iS 



THE HARDWOOD R K C O R D. 



Editorial Comment on the National Association Convention. 



SHOULD MEET WITH HEAR r. 

 SPONSE. 

 (Southern I.iiuiU'nii:in, NiislivllU'.* 



l'riil>al»l.v the most ImpiTlimt lutloii 

 tak'Mi !it tlio nuM'titiK of tin- Nallinial lliiiil- 

 woihI I.iiiiiIht Assoriallon at liullaiiii|mlis 

 lasit wii'k was tlic ailoption of the resolu- 

 tion for the a|i|)oiiilineiit of a eoimultlee 

 (i> i-onfer with a similar eoiiiinltlee. slioiiM 

 one lie appolntetl, of the Hardwood Manu- 

 lartiirers" Assoelatlon of the I'nlled Stales, 

 In an effort to liarnioiii/.e the Inspei-ticm 

 rules of the two assoelatlons. and to lirliiy 

 aliont linally what the Natloiial llardwiPiHl 

 I.uniU'r Assoeialion was primarily or(;aii- 

 Ized to aeetimplish — the uniform inspeelioii 

 <if haiilwood lunilier thriinj;liout America, 

 and to whieh end it has done fruitful and 

 faithful work. 



The aetion was most ju-oper and most 

 timely. It was presa;:!^! in I'resideut 

 Smilirs adilress and has iniieed liwii ilis- 

 cussed informally hy intluential meudnM-s 

 of the association for snmi- time. Quite a 

 little discussion occurred when the resolu- 

 tion was intr<Mluc(Hl. hut it was adoptetl 

 without a ilisscnfiuK vote. 



The Snuthern Lundiernian approved the 

 organization of the llardwofxl Manufac- 

 turers' Association of the United States, 

 and to the very best of its ability and 

 energy it has defended the course of that 

 body. It expects to continue this attitude, 

 believinj; that the association is composeil 

 of as broad-fraufred a class of men as are 

 to lie found on earth and that they want 

 liothiu!; throujrh the association or out of 

 it that is not for the ;;eneral liest jiood of 

 the hardwood lumber industry. It believes 

 that the action of the National Ilardwoml 

 I.,umber .Vssociation should be met by the 

 Hardwood Manufacturers' Association of 

 the I'nited States in a most cordial and 

 hearty manner and that a eonimittee to 

 •confer on rules should lie appointed as soon 

 as possible. 



The Southern I.innberman will so a step 

 further and say tliat in its opinion the con- 

 ference slKiuld and will be successful, ulti- 

 uiarely resulting in the adoption of hard- 

 ■woimI rules acceptable alike to the dealer 

 and the inantifactnrer, and capable of uni- 

 form application from Maine to California. 

 Wliether tliis latter opinion is well based 

 or not there can be no valid reason either 

 for refusal or delay in meeting the action 

 of the National association in this effort 

 at tniification of the rules. Both of the 

 associations ;ire de facto institutions in the 

 trade and there are ample reasons that 

 both should continue so. They will treat 

 on terms of absolute ei|uality in this mat- 

 ter of the rules and there can l>e nothing 

 in the iiroposed conference of the disad- 

 vantage at which the manufacturers have 

 complained of being by reason of the pre- 

 ponilerating vote of the wholesale element 

 in a .ioint general meeting of the two 

 liranches of the trade. The report of each 

 committee will be subject to the approval 

 or rejection of its respective association. 

 If notliing is gained by the conference 

 nothing will be lost. 



The Southern Lumberman believes that 

 something will come of the conference. It 

 lielieves. indeed, that absolute imiformity 

 of inspection rules for hardwood lumber is 

 in nearer prospect now than ever before, 

 and it certainl.v hopes that the arrange- 

 ments for a conference will not be in the 

 least j-etarded by any lingering feeling of 

 animosity that may have been engenilered 

 in the separation of the two associations— 



i'l-ellng which, while natural, piTlinps, or 

 al least Inevitable, has no place In busi- 

 ness plans loiiklng to the future, 



THE NATIONAL HARDWOOD CONVEN- 

 TION. 

 (Lumber Trade Journ((l, New Orleans.) 



The atdnial meeting of the National 

 llacdwoml Lutnber Assuclalion held at In- 

 dianapolis. Ind., un May lil and U'-, a re- 

 pcirt whereof Is printed in the news 

 ciil(((iins of this paper, bore out all that 

 had been expected of that occasion by Its 

 ailhere[(ts ami promotiMS. It was a not- 

 alili" (nc(>ting. The ((ttendance exceeded 

 the percentage of nientbership ustnd upon 

 such occasions; the interest w((s alertly 

 s((stained; the ollicial reports w;ere 

 severally able and clear: the discussions 

 were animated; conservatis[M prevailed and 

 the choice of otiieers. while intensely in- 

 teresting, if not wildly exciting, was provo- 

 cative of only good feeling and a free, will- 

 ing and unreserved acceptance of the re- 

 sults. 



Speaking here to the (luestion of liar- 

 inoiiizing inspection rules, the sentiment 

 favoring that purpose distinctly prevailed, 

 altho([gh somewhat niodilied in the out- 

 lonie li.v what was thought b.v many to be 

 a ((Utntcrweight in the matter. Assuming 

 tliat the introduction of universal grading 

 rtdes to have been, as it was, the primary 

 and all-overshadowing ol)ject .and greatest 

 attainable achievement of and by the asso- 

 ciation, the intrusion of (juestions of 

 jiride of precedence could hardly defeat 

 that end without exciting a very consistent 

 sentiment of regret. On the other hand, if 

 the junior association, anitnatcd by a simi- 

 lar or no more worthy incentive, shall 

 elect to "pass up" the opportunity, it must, 

 in that event, appear that its (uembers are 

 not reall.v suft'cring for the want of uni- 

 form iusiicclion. Considering, however, 

 that the senior body li.v its action at In- 

 di,inapolis did take tlii' initiative in this 

 all-important direction, it can hardly follow 

 that tile junior association's pride would 

 be incurably wounded liy recognizing that 

 fact and advancing to meet the committee 

 to which the matter was referred for that 

 Iiurpose the other half wa.v. 



With due regard to the work of the 

 Insiiection bureau as olliciaily shown, the 

 .vear's achievements appear to have l)een 

 fairly satisfactory and certainly an augury 

 of still further and greater possibilities. 

 This work lias assuredly been too far- 

 reaching in its progress and prospects to be 

 lightly sacrificed. If any antagonism has 

 arisen anywhere to this tendency for no 

 better or more tenable reason than that the 

 membership of tlie National body includes 

 a certain or uncertain, but not dominant, 

 wholesalers' contingent, such antagonism 

 is ill-founded and can be very consistently 

 aliandoned by all to whom the idea of 

 uniform inspection is really a righteous 

 and desirable one. 



The segregation of the traffic bureau on 

 account of a prior lack of support within 

 the ranks of the associations, to hereafter 

 be sustained l)y service lees, was thouirht 

 to be a wise disposition of that depjtrtment. 

 Those qualilied by experience to speak of 

 the workings of the bureau emphatically 

 and decisively indorse its past record and 

 will stay with it. The idea of patrons pay- 

 ing for such service as the.v may order 

 only will rid the operation of the bureau of 

 all inequity and by making other lines of 

 -trade eligible to membership, a propor- 



tionately larger mwurance of necessary sup- 

 port will, of course, be afforded lis man- 

 ((geineiit. The latter, as everylxMly saw 



di nitrated on tin- Ih'or, Is In excep- 



tliiiially alili- and experimentally successful 

 ludids," The experience of previous mem- 

 bers can be relUnl upon lo ii'uiove any 

 otherwise possible iloubts on this score. 



The social plans arrangeil for the oeen- 

 siou by the local committee, of which 

 \V. W.' Knight was the ihalrimtu, were 

 defeateil on the night ^of the llrsi day by 

 u hettvy rain and wind storm. The ban- 

 iptel on the second night at the new hotel 

 was !( dlstln<-tly pleasMUt alVair, bttlTlng the 

 hour of Its beginning, which was nearly 

 1(J o'clock. The oceiision W((s conspicu- 

 ously graced by the presence of I'liltiHl 

 States Senator C'harles \V. Fairbanks and 

 another of Indiana's many brilliant orators, 

 a distiimuished Indianapolis lawyer, .lohn 

 L. (;rllliths. The semttor's spee<'h was an 

 intellectually |)ollsheil, intensely i>atriotic 

 anil generally statesmanlike elfort, Mr. 

 (irilliths' oration was more on the Ingersoll- 

 Ueed order and u brilliant and impassioned 

 itppeal to the patriotism of Amerii-aus. A 

 signihcant idlusion to the remarkable pres- 

 ence at a meeting of lumbermen, of "presi- 

 dential timber," turned every eye toward 

 Senator Fairbanks anil was followed by n 

 storm of applause. Nobody mentioned the 

 senator's politics, but the .Journal became 

 convinced that he was at least not friend- 

 less. 



The adoption of the report of the com- 

 mittee on revision and inspection rules 

 recommending that no changes be made at 

 this session, was, it is believed, another 

 wi.sely directed proceeding. As some of 

 the advocates of this measure claimed, 

 ■what is most important in that department 

 is stability. 



'J"he manner of becoming exhibitors at 

 the World's l-'air. through tlie various state 

 exhibits, considering the unusual variety 

 of interests represented by the member- 

 ship, was. perhaps, the most practicable 

 thing to be done by the organization. 



NATIONAL HARDWOOD RULES ARE 

 NOT CHANCED. 



(Mississippi Valley Lumberman, .Minne- 

 apolis.) 



At the annual meeting of the National 

 Hardwood Lumber Association held last 

 week at Indianapolis, the question of a 

 revision of the grading rules came up for 

 discussion. The divergence between the 

 rules of this organization and those of the 

 Hardwood Manufacturers' Association of 

 the United States has hcon occasion for 

 regret, and it is the hope of members of 

 the older organization that the two asso- 

 ciations can get together and diminish or 

 entirely eliminate the differences. Such a 

 consummation would be for the good of 

 tin; hardwood trade of the country. But 

 though a number of the members of the 

 association which held its meeting last 

 week are also memliers of the otlier (Or- 

 ganization, they did not have the authority 

 to make any advances along that line. In 

 the absence of any organized elToit to get 

 togetlier, the National association thought 

 best not to take an.y steps that would 

 necessitate the printing and distributing of 

 a new set of rules, especially as they had 

 no assurance that the other organization 

 would indorse their action. 



The present rules of the National Hard- 

 wood Lumber Association have become 

 well established in the trade, and have 



