lO 



THE H A K D W O O D R E C O R D. 



• >< .!<; .iii.l il u;ll Ik' iiii|iiissiliU' (■■ iiink>' ^i 

 strious issue of tlic iMiifT (|iu>Kliiiii. The 

 t!'iists iiiut liiluir niiUiiis will |ii-iiliiil>l.v lio 

 lir(>iiv:lit to tiic fnml. i-iicli inirlv scriiiiiK 

 to otitilo tiio utiii'i- ill ilrcssiiiK tlifin tip In 

 such iiiiiiiui-r ns to ciitoli volivs, l»il how 

 pitluT lilt" trusts or unions ciiii lie twlst<'il 

 Into n politiciil issui- of sulHi-ii-iit consf- 

 queiK-e to iiffect liusliit'ss does not iipiiciir 

 nt this tiini'. 



Tlioiv hiis boi'ii a (trt'iit iiiiioiint written 

 niiil siiitl of the labor (|U<'stioti of lali'. luit 

 in spite of all the a;;itatiou there lias not 

 bien a time in reeeiit years when the eoun- 

 try was more nearly free from serious 

 labor iiiiiiplieations. 



Conditions whieli prevail in jreneral bus- 

 ii'.ess fairly represent eoiulitions in the 

 hardwoixl lumber trade. Hardwood lum- 

 ber was one of the last eomnKKlilies to 

 atlvaiiee in priee and it was held up well. 

 It followed other lines up and is in tlie 

 rear on the deseent. Prices are to-ilay 

 not far from the top and any decline will 

 be slow and steady. There is nothing in 

 the present situation to warrant the ex- 

 pectation of any sudden tluotunlion. 



So the hardwood lumberman may go 

 away on his vacation this year in a serene 

 state of mind, which should be conducive 

 to rest and enjoyment. 



NO BACKWARD STEP. 



We very much doubt whether, when 

 tlie movement for the unification of hard- 

 wood inspection wliicli resulted in the or- 

 ganization of the National Hardwood Lum- 

 ber Association was started, there was any 

 man in the trade who had any clear con- 

 ception as to where that movement would 

 lead. There was so much of confusion 

 existing at that time — such a fog of 

 jealousy, of distrust, prejudice and resent- 

 ment that no man could see clearly. That 

 all the warring and discordant factions 

 could be brought to agree upon a set of 

 rules for grading and measuring hard- 

 woods, and to work harmoniously together 

 in inteipreting and applying those rules, 

 was scarcely concvived to be possible. 

 That a few interests might be got together 

 was as much of progress as the mind of 

 even the most progressive of the hard- 

 wood lumbermen could conceive at that 

 time. Tliat the manufacturers, dealers 

 and consumers of the West, the East, the 

 North and the South, and the buyers of 

 European countries could be brought to 

 work harmoniously together, was scarcely 

 dreamed of. It is only by looking back 

 to the point from which it started that 

 we can appreciate the progress that lias 

 been made. 



And in spite of the trouble and diffi- 

 culties which have arisen from time to 

 time we believe that there was never a 

 work of equal magniture which progressed 

 more favorably and more rapidl.v. There 

 has been opposition, of course, and some 

 of it from the most unexpected sources; 

 but there was never any scheme proposed 



iiOciling any largi' number of people that 

 there was not opposition, no matter how 

 how fair anil bi'iiellcleiil the scheme ap- 

 peared to br. 



That aii.\ Inniberman having the wel- 

 fare of till- hardwooil trade at heart should 

 oppose uniform inspection, fairly got at. 

 is inconceivable. 'I'lii- luniberuian who 

 lias opposed tlu- movement in that direc- 

 tion has done so eitlier liecause he be- 

 lieviHl that Ills own stdllsii ends were bet- 

 ter served by unsettled conditions, or be- 

 cnuse of lack of contlileuce in tliose who 

 have headed the movement for uniformity. 

 " And we have not the belief that the 

 liilter cause deterrtnl many. Most of those 

 wlio hiive refu.sed to support the move- 

 n.ent have given as an excuse for their 

 action that they had no conlldenee in tliose 

 at the head of it, but we are couvincwl 

 that in most cases such a statement was 

 irij'.de to disguise the real cause of non- 

 concurrence, which was that tliey found 

 tl'.r unsettled business conditions more to 

 their liking. There were dealers who be- 

 lieved that with the profit in grade manipu- 

 l.ition eliminated from their business their 

 business would be ruined; and there were 

 manufacturers who had gone past the deal- 

 ers and establislied a profitable trade with 

 consumers, on a basis of mixea and mis- 

 represented grades, who feared that a well- 

 understood and clearly defined inspection 

 woilld spoil their combination. These men 

 opposed uniform inspection, but beiilg 

 ashamed to give their real reason, pre- 

 tended a lack of confidence in any whom 

 the National association put forth as lead- 

 ers, hinted darkly at some "sehenie" tliat 

 was back of it all, or gave any and every 

 reason except the right one which, as be- 

 fore stated, they were ashamed to give: 

 and there were a great many "holier than 

 thou" people among them. 



But truth is miglity and will prevail if 

 anybody has the interest to push it to tlie 

 front, and in spite of all opposition the 

 National association, born to establish 

 ui'.iform hardwood inspection, has grown 

 and flourished amazingly. If it met op- 

 position from unexpected sources it also 

 received support from unexpected sources. 

 Tlie proposition to establish a uniform and 

 reliable system of inspection for hard- 

 Avoods w-as so manifestly a move in the 

 direction of great general trade taeuofit 

 tbat any opposition that would check it 

 must have a stronger foundation than 

 mere personal prejudice, or prctcndiHl 

 prejudice; and all the proceedings were so 

 open and above board, everybody was so 

 urgently solicited to take part and do 

 some of the work, and it was so manifest 

 tliat those even most actively engaged in 

 the work had no possibility of making 

 anything out of it, except as every other 

 member of the trade might benefit by 

 improved methods, tliat the opposition has 

 gradually ceased. 



The most unreasonable and unfair op- 

 position the National association has had 

 to contend with has been the opposition 



of the .\iiicrlcan l.uiiilicrniaii and lis prcil 

 eccssor, the Clilcago 'I'imberinan. .\t everv 

 Hlc|i of its progress tlie Niitlonal iissocIm 

 tloii lias I'licouiifered liefebailgh's iipposi 

 tion. secret and bitter at all tlliieK. WIkm 

 till- National association was first organ 

 i>,tKl and prcjiirice was bitter and strong. 

 Iiefcbaugh started a counter niovemciii 



with ills Mississippi \'alli-y llanlw I 



.Manufactiirei*s' .Vssociatioii. Wlieii thai 

 fiiile<l he tried otliM' means, and any hard 

 woimI luiiibermau who is supporting his 

 paper today kiiows^or ought to know, tlial 

 he is supporting the iiiosi bitter :ind coii- 

 slstcnl enemy tlie trade has. 



ItuI that is ail in llie |>ast. While one 

 c(>uld not at tlie beginning of tlie move 

 ment see far eiiougli ahead through tlie 

 tog to realize wliat the movement for uiii- 

 forni inspection would result in, it is not 

 so difti<-nlt now. Tlii' work is going to be 

 carried forward until tlic hardwood trade 

 will wonder that there was ever more 

 than one set of inspection rules, and until 

 the opposition to the National rules, which 

 has already died away to a murmur, will 

 cease altogether. And not only is it easy 

 to foresee the final and compli-te victory 

 of the uniform rules, but it is also easy to 

 foresee the time when the interpiclation 

 and application of those rules Ihr'iugh tin- 

 Inspection Bureau will be require*] as a 

 matter of course. The present is not an 

 especially favorable time for the Inspec- 

 tion Unrean. because of the fact that ow- 

 ing to the scarcity of dry stock tlie grades 

 have, in many cases, been lowered below 

 the National association standard, but 

 even at that the work of the Inspection 

 Bureau is increasing at a marvelous rate, 

 each month making a new record for the 

 amount of inspection done. 



And it was well for the trade that the 

 ir.ovement was started when it was and 

 by the lumbermen themselves. The re- 

 sult is that they now have firmly estab- 

 lislied a system of hardwood inspection, 

 under their own control, and which with 

 good management will dominate tlie situa- 

 tion until the end of the hardwood busi- 

 ness. Had they not taken hold of tlie 

 work a combination of consumers would 

 have done so. Conditions had become un- 

 bearable and someone had to act. And it 

 is better for the lumbermen that they con- 

 trol the inspection. 



The National association had a severe 

 lesson last year on the unwisdom of fol- 

 U.'Wing after strange gods. Its little ex- 

 periment with the traffic deriartiiieiit cost 

 it .<:4..")fXi, but if it learns from tliat that 

 its mission is to look after inspection mat-' 

 ters and nothing else — that it was born 

 to do that work, and if it does it well, it 

 has sutlicient excuse for a long and jiros- 

 perous existence — the money will have 

 been well expended. 



The work which the National Hardwood 

 I.iiiiiber Association has done in the hard- 

 wood trade is a great work and of untold 

 benefit; and every hardwood lumberman 

 should not only support that association. 



