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HARDWOOD RECORD 



In advertising as well as in any other business it is well to talk 

 about one thing at a time. You can get a man's attention to one 

 subject when you can't secure it for a dozen. 



If they will follow this plan the complaint that advertising does 

 not pay would very promptly cease. 



The lumberman who says advertising docs not pay simply does not 

 know how to advertise. 



The crux of the whole matter is that simply buying advertising 

 space in a newspaper does not constitute good advertising. The 

 pubUcation must needs have the co-operation and support of the 

 advertiser to make these expenditures profitable. Bear in mind at 

 all times that a lumber newspaper can not sell lumber— it can simply 

 assist to that end, but it can assist in a marked degree, if it has the 

 co-operation of the sales department. 



Hardwood Record as a Business Aid. 



Every trade paper has one thiiio t„ soil and that is advertising 

 space. 



A few trade papers have both space and circulation to market. 



The exceptional trade newspaper, especially referring to the lumber 

 newspaper, has space, circidation and business information to supply 

 to its clients. Of this latter class is the Hardwood Record. 



Too much direct advertising results should not be expected from 

 the moderate investment usually made by members of the lumber 

 trade in their newspaper advertising. A good deal of the benefit 

 accruing from this form of exploitation must be regarded as "gen- 

 eral." It familiarizes the name of the institution to the buying 

 public. This is particularly so with the advertiser who simply says, 

 "My name is So-and-So and I am in the hardwood business in a 

 certain town." Of necessity this sort of exploitation is not specific. 

 The advertiser who gets the best results is the one who lists one, two 

 or three items of stock he has to sell, in a prominent way, in one 

 issue of the paper and in the next one advertises something else. 

 This is genuine advertising. It would even be better if prices were 

 attached but in many cases this is not desirable. 



It must be recalled that a lumber newspaper can not actually sell 

 lumber no matter how broad its circulation may be. All it can do 

 is to call attention to the fact that the lumber is for sale. The .ictual 

 selling must be done by the individual hiin.self. 



In addition to this service the IJAuh .mi. l;i , , 

 for several years in securing ami .Mllnm^ m .. 

 the hardwood buyers throughout tin imnvl st.i 

 details of their annual requirements by kind, g 



) has been employed 

 c-rete form a list of 

 s. together with the 

 (\v and tliic'kiiess of 



lumber; by kinds and sizes of dimension stock, and by kinds. \;iri('ties 

 of sizes and thicknesses of veneers and panels. This s|wi-ifir mlorma- 

 tion placed in the hands of the sales department of any lumber insti- 

 tution gives it an opportunity to write intelligently to the prospective 

 customer on the subject of selling him lumber. If these letters be 

 carefully prepared they contribute largely to the aggregate of sales. 

 This service, when properly handled, can be made even more profit- 

 able than the newspaper advertising itself. This service is supplied 

 without charge to advertisers. It is information that every manu- 

 facturer and jobber of lumber needs in his business. Furthermore, as 

 a business aid to the trade the Record attempts to supply information 

 to its patrons pertaining to every feature of the hardwood trade. 

 When a client asks for information it is ordinarily found in the very 

 complete records embraced within a card index system and is promptly 

 supplied; but if the information is uot at hand, it is an extraordinary 

 inquiry where it is impossible to obtain it and to supply it with 

 promptness. 



It is this distinct cooperation and ability to supply business infor- 

 mation to its clients that makes for the high standing of the Record 

 with the manufacturing, jobbing and wholesale consuming trade of 

 the country. 



Fire Insurance. 



Fire insurance authorities allege that only an average of sixty cents 

 out of pvery dollar of premium received is used to pay insurance fire 

 losses. This statement undeniably refers to the old line companies 

 which have the preponderance of insurance business in this country. 



Therefore when the responsible lumber mutual companies return to the 

 insured premium dividends of thirty-five cents out' of every dollar 

 receive<l for insurance it shows that lumbermen are only paying five 

 cents on every dollar for the business expense attached to their fire 

 protection. This is certainly an admirable showing for the lumber 

 companies. 



Unfortunafely the fire loss in the Uniteu States as compared with 

 other civilized nations of the world is altogether too great. During 

 the last year the per capita loss in this country has been three dollars 

 as against thirty-three cents in the principal European countries, 

 including Great Britain, France, Germany and Italy, or nine times 

 more fire waste and interruption of business — which insurance cannot 

 cover — in the United States than western Europe. There are certain 

 conditions in these countries which operate to effect a lower fire loss 

 than would be possible here, viz.: the larger use of non-combustible 

 materials, due to high cost of lumber and better building codes, and 

 conditions which make these people more careful of small savings in 

 all their affairs and invariably more cautious than we have yet 

 become. With due consideration of these facts still the fire loss in 

 the I'nited States is outrageously greater than it slunild be. 



Fire Menace in the North. 



The entire range of country of northern Minnesota, northern Wis 

 eonsin and northern Michigan during the last few weeks on account 

 of lack of rain has become one gigantic tinder box. Minor fires and 

 some of considerable size in the timber slashings and even in thr 

 green timber are prevailing. The lumbermen in these regions an' 

 aware of the gravity of these dangers and are taking every precaution 

 to avoid fire losses in their timber. However, the territory is so vast 

 and the timber area so dry that it is a herculean task to protect 

 themselves against the danger of severe losses. 



The situation as far as drought is concerned is about the same as 

 it \vas in the fall of 1894, when the tremendous fire devastation 

 occurred in northern Wisconsin. Today, of course, there is not the 

 quantity of timber standing that is liable to fire loss that there was 

 at that time, but still the possibility of immense damage is imminent. 

 Every timber owner is on the alert and is watching his camps and 

 surroundings very closely. It is sincerely to be hoped that rains will 

 put an end to this danger within a few days. However, in default of 

 a heavy rain-fall incalculable damage is likely to ensue which i.s 

 liable to result in the loss of not only much good timber property 

 but farm buildings, crops and even towns. 



In Michigan a considerable fire is raging in the old slashings be 

 tween Piconning and Roscommon. The whole country is ablaze. 

 Fears are expressed that the town of Roscommon may be destroycil 

 before the fire burns itself out. 



Several million feet of hardwood and hemlock lumber in the vicin 

 ity of Houghton and Ontonagon, Mich., have been burned daring the 

 past few days from woods' fires. 



Holding Down the Output. 



The leading manufacturers of both Michigan and Wisconsin are 

 pursuing a remarkably conservative policy in regard to their pro- 

 posed lumber output for the next year. They feel that in spite of 

 the considerable revival in demand that it would not be a safe 

 proposition to prepare for a large hardwood output for the year to 

 come. The majority of them are making plans for their logging 

 operations that will involve only about half of the usual quantity 

 they produce. The feeling is generally prevalent that it is a much 

 safer proposition to have an assured demand equal to an excess of 

 the supply than to by any possible chance overload the market. 



It is to be hoped that southern operators will take this same view 

 of the situation and hold down production to assured demand. Cur 

 rent hardwood values do not warrant any man in taking any great 

 chances o« the immediate future. At present stumpage values an 

 overstock of hardwoods during the next few months will mean doing 

 business at a loss rather than a profit. Continued conservatism in 

 production is most earnestly recommended. 



The hardwood manufacturing associations of both Michigan and 

 Wisconsin, after having analyzed the situation carefully, have by 

 resolutions urged this policy of conservatism on its members. 



