Z2 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



A number of prominent railroad officials 

 and lumbermen met in Nashville recently 

 and beld a conference on the celebrated 

 yellow pine case and the Georgia and 

 Alabama lumber cases. These cases have 

 annoyed the railroads interested for the past 

 two years, as they have been called upon to re- 

 fund 2 cents a hundred to the shippers and 

 don't Itnow to whom to pay the money. The 

 conference was lield at the office of Judge Ed. 

 Baxter, counsel for the Associated Southern 

 Railways. It was stated that the railroads In- 

 tended raising the rates on the few grades of 

 lumber that now move at a minimum charge 

 Itat it is said this was advised against. Mat- 

 ters pending before the railroad commissions of 

 Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia were discussed 

 also. It is said the railroads are ready to pay 

 the money necessary to be refunded, but that 

 until the lumbermen decide among themselves 

 who is to get the money they will be unable to 

 pay any one. Each bill of lading and expense 

 bill Issued by the railroads for the past two 

 years will have to be audited separately and this 

 means that it will talie a small array of men 

 to do the work. 



A special from McEwen, Tenu., announces 

 that the Heath-Witbeck Company of Chicago 

 will move its yards from that place to Clarks- 

 ville, Tenn. 



The Lesh Land & Timber Company of Madi- 

 son county, capitalized at 3>25,000, has been 

 granted a charter. The incorporators are : J. 

 C. Edenton, L. Taylor, P. H. Russell, H. H. Lesh, 

 II. P. Tomlin, W. A. Caldwell and B. C. Eden- 

 ton. 



A special from Montgomery, Ala., announces 

 a movement of lumbermen in that section to 

 start little exchanges in the timber states to 

 facilitate the handling of the output. It is said 

 the smaller mills cannot keep up with the price 

 fluctuations and lose much by taking less than 

 their product is worth, and it is said their 

 action in keeping prices down, through ignor- 

 ance, results in some of the larger dealers tak- 

 ing advantage of the situation and making un- 

 usual cuts. Those promoting the organization 

 of such exchanges insist that it would result 

 in getting cars to the little fellows, among other 

 benefits. 



V. \l. Harris has lost his stave and heading 

 plant at Erin, Tenn., by Are. It was valued at 

 if4.noo. 



The Standard Furniture Company has about 

 completed its big warehouse. 



The X. ('. & St. L. railway was i-ecently com- 

 lii'llfd 111 cut down a lai'ge oak planted at 

 Shelbyvillc. Tenn.. in l.s.'ii; l,y President .Tames 

 K. lolk and Henry M. Watlcrson. 



In a lawsuit at Hopkinsville, Ky,. over timber 

 lights to a 200-acre tract there are more than 

 two dozen complainants. They seek to- restrain 

 certain defendants from passing over the prop- 

 erty, claiming that damage results. The tim- 

 ber rights are alleged to be worth $1,000. 



Memphis. 



No topic in hardwood lumber circles of late 

 has created more active interest than the 

 principle involved in the discussion regarding 

 National inspection brought about by the e.x- 

 jierlence of R. J. Darnell, to which reference 

 was nmiic In the last issue of the Hardwood 

 KncuKi'. Local lumbermen arc on both sides 

 of the controversy, some holding that Mr. 

 Darnell is right in refusing to allow a Na- 

 tional inspector to take up lumber without 

 having his own representative on the pile, 

 while others maintain that President Russe 

 is correct in his view that the inspector was 

 right in refu.sing to allow any one to work 

 on the pile with him. Two letters, one 

 written by J. W. Thompson, who was for 

 years chairman of the Inspection Bureau Com- 

 mittee of the National Association, and the 

 other hy ,T. W. IVTeClure, have been furnished 



the Hardwood Record, the former holding 

 that the seller is entitled to representation 

 on the pile when selling lumber, and the other 

 taking the view that, if either the buyer or 

 seller is to have representation on the pile, 

 there is no necessity for National inspection. 

 These two letters, as giving the two views 

 held here, arc presented herewith; 



"Referring to your circular letter of the 2d. 

 I can only giVe my own opinion and practice 

 as to the rights of a National inspector going 

 on any firm's yard and helping himself. I 

 would not. under any condition, allow an in- 

 spectoi'. unless I knew him personally, to go 

 on my yard and take up lumber unless I had 

 a personal representative on the lumber witli 

 him. 



"Tlie inspection of lumber is largely a mat- 

 ter of judgment. I find the best inspectors 

 that can be employed by the National Asso- 

 ciation, or any other organization, differ wide- 

 ly as to the application of the rules, and are 

 governed very lai'gely by their local environ- 

 ments. 



"It is true, we have allowed a great deal of 

 lumber to be shopped from our yard by both 

 Mr. Gibson and Mr. S%vift without our man 

 going on the pile witli them, but we know 

 these tW'O gentlemen personally and know 

 them to oe honest and fearless in tiieir in- 

 spection; also we are acquainted with their 

 ideas of lumber and their application of the 

 rules of inspection. But, if a stranger were 

 to come in, whom we did not know, and at- 

 tempt to receive lumber as a National in- 

 spector, we would certainly put a man on the 

 pile with him. We would do this, not to argue 

 or influence him in his application of the rules 

 ot inspection, but in doing so we would re- 

 serve the right to call the deal off if we did 

 not think he was applying the rules properly. 



"I think tlie National Association is lame 

 in not having uniform application of the rules 

 in different sections of the country, but this 

 is a very difBoult thing to bring about. 



"Now that hardwood lumber has become so 

 \'aluable, I do not think it an unpardonable 

 thing for any seller of lumber to insist on 

 having a personal representative present in 

 the inspection of ills lumber. Yours very 

 truly, J. W. Thompson." 



"We duly received a copy of your circular 

 letter of the 1st inst., which in itself did not 

 call for a reply, and we now have your letter 

 of the 9th inst., asking for our views on the 

 matter treated of in your tetter. 



"■^^e cannot say that we agree with you on 

 the stand that you have taken. The whole 

 theory of National inspection rests on the 

 foundation that the National inspector is a 

 disinterested party acting for both buyer and 

 seller undei- bond to give full justice to both 

 and entirely free from the influence of either. 

 We think tliat his theory is so.Tiewhat defec- 

 tive for the reason that inspection is largely 

 a matter of judgment and an inspector's judg- 

 ment is susceptil)Ie to \'ariance caused by out- 

 side influence acting either consciously or un- 

 consciously on the mind of the inspector. 



"We believe, however, that the only way 

 in wiiich National inspection can be made at 

 all satisfactory and serviceable to the mem- 

 bers of the association is to have the inspect- 

 tors as free as possible from any influences. 

 Manifestly, this would not be possible if either 

 the buyer or seller were permitted to put a 

 representative on the lumber pile to keep 

 check on the National inspector. The seller, 

 if he chooses, has the same privilege as the 

 buyer in checking up the National inspector's 

 work; that is. the seller has the privilege of 

 measuring and inspecting the lumber before 

 the National inspector goes on it. just as tlie 

 buyer has the privilege of measuring and in- 

 specting it after the National inspector, but 

 in our judgment it would not be fair to either 

 to allow a lepresentative of tlie other on the 

 pile witli the National inspector, and, if both 

 buyer and seller were represented, naturally 

 there would be no necessity for the services 

 of a National inspector. 



"We are. therefore, of the opinion, as already 

 expressed, that the only method by which 

 National inspection can be made practical and 

 rseful to the members of the Association is 

 for the inspector to be kept free from all out- 

 side influence, which his bond indirectly re- 

 quires him to do. Yours truly, 



liKLI.GRADI': LlIJniKR COMPANY. 



"By J. W. McClure." 



President \\'. H. Russe states that this 

 question of allowing any one to work on the 

 pile with the National inspector, either repre- 

 S(^ting the buyer or the seller, was thorough- 

 ly discussed by the directors of the associa- 

 tion before being adopted in its present form. 

 He asserts that opportunity was given to every 

 one who had any complaint to register to do 



so and that, having failed to take advantage 

 of this opportunity, it comes with rather bad 

 grace to register a kick against the rule. He 

 further declares that the inspection rules must 

 stand as adopted and that the association 

 cannot afford to be dictated to by any indi- 

 vidual or set of individuals in this matter. 



Weather conditions throughout this section 

 during the past fortnight have been well- 

 nigh perfect and rapid progress has been 

 made in putting lumber on sticks. No sur- 

 plus of lumber has been accumulated but, 

 with continued favorable conditions, the in- 

 dications are that there will be plenty of 

 lumber put on sticks to meet the requirements 

 of the fall trade without difficulty. Some 

 manufacturers are becoming so positive on 

 this point that they are paying more atten- 

 tion to the manufacture of specialties than 

 to the cutting of ordinary kinds of hardwood 

 lumber. 



The Bellgrade Lumber Company has com- 

 pleted its 50,000-foot hardwood mill at Bel- 

 z&na. Miss., and this is now in operation. 

 The resaw has not yet been installed but this 

 will be done without delay. The company 

 has issued a circular setting forth that it 

 lias absorbed the old firm of Thompson & 

 McClure. Under the new regime Mr. Mc- 

 Clure is manager of the office and sales de- 

 partment, while Mr. Thompson is in charge 

 of the lumber and shipping department. W. 

 L. Crenshaw looks after the manufacturing 

 end of the business, while F. P. Gearhart 

 looks directly after milling operations. The 

 company has offices in the Randolph build- 

 ing. Its yards are located in North Memphis, 

 where a specialty will continue to be made 

 of ash. The company has recently added con- 

 siderably to its timber holdings near Belzoni 

 and will soon begin work on its railroad, 

 which is to be built for the development 

 of this property. The oflicers of the company 

 are; W. L. Crenshaw, president; A. N. 

 Thompson, vice president; T. M. Cathey, gen- 

 eral manager; F. P. Gearhart, assistant man- 

 ager, and J. W. McClure, secretary and treas- 

 urer. 



The Neal-Dolpli Lumber Company, which 

 was recently formed here, has acquired the 

 mill of the old Planters' Lumber Company 

 at Greenville, Miss., and this will be put into 

 operation in a short time. The company is 

 making some necessary repairs and improve- 

 ments in the plant. The company has offices 

 and yards in Memphis. W. A. Dolph is secre- 

 tary and general manager. 



C. L. Willey. who has established a veneer 

 plant in North Memphis, has struck oil in 

 digging a well on his holdings. This was 

 struck at a depth of 315 feet and it is be- 

 lieved that, if the well is sunk deep enough, 

 there will be a sufficient flow of oil and gas 

 to make it profitable to develop them. 



The Western Tie & Timber Company, of 

 St. Louis, has sold 27,000 acres of hardwood 

 timber land near Harrisburg, Ark., to E. L. 

 Real of Chicago, for a consideration of $800,- 

 000. Mr. Real will erect a large plant at 

 Harrisburg for the manufacture of this tim- 

 ber, as he has some ^■ery large engagements 

 to fill in the near future. This is one of the 

 largest timber land sales recorded in this 

 section for some time. 



The G. B. Lesh Manufacturing Company 

 has sold its entire plant in new South Mem- 

 phis to Dugger cfe Goshorn for $2S,700. The 

 company came here from Warsaw, Ind., sev- 

 eral years ago and established a plant for 

 the manufacture of dimension stock to be 

 shipped to its central plant at Warsaw to be 

 manufactured into plow handles and other 

 woodwork to be used in the making of agri- 

 cultural implements. 



J. S. Warren, S. M. Neely. Mayor James H. 

 Malone and L. T. Kavanaugli have gone to 

 St. Louis to co-operate with tiie officers of 



