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Hardwood Club Holds Meeting 



Tlip Southwostc-rn H:ir.lwi.o(l Maiiufu.t mcrs ' Club held its April 

 meotiug on the 24tli of that iiuuitli at aiiiovciioit, La., and «as 

 called to order by Chairman Albert Deutseh at Hotel Youree, and 

 after Secretary A. O. Davis had read the minutes of the former 

 meeting of the club, the meeting took up the work on the program. 

 One of the matters which seemed to spring up spontaneously foi 

 iliscussion was the eight-hour day which Congress seems deter- 

 mined to force upon lumbermen whether they want it or not. It 

 appeared to be the unanimous opinion of those present that lumber 

 interests east of the Mississippi now do not want the eight-hour 

 day, and that if those of the Pacific coast dim 't want it, they should 

 say so in no ambiguous terms. 



John M. Prichard, secretary of the Anuiican Hardwood Manu- 

 facturers' Association, was a guest at the meeting by invitation, 

 anil in responding to the call for remarks, he took occasion to 

 praise and condemn the wagon manufacturers of the United States. 

 He praised them for their ability in organizing and mobilizing 

 their forces to help the government, and condemned their greed in 

 attempting to put a little too much lining in their own pockets. 

 How Prices Were Raised 



He related the history of tlie government letting of contracts for 

 1 scort wagons; how the original contracts called for wagons at 

 si So per w'agon; how, afterwards, the government was induced to 

 urant a .$10 increase per wagon so that the manufacturers could 

 add extra dry kiln equipment, after which the prices showed con- 

 tinual increases until they finally reached the figure of $230 per 

 wagon. He related the history certain wheel contracts, of con- 

 tracts for rims, and then into the effort to find the cost to the 

 government at which the vehicle men had figured their needs of 

 thick oak, etc. He related the efforts to ascertain this price, how 

 it was given to a committee as $80 per thousand feet on firsts and 

 seconds green three-inch oak delivered at Chicago, and $60 on No. 

 1 common green delivered at Chicago. There was a graduated ad- 

 vance on dry stocks. The correct information shown indicated 

 that the cost price to the government was $110 on green three- 

 inch oak firsts and seconds. The matter was closed at this point. 



He stated that the committee told the government that it was 

 willing to furnish oak to the vehicle makers at any reasonable price 

 so long as the government received the benefit of the difference 

 in the cost to the government on the raw material used by the 

 vehicle manufacturers. 



The discussion of vehicle material in general narrowed down to 

 holsters in particular, and one of the speakers stated that he had 

 learned that parties from the North were endeavoring to induce 

 some of the smaller pine mills of Arkansas and Louisiana to cut 

 into bolsters what hardwoods they had on their lands. He said 

 that the cost to the government of the bolsters was $115 per 

 thousand, but that the northern wholesalers were only offering 

 the smaller mill men referred to a high price of $70, while some 

 offers ran as low as $40. He also related the fact that on pine 

 l>ottoms for wagons the cost price to the government was $65 and 

 the buyers only wanted to pay $42.50. He believed that some edu- 

 cation of the small mill man should be undertaken and all the in- 

 formation possible to send him should be furnished. 

 Open Competition Plan. 



The Open Competition Plan was brought up for discussion in a 

 side meeting presided over by J. B. Kobinson of the Pellican Lum- 

 ber Company, Mounds, La. Frank R. Gadd read the minutes of 

 the preceding meeting of this organization and gave a history of 

 work planned and accomplished. The matter of inspection was 

 brought forward by A. O. Davis, and several persons took part in 

 the discussion and pointed out things that might be improved. 



At the afternoon session the matter of insurance was introduced 

 in an address by George E. Christie, secretary of the Lumbermen's 

 Reciprocal Association of Texas. 



President Deutseh occupied a short time in discussing the cost 

 sheet system and stumpage problems, and others joined in the talk, 

 until the meeting was reminded by G. V. Patterson that the Hard 

 wood Manufacturers' Association of the United States has a man 

 employed on that very work. 



Tra.fflc Matters. 



.1. H. Townshend, Secretary-Manager of the Southern Hardwood 

 Traffic Association, addressed the meeting and answered a number 

 of questions by those present. 



He believed there would be further advances made in freight 

 rates on lumber. Also that there was a one-cent advance scheduled 

 to go in effect on June 1 but the carriers were given the right to 

 apply it on five days' notice and it was believed they were going 

 to take advantage of this right and make it effective on May 15. 

 In addition they have a^ked the Interstate Commerce Commission 

 for a two per cent advance from southwestern territory to eastern 

 territory and the hardwood interests were being represented before 

 the commission by his association and a strong protest was being 

 prepared. 



Mr. Townshend stated that one effect the government control 

 of railroads through regional directors might have was the advance- 

 ment of rates on logs from the woods to the mill. He said rail- 

 ways made a certain rate today on the understanding they would 

 have the original haul out of the lumber from the logs. Govern- 

 ment control meant that the lumber from the logs would move via 

 the shortest routes and in any old car and therefore the original 

 haul of lumber might mean nothing to the railway bringing in the 

 logs. It was his opinion that manufacturers could look for em- 

 bargo and other troubles in eastern territory off and on as long 

 as the war lasted. / 



Mr. Gadd informed the meeting that his association was ])re- 

 pariug to offer the government the whole poplar production, .^s 

 for white oak, Mr. Gadd stated that there is a difference of nine 

 dollars between eastern and southwestern prices, the higher figure 

 being in favor of the eastern oak. 



Furniture prices for higher grades were going up. Mr. Gadd 

 thought this was due to the high wages received by laborers and 

 their disposition to refurnish their homes with good furniture. 



Move To Conserve White Oak 



J. C. Woodhull, adviser of the war trade board at Washington, 

 has written a letter to J. H. Townshend, secretary-manager of the 

 Southern Hardwood Traffic Association, which makes it quite clear 

 that it is the plan of the government to conserve white oak timber 

 and lumber to the greatest possible extent, as indicated by the 

 following excerpts therefrom: 



We wisli to advi.se that no white oak railroad ties or white oak ship 

 timbers will be permitted export from this country except where they are 

 needed for war purposes. 



We are determined to preserve our white oak for furniture manufac- 

 turers, agricultural implement manufacture and the numerous other indus- 

 tries in this country and Canada depending on this species of oak for 

 their supply for the coming years, as all other hardwoods are disappearing 

 and as oak, especially white oak, is to be the mainstay of all the above 



lustrles for the future. 

 We believe the members 

 ite our effort to conserve 



Domestic Commerce of the United States 



An article by O. P. .\ustin. in a recent issue of The -Vmericans, estimated 

 that the internal commerce of the United States totals about $40,000,000,000 

 a year, and is divided Into the following classes : Manufacturing, $26,000,- 

 000.000 ; agricultural products exclusive of those consumed on the farms, 

 $9,000,000,000 ; minerals, $2,000,000,000 ; miscellaneous products, $1,000.- 

 000.000 ; imports which go into domestic commerce, $2,000,000,000. Our 

 domestic commerce is growing rapidly. In 18S0 it was estimated at 

 $9,000,000,000; in 1890, $14,000,000,000; in 1900, $21,000,000,000; in 

 1910, $34,000,000,000; and In 1914, which is the latest year covered by 

 statistics, $40,000,000,000. On the per capita basis it is now double what 

 it was in 1880. 



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