HARDWOOD RECORD 



39 



now being furnished hy tlie shipper and ordered 

 to be arranged so as to comply witli Master 

 Car Builder rules and specifications as trans- 

 lated by the various superintendents of trans- 

 portation. Therefore, in some sections and 

 localities shipiters are required to stake cars 

 much more securely and at a greater expense 

 than in others where the superintendents of 

 transportation may be more lenient. It is in 

 this connection that we claim unfair *ind un- 

 just discrimination. 



It will also be observed from the following 

 quotation that we attempted to show the in- 

 justice of the duties imposed by the carriers 

 upon tile shippers of forest i>roducts as com- 

 pared with other commodities, showing at the 

 same time that while we reiuctantl.v carried out 

 their unfair, now-required impositions yet at 

 the same time by use of these stakes we en- 

 hanced the carrying and earning power of the 

 equipment : also that the Hepburn bill was so 

 pronounced on this suhject that the Interstate 

 Commerce Commission in ruling adversely was 

 compelled to take refuge behind the words, "It 

 is deemed unnecessary to consider certain ques- 

 tions of law" : as well as to show by example, 

 wise economy and conservation of resources : 



"The carriers furnish for the transportation 

 of coal specially-built coal hoppers : for coke a 

 special coke rack car ; for live stock a specially- 

 equipped car : special car doors for grain ship- 

 ments at not to exceed a maximum charge of 

 ?L' a car: dunnage for sugar at $1.,')0 a car; 

 dunnage for oil at SO cents a car. Gentlemen, 

 we ask in all fairness, 'Why should the ship- 

 pers of forest products not enjoy the same privi- 

 leges?' We offer to the carriers a commodity 

 second in tonnage, second to none as a revenue 

 earner and one that moves every day year in 

 and year out. and what do we get in return? 

 An equipment totally ina'dequate to perform its 

 duty as required b.v the classifications govern- 

 ing it. &'ery flat and gondola car that is given 



.TOSKPH A. BOLSEK, ONE OF THE IIOS«TS 



us to load carried with it a stipulation that we 

 shall load or pay freight on 34.000 pounds or 

 more and Master Car Builder rules setting forth 

 bow the car must be equipped and bound off in 

 a workmanlike manner before it will be accepted 

 or moved by the carrier at an expense for ma- 

 terial and labor ranging from .$1.50 to .$7.50 a 

 car, according to the location and the strictness 

 of the officers under whose jurisdiction they 

 move. 



"Now right here, gentlemen, I desire to call 

 attention to another very interesting feature. 

 By the use of these stakes and equipment which 

 we are now forced lo supply at our own ex- 

 pense we actually enhance the earning capacity 

 of each car from 35 per cent to 75 per cent, 

 which p\its the earning power of that car just 

 that much ahead of a bos for the same service. 

 For example, take a 100,000 capacity box ear, 

 if the lumber is of suitable size to be loaded 

 in a box car we can get probably 50,000 to 

 60,000 pounds on a car ; on a gondola of the 

 same capacity, which you all know costs only 

 about one-half to two-thirds as much to build 

 and maintain as a box car, with the use of 

 these stakes and binders we can load as high 

 as 110,000 pounds. Suppose these two cars 

 were traveling from a common West Virginia 

 shipping point to New York City, where the 

 average rate of freight is about 1(5 cents, what 

 would he the result? The box car with 00,000 

 pounds at 16 cents a hundred would earn $96 



and the gondola with 110.000 pounds at IC 

 cents a hundred would earn .$17G, for the same 

 service identically. This shows a net incri'ased 

 revenue to the carrier of ,$S0, all made possible 

 by the use of this extra equipment. Uo you 

 wonder, gentlemen, that we are here to ask 

 you to enact a law providing that these facilities 

 of shipment, which are now furnished under 

 I he Master Car Builder rules and specifications 

 as to shapes, size, character of material, etc.. 

 so as to provide safety to life and protection to 

 property and which at the same time increases 

 I he carrying and earning power of the equip- 

 ment, shall be furnished at the expense of the 

 carrier?" 



It was shown by a comparison of rates on 

 coal and lumber originating in the same terri- 

 tory and traveling to all the important cities 

 both east and west that lumber rates were from 

 50 per cent to 120 per cent more than -coal. 



"Assuming 7,500,000 pounds to be a fair aver- 

 age train tonnage, 17 cents i)er hundred pounds 

 to be an aver.age rate on foreign products, we 

 arrive at the following comparison showing the 

 advantages to be gained by common carriers 

 f)-om transporting lumber on open cars : 



"A train of gondolas would be made up of 

 70 cars of 107,000 pounds gross weight each, 

 yielding 5,250,000 pounds of revenue tonnage, 

 which, at 17 cents per hundred pounds, would 

 produce $8,025 train revenue. A train of box 

 cars would be made up of S3 cars of UO.ociu 

 pounds gross weight each, yielding 4, 150,001 1 

 pounds of revenue tonnage, which at the same 

 rate of freight would produce $7,055 train 

 revenue. With the same cost for motive power 

 and maintenance there would therefore be an 

 advantage to the transportation company in 

 train revenue alone by the use of flat and" gon- 

 dola cars of $1,870 for each trainload of forest 

 products transported, representing an increase 

 of more than 25 per cent in earning capacity of 

 each locomotive and crew and a saving of two- 

 thirds of the cost of equipping the cars used 

 with the necessary permanent stakes and bind- 

 ers, provided ahvays that the rates charged to 

 shippers are fair and reasonable and represent 

 the actual cost plus only a reasonable profit to 

 the shareholders." 



Now I have only quoted from one or two of 

 our witnesses notwithstanding the fact that I 

 leel we were pretty well represented and the 

 loUowing gentlemen all gave good, substantial 

 and valuable evidence : Geo. F. Craig, Philadel- 

 phia : Robert G. Kay, Philadelphia : S. A. Ken- 

 dall, Pittsburg ; Hon. Nelson P. Wheeler, repre- 

 sentative in congress from Pennsylvania; F. S. 

 Underbill, Philadelphia ; H. L. Price, represent- 

 ing the .Shipper s Association of New Orleans ; 

 Leonard Bronson, manager National Lumber 

 Manufacturers' Association of Chicago ; James 

 Sbi-rlock Davis, New York City, of the Eastern 

 ."^1. Ill's Association. 



We were mucli impressed with the per- 

 sonnel of the committee, the interest that was 

 manifest in our case, and the respect and cour- 

 tesy with which our committee was received 

 liy them, and while we were greatly outnum- 

 bered by the railroad representatives and their 

 array of counsel, together numbering about 

 150, we are egotistical enough to believe that 

 the impression made upon the committee was, 

 if anything, in our favor. We believe they were 

 more or less aroused with the wisdom and jus- 

 tice of our position and soweliow feel there 

 will be a disposition on the part of the com- 

 mittee to offer some relief if they can agree 

 upon a plan that will remedy the evil. 



We think it is only fair to the committee to 

 say that we do not expect our bill to be brought 

 out as a whole, or possibly as a bill, but do 

 hope that out of the many bills before the com- 

 mittee tending to amend the Hepburn bill that 

 there will be created what may be termed an 

 "Administration Bill" or a bill created by the 

 committee, which may contain a clause that will 

 provide for the relief we hope for. 



Many letters have been written by various 

 people deeply interested in this case, either to 

 members of the Committee on Interstate and 

 Foreign Commerce, or to their local representa- 

 tive in congress, asking them to bring all the 

 influence they can to bear upon the different 

 members of the committee in our behalf. 



It is a well known fact that the National 

 Lumber Manufacturers' Association is really the 

 parent organization of affiliated associations 

 comprising twelve of the largest associations 

 throughout the country and through the kindness 

 of their manager, Mr. Leonard Bronson. letters 

 have gone out to all the secretaries of these 

 various associations and through them much in- 

 fluence has been brought to bear upon the mem- 

 bers of the committee. 



We therefore most respectively urge each and 

 every one who is interested in this subject to 

 lend his assistance to the work of the commit- 

 tee b.v addressing his local congressman on the 

 subject, so as to have the shippers of forest 

 products protected by reporting favorably on 

 our bill or b.v having the Hepburn bill so 

 amended that it will provide for the relief we 

 have prayed for as the committee may deem 

 best in its due and earnest deliberation of this 

 matter. Kespectfully suhmitted, 



F. E, Babcock, Chairman, 



E. E, Williamson, commissioner of the Ke- 

 ceivers and Shippers' Association of Cincin- 

 nati, then gave an exhaustive talk on the same 

 question, in which he touched various phases 

 alread.y familiar and protested vigorously 

 against the injustice which present conditions 

 impose upon lumbermen. 



The session was then adjourned until 

 2:30 in the afternoon, 



THURSDAY AFTERNOON SESSION 



The afternoon session of March 3 opened 

 at 3:0.5, the first business being the report of 

 the Committee on Hardwood Inspection, read 

 I'V Chairman J. L. Alcock : 



Report of Hardwood Inspection Committee 



Y'our Committee on Hardwood Inspection bees 

 10 report. — * 



Recently, there has been considerable activity 

 aroused in behalf of "Uniform Standard Grades 

 of Inspection Rules," but as vet no positive con- 

 clusion has been attained. 



It is the opinion of .your committee, that our 

 association lend its efforts to the establishment 

 "f uniform standard grades, and we therefore 

 recommend that the National Wholesale Lumber 

 Di-alers' Association place itself on record in 

 I he reaflirmalion of the following resolution 

 which was adopted at the annual meeting in 

 March, 1008, on the recommendation of the 

 Hardwood Inspection Committee: 



"That it is the sense of this convention that 

 the establishment of a single standard for the 

 inspection of lumber is demanded by existing 

 conditions and when accomplished will result 

 in great benefit to the entire lumber industry, 

 and would most respectfully recommend that 

 all sections, associations and markets which at 



W.M. A. KKNNETT, ONE OF THE HOSTS 



this time hold local standards earnestly cooper- 

 ate to this end that it may become in the broad- 

 est and most complete sense not only a national 

 standard but an international standard, gov- 

 erning the inspection and measurement of th6 

 product of tills industry." 



Hespectfuliy submitted. 



J. L. Ai-cocK, Chairman. 



Next in order was the report of Lewis Dill 

 of Baltimore of the Eesolutions Committee, 

 wliich follows: 



Eesolutions 



Kesolved. That this convention endorse the 

 suggestions made in the address of Mr. George 

 H. Holt, which looked to the establishing of 

 equitable rates of premium charge in fire insur- 

 ance, and especially that lumber risks may secure 

 the right and low charge to which it is entitled 

 in relation to other classes of fire hazard. 



Further, That the appointment of a special 

 committee to act in conjunction with others of 

 like interest to ours, or such other action be 

 taken by the association as may further this end, 

 and that the Board of Trustees are requested to 

 make effective this resolution, 

 2. 



Whehe.i.s, This association holds membership 

 in the National Civic Federation and is in full 



