32 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



acres of high-grade timber on Kum creelc ou the Guyan valley 

 division of the Baltimore & Ohio in West Virginia. It is exiseeted 

 that this piece of timber will cut about 60,000,000 feet of 

 lumber. The company also owns another tract of timber on Buffalo 

 creek on the same division of the Baltimore & Ohio. This will 

 cut in the neighborhood of 6,000,000 feet. All this timber will be 

 shipped by rail to the company's Huntington mill. It is all virgin 

 timber and high-class stulf, and consists of about one-third^ poplar 

 and the balance oak, chestnut, ash, basswood and hickory. The 

 Huntington mill will cut in the neighborhood of 35,000 feet a day, 

 and it is the plan of the Hewit company to specialize in oak bills, 

 ear stock, bridge timbers, switch ties, etc., in addition to all grades 

 and thicknesses of southern hardwood lumber. In addition to the 

 Huntington mill, the Hewit company has two mills on the Norfolk 

 & Western, bringing the daily output up to about 75,000 feet. It 

 also handles the output of two large mills in the South manufac- 

 turing oak and poplar. D. E. Hewit, head of the concern, has 

 been in the lumber business for the past twenty-five years. Before 

 going to West Virginia, seven years ago, he was connected with 

 Wilcox & Co. in Pennsylvania. 



The Hutchinson Lumber Company is headed by R. L. Hutchinson, 

 as president, while W. H. Locke is secretary. The business has 

 been running on the present basis for about four years, and has 

 already established a high-class reputation at producing and con- 

 suming ends of the trade. The Hutchinson company handles about 

 two-thirds of stock of its own manufacture, and wholesales the rest 

 of the 1,000,000 feet handled monthly, consisting entirely of hard- 

 woods. The company owns its own timber and contracts for the- 

 cutting at the mills at Logan and Xaugatuek, W. Va. It has a 

 great many thousands of dollars invested in virgin growth stand- 

 ing timber that will keep it running for a long time. 

 « C. S. Brown, with offices in the Eobson-Prichard building, is a 

 successful wholesaler of anything and everything in hardwood 

 lumber. He bases his success to familiarizing himself with the 

 exact needs of his trade and delivering what he promises to. Mr. 

 Brown was formerly associated with the Taylor-Brown Timber 

 Company, but for the past year has operated under his own name. 

 He has unusually good facilities for getting hold of almost any 



kind of lumber and delivering without delay. Recently he doubled 

 his office force and office capacity, and is reckoned as one of 

 Huntington 's leading lumbermen. 



The oldest concern in connection with the production of forest 

 products in Huntington is the Central Veneer Couipan}'. Willian> 

 Seiber, its active manager and proprietor, came to Huntington 

 in 1894 to superintend the erection and operation of a new veneer 

 plant which was about to be constructed in Huntington. In 1S95- 

 this concern was incorporated as the Southern Veneer Company. 

 Mr. Seiber landed in Huntington with flftecn cents in his pocket, 

 but two years after had progressed to such an extent that he was- 

 able to purchase all the other interests in the Southern Veneer 

 Company and to start in business for himself on the present basis. 

 He began his education in the veneer business in Cincinnati 

 with the old E. D. Albro Company. In the present plant he 

 originally cut drawer bottoms, but within two years commenced the 

 production of crossbanding, and is now manufacturing it almost 

 exclusively. Last summer the company started cutting rotary 

 mahogany veneers, and will incorpoi'ate this branch as a regular 

 feature of the business. Mr. Seiber has planned to install a new 

 rotary machine in May or June in addition to the two that he- 

 already has. He will also install a modern, quick veneer drier, and 

 estimates that his total output per day, when his new equipiiiont 

 is entirely installed, will be 175,000 feet. 



The Peytona Lumber Company, Inc., was organized on August 

 5, 1905. It has been operating on the present site only since 

 December, 1911, prior to which the mill was located at Peytona, 

 W. Va. The company's present mill is an 8-foot band, sawing 

 between forty and fifty thousand feet a day. The Peytona Lumber 

 Company owns its own timber, consisting of 14,000 acres in Logan 

 county, West Virginia, from which log deliveries are made by rail 

 in special ears consigned via the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway. In 

 addition to this timber the company owns 6,000 acres in Nicholas 

 county. Both these tracts predominate in soft yellow poplar, white 

 oak, ash and basswood. E. K. Mahau is secretary and general 

 manager of the company; W. E. Smith, vice-president, and Green 

 Smith, formerly of the Smith Brothers Company, Hugheston, W. 

 Va., treasurer. 



' 'im';^wMroi^a^mi)606m!)tii>iTOi)irafc^^ 



Meeting Michigan Manufacturers 



.\t the Pontchartrain hotel, Detroit, on Friday, April 19, oc- 

 curred the quarterly meeting of the Michigan Hardwood Manu- 

 facturers' Association. President Charles A. Bigelow presided. 

 There were present about forty of the sixty four manufacturers 

 allied with this association, who were represented by one or more 

 members, and the attendance was about the usual number. 



The secretary read the minutes of the January 25 meeting, which 

 were approved, and then read a report as follows, which was 

 also approved. 



Secretary's Report 



Another quarter lias rolled around and we meet to^etlier today to 

 consider the interests surroundinK the lumlier trade, viewed not onl.v 

 from the manufiictuvcr's standpoint, luit also from the standpoint of the 

 other fellow. 



Man.v manufacturers in speaking of Ihe outlook of business condi- 

 tions this year as compared with last, believe they are fully as Kood as 

 last year, and in some respects better. Our marliet conditions committee 

 will report fully ou this subject. 



The forest lire protective committee of our association met in Bay City, 

 Feb. 14, and after considering the needs of members along this line, en- 

 gaged Charles F. Hiekok of Grand Maries as chief warden of the Forest 

 Fire Protective Department of the Michigan Hardwood Manufacturers' 

 Association. The committee had no time to bring this matter before the 

 members as it was deemed imperative (hat this work be started at once 

 in order to be prepared at the opening of the danger season this spring. 

 Mr, Hicltok has established headquarters at Gaylord. and a special report 

 on this subject will be made by the chairman of that committee, 



l'"or a period of three and one-half years members of this association 

 and other manufacturers shipping lumber and tiooring to Pacific coast 

 terminals have been trying to obtain a T.'j-cent rate as against an S.">-cent 



rate that applied from this territory prior to April 1. 11)12. They 

 endeavored to obtain relief through the Michigan railroads, who. while 

 recognizing we were entitled to such a rate, were powerless to hel|) us 

 and referred us to the trans-continental railroads. The subject was 

 taken up with the latter but we were told that inasmuch as the Intersate 

 Commerce Commission had established the basis, they would not make any 

 changes in the rates. We were, thereto're. compelled to file complaint with 

 the Interstate Commerce Commission, which we did in May, 1009, and 

 March 24, 1910. the commission sent an examiner to Cadillac, who heard 

 the case on their account. -Attorney Percy argued our case orally before 

 the entire commission on Nov. 10. 1010. and Feb. 19, 1912, we received 

 notice from the commission of its decision in the case, allowing an 

 SO-cent rate on south and west of a line drawn from Muskegon to Saginaw 

 valley. West Bay City, Vassar, Port Huron, Detroit and Toledo, which 

 ' only served a small proportion of the interests involved because of its 

 seeming lack of knowledge of the geography of Michigan. We then peti- 

 tioned the commission for reopening of the ease, and are still contending 

 for the 75-cent rate. In the meanwhile, the railroads, seemingly welt 

 pleased with the decision rendered by the commission, placed the SO-cent 

 rate in effect from all the lower Michigan territory. We have received 

 some criticism regarding our antagonizing the railroads on account of this 

 case from one or tw^o parties, but believe we are right in carrying the case 

 through to a definite decision, and wish' to state that we have not 

 antagonized the railroads in so doing, as most of them have recognized 

 the justice of our position in the matter and have felt wi- should have 

 relief. 



The subject of transit lumber has recently engaged the attention of the 

 Inti rstate Comm'-rce Commission, who reojumed hearing on the question 

 at Washington, D. C. March 28, 1012. where lumber intiM-.-sts from the 

 East. South, Central West and West were present. In addillim to the rail- 

 roads who were interested in this subject were lumbermen from Buffalo. 

 Grand Rapids, Saginaw Valley, Memphis, Chattanooga and other points 

 that were specially interested in handling lumber on the transit basis. 



