HARDWOOD RECORD 



T. R. CLENDI 



Special Meeting Hickory Division Handle 

 Manufacturers' Association. 



A special meeting of the Hickory Division of tlie Handle Manu 

 facturers ' Association of America was held at the Hotel Sinton, 

 Cincinnati, April 15, following the general conference of hickory 

 producers in all lines held at the sanio yilar. tin (.r.^ceding day, 



a report of which appears ilsi-whnr in tin- i-- I' tlie Record. 



The meeting was marke.l liy i^xtifinc . ,i rn.^t n. -- in.l frankness 

 on the part of all present, wliidi did miii.Ii <•< rvt:il,l tsii confidence 

 and mutual understanding among the manufacturers. 



The meeting came to order with President T. R. Clendinen, of 

 Atchison, Kan., in the chair, and Secretary Henry H. Gibson, of 

 Chicago. i-.-.,,.llii- Til.- f..ll.i« ini; urre present: 



The entire morning was consumed by discussion of the condi- 

 tions surrounding the handle manufacturing trade at the present 

 time. The facts presented were involved in a series of plain, 

 unvarnished and unmistakably truthful statements pertaining to 

 the situation in the industry, as evidenced by the business of 

 practically every member present. 



It was shown that the jobbers, railroads and other large con- 

 sumers of handles are placing orders at the present time for only 

 actual requirements; that they are not buying a dollar's worth 

 of goods unless they were placed in advance of sale; that on the 

 Pacific coast the jobbers have established a clearing house and are 

 exchanging small lots of handles among themselves rather than 

 place orders with the manufacturers for quantity shipments. It 

 was further shown that buyers that have heretofore bought 

 handles in carload or larger quantities are now making purchases 

 in 1. c. 1. lots; it was demonstrated beyond peradventure that a 

 good deal of price cutting — notably among small producers— ob- 

 tains; that a good many off-grade handles are being produced 

 which are being branded higher; that the total quantity of pur- 

 chasing demand today aggregates less than 40 per cent of that 

 of a year ago, and that price cutting when it had prevailed had 

 not stimulated the trade one io ta I It was further shown that 

 the majority of factories are running on short time — only from 

 one to four days a week; furthermore, that the cost of handle 



production during the last few months has not decreased as com- 

 pared with the cost last year; no diminution in the price of rough 

 hickory stock was shown, and the only diminution in cost seems 

 111 li. a slight one in common labor, which is more than over- 

 li:il,iii..il li\ tlie overhead cost and management of the various 

 ...ih. 111^, I'a.ts were also presented to show that through the 

 diiininsliiiii; i|uantity of hiekorj' stumpage it is impossible to prog- 

 nosticate that the "cost of handle manufacture will ever be any 

 less than if is at the present time. 



The foregoing plain statements of fact were brought out by the 

 reading of a letter from an Arkansas handle company, addressed 

 to the secretary, which follows: 



Replying to yours of the 4th in which the meeting was 

 changed to Cincinnati Instead of St. Louis on the 15th. 



We thought at the time th- v\iit. r \v..ul.l \» able to get 

 awav to attend this meetiii-- i- ii i- > i y important, but 



find at this time that it will i ■ m.-i iiii|"i-siiile. 



For the benefit of the ni.'iiii.i-, "ill -w r you below what 

 th.i .•.>nditi.>us are in this I.Hiiin nihl in Hie southwest. 



ri.'~ I ..I I. iln- laru'.' w la. I. sal.' houses only order 



'w i':'', '^ ','.. 'i.l.."a'~ 7.'. 1,'i'i..',' !iv |.,'.'i|,i,. are still willing 



mills "ai ■a a i i > a a a few men, and 



are pavin. -ary. Our com- 

 pany is I i I ~ i .!.■ our plant Is 

 dosed (i..ui. 11,1 we find that the 

 price of lii- i, : i :i: : ^ II- .l">\ii. as most of the 

 tin.ber within i.a. h a. .1 by large Interests ana 

 tbev will not .sell an . I I.eir price. The only dif- 

 ferenoi' in the co^i a in,. ..■ is the small item of day 



labor, which is v.-ia 1 : una' that nil members of the 



ass.niaii.in will r. a 1 1 ' Mi.ii n ,.,-.< just as much to make 



iiaian.'- la.w a^ ii .li.l -i\ i.a iiia^ aj.. an.i that it is very 



Chas. D. Gates of Louisville stated that the members of the 

 association were suffering from severe competition in the buying 

 field on rough sawn handles from Canadian operators. He 

 stated that handles in this form were exported to Canada without 

 the imposition of an import duty, and cited one case in which 

 even rough turned handles had been exported from the United 

 States to Canada without the exaction of any duty, while as a 

 matter of fact import duty of 25 per cent — the same as applies to 

 finished handles — should have been imposed. He therefore moved: 



"That this association take immediate steps to place before the 

 proper Canadian authorities such information as will lead to the 

 imposition of a suitable import duty on sawn handles entering the 

 Dominion." 



Mr. Gates further moved: 



"That a committee of three be appointed to take this matter up 

 with the proper authorities." 



The motion was promptly seconded and carried and the chair 



