HARDWOOD RECORD 



SemUAnnual Handle Manufacturers' Association. 



Promptlv at 10 a. m. on Wednesday, 

 May 20, the Handle Manufacturers' Asso- 

 ciation of America convened at the Louis- 

 ville hotel, Louisville, Ky., for its regular 

 semi-annual meeting. The association was 

 royally entertained by two of its prominent 

 members, the I. F. Force Handle Company, 

 of New Albany, Ind., and the Turner-Day 

 & Woolworth Handle Company of Louisville, 

 Ky., who spared no trouble or expense in 

 making the stay of their guests a pleasant 

 one. They not only provided accommodations 

 for them at the hotel but tendered them a 

 delightful luncheon and at the conclusion 

 01 the afternoon session entertained a num- 

 ber with a lengthy auto trip through the 

 beautiful streets and parks of Louisville. 



'The morning session opened with a. good 

 attendance. President T. E. Clendinen, of 

 Atchison, Kan., occupied the chair and 

 called the meeting to order. The reading 



pt niinjutes of the last meeting was dis- 

 pensed with,- after which the president spoke 

 briefly as follows: 



Mr. Clendinen: ' I don't know that there is 

 an>'thing I can say in particular which will 

 not be brought out in the general discussion 

 iduring the meeting. The representation here 

 is a very good one. I will say in fact, that 

 it is the best we have had at any time. But 

 1 am very sorry for one thing — and that is I 

 don't see many maple and ash people. 1 was 

 in hopes that these two divisions would be 

 better represented, for I feel that they need 

 the association as much as the hickory people 

 do. For the benefit of some of the latter who 

 did not attend the Cincinnati meeting, will 

 say we had a very fair representation there, 

 and lots of good came from- it. It was a very 

 Interesting meeting, although it was a special 

 one of only the Hickory Division. We will 

 now listen to the secretar>''s report. 

 Secretary's Beport. 



Mr. Gibson: This report covers the time 

 which has elapsed since the last meeting of 

 the entire association, which took place in 

 Indianapolis in January. 



The books of the association were duly bal- 

 anced and ready for examination at the special 

 Cincinnati meeting of hickory manufacturers 

 (as they will show) but on account of illness 

 of secretary's assistant, were not available 

 there. They were last audited and found cor- 

 rect, at Indianapolis. Jan. 11. 

 Statement. 

 At Indianapolis meeting, Jan. 



11, balance on hand.... ..$154.88 



Receipts since Jan. 11 ,. $216.00 — $370.SS 



Disbursements since Jan. 14.'.. . . . 245.37 

 Balance on hand May 20. .. ..'.$125.51 



The disbursements include expenses- of the 

 banquet and meeting at Indianapolis, printing, 

 paper, clerical and circular work, with secre- 

 tary's remuneration for the halt year 'since' 

 Nov. 20. 1907, when permanent organization 

 was effected — stamps, exchange, etc: - • 



The receipts include contributions to assist 

 with general expenses, and membership fees.' 

 The following firms have become members: of 

 the association and paid the first annual dues, 

 at or since the Indianapolis meeting In Jan- 

 uary: 



Star Ranch & Land Co., Neelyville,- Mo. 



Standard Handle Co., Ltd.. Knoxville. , 



Rubber Grip Tool Handle Co., Paducah, Ky. 



La Pierre-Sawyer Handle Co., Jackson, Mo. 



Veedersburg Handle Co., 'Veedersburg, Ind. 



J. F. Jones Sons', Columbus Grove. O. • 



Frankfort Handle Mfg. Co.. Frankfort. Ind.- 



Blackstone Handshaved Handle Co., Blaick- 

 stone. Va. 



Eldon Handle Co., Meta, Mo. 



American Handle Co.. Jonesboro, Ark. " 



Kelly Axe Mfg. Co., Charleston. Vf. 'Va. 



Columbia Handle & Lbr. Co., London, Ont. 



Central Mfg. Co., Kansas City, Mo. 



With regard to meetings, no special gather- 

 ing of the ash handle manufacturers has been 

 held, to the secretary's knowledge. Inasmuch 

 as the finished ash handle manufacturers have 

 an organization of their own. of a different 

 nature from this one — this question has re- 

 solved itself into a proposition for the get- 

 ting together of manufacturers of ash handles 

 •'in the rough" who were the first ones to 

 take up the movement in this line, and this is 

 in a direction toward which little has been 

 done. Thus the Ash Division is merely a tiny 

 nucleus for an association, but with plenty 

 of room to grow, and with great need of or- 

 ganization. 



A meeting of broom and ash handle man- 

 ufacturers was called for Cleveland. O.. as 

 members were notified, but on account of af- 

 fairs at home, the vice-president was obliged 

 to call it off, and has since resigned; there- 

 fore this association may also be said to be a.« 

 yet "in the rough." 



A meeting of hickory manufacturers was 

 held at Cincinnati in April, in connection with 

 the general hickory conference, which was a 

 live one. However, the secretarj- received nu- 

 merous complaints because it was shifted from 

 St. Louis, as first announced, to Cincinnati; a 

 number of manufacturers wrote that they had 

 fully prepared to go to St. Louis, but felt 

 Cirrcinnati was too far from the southwestern 

 hickory belt. Also, there appears room for a 

 lot of association work to be done in the 

 southeast and several inquiries have been 

 had. as to whether it would not be possible 

 to hold some special meeting of the Hickory 

 Division at Atlanta. High Point, etc. 



A great many letters have been received 

 from time to time stating that the writers 

 would be at the Louisville meeting, and all 

 those who are here in attendance, and are 

 not members, will be welcomed into the as- 

 sociation before we begin proceedings, if they 

 w^ll be so kind as to step forward and fill 

 out these membership blanks. 

 ■ In accordance with action taken at last 

 meeting, the secretary sent out blanks rela- 

 tivevto statistics of stock on hand, operating 

 capacity, tiim- iinw ninnins. etc. The result 

 -was !■; , -. I- far as any re- 



liabl. ^1. In the first 



plac lurerns reported, 



and t: n i in so many de- 



nominii ii , \ 1- iniii.issible to deduce 



an average on any nri.- suti1-ct. For instance 

 in reply to the question "How many unfilled 

 orders have you on hand?" the answers-were 

 perhaps "7.000 handles." '-Seven hundred 

 dozen," "$7,000 worth" — or "Enough to last 

 some time." 



I will, therefore, read the replies given 

 under each question, and you will readily see 

 how impossible it is to give a collective re- 

 port of them. 



The secretary then took up each question 

 that was asked and read the various replies 

 to each one. as taken from the original doc- 

 uments when sent in. Although valueless as 

 statistics, the returns demonstrated that there 



has been considerable curtailment of output, 

 that the amount of unfilled orders on hand 

 is very low. with little business in sight at 

 present, and that prices quoted for the same 

 grades of handles are widely at variance. 



On motion the secretary's report was ac- 

 cepted and made part of the records. 



He then read several telegrams and letters 

 which had been received, including the fol- 

 lowing, which was accompanied by two speci- 

 men axe handles shipped in by express for 

 examination by the members: 



■Winston Letter. 



May 14, 1908. 

 Henry Gibson, Secretary, Chicago, III, 



Dear Sir: In acknowledgement of your sev- 

 eral favors relative to the handle association, 

 we have, after careful consideration, decided 

 to air our views on the subject in general; 

 but wholly without criticism either personal 

 or otherwise. Environments, are much to be 

 considered in all sections, as well as in all 

 phases and conditions of life. However, men 

 are responsible to the end that they should 

 strive to overcome conditions negative to their 

 best good. This, however, is where the in- 



because one man 

 may settle where environments are against 

 him; another, where everything (compara- 



tively speaking) is in his favor. Keeping this 

 line of thought in mind, let us turn our at- 

 tention to the real— well, we believe curse is 

 the right word — existing in the handle busi- 

 ness. 



We have read, with much interest, such 

 talks as have been given for publication by 

 some of the leading makers, and who seem 

 very active in the association. In nearly every 

 instance, the "text" has been price-cutting, 

 followed by dire threats and prophesying over- 

 whelming calamity. While the real "thing" is 

 kept carefully covered. 



In this ilf-mnoratic country of ours the ma- 

 joritv •■■■'• "•fiincs. Therefore, the out- 

 put ■ '! ' ■ in the handle business 

 becoiii I'l. Of course, you will 

 und' ! In not mean the output 

 of thi 1. but the output as ar- 

 rangeil lur ,uiu i.i.u-fd upon 'the market; i. e., 

 grades. 



What do the standard rules for grading 

 As they read, they are mighty 



liberal 



ignis 



"Why th.' 



i s are very lib- 

 : ins what may 

 s. but the "ma- 

 there's the rub." 

 lom years of ex- 



