciled the public generally to the increase. Shippers will pay 

 without protest, provided the raUroads fulfill ^eir promises in good 

 faith; but the bargain must be carried out in full if the public is 

 to receive its share of the benefits. 



The lumber interests of the country will pay a large share of the 

 increased freights. They have a right to expect returns in the form 

 of orders for crossties, bridge timber, trestle stock, lumber for plat- 

 forms, stations, fences along rights of way, molds or casing for con- 

 crete work, scaffolds and numerous other bills of lumber. Other 

 returns are expected to come indirectly. More metal for rails will 

 be needed, more machinery, cars, locomotives' and general supplies 

 and money must be expended for their manufacture, and when money 

 is put in circulation some of it will find its way to the lumber camps, 

 saw mills and woodworking factories. 



The railroads have claimed that the allowance of the increased 

 rate will make easy the borrowing of money in large amounts to 

 carry out improvements. If their hopes in that direction materialize 

 a great deal more money will be put in circulation than will be pro- 

 vided by increased rates alone. That is the greatest promise wliich 

 the railroads hold out to the public. It means that for every dollar 

 paid to railroads as increased freight they will be able to spend 

 ten dollars in purchases and labor. Evidently the Intei'state Com- 

 merce Commission was influenced by that argument when the decision 

 was reached to grant the increase. The same argument will hold for 

 the western roads, and their application for increased rates is already 

 before the commission, and it is considered probable that it will be 

 allowed. 



