HARD WOOD RECORD 



and the club will be located in close proximity. The hope, however, 

 has been carried so far as to warrant the statement that such a 

 proposition is a possibility in the very near future. Tlie leases 

 on both the association and club quarters run out in a little over 

 two years and it is hoped that before their expiration provision 

 will have been made to finance the erection of such a structure, 

 which will involve no expense whatever on the part of the local 

 trade and will merely require them to agree to take quarters for a 

 term of years in such a building when completed. The importance 

 of the value of this question to the local trade needs no argument. 

 The time and annoyance saved visiting millmen and buyers would 

 mean a vast saving to the local trade and would undoubtedly 

 serve to attract considerable trade to the Chicago market which 

 might otherwise be diverted to other large centers. 



Mr. Brown closed his report with an appeal for even greater 

 co-operation among the membership and individual activity on 

 the part of each member and further the president thanked the 

 board and committees for their active and energetic co-operation 

 with him during the past year. 



Secretary E. E. Hooper in his annual report gave interesting 

 statistics on lumber receipts in Chicago during 1912. The aggre- 

 gate according to the best data obtainable was 2,670,696 feet of 

 lumber and 501,651,000 shingles by rail and by lake. Of this 

 284,596,000 feet of lumber and timber were reported at the custom 

 house as lake receipts. Lake shipments of shingles aggregated 

 1,660,000. Thus the total rail shipment of lumber formed a vast 

 bulk of the total and aggregated 2,386,200,000. The total volume 

 •of receipts shows an increase of lumber of 536,129,000 feet. 



Following is an analysis of the disposition of lumber at Chicago 

 for 1912 and 1911: 



1912 1911 



luvenlory at begiuuiug of .voai- .- . . 2.3O.766.107 268.240,000 



Receipts during year 2,670,696,000 2,134,567,000 



Total Stocks 2,926,462,107 2.402,807,000 



Inventory at close of year 283,811,160 235,766,107 



Total. Consumption 2,642.650,947 2,147,040,893 



Sliipments 996.956,000 803,923,000 



City Consumption 1,645,694,947 1,343,117,893 



Total Consumption 2,642,650,947 2,147,040,893 



Increase 495,610,054 



It was estimated by the secretary that sixty-five per cent of the 

 total receipts represents hardwood, yellow pine and Pacific coast 

 lumber. 



The total enrollment of members, including the original enroll- 

 ment of January 1, 1912, was 211 during the year. Twenty-four 

 resignations were received, making a total membersliip of 187 

 concerns on January 13, 1913. The report then reviewed business 

 and social activities of the association during the past year. 



The secretary said that the arbitration committee has been 

 called upon several times and has settled several important con- 

 troversies, one being of great importance to the whole trade. The 

 decisions in accordance with the charter of the association are as 

 binding as those of the lower courts. The report also touched on 

 the fire limits extension law and the organization of the casualty 

 companj-. The secretary concluded by thanking the officers and 

 members for their courtesy during the past year. 



Secretary Hooper then read the report of the treasurer, which 

 showed total receipts of ,$18,416.14; total disbursements during 

 the year, $18,216.22; leaving a balance of $200.32. 



In the absence of Chairman George J. Pope of the inspection 

 committee, the secretary read his written report. The report 

 pointed out that great good has accrued to the local trade through 

 the efforts of this committee during the past year. There have 

 been 375 inspections made and in not a single instance was the 

 ■department's inspection overruled. 



The Chicago Lumbermen's Association is the only one author- 

 ized in its charter to appoint an inspector of lumber; thus the 

 work done by this department is authorized by the state of 

 Illinois, and its findings can be maintained in court. The report 

 "then reviewed specific instances wherein the inspection bureau 



31 



uni- 

 on 

 ion 



has actually saved money for the members of the association. 



In reporting for the traffic committee, Hermann H. Hettler 

 said that the traffic committee has worked in harmony with rail- 

 road interests and that no great difficulty has been encountered 

 in securing equitable adjustment of questions affecting the local 

 trade. He reviewed the cooperation with the Grand Bapids Lu 

 bermen's Association in the matter of over-weights, which questi 

 has commanded the close attention of the Grand Kapids associati„„ 

 for some time and which has a vast bearing on the entire lumber 

 trade. The Grand Bapids association has compiled a large amount 

 of data bearing specifically on the subject and is better qualified 

 to contest the question with the railroads than is any similar 

 body. Therefore it would appear that decision in the hearing of 

 the question will be decided on the evidence submitted by the 

 Grand Rapids association and special effort on the part of the 

 (Chicago association is therefore not warranted. Another subject 

 that has commanded the earnest attention of the traffic committee 

 is the announcement on the part of the transcontinental roads 

 that they will eliminate the privilege of reconsignmeut in transit 

 on shipments from tlie Pacific coast. According to new schedules 

 of those roads, any wholesaler ordering lumber from Pacific coast 

 mills must give the name of the consignee to the manufacturer and 

 is not permitted to change that name while tlie goods are in 

 transit. The injustice of this is altogether too apparent to leave 

 room for any controversy. It will simply mean throwing away 

 all the benefit that has been derived from working up the close 

 knowledge of personal trade. It would work a great hardship 

 on the wholesaler handling Pacific coast products. 



Fair and adequate classifications on lumber rates, according to 

 Mr. Hettler, is a question which will command the close attention 

 of the trade in the future. There has been considerable agitation 

 along these lines working toward the establishment of rates based 

 on value of product, but very little has been accomplished. The 

 letter from a member of the committee addressed to the secretary, 

 as read by Mr. Hettler, pointed out very definitely the injustice 

 of shipping all forms of forest products on the same relative 

 rates. It can readily be seen that the shipper of hemlock bark, 

 for instance, from a Wisconsin point should not be compelled to 

 pay as high a rate as a shipper of a finished article such as doors, 

 trim, siding, etc., coming from the same point. 



Following a short talk by Paul Schmechel, chairman of the 

 publicity committee, President Brown called upon the chairmen 

 of the various divisions, each of whom responded with a brief talk 

 in which the consensus of ideas was that the amalgamation of the 

 varied interests in Chicago has resulted in a vast amount of good 

 for the whole trade. 



President Brown then called for report of the nominating com- 

 mittee, which committee submitted the following names for 

 directors: 



v. F. Mashek, division A : ,T. H. Dion, division B : George P. Griffith, 

 division C : E. A. Tliorton, iivision D : llurdock Mcl.eoil, division E : 

 .Tolin Iliiusen, division F ; C. C. Collins, division G, and Otto S. I.ind, 

 division II. 



On the arbitration committee the following men were named: 



F. ,1. Ili'itmann, division A: Fred P. .SmiUi, division K: Frank B. 

 Stone, division C ; I". .1. Tike, division D ; E. .V. Lang, division E : Ed- 

 mund .\. .Mien, division F. and L. C. Haring. division G. 



The nominating committee's choice for the committee of appeals 

 \otcd the following men: 



-M. F. Kiltenhousc, division A: A. U. Sehoen. division B : T. S. Esta- 

 brook. division C ; George T. Micklc, division 1) ; .lolin C. Spry, division 

 K': F. I.. .Johnson. .Tr.. division F. and .John Westlerg, division G. 



President Brown called attention to the fact that the by-laws 

 provided that the retiring and the newly elected board of directors 

 shall hold a joint meeting, at which the retiring members shall 

 inform the newly elected members that they now constitute the 

 board of directors of the Lumbermen 'a Association of Chicago. 

 The two boards then elect presidents and vice-presidents from 

 among themselves. This will take place on Januarj- 27. 



Following the report of the nominating committee, the members 

 were highly entertained by Wallace Bruce Hausbury, an elocu- 

 tionist of undoubted ability. 



