davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-03-11
Determined Effort to
 Command Fair Prices

A special from Alexandria, La, the American Lumber reports thus:
 The most emphatic declaration ex- pressed by members of the Southwest ern Hardwood Manufacturers club in regular monthly meeting here was the determination to stand together to com mand a fair price consistent with the market value of their lumber. The ac- tion of certain vehicle manufacturers who are making an alleged attempt 10 beat down prices was unsparingly con demned. In the absence of President Albert Deutsch, Vice President Ferd Brenner presided. Secretary A. Q. DAVIS reported what had been done by Presi- dent Deutsch, who has spent the last two weeks at Washington in the interest ol the club, and also on the work or the club committee that went to Washing ton to urge that shipments for the ailles and Unied States expeditionary force in France be diverted from eastern to gun ports. A resolution was adopted approV- ing President DeutschS work.
 Secretary Davis reported that he hao seen n number of gulf coast ship builders md government lumber agents in behalf of substituting red gum flitches for west coast fir and yellow pine on all specil- cations in Item 35 of revised Schedule 23, and that he expected that the federal shipping board would approve the use or red gum. Since yellow pine manutac- turers have had trouble i'll supplying these timbers and the substitution or Douglas fir has been ordered he sald gulf coast ship building has been greatly delayed. Secretary Davis pointed out that red gum flitches could be furnished at once in large quantities to the ship builders and 90 days before they could be delivered from the Pacific coast. He presented testimony to prove that req gum will fill all the requirements de- manded of fir or yellow pine and the hardwood men present corroborated him.
 The afternoon session was turned into an open competition plan discussion pre- sided over by F. o. Robinson and F. K. Gadd of the Hardwood Manufacturers association of the United States. Among other things it was recommended that the board of governors of the associa- ton agree that when reinspection is made on the complaint of members the association shall furnish to all members report of the inspection, the purpose being to inform the members of the re- suit of the inspection and the cause ot the complaint.
 Discussion developed that hardwood stocks in Louisiana and Texas are below normal and the same is true of produc- tion and log supply. The labor situation is unsatisfactory. The outlook for busi- ness was considered good. Inquiries are about normal and few mills are selling far ahead
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-03-11
Peanuts as Basis of Food

Tn studying the food situation, es- pecially as relates to fats due at tAntion should be given to the re- rnarkable growth of the peanut indus try. doubling the value of the output within one year and carrying the to- tal last year to over $105.O00,000, says the Baltimore Manufacturers Record. "A very large proportion of the whole south is suitable for peanut growing, ana what has been done in Virginia, Carolina and Texas and other parts of the south in profitable agriculture through the growth of the peanut in- dustry can be duplicated over a larse portion of the south wherever the soil ls suitable for the peanut.
 Tn the world shortage of fats, which IT becoming so pronounced as to be one of the alarming features of the worlds food supply. peanut oil can be made a great factor of safety. Feanuts are relatively easy to, grow, they are profitable to the grower. and they furnish raw material for the oil mills, and add enormously to the pros perity of the grower and to the world 8 aupply of vegetable oils. Vigorous at fcntion should be given immediately by tho department of agriculture and by state agricultural departments to- ward increasing the acreage and pro- 4uotton of peanuts.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-03-11
PRICES HARDENING
Big Improvement in Transportation Problem

From Houston the American Lumber
 man has this correspondence:
 Prices for all kinds of lumber are stiff
 fening and an advance of about $l a
 thousand has been reported during the
 last week with indications of further
 advances in the near future. The trans portation problem into Texas and Louisi-
 ana has shown a big improvement m
 the last two weeks, and the mills are having no trouble in securing the needed cars. The new and drastic demurrage
 rule has caused the dealers and others to make haste to unload their cars, but a few had to pay for their delay before
 they learned all about the McAdoo or der.
 Ship timber is being furnished the gov ernment yards as fast as it can be used and the mills do not expect any trouble along this line unless the labor situation should become acute.s The rains in the timber belt have caused number of the closed mills to start again and if there were plenty of labor in the country the prospects would be brilliant.
 The retailers over the country are kav- ing no trouble to fill their yards and there is considerable building going on. Most of the army cantOnments and camps have been completed as originally planned. but in several instances adds tions have been ordered by the war de- partment Contractors were instructed last week to proceed op new construc- tion work at Camp Logan at Houston at a cost estimated at $750. GOO. Orders are ex- pected almost any day for construction work to start on an additional unit at { Ellington Field, the aviation camp near Houston. This addition will cost about $500 and require many thousands or feet of lumber. The land for the adii-
 tional unit has already been leased by the war department.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-03-11
Hardwood Lumber Is
 in Excellent Demand

A Memphis dispatch to the Amerl- can Lumberman says:
 The excellent demand for hardwood lumber continues. In the opinion or prominent members of the trade here there are only two items which may be considered dull-No common plain oak and red gum in firsts and sec onds. There is an exceptionally active call for sap gum in the higher grades and the lower grades of gum are in the largest call ever known at the highest prices ever experienced. There is likewise an excellent demand for high grade cotton wood, while the lower grades of the latter are in ur gent request from box manufacturers. Box boards in cotton wood and gun. are also in large call, with the sup ply relatively quite restricted. Oak in the higher grades Is in splendid de- mand, quartered white being wanted for airplane propellers and for other purposes and plain oak being wanted in extraordinarily large volume, espe- cially in thick stock for wagon and other vehicle manufacture. The call
 
 there is very satisfactory demand for the hickory and cypress offered from this center. It is largely ques- tion of manufacturing and shipping, these two problems being of far great CT importance at the moment than that of selling. The latter takes care of itself and prices are quite firm. Nonessentials are being taken care of wherever possible but the lumber business appears to be developing more and more into the supplying of the government with what it needs. There is but slight increase in the number of cars available for log handling and production of hardwood lumber is still very much restricted because of in- adequate log supplies. Meantime, out bound shipments are being held back by embargoes and comparatively lit- tie of Central Freight association ter ritory can be reached from Memphis. Lumber interests here are virtually shut out altogether from eastern trunk line territory.
 Ideal weather prevails throughout the valley territory and mills are oper- ating at capacity wherever they are able to secure the necessary timber Those plants located close to their timberlands and operating their own railroads or steamboats are able to secure all the logs they want and they are producing an unusually large per. centage of the hardwood lumber now being turned out in the valley terri tory.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-03-11
Market More Active
 Than in Many Months

A Laurel Miss. special to the Ameri- can Lumberman says:
 With the pleasant spring weather now
 prevailing in the south it is expected
 that logging operations, that have been
 badly handicapped for sometime, will soon return to normal. The car supply still fluctuates but on the whole a short age exists that tends to curtail shipments
 materially. The embargo situation seems
 to be without precedent; oftentimes GUS toners will wire that certain territory is open, but initial lines still refuse ship
 ments Then again initial lines will ad- wise that the embargo to some certain
 point has been raised and furnish cars
 to load but before the car is loaded the embargo will be reinstated
 The southern pine market is more ac- tive as to general demand than it has been in many months. very large ex- port demand has arisen, principally from South America. It can be safely said some very large orders have recently been placed with manufacturers in this district, mostly for Argentine and Brazil It is generally believed that with spring there will come one of the biggest buying periods from rural sections of the country that have ever been experienced; 1; there are also some indications that the
 buying for trade in the larger cities is going to be considerably larger than trade reports at present indicate Nearly all hardwoods are in good de- mand, 2, 21s s-inch and thicker oak be-
 ing difficult to procure. the price depend ing largely on the shippers ability to de- liver. Low grades in practically all va
 rieties are rapidly advancing in price, this largely on account of shippers us- ing what cars are available to market
 upper grades during the present strln- gent car shortage. The market on gum has been visibly affected by the diffi-
 culty encountered in logging it from
 the low lands during the recent unfavor- able weather conditions
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-03-11

if sent to several places in the northl would be the most valuable of advertised ments.
 Even native F'loridians have been heard to exclaim In Front of some of these| county exhibits that they did not know| that certain fruits or vegetables taey| saw, or certain products therefrom.l could be grown or made in Florida Thus the fair is an education even to| persons born and raised in the state.
 The hve stock, swine and poultry ex- hibits have been viewed by thousa.lds| or passed by visitors and groups loiter lnl the buildings devoted to the particuiarI class of agricultural industry they arel most partial to as though loath to leave The same can be said of every other class| of exhibits-hundreds saunter from onel booth to another and, sometimes. back| to compare and study Hundreds navel acted as amateur guides, taking friendsl they meet to view some interesting oo-l ject they have observed. It is interesting| to note that children show quite as miich| eagerness to see the instructive exhibits as their elders and evidently take away| with them impressions that will last. Many progressive farmer of the future may date from the two weeks of tnis fair the impulse which led him to w.iatl may prove to be his most fitting voca- ton.
 Extensive and varied and complete asl most of these exhibits are, and large as has been the attendance the fair asl whole may be regarded as after all only nucleus around which will be bui.d- ed the greater state fairs of the future Such institutions are bound to grow. Succeeding fairs will find more, fl not all, of the counties of Florida repre- sented. Some of the counties had but a short time in which to prepare, and these will lay their plans to have even a better show in the next fair, although 1t would seem to the visitor that few irI any in the present exposition could be improved upon. As the agriculture of the state grows, so will these fairs, each an exposition of the stage of advance ment that agriculture has arrived at py that time.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-03-11
Lumber Requirements
 Of 1918 to Be Heavy

Says a New Orleans special to the Industrial Index:
 Lumber requirements of the govern ment for national defense will be heavy during 1918, it is forecasted in report of the southern pine emer-
 gency bureau made public here and distributed in printed form to- manu- lecturers.
 "We are advised by our Washington office that there is large amount of prospective business in sight, which will be brought forward as the plans
 of the government progress" says the bureau. "Both the Secretary of War
 and the Secretary of the Navy will. in
 the future, refer their lumber require-
 ments to the lumber director of the
 council of national defense for his
 recommendation as to purchase" The report shows that the bureau
 had placed lumber orders for the gov ernment totaling nearly 750,000,O0O feet. to December 31, 1917.
 Eight thousand nine hundred and twenty-one ship timber totaling 148.- 320.546 feet, had been shipped to De-
 cember 29, 1917, on orders placed by the bureau, it Is announced. Total ship schedules which the bureau is to fur nish aggregate 2ss. or s66.o06,ssO feet, leaving a balance due on that date of PIT, ,6S6,444
 Referring to lumber for army camps
 and for American troops abroad, the report says:
 The lumber for cantonments for the American expeditionary forces in France, for the army and navy, and atb ant handled in manner which has met with the appreciation of the council of national defense and other government officials. We have handled orders for this class of business to the extent of 505, ,132, BOA feet"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-03-11
Log Supply Not Up to
 Normal in Some Sections

The hardwood market continues to be largely a problem of manufacturing and shipping, selling being an extremely easy matter says the American Lumber man. The embargoes are worse than the car shortage, or the car shortage is worse than the embargoes, depending upon the situation of the shipper and the available car supply. It is encour- aging, however that the embargo situa- tion restricting shipments east is grad ually being cleared up and every week sees embargoes lifted to some points. This includes added inquiry from dealers in that section. Log supply is still not up to normal in some sections of the south, though even there the situation shows traces of improvement. The in- terest of southern producers centers around the needs of the vehicle manufac- turers, especially as it came out this week that interests represented by the vehicle committed will need some- where in the neighborhood of 300,000, GOO feet of hardwoods. As yet no settle ment Of the differences between the manufacturers of hardwoods and the in- terests represented by the vehicle com 1nittee' has been arrived in, though an interesting explanation of the status of that committee appears elsewhere in this
 
 issue of the American Lumberman This explanation, however, does not show how or why the vehicle committee is entitled to fix prices at which the lumber shall be bought, as 1t is alleged the commit tee has attempted. Perhaps because northern hardwoods are really wanted or perhaps because the vehicle manu- faeturers are looking about fox a lever to use on southern producers, some firms in the north have been asked to quote on vehicle material. Not a great deaf of interest has been aroused, though, pending settlement of the southern case. There are a few items that are moving slowly, but speaking broadly the hardwood market is very brisk and the prices received are excellent. Ar no,ncen.ent was made this week that the government will build a $2o,0000O0 ord- nance hase iE France at which trucks, army vehicles and many other accou- trements of the army calling for the use of wood will be repaired
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-03-11
Alabama Power Co.'s
 Gift to the Nation

The Baltimore Manufacturers Rec ord of March has this to say edi- torially:
 The Alabama Power company has given a striking illustration of it's pa triotism and broadminded liberality. For years that company had been busly planning for the ultimate de- velopment of 5Oo.o0o horsepower or more at Muscle Shoals, and had spent a a half million dollars or more in buying property and in preliminary work for the construction of a plant there.
 The Manufacturers Record learned many months ago that this company was so deeply interested in the nations need of nitrates that it would be pre- pared to turn over all of it's prop erty at Muscle Shoals on any basis whatever which would be agreeable to the government. It has now volunta- rily gone beyond this and has made an outright gift of all of it's great prop critics at that point to the national gov- ernment It thus not only gives $500.- 900 which it has expended, but it gives the rights to the power at the most strategic IOcallOn Tn Amerlcdn Tor vast waterpower operations surpassing even Niagara in potentialtiy, without any cost whatever to the government. We were informed months ago as soon as the ne- cessity of a government decision as to the location for building this plant be- came acute, that the Alabama Power company woud either take this step or else it would put. the entire matter in the hands of the government and let the government decide whether it should make any remuneration whatever for the money that had been expended.
 This spirit is typical of the patriot ism and the broad work for the nation s advancement, which is being done by many other great concerns of the coun- try as well as by individual men and women. Against such spirit as this in evidence everywhere, the charge of prof iteering which is being so universally made against individuals and against corporations, should fall of it's own weight Profiteers. pro-German traitors, thieves and murderers will, of course, be found here and there. but they are not typical of the nation.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-03-11
Many Lines of Industry Humming
 In Spite Of Temporary Handicaps
High Record Twentywo Million Predicted Sheffield
 ing-Many New Enterprises in Every Southern State

will prove of incalculable benefit to the Birmingham district. Birmingham, with cheaper rates to tidewater will become more than ever a center for manufac- turing enterprises, large and small. and indirectly will greatly enhance real es- tate values here.
 Sheffield and Florence, where the gov ernment is expending many millions, are enjoying marvellous prosperity The con- struetion of the immense nitrate plants is making the Sheffield district flush with money, and the fact that the farm CTS of Alabama will be able to buy fer tilizers at bottom prices will add millions to the wealth of the state every year,
 With regard to Florence, Mason Dil- lard's interview in yesterdays Age-Her- aid is well worth reproducing by way of emphasis Great preparations re- marked MT. Dil1ard, "are in progress to make Florence an ideal industrial city.
 "On account of the government spend ing $40, 900, 900 al Florence for the nitrate plant No. 2" said he. and powerhouse and dam No. 2 to be built in East Flor
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-03-11
Canal Project Is Assured

The protect to construct an industrial canal here, connecting the Mississippi river and Lake Pontchartrain and afford ing water frontage and basin facilities for shipbuilding and other industries, is now practically assured, says a New Orleans special to the American Lumber man. The dock board, levee board and public belt commission have formally ap- proved it and promised financial support; committee of engineers have agreed to carry the bonds needed to finance 1t. In a report published yesterday Mayo Behrman announced that each detail has been arranged and there re- mains but the selection of the site and the actual construction of thes canal and locks. have written" the mayor added, Ito w. H. Sullivan, of the Great Southern Lumber company, suggesting that he take the lead in the orkaniza7 tlon of corporation or company build wooden ships at some point aloE the route of the proposed canal" Oter shipbuilding industries; are in prosVct among them the organization of fm- pany financed by local capital to fliiu steel ships of $500 tons. 8f the germ ment approves the enterprise and ures early delivery of the necessary eriai.
 by priority orders it is belieX enat the canal may be completed. aso iu
 locks. in 17 to. M months
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-03-11

|ence to cost s1S,5oo.oOo and dam No, at the Florence bridge, has caused the greatest boom and prosperity in Flor ence.
 The city is going to build 20 miles of paved streets and sewer extensions are to be built. In all, s15000o will be spent. R. F. Meade of Birmingham has been employed as city engineer, and will have charge of the work. Birmingham is we'll represented there. The great trouble is to house and feed the won derful crowds coming. l have never seen so much prosperity Thousands of workmen are drawing big wages, and money is plentiful lt is a great city and the half has not been told"
 One of the most encouraging facts from an industrial point of view making for progress in the south is the great number of small enterprises under way or projected. Something substantial along new lines is being done in every southern state, as will be seen by glancing over the lists of business projects published on this page. Never was the outlook for the south so roseate as it is today.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-03-11
TO BROADEN FARM
 MARKETING SERVICE

Agricultural College, Miss, March TO- Special )-That further expansion and strengthening of the farm marketing service of the Mississippi Agricultural and Mechanical college extension divis- ion is now being made, was the an- nouncement given out here by R. S. Wilson, state agent of farm demonstra- ton work and assistant director of ex- tension, just before leaving for Mem phis with a corps of county agents district agents and specialists to work out the agricultural plans for north Mis- sissippi for the coming year.
 The new and enlarged plans were de- cided upon at recent conference of the president, W. H. Smith, of the college; Director E. R. Lloyd, of the extension service, and MT. Wilson. According to MT Wilson, the marketing of farm pro- duce, which has become one of the lead ing activities of the demonstration agents, will require still more attention during the coming year. He emphasized that this cooperative marketing is to be made permanent part of the dem- onstration work.
 In this work the county agents are
 now aided by marketing specialists. J. F. Mckay and T. M. Patterson, who nave rendered valuable SerVlce III IinQ- ing markets and grading shipping pro- duce. In addition to the field men, Mir Wilson stated that central office of markets was being established at the A. and M. college, which will keep con-
 stantly on the lookout for new markets
 and pass it's information on to the
 county agents. The plan includes the
 establishment of a market news service,
 through which 1t is proposed to give the
 farmers general information regarding
 packing and grading products and the
 general market conditions the specific
 information concerning actual shipments
 being given by the county agents. An
 other feature of the plan is to conduct
 a market exchange service between
 county agents, each agent listing what
 he has for sale or wants to buy and
 the information being passed on to all other men in the work.
 Tn getting the market information to the agents, telegrapnfc reports will be
 used more extensively than heretofore.
 Some of the agents are planning to build warehouses where the farmers
 produce can be stored awaiting favor- able market conditions
 It has been estimated that the Mis- sissippi farm demonstration forces shipped for their farmers between $S,- GOO GOO and $4,OO0,000 worth of farm prod
 ucts during 1917, besides keeping the local markets high and the demand strong. Tn addition, large quantities Of canned goods and poultry were marketed bv the home economic agents. The ship ments for the coming year in all lines
 will be on a much larger scale