The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-02-17

ANNND&F mAEMGA has ERtN@0 w WV
qaarter OF the civilized world, ant
everywhere Southern hardwoods are re-
rarded as the standard Of excellence.
Thirty great sawmills, with a com
blned capacity OF 500, 100000 feet. are
located IN Memphis or at the outskirts
OF the city. r,.
Memphis firms operate so sawmilli
having a combined annual capacity OF
500, GOD. 600 feet, In the producing terri
tory Of which this city Is the head
Eleven distributing yards ~ Memphis
handle UNFORTUNATELY so, 600, 600 feet pei
year, and a dozen wholesale tlrins IT
Memphis distribute $4,000, 900 feet an
nually.
IN addition to this enormous volume
~ huslnesS Memphis firms handle ap-
proximately 100. 0OO. 600 feet OF lumber
annually. produced by mills located IN
the contiguous territory.
Hardwood lumber produced In Mem
phis and territory aggregates IN Naiue
hundreds Of millions OF dollars annual
The hardw God industry is OF inestl'naole
value TO the South, not alone because
~ enormous amount Of capital in
vested. hut also because miulous OF
acrea of the most fertile agricultural
lands In the world are being cleared ior
farm operations.
TIE hardwood Industry provides reg,
ular employment for thousands OF
Rkilled and unskilled lRborers,. VINO an an,
nuallv receive approximately Ao'oVo'V uu
per wear from the sawmill operators.
Practically all Of this money filters
through Memphis.
uardEood numbers supplies n large
aNd regular movement Of freight TO rall-
roads operating through his territory
Cars which come laden with
tured products Of the North are o Sest
hack loaded with lumber forest
nroducts, which form the most impor-
tant and profitable tonnage handled by
sThs last wear has been one OF the
most momentous periods In the histoTS
az the hardwood lumber Industry fol-
lnwing the Industrial transition It9uh
war to peace, an enormous uoiIe MIIoNed
mand for hardwood lumber deNelopeu
from manufacturers Of flooring, interior
tyim. furniture, automobiles, railway
cars. AGRICULTURAL implements, wagons
boxes barrels and numerous other I'M
portant commodities.
lust as this demand ives beginning "
develop, a season OF abnormal rams ~
in throughout The soutn anu eH, eJ.
logging operations to an alarming "
tent. Mills by the score were forced 70
smut down for want OF logs. H.
Dry stpcks in the yards scared III
value as buyers from the North came
III Memphis and fell over one announcer
in their eagerness to bid for the luhoer,
The law Of supply and demand was
completely upset by the buyers lheih-
Eelves. ,h0
Zone Of the surprising features OF the
year was the failure Of the expected
rxport trade to develop. during tle
faImme months a large volume OF nara,
wood lumber was shipped Nverseas, ahu
then the export trade dwindleu away
until now 1t Is almost negligible Wheh
-u-NA GAnAaNgIa her AGO.
nomic fabric, the demand from ABROAD
for Southern hardwoods again VIII soar.
Enormous as are the lumber interests
m the Memphis territory, the rise OF
the hardwood industry dates back only
a quarter Of n century. Twenty-iiVe
wears aGo the lower Mississippi valley
was a vast, almost impenetraple VII
9derness. a mighty barrier In the PAIN
az progressive development:
Az the forest In Wisconsin, Michigan
and Indiana became denuded OF their
hardwood timber, lumber manufacturers
IN the Northern territory turned their
ewes toward the primeval forests OF the
South AZ their future base OF operations
I One by one the pioneers came 70 pat
SvhelmIug odds. Many Of them lost their
fortunes in seeking to cope with lioous
and other adverse conditions. Others,
more fortunate, stuck to their JOBS, anu
gradually laid the foundation for the
South's second largest industry,
N Forests in the Memphis territory are
heavily timbered with red gum trees
but until recent years the masnr.,ae ~
forests Of red gum were conslaerea Oh
ilttIe il any commercial value, There
was a popular prejudice against thls
wood. based upon results OF Improper
fnethods OF manufacture and drying
during the earlier period OF the lnaus.
try. Millions upon millions OF ieet OF
fIne gum timber were left In the WOODS
Agricultural lands. .~ =,
Careful study Of the pecunar1ues OF
the wood, however. has resulted IN
acIentiflc methods Of handling, whlch
.oyercame tendencies thought to be oo-
i~ectionable. Now this beautitul ana ue-
sirable wood has taken its rightful paee
among other h~ardwoods, and Is, IN TACT
being utilized for more different pur-
poses than any other wood.
MANY OF the prejudices against red
gum were removed through the acuVl-
ties OF the old Gum Lumber
turprs' association, now a part OF the
American Hardwood Manufacturers as
Rociatiou Of Memphis, Prior to the or,
ganization Of the gum association req
rum was better understood and anpre-
dated abroad than in American mar
iets. This resulted in a large export
movement,
1.-THE work OF the association in a few
wears b~roadened and extended the DO
mestic demand for red gum by adVer-
Using the beauty and utility OF the
wood, which Is now used for the IN
terior Of the finest hotels and resi-
dences, and Is being put into high
class furniture and cabinet work with
excellent results,
n The lower grades, which constitute
a large percentage OF the product oil
the log, are utilized in boxes, Grating
and other purposes where low cost ana
plentiful supply are the necessary re-
quirements. Memphis has become the
greatest producing market for red gum.
One obstacle to the complete utiliZa-
uon OF the forest resources Of the Mem
phis territory lies in the high cost OF
transportation to the large consuming
markets of this country. Few outside
Of the lumber and traffic people know
that during normal traffic conditions,
which existed before the European war,
II cost less to transport lumber from
Memphis by rail and ocean carriers via
New Orleans TO London, Liverpool or
Hamburg than II cost to freight the
Same material to Boston, and less from
Memphis To Austria han to San Fran
cisco, but such was the fact.
Thus the cost of transportation be-
Cofled Inc COINIOiiilB ldCloI III Nllt w
GRAFTON and development of this great
industry and In the utilization Of the
vast forest Of this territory,
A certain percentage of small and low
grade timber Is now left In the woods
to be wasted and destroyed, because
the costs of transportation will not en-
able the manufacturer to cut such tim
Der and market 1t except at a loss.
On some of tho lower grades Of hard
woods the freight charges TO consum-
ing markets have been more than the
net prices which the lumberman re-
ceived for his product, About seven
years ago the Southern Hardwood
Traffic association was organized, with
headquarters at Memphis, to handle
and protect the traffic interests of the
hardwood industry In the South. This
organization has met with remarkable
success under the management Of an
expert traffic man, and the member
ship o extends throughout the South
ern hardwood producing field,
Economic law are Interchangeable, and
In tine consuming plants win doubtless
develop at Memphis which will require
a large part OF the raw material now
being consumed in the North and East,
y there II no apparent reason why