HARDWOOD RECORD 



In his little green cap and his suit of gray 



tweed? 

 'lis the man that looks like the Kaiser ! 

 Who is the man that corrects our "exams" — 

 Tells us our papers are not worth two damns — 

 Saying our answers are nothing but shams? 

 'Tis the man that looks like the Kaiser! 



Who is the man on the horse named Punch, 

 Riding along at the head of the bunch, 

 Don't give us time to eat any lunch? 

 'Tis the man that looks like the Kaiser : 

 Who is the man that rides so well^ 

 Where he is going you never can tell. 

 And if you ask him, it's straight to — well, 

 'Tis the man that looks like the Kaiser ! 



Conference on Trade Ethics, 



On June 19, 1908, at the Hotel Plaza, Min- 

 neapolis, was held a remarkable conference 

 of all branches of the lumber trade of this 

 country for the purpose of considering the 

 ■various conditions now prevailing in the 

 industry and a discussion of relations of 

 manufacturers and shippers with each other 

 and with their customers. The gathering 

 had as its definite object the adoption of a 

 provisional set of rules of lumber trade eth- 

 ics which should be presented by the ac- 

 credited delegates to their respective asso- 

 ciations for consideration and action. 



The call which inaugurated the movement, 

 and which was sent out to the manufactur- 

 ers', retailers' and wholesalers' associations, 

 as well as to special organizations embracing 

 various distinct branches of the industry, 

 was as follows: 

 To all Lumbermen's Associations in the United 



States : 



Pursuant to instructions and authorization of 

 joint conference of lumber manufacturers, whole- 

 salers and retailers held at Tacoma, Wash., 

 March 2, 1908. when partial recommendations 

 for the guidance of the trade were formulated, 

 we. the undersigned, do hereby call a national 

 conference to be held at Minneapolis. Minn., 

 June in-20. 1908. These dates immediately fol- 

 low the adjournment of the convention of the 

 National Lumber Manufacturers' Association. 

 The specified place of meeting in Minneapolis 

 will be announced later. 



The purpose of this gathering Is to secure 

 such an expression of opinion of the trade on the 

 questions discussed as shall constitute a code 

 practicable for universal adoption. 



It is proposed that subjects for consideration 

 shall be set forth in the shape of resolutions, 

 which when indorsed by the conference shall 

 appear in such form as to be suitable for con- 

 sideration of all trade organizations with a view 

 to their acceptance and use in general practice. 



Your association is cordially invited to send 

 three accredited delegates to this conference, who 

 may participate in its proceedings and who will 

 report the results of the labors of this gathering 

 to your organization for approval. 



Please advise the secretary as to your decis- 

 ion. Your truly, 



George E. Merrill. 



Chairman. 

 Ar B. Wastell, 

 Secretary of Tacoma Conference. 



Portland. Ore., April 14, 1008. 



N. B. — It should be understood that this con- 

 ference is to be provisional in character, and its 

 findings will be subject to Indorsement or amend- 

 ment by the organizations represented. 



Messrs. Merrill and "Wastell were selected 

 as temporary chairman and secretary re- 

 spectively. Eepresentatives of thirty asso- 

 ciations attended the conference, as did also , 

 a special agent of the United States Bureau 

 of Corporations, by invitation; and great 

 enthusiasm and harmony characterized it 

 throughout. After three sessions, and a 

 large amount of earnest, conscientious work 

 both in committees and on the floor, the fol- 

 lowing code was adopted for presentation 

 to the various organizations represented: 



1. (a) All orders taken by personal solicita- 

 tion should be in writing and should be signed 

 or acknowledged by both the buyer and the 

 seller or by the authorized agent of each, (b) 

 All oral or telephone orders or conversations 

 relative to such orders, should be promptly ac- 



knowledged or confirmed, otherwise there will 

 be no evidence to hold either party, (c) With 

 mail or telegraph orders the original order 

 received from a buyer should be considered the 

 contract and all settlements should be made 

 upon the basis of the same, unless the buyer 

 permits the seller to make certain changes which 

 may be requested in acknowledging the order. 

 If shipment is made before the buyer grants 

 such permission, or is able to instruct the mills, 

 settlement should be made on the basis of the 

 buyer's original order, or such amendments or 

 additions as may have been made. (d) Any 

 changes or additions should be agreeable to 

 both buyer and seller. 



2. All orders should be complete, explicit 

 and should specify the grades, terms and con- 

 ditions of sale. 



3. An order or contract should be considered 

 binding when toe same has been duly signed 

 by both buyer and seller or legally authorized 

 agents of either party or acknowledged by the 

 same. Such acknowledgment should be sent to 

 buyer immediately upon receipt of order and 

 in due course of mall. Failure to send such 

 acknowledgment should release the buyer from 

 his order obligation. 



4. No commission man, unless specially au- 

 thorized, should be regarded as having the 

 authority to bind any seller on orders taken 

 by him, and all such orders should not be re- 

 garded as binding upon the sellers until the 

 same have been acknowledged by them as duly 

 accepted orders. 



5. The latest grade names adopted by the 

 different lumber associations should always be 

 used in writing up each and every order or con- 

 tract. Where the latest grades names are not 

 used, or improper abbreviations are used, or 

 any omissions cause a misunderstanding result- 

 ing in loss, it should be held that the party 

 first writing up the order should be responsible 

 and should sustain any loss incurred by reason 

 of such errors or omissions. 



6. In cases where the terms or conditions 

 of the sale are not specified on the face of 

 the order the following terms should govern : 

 The consignee to pay freight, balance net cash, 

 60 days from date of invoice. Providing the 

 buyer desires to discount he may deduct 2 per 

 cent from the net amount after arrival of car 

 as shown by expense bill. No discount should 

 be allowed after 30 days from date of invoice. 

 Non-arrival of goods within 30 days is no ex- 

 cuse for failure to remit. If buyer wishes to 

 take discount, freight can be estimated and 

 reasonable deduction made for probable short- 

 age or Improper grades. Should any shipment 

 upon which cash has been advanced, or discount 

 has been taken, on arrival at destination, not 

 be acceptable for legitimate reasons to buyers, 

 or satisfactory adjustment cannot be made as 

 to the acceptance of the stock, buyer should 

 have a right to demand return of such money 

 as he has paid, before allowing the shipment 

 to be moved or disposed of elsewhere. The 

 term of sale should be considered as much a 

 part of the contract as the price at which the 

 stock Is purchased. 



7. The seller should not be held responsible 

 for delays incident to transportation beyond 

 his control, unless otherwise specifically agreed. 



8. When definite time of shipment is speci- 

 fied, failure to ship within said time should 

 permit the buyer to cancel the order by wire. 



9. Where definite date of shipment is not 

 specified on the order, the buyer should not 

 be entitled to cancel such orders inside of 30 

 days from the date of the order, without the 

 consent of the seller. 



10. The seller should be protected in all 

 cases where special stock has been manufac- 

 tured, or worked to apply on the order, pro- 

 viding the buyer is notified promptly what such 

 charge or loss will be on the part of the seller, 

 if not allowed to ship out such portions as may 

 have been worked to apply on the order, with 

 the further understanding that shipment can 

 be made within 3 days, but the buyer should 

 not be bound to accept the shipment if it can- 

 not be loaded within the 3 days, regardless of 

 the circumstances which may prevent the seller 

 from so doing. 



11. No order should be cancelled after the 

 same is loaded on the car, provided, however, 

 that it has been filled in accordance with the 

 contract between buyer and seller, except as 

 to date of shipment. 



12. Unless the buyer is rated and in good 

 standing as shown by the well known credit 

 agencies, no order should be binding upon a 

 seller until such credit and good standing shall 

 have been satisfactorily proved to the seller. 



13. Transit and storage shipments should 

 be subject to the rules applying to direct ship- 

 ments, except as otherwise stated and agreed 

 to at the time of giving and accepting the 

 order. Invoices for transit cars should bear 

 the date of diversion. Where a specific carload 

 is ordered no other car should be substituted 

 without consent of the buyer. It should be the 

 duty of the seller to advise the buyer at the 

 time the order for the transit car is accepted 

 as to whether shipment is actually in transit 

 or in storage at some intermediate noint be- 

 tween original shipping point and ultimate des- 

 tination, and to give the purchaser all the in- 

 formation in his possession regarding the pres- 

 ent location and movement of the shipment in 

 order to avoid misunderstanding. 



Arbitration. 



14. Except when inspection is provided for 

 by association inspection bureaus, claims on 

 grades, also differences regarding contracts, 

 should be settled by arbitration on request of 

 the parties interested. 



Whenever a case for arbitration arises one 

 referee should be appointed by the president of 

 the retailers' association in whose territory the 

 claimant resides, and a second referee should 

 be appointed by the manufacturers' or the 

 wholesalers' association covering the district in 

 which the shipment originated. Said referees 

 as appointed should have the option to appoint 

 a third referee and all referees should be ap- 

 pointed with due consideration to convenience 

 and expense. The expense of such arbitration 

 should be paid pro rata as the fault may ap- 

 pear. Arbitration methods should be employed 

 wherever possible In the settlement of all mat- 

 ters in dispute. 



A written statement of the findings in each 

 case shbuld be made by the referees, and their 

 findings should be final. Copies should be sent 

 to the secretaries of each of the organizations 

 through which the referees were appointed. 



15. In the matter of costs of Inspections 

 made by association inspection bureaus on lum- 

 ber, the grade or measurement of which has 

 been complained of, if reinspection shows the 

 grade of the total amount of item complained 

 of to be within 7 per cent of grade invoiced, 

 the expense should be borne by complainant ; 

 If otherwise, by the shipper. 



16. It should be the duty of the manufac- 

 turer and wholesaler to take an active interest 

 in the marketing of their products through 

 regular channels only. 



17. It is the sense of the conference that 

 the widest possible publicity be given for the 

 purpose of making known Irresponsible, irregu- 

 lar and unscrupulous dealers and manufac- 

 turers. 



