HARDWOOD RECORD 



Manufa<;turers' Association, Chicago, and 

 J. C. Knox, secretary of the Michigan Hard- 

 wood Manufacturers' Association, Cadillac, 

 Mich. The other members of the commit- 

 tee were: W. B. Conkey, Chicago, chairman; 

 A. B. Brandier, Louisville: E. E. Williamson, 



Cincinnati; B. H. O'Meara, Cedar Eapids, 

 Iowa; L. B. Hall, Cleveland; Charles S. 

 Jones, Peoria, 111.; John T. Pirie, Jr., Chi- 

 cago; "W. H. Duncan, Terre Haute; Irving 

 T. Bush, New York; E. W. Seed, Columbus, 

 Ohio; Ira S. Bassett, Pittsburg; W. J. 



Buchanan, Duluth; W. A. Vawter, Chicago; 

 H. G. Wilson, Kansas City; E. L. Waggner, 

 St. Louis; E. M. Wayne, Delavan, 111.; E. 

 M. Wassmuth, Eoanoke, Ind.; F. W. Boltz, 

 Cleveland; Albert Kuhlmey, Chicago; George 

 Dietrich, Rochester, N. Y. 



The RooseVelt Conservation Conference, 



"The as-semblage was unique; it was a gathering of men of all political parties; its dominant note was vigorous, constructive, achieving 

 Americanism— the spirit which rides over all party lines and disregards all petty prejudices; the spirit which shows how close together, shoulder 

 to shoulder, stand all sections; the spirit which has small patience with a Congress which hangs back and refuses to keep step with the pace of 

 progress which the country is setting; the spirit which recognizes there are difficulties in the way, such as property and state rights, but which 

 is determined these shall be overcome to the end that forests and streams and soils and all other resources shall receive all the protection which 

 the aroused scientific foresight and energy of the people can provide!" 



In these potent words of an eyewitness to 

 the inspiring event which took place at our 

 nation's capital last week, are summed up 

 all the harmony, all the progress, all the 

 judgment, all the action, all the good, which 

 characterized one of the most unique con- 

 ferences ever assembled, and one which will 

 mark an epoch in the industrial history of 

 the United States. 



Promptly at 11 a. m. on Wednesday, May 

 13, President Roosevelt, accompanied bj' 

 Vice President Fairbanks, marched into the 

 great East Room of the White House to 

 greet the remarkable audience which had 

 assembled there on his invitation — members 

 of his cabinet, justices of the Supreme 

 Court, members of both houses of Congress, 

 the governors of forty states, representa- 

 tives of all the great industries of the 

 country, specially invited guests, including 

 several presidential candidates and citizens 

 prominent in those industries naturally de- 

 pendent, directly or indirectly, upon the 

 conservation of our national resources. 



In welcoming his guests President Roose- 

 velt made one of the most notal;)le speeches 

 of his career, on what he designates "the 

 greatest material question now before the 

 American people." He referred at length 

 to the various phases of the problems which 

 had brought them together, and perhaps 

 his most characteristic remark came with 

 his reference to the Inland Waterways Cora- 

 mission, for which Congress, with its late 

 habitual delinquency, has made no appro- 

 priation. 



"That commission ought to be perpetu- 

 ated, and if Congress does not see fit to 

 perpetuate it I will do it myself!" he 

 shouted, clipping ofE the words with his cus- 

 tomary emphasis where projects dear to his 

 heart are involved. His sally took the gath- 

 ering by storm, and was greeted with such 

 a roar of cheers and applause as made the 

 incident quite the feature of the day. The 

 President showed no desire to monopolize 

 all the glory and congratulations which 

 were showered upon him for his brilliant 

 move toward the policy of conservation, 

 but paid tribute to Hon. Gifford Pinchot, 

 whose work in the direction of forestry 

 particularly is well known to lumbermen, 



declaring that it was from his suggestion 

 the conference actually originated. 



The President, finding it impossible to 

 spend his entire time at the meetings, 

 called each session to order and designated 

 one of the governors to preside. At 

 the Wednesday afternoon session this honor 

 -fell to Governor Noel, of Mississippi. 



Andrew Caruegie, the great ironmaster of 

 the world, gave the convention his opinion re- 

 garding "The Conservation of Ores and Related 

 .Minerals." He spoke of the great waste of 

 coal in furnace and lire boxes, which ougb't to 

 l)e reduced by some scientifle method : likewise 

 the waste in the mines. He advocated the sub- 

 stitution of other power, that coal might be less 

 generall.v used. In conclusion he made three 

 suggestions : "First, that the forests be con- 

 served — no forests, no longer navigable rivers ; 

 no rivers, no sheap transportation. Secondly, 

 we should systematize our water transportation, 

 putting it in the hands of the reclamation serv- 

 ice, which has already proved itself highly 

 capable by its valuable work ; cheap water 

 transportation for heavy freight brings many 

 advantages and means great savings of our 

 ore supplies: railroads require much steel, water 

 does not. Third, conservation of the soil ; more 

 than a thousand miiliou tons of our richest soil 

 are swept into the sea every year, clogging the 

 rivers on their way and filling our harbors. 

 Less soil, less crops : less crops, less commerce 

 and less wealth." 



Dr. I. C. White, state geologist of West Vir- 

 ginia, spoke upon "The Waste of Our Fuel Re- 

 so.irees," concluding by saying that "the story 

 of our awful waste Is one of such disgraceful 

 character that Its exposition to the world is 

 necessarily mortifying to all patriotic Americans, 

 but a sense of duty to our common country 

 compels that llie truth be told, however humili- 

 ating to o:ir national pride." 



John MltcbfcU, the prominent labor loader, 

 also discussed the coal situation, and made the 

 startling statement that competent investiga- 

 tors claim 50 per cent of the coal supply is 

 destroyed or wasted because under present com- 

 mercial conditions it is Impractical to mine it. 

 While he believed this a high estimate, be de- 

 clared that at least 25 per cent is lost beyond 

 hope or possibility of recovery. 



These speakers were followed by Governor 

 Johnson of -Minnesota, Governor Dawson of West 

 Virginia. Dr. Van Heise of the University of 

 Michigan, and John Hays Hammond. However, 

 the feature oi the afternoon session was the 

 address of Secretary Root, who dwelt at length 

 on the function of the state sovereignties, an- 

 nouncing that he believed it high time the 

 states should commence to perform their several 

 duties with reference not only to indlvidua! 

 local interests, hut to the common good. "I re- 

 gard this meeting as marking a new departure," 



said Mr. Root, "the beginning of an era in 

 which the stales of the Union will exercise their 

 pow.-?;-s upon a higher plane of patriotism and 

 love of country tban has ever existed before." 



Governor Burke of North Dakota was el> ■ ' " 

 honorary secretary, while Prof. W. G. M 

 and Thomas It. Shipp were designated recoi- 

 and general secretaries respectively. The 1: 

 Intions Committee, appointed at the suggo-i 

 of President Roosevelt during the mornint; 

 slon. consisted of Governors Blanchard o£ 1 

 l.<^lana. Fort of New Jersey, Cutler of li.i... 

 Davidson of Wisconsin, and Ansell of Soulli 

 Carolina. 



Thursday's session opened with Governor John- 

 son of Minnesota presiding. In the afternoon 

 this honor fei! to Governor Denecn of Illinois. 

 No decisive action was taken, but the resolu- 

 tions committee was in session all day. Tlie 

 speaker of the morning was James J. Hill, i 

 railway magnate, who covered a wide rau- 

 discusslog soli and mineral depletion. Mr. i 

 accused the average farmer of deliberately i 

 blng the soil of its richness and its fertility in 

 order to make a temporary gain in dollars. He 

 referred to the abandoned farms of the East and 

 Southeast, and deplored the fact that such r- 

 dltlons should exist, for he regards all oiii 

 dustrles as dependent upon the country's ;i 

 cultural wealth. "We shall have less and i 

 to part with as population increases," he adiliil. 

 "and, as to enlarging greatly our sale of man- 

 ufactured products In the world's markets, it Is 

 mostly a dream. We cannot finally compete 

 tliere. except in a few^ selected lines, witbnuT 

 material lowering of the wage scale at li 

 and a change in the national standard of li. 

 which our people are not willing to accept w.,.. 

 out a struggle. 



"When capital cannot find a profit there will , 

 be no money for the pay rolls of an unprofitable 

 business. Doubtless, as we grow we shall buy 

 more and sell more ; but our main dependence 

 half a century ahead must be upon ourselves. 

 The nation can no more escape the operation of 

 that law than can the man. It is time t.i 

 our house in order." Mr. Hill believes th. 

 has be»n abused in two ways, by single croii 

 and by neglecting fertilization. "We might ... 

 tend our resources and add billions of dollars 

 to our natural wealth by conserving the soil. 

 Instead of exhausting it as we have the forests 

 and the contents of the mines. There Is r ' 

 authority for the assertion that the fain 

 could take from the same area In four >■ 

 as much as seven now produce, leaving the !■: 

 ucts of the other three years, when the land 

 rested from grain as a clear profit, due to bet- 

 ter methods," declared Mr. Hill. Secretary of 

 -Vgrlculture Wilson warmly supported Mr. Hill 

 in bis contention that the same crop year after 

 year is ruinous to the soil. 



An address pertinent to lumber affairs was 

 that of President Hadley of Yale. As Is well 

 known, Yale has an excellent forest school In 



