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In justification of the proposed increases on lumber from southern 

 points to Ohio river crossings and other points, the Southern Railway 

 in Mississippi has submitted a brief to the Interstate Commerce Com- 

 mission. One of its main contentions is the need of the company for 

 increased revenues. The brief points out that the company never has 

 paid a dividend. It calls attention to the fact that the average freight 

 revenue per mile in the southern district is $7,246 and the net oper- 

 ating revenue per mile is $2,962. In contrast to this, the freight 

 revenue per mile on the Southern Railway in Mississippi is $2,290 

 and the net operating revenue is $554. Other facts are introduced 

 to show that the financial condition of the road is far below that of 

 other roads in the same section and throughout the southern district. 



The testimony brought out the fact that seventy-five per cent of the 

 lumber handled by the Southern Railway in Mississippi is gum and 

 Cottonwood. The remainder consists principally of ash, oak, cypress 

 and elm. 



It is also argued that the following language of the commission in 

 the Chattanooga-Nashville lumber ease is applicable in this case : 

 ' ' Protestants rely mainly upon the long continued maintenance of the 

 seven cent rate from Nashville to Chattanooga and the nine cent rate 

 from Chattanooga to Nashville. They say that the present rate from 

 Chattanooga is so high that they can do but little business in Nash- 

 ville, and that the eleven cent rate would be practically prohibitive. 

 ('It is not clear, however,' the commission observes at this point, 

 'that their inability to sell in the Nashville market is due to the 

 freight rate.') In this connection respondent shows that Nashville 

 is the second largest hardwood lumber market in the world. ('It 

 appears,' in the opinion of the commission, 'that the difficulties 

 which protestants meet in Nashville are largely due to commercial 

 conditions at that point.')" 



One of the important decisions in the past two weeks is that in 

 which the commission held that the Louisville & Nashville should 

 permit reconsignment and diversions of carload shipments of lumber 

 in transit from River Falls to Milwaukee, at Nashville and other 

 points on its line, to Dubuque, la., on the basis of the joint rate from 

 River Falls to Dubuque plus a maximum charge of $5 per car from 

 the extra service incident to the diversion. 



Proportional rates charged on lumber in carloads from Texas 

 points to Eagle Pass and Laredo destined to points in Mexico are not 

 unreasonable or prejudicial, according to a decision of the commis- 

 sion in the case of the Tilford-Hunt Lumber Company of Nacog- 

 doches versus the St. Louis & Southerwestem. 



Complaints of the Gulf Liimber Company, alleging unreasonable 

 rates from FuUerton, La., to various interstate destinations, have 

 been dismissed by the commission. In its decision the commission 

 states that all questions involved have been disposed of in the tap 

 line cases. 



In the case of D. S. Pate versus the Southern Railway, in which 

 interest on reparation was demanded, the commission has upheld the 

 lumber company and has ordered the payment of the reparation of 

 $961.17 together with interest from January 1, 1912. 



An effort to obtain the reopening of its case against the Louis- 

 ville & Nashville has been denied the Steams & Culver Lumber 

 Company. 



A fourth section order concerning rates on lumber in carloads on 

 the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis, changes the effective date to 

 April 15 instead of March 15. 



A brief for the respondents has been submitted in the matter of 

 rates on logs, rough staves and stave boards manufactured in transit 



at Alexandria and other stations in Louisiana. Morgan's Louisiana 

 & Texas Railroad and Steamship Company and the Louisiana Western 

 Railroad, the respondents, ask in their brief if carriers against their 

 will are to be required to maintain transit privileges upon logs in 

 this territory. They say the issue is clear cut and a just decision in 

 the matter is obvious. 



Proposed increases in the rates on logs, carloads, from Stuttgart 

 and other points in Arkansas to Memphis has been suspended further 

 until September 27. A previous suspension order withheld the rates 

 from November 27 till March 27. 



A complaint has been submitted to the commission by the Clark- 

 Danforth Handle Company, Cairo, 111., against the Mobile & Ohio. 

 It has to do with the question of manufacturing in transit. 



Misrouting and overcharge are alleged in a complaint submitted by 

 the Ozark Cooperage and Lumber Company against the Yazoo & Mis- 

 sissippi Valley. Numerous shipments of ash staves from Mississippi 

 points are involved. 



Rates on veneer to eastern and middle western points are attacked 

 in a complaint submitted by the Augusta Veneer Company, 

 Augusta, Ga. 



Baltimore Exports for February 



While the export trade continues to be very much restricted there 

 is encouragement in the statement of the forwardings from this port 

 for February as compared with the same month in 1914. A decline 

 is to be recorded as against January of some $6,000 in value, but the 

 exhibit, when contrasted with the corresponding month of last year, 

 is highly favorable for the reason that February, 1914, showed an 

 incomparably greater reduction, the figures for January of that year 

 having been $190,196 against $91,447 for January, 1915, while the 

 value of the shipments made in February was $65,987 last year as 

 against $59,806 this year. In other words, while the shipments in 

 February, 1914, were valued at not more than about one-third those 

 of the previous January, the proportion this year is approximately 

 three-fifths, which must be regarded as a great gain relatively. Some 

 of the items, like hickory logs and short leaf pine, made an actual 

 advance, and there would be every reason to expect a continuance of 

 the increase but for the almost insuperable obstacles that confront the 

 exporters, among them the jumps in the ocean freight rates and the 

 actual embargoes placed on the receipt of stocks by the steamship 

 companies. The comparative statement of exports is as follows: 



February, 

 1915, 1914, 



Quantity. Value. Quantity. 



Logs, hickory 70.000 ft. .? 2,310 40,000 £t 



Walnut 10,000 ft. 000 



All others 



Lumber, oak 587,000 ft. 



White pIno .'. 



Shortleaf pine 188,000 ft. 



Poplar 105,000 ft. 



.\11 others 162,000 ft. 



Shocks, all others 



Staves 11,359 



.Vll other mfgrs. of lumber 



Doors 



Furniture 



All other mfrs. ot wood 



ToUl 



20,910 



0,746 

 3,830 

 7,480 



1,375 

 1,300 

 3,013 

 3,473 

 8.069 



?59,806 



Value. 



» 1.422 



120,000 ft 6,867 



50,000 ft. 1,'J04 



8p7,000 ft. 26,482 



3,000 ft. 116 



121,000 ft 3,920 



155,000 ft 8,0.-6 



137,000 ft 6,894 



1,504 1,654 



3,953 413 



12,025 



1,118 



1.118 



20,514 



?91,447 



The Forest Service is cooperating with fifty-four railroads, 

 mining companies, polo companies, and cities in making tests of 

 •wooden ties, timbers, poles, piling, and paving blocks which have 

 been given preservative treatments. 



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