34 



— "Value of Kiver Improvement to (Jommercial 

 Interests of the Ilnited States." 



Gov. E. W. Ilocb, Kansas — "Kansas and 

 Transportation." 



Lyman E. Cooley. Chicago — "Lalies to the 

 Gulf Deep Waterways." 



Gov. B. B. Broolis. Wyoming — "Improvement 

 of the Hiver." 



Gov. Newton C. Blanthard, Louisiana^"Value 

 to Louisiana of the Deep Waterways." 



Gov. X. O. rindall of Arkansas and Gov. N. B. 

 Broward of Florida will both malse addresses, 

 but the subjects have not yet been announced. 



The car situation in this territory is becom- 

 ing serious. Wholesalers and manufacturers 

 liaving interests in the interior say that there 

 is already considerable difficulty in securing the 

 necessary cars, and they expect that, as the 

 season progresses, this condition will become even 

 more serious than now. There is no special 

 difficulty so far as the local marUet is concerned, 

 as Memphis has sulflcient cars. The shortage is 

 manifesting itself from three to four weeks 

 earlier than ever before, and this is one reason 

 why the trade is somewhat discouraged over 

 the outlook. 



Weather conditions throughout this territory 

 during the past fortnight have .continued favor- 

 able and rapid progress is being made in put- 

 ting lumber on sticks. The supply of labor is 

 ratlier larger than usual at this time of the 

 year, and this Is a potent factor in the large 

 production now being witnes.sed. 



Fire occurred at the plant of the Florence 

 Pump and Lumber Company in South Memphis 

 a tew days ago, destroying one shed at an esti- 

 mated loss of $15,000. The flight against the 

 Are by T. L. Green, manager of the plant, with 

 the equipment provided by the company saved 

 a large iiuantity of lumber as well as the plant 

 from total destruction. Announcement is al- 

 ready made that the burned shed will be re- 

 built. This lire was the second at the plant 

 of the company in three days, the first being 

 discovered and extinguished by C. B. Evans, 

 night watchman, with practically no loss. Mr. 

 Evans was the recipient of hearty congratula- 

 tions and a check from the company in recogni- 

 tion of his excellent service. 



The various lumber companies of this city 

 have paid their corporation tax under protest 

 by advice of the committee of business men 

 which was appointed to investigate the best 

 method of procedure. A test case will be made 

 to determine the constitutionality of this law, 

 and, it it proves to be unconstitutional, those 

 who have made their payments under protest 

 will secure the return thereof. There is a very 

 strong opinion that the law will not stand the 

 test. 



The Bust Land & Lumber" Company, which is 

 afflliated with the Three States Lumber Com- 

 pany and W. B. Smith Lumber Company. Is 

 rapidly completing its mill at Merouge, La. It 

 will be ready for operation by October 1. It is 

 to be a circular plant and will have a daily ca- 

 pacity of 40,000 feet. It will manufacture 

 cypress exclusively. W. H. Greble, who makes 

 his headquarters at Memphis, has just returned 

 from a visit to that point. 



W. A. Gilchrist, vice president and general 

 manager of the Three States Lumber Company 

 and the W. E. Smith Lumber Company, has re- 

 turned from an extended northern trip on busi- 

 ness and pleasure bent. JNIr. Gilchrist is opti- 

 mistic over the situation and expects that con- 

 sumers will be actively in the market in the 

 very near future. 



The Bodley Wagon Works of new South Mem- 

 phis has increased its capital stock to ,$100,000 

 with a y''?w to making some additions to its 

 business. The company, which has been in 

 operation here for about three years, came from 

 Virginia, and it has operated for some time a 

 large plant in New Orleans. It manufactures 

 heavy wagons, log carts .and other sucli equip- 

 ment. 



The sensational litigation hetweeu John F. 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



Kutherford. one of the largest stockholders of 

 the Bluff City Lumber Company of Pine Bluff, 

 Ark., and J. B. York, president of that com- 

 pany, in which the former asked for the appoint- 

 ment of a receiver, has resulted in the appoint- 

 ment, by Chancellor John W. Elliott, of John F. 

 Rutherford and J. B. York as receivers. Robert 

 York, the former manager, is eliminated from 

 the management of the business. This elimina- 

 tion of Robert York was one of the particular 

 objects Mr. Rutherford desired in filing his suit 

 against the company. He declared that as long 

 as the younger York had anything to do with 

 the management of the company's affairs he 

 himself would not take any active part therein. 

 This litigation began by the filing of suits some 

 time ago against Mr. Rutherford and some of 

 his companies by the Bluff City Lumber Com- 

 pany. Mr. Rutherford brought the counter suit 

 in which he sought the appointment of a re- 

 ceiver for the Bluff City Lumber Compan.v and 

 certain changes in the management of its af- 

 fairs. It is estimated that property valued at 

 $1,500,000 was involved in the litigation. 



The Memphis Car Company has secured a 

 site in new South Memphis, paying .1i7,000 there- 

 for. The company was formed for the purpose 

 of l>uilding a plant for the reconstruction and 

 repairing of freight cars, and will begin opera- 

 tion just as soon as the plant can be com- 

 pleted. 



The Agee Wagon Works of Camden, Ark., has 

 completed a new brick and iron warehouse and 

 is making extensive improvements at its plant. 

 It has recently expended nearly $10,000 in new 

 machinery and improvements and will have a 

 capacity of 5,000 wagons annually. 



W. R. Barksdale, president of the Barksdale- 

 Kellogg Lumber Company, has returned from au 

 extended eastern trip and is now looking after 

 the various interests of his firm in this city, 



New Orleans. 



The State Board of Equalization of Taxes has 

 finally completed its work of equalizing the as- 

 sessments on timber land in the state of Louisi- 

 ana, and though it raised a good deal of havoc 

 with pine timber it has allowed hardwood lands 

 to go practically undisturbed. Both pine and 

 cypress lands were divided into three classes, 

 while no steps for dividing hardwood were 

 (aken, the board allowin.g the assessments made 

 by the various parisli assessors to stand as they 

 were made. Classes A, B and C in pine are 

 assessed at $17, $12 and $5 respectively, while 

 the assessments on cypress are $20, $12 and $5 

 respectively. Regarding hardwood land the com- 

 mittee's report says : "As to hardwood land, 

 we have endeavored without avail to get in- 

 formation sufficient to enable us to classify 

 same. Therefore we recommend for the pur- 

 pose of equalization that all hardwood timber 

 lands remain at the assessed value as fixed by 

 the several assessors throughout the state for 

 the year 1007." This recommendation was 

 adopted by the board. 



In reviewing llie lumber situation iu New 

 Orleans during the trade year which closed Au- 

 gust 31 lumber exporters declare that during 

 that period this port has held its own as a 

 lumber and stave exporting center. The ship- 

 ments of staves through this port have always 

 surpassed those of any other port, they de- 

 clare, and there has been no decrease in the 

 volume of that business during the last year. 

 There is a project at this time before the Board 

 of Port Commissioners upon which the future 

 of New Orleans as an outlet for forest prod- 

 ucts will largely depend. This is the pro- 

 posed lumber dock. Exporters generally and the 

 New Orleans Lumber Exporters' Association in 

 particular are vitally interested in this matter. 

 The port commissioners are favorably inclined 

 towards the project but have not the neces- 

 sary $300,000 to $400,000 for the work. How- 

 ever, this lioard has $1,250,000 in unsold bonds 

 that it will dispose of as soon as the money 



market admits of their sale at a reasonable fig- 

 ure, and part of these proceeds will be devoted 

 to the building of the lumber wharf. There is 

 also a probability that the lumbermen will fur- 

 nish the lumber for the wharf and take dock 

 I>oard bonds in payment, the dock board build- 

 ing the structure with its own forces. If this 

 is done there is little doubt that the wharf will 

 I>e constructed. 



The Iloussiere Lumber Company, reci'utly or- 

 ganized at Jennings. La., has purchased a large 

 tract of pine, oak and gum timber and is now 

 working on plans for a sawmill with ,30.00o 

 feet daily capacity. It will build a modern 

 plant in the vicinity of Jennings. 



Michigan capitalists, represented by C. ]•".. 

 Freed, have just closed a deal for a good tract 

 of hardwood timber near Winnfield. La., and will 

 establish a hardwood mill and finishing plant 

 there. 



The Laliarre-Riggs Company. Ltd., has been 

 organized at Melville, La., with $100,000 capi- 

 tal, to develop 10,500 acres of timber land near 

 Melville. G. J. Labarrc of Paincourtville, La., 

 is president, and R. Ia^c Riggs of I'atterson, La., 

 is treasurer. 



W. A. Burkhalter. operator of a woodworking 

 plant at Greenwood. Miss., will shortly install 

 machinery for manufacturing porcli columns and 

 other turned woodwork. 



Announcement is made that the Armbrelcht- 

 'I'ompkins- Lumber Company has been incor- 

 porated at Hattiesburg, Miss., with $10,000 cap- 

 ital. J. C. Tompkins and C. II. Armbreicht of 

 Hattiesburg and E. II. Stone of Pittsburg. Pa., 

 are tile incorporators. 



Dr. J. W. Huffman of Eunice, La., has just 

 Iionght from Simon Johnson the Johnson saw- 

 mill, about fifteen miles northwest of Eunice, 

 and about 200,000 feet of lumber, part of whidi 

 has been run through the planer. The mill has 

 a capacity of 25,000 feet per day. 



The new plant of the German-American Lum- 

 ber Company at Millville, Fla., which replaces 

 the plant destroyed by fire last December, will 

 be ready for operation in a short time. The 

 old mill had a capacity of 75,000 feet per day, 

 while the new plant will turn out 100,000 feet. 

 This company is one of the largest Inmljer ex- 

 jiorters in Florida. 



Minneapolis. 



The Soo railroad is reported to be picking up 

 all the tracts of hardwood timber that can be 

 purchased along the route of its new line to 

 Duluth, particularly in the vicinity of Mille 

 Lacs lalic, in northern Minnesota. In fact, it 

 is understood that one great reason for build- 

 ing the Duluth connection over this route was 

 the desire to utilize this hardwood timber for 

 the manufacture of cars. It is expected to 

 have trains running over the line as far as 

 Ouamia. one of the new towns near Mille Lacs, 

 this fall, and hardwood mills are likely to be 

 built this winter there, and possibly at Isle 

 and Wahkon. They will probably be controlled 

 by the railroad company, and the product will 

 be largely used in the manufacture of car 

 stock. It will include birch, elm, ash and bass- 

 wood. 



Julius Rosholt, a prominent investment banker 

 of Minneapolis, is financing a mill to be built 

 at Cohasset, Minn., on the upper Mississippi, just 

 west of Grand Rapids, and a company with 

 .$200,000 capital will begin manufacturing there 

 early next year. It will be primarily a hard- 

 wood mill, most of the timber being drawn from 

 the I'okegama lake countr.v, and logging will 

 begin this winter. The company has options 

 on a site, and the business men have sub- 

 scribed $1,000 to clean out a bayou adjoining 

 the river, which the company will use for 

 storage booms. The plant will probably branch 

 out in diverse lines and will employ 200 to 300 

 men. The company has stumpage to last many 

 years, both pine and hardwood. 



W. H. Sill of the Minneapolis Lumber Com 



