HARDWOOD RECORD 



27 



ing machine consisting of a wheel to which 

 the power is carried by a belt. The wheel is 

 provided with a covering of felt over which is 

 ;< coat of quartz which gives the desired scour- 

 ing quality. The quartz gives better results 

 when it is warm and for this reason a quan- 

 tity nf it is always kept iu a warm state in a 

 box near the machine. When the last comes 

 to the polishing room it is put on the polish- 

 ing machine, which is also a wheel and oper- 

 ated by a belt like the scouring wheel. The 

 polishing wheel, however, is armed with sheep- 

 skin, which is of the softest and most pliable 

 material obtainable in order not to scratch the 

 surface of the last. When the last has finally 

 I a pul through these several operations ii 



has a smooth and glossy surface, without a 

 fault or scratch, and shows the natural grain 

 if the wood. 



The life of a last depends much on llir 

 usage it gets. Some machines destroy it in a 

 short time and when used on others it is serv- 

 iceable for months. At all events, it speaks 

 highly of the splendid qualities of American 

 hardwoods that they can lie given such rough 

 usage and stand such a strain as is endured 

 by the lasl on a Bhoemaking machine. The 

 American shoe the world over is a standard 

 of excellence and in the development of its 

 successful market the last manufacturer has 

 played and will continue to play an important 

 part. 



NeWs Miscellany. 



hood, or the lop as it is nun- muionly known, 



will lose its color within six months. 



The practice of tic South Australian carriage 

 builders of Importing American parts and manu- 

 facturing therefrom Australian vehicles is firmly 

 established, and. while it wou'.d unque 1 numbly 

 prove an obstacle in the way of bui'ding up or 

 rehabilitating an export market for the finished 

 article, it certainly cannol be regarded :is work 

 ing a hardship en other American industries. 

 It is undoubtedly a difficult task to find -ale 

 here for a finished buggy manufactured in the 

 1 nlted states, nut the demand is large and np 

 parently increasing for every pari used iu its 

 construction, and practically all of them an' of 

 American make. 



High Water in Arkansas. 

 Tin' Leavitt Lumber Company of this city 

 conducts operations at Hollywood, Tunica 



'' I\. Ark The n. .'in heavj ruins iu Unit 



Forestry in Wisconsin. 



It is expected that when the Wisconsin legis- 

 lature meets this winter efforts will be made to 

 pass iiills favorable to tin' protection of forests 



in certain districts and to provide for re 



stringent laws for the punishment of thus.' guilty 

 of Btarting forest fires, and alsn a measure which 

 will compel lumbermen to carefully burn up the 

 liniUs and tops left in their slashings after a 

 winter's work. Had a law containing the pro 

 visions hist mentioned been passed at an early 

 day much of the wealth of Wisconsin would have 

 been preserved, tor it is estimated that of all 

 Hie standing timber in the state twenty years 

 ago not over forty per cent has reached the saw- 

 mill, 'flu' Wisconsin legislature at its hist session 

 passed a law creating the office of Are warden 

 and providing for 350 deputies. It is estimated 

 that nearly ninety per rout of the destructive 

 tires are started by the carelessness of settlers 

 rather than by campers or hunters. 



The forest commission is now working lor the 



protect! 1 tin' head waters of the Flambeau 



and Wisconsin rivers. It is hoped to have set 



aside 100. acres of wooded lands. To protect 



fhe developed and undeveloped water power the 

 state must carry on forestry on a large scale. It 

 is estimated that about 1,500,000 acres will lie 

 required in the Wisconsin reserve. The federal 

 government has given 20,000 acres of its own 

 lands on the broad principle that protect! n of 

 Wisconsin rivers means benefit to the whole 

 West. In the territory involved the pine lum- 

 bermen have stripped the lands of the pine tim- 

 ber, leaving a growth of liardw I, .Much of 



the latter is large bodied, but a large percentage 

 is of young growth, so that the work of the 

 forestry commission will insure the protection 

 of native hardwoods in the years to come. In 

 this connection President Roosevelt has empha- 

 sized two points. He holds thai the home makers 

 should not be sent into a barren region, for they 

 deserve better of the commonwealth: also thai 

 forests me the only natural resource which can 

 be made in yield year after year. 



American Vehicles in Australia. 



In discussing why the trade in buggies and 

 other vehicles made in the United States has 

 decreased in South Australia to such a marked 

 degree, Special Agent Hairy R. Burrill sates 

 that the objection to the American goods is their 

 lack of durability, strength and adaptability to 

 the climatic conditions existing in thai country. 



Buggies manufactured in the United Slates 

 have been exported to South Australia in fairly 

 large Quantities, and because of their attractive 

 design and appearance attained considerable pop 

 ularity. It was not long, however, befora the 

 absence of proper seasoning became apparent 

 through their lack 1 £ durability and inability 

 generally to stand up under the conditions pre- 

 vailing there. This struck a blow to the trade 

 in American vehicles from which it lias never 

 recovered. It is evident, from the experiences 



Of the South Australian importers, thai a vital 

 mistake was made at the beginning in exporting 

 to this market from the United Slates cheap, 



lightly constructed, tinseas I vehicles, unsu id 



to the extreme dry heat of this climate, which 

 prevails for four or five months ol the year, 

 and defective in other important particulars 

 Whether the trade in Ameri an vehicles, iin 



ported ill a finished condition from the hi 



factories, can ever be restored to a paying basis 

 is problematical, but it is safe to assume ttat 

 a careful in vest iga i b.n by an expert of the re- 

 quirements of the market would disclose the 

 necessity for a radical change in the style of 

 goods designed for the South Australian trade 



if any attempt wen. to be made to in n 



plish it. 



With such alterations in the construction of 

 an American-made vehicle as would appeal to a 

 practical man examining the field with a view 

 to again becoming a factor in the market, it 

 would not, under ordinary circumstances, appear 

 to be difficult to secure a foothold : but t lie con- 

 ditions now obtaining are such as somewhat to 

 discourage efforts in this direction. The first, 

 and perhaps the greatest, obstacle is the si ong 

 prejudice against any vehicle manufactured in 

 and exported from the United States. In the sec- 

 ond place the demands of the Smith Australian 

 trade have resulted in the establishment of sev- 

 eral carriage factories, mor ■ less extensive, 



and fairly well equipped to turn out acceptable 

 work. These factories guarantee their output 

 for at least one year, which guaranty carries 110 

 risk, for, profiting by the failure of cheaply 

 made, lightly constructed vehicles to retain their 

 hold on the market, the South Australian iiianu 

 factum's, using the material best suited for their 

 climate, build a heavy, durable article, and 

 charge therefor a price sufficiently high to in 

 sure a reasonable profit. These vehicles are 

 built to stand rough usage without bre.tk.ng 

 down, and because of their strength meet the 

 requirements of the trade. 



I'sf. of American Materials. 

 One other feature, as peculiar as ii i; uni- 

 versal there, is noticeable In every carriage fac- 

 tory of any size in that state. The vehicle* 

 turned out are called "Australian-made vehicles," 

 ami ibis is true so far a- the assembling of the 

 parts is concerned. Careful inquiries, however. 

 elicited the information that, in practically 



every carrlag instructed A rican material is 



largely used The wl Is. tires, metal work. 



springs and various other essent'al parts are 

 Imported from the United States, put together 

 lure, with the woodwork properly seasoned, and 

 the finished article is exhibited in the show 

 room, or sold as a vehie'e Of Australian manu 

 fact ure. There is. however, one pari of a buggy 

 that an Australian declines to buy in the United 



Stales, and that is the h I, 'fhe reason as- 



signed is -the worthlessness of the material used. 

 for, according 10 the dealers of Adelaide, the 



WOODS COMMISSARY IN HIGH WATER IN 



ARKANSAS 



section have caused an overflow of their lands 

 to an extent hitherto unknown. In fact, nearly 



II nl he property is under water save the saw 



mill. The two pictures ace panying this para 



graph are from snapshots made by II. II. I.eavilt 

 oti his recent trip to the mill. One shows one 



PICKING IT 



FLOATING 



SAS 



LOGS IN ARKAN 



of the c pany's woods commissaries completely 



surrounded by water; 11 ther shows one of the 



gangs of laborers engaged in gathering up float 

 ing logs. Mr Leavitt -ays that while bis rail- 



r I is from one 10 [our feet under water, the 



high water lias assisio.i them materially in col 

 biting limber from remote points which they 

 are Moating to the mill. In Ibis manner he 

 says he has saved fully 1,000,00 I Ol cypres* 



s ioi oak f imbet 



