HARDWOOD RECORD 



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WEDNESDAY MORNING SESSION 



The session of Weduesday moruing opened with reports from some 

 of the committees on the differeut woods mauufactured by the asso- 

 cation members. Most of these committees were not ready to report. 

 It was shown that the demand for chair and furniture dimension is 

 strong. It was also shown that low grades are excessively scarce in 

 practically all grades, and prices are firm. 



Foster Y. Smith of Indianapolis read a paper on "Insurance." 

 Mr. Smith said that the annual destruction of property by fire alone 

 in this country has been estimated at from a quarter to a half billion- 

 dollars. He said that the country is thus so much poorer and that 

 each one of us in one way or another must and does pay a portion of 

 this loss. The burden is justly distributed among property owners 

 by the payment of insurance premiums and indirectly passes onto the 

 people, as a whole, through prices. 



The speaker said that few subjects are of more importance to the 

 lumberman than insurance againts the hazard of his business. He 

 raised the question as to whether insurance fully accomplished its 

 purpose, and further said that there is vastly more to insurance than 

 the mere policy. He said that in placing an insurance contract there 

 are three matters of importance to be considered: The ability of the 

 insurance company to perform; the provision of the contract or policy 

 offered; the consideration asked for, or as generally termed, "the 

 rate." He said that policyholders seldom look into these questions, 

 and that the average man taking out insurance merely signs up the 

 agreement to pay so much without really understanding what he is 

 getting in return. lie said that it was the duty of the lumberman to 

 study the hazard side of his business, and use all reasonable means to 

 reduce it. 



In speaking of the average insurance policy, the speaker said that 

 the provisions of the contract usually receive little actual study at the 

 hands of the policyholder. He said that one risk is as different from 

 another as one individual from another, and that the fire insurance 

 contract, to properly cover the property and duly provide for ex- 

 isting hazards, must be drafted with the particular risk in view. He 

 urged each member to read the printed conditions on the standard 

 fire insurance policy carefully and to note the conditions and restric- 

 tions it imposes, and then to ascertain if the hazards are- met and the 

 property duly covered. 



The paper said that a closer application to the matter of insurance 

 would result not only in a direct saving of considerable money to the 

 policycarrier, but that it would absolutely guarantee to him that in 

 event of fire the insurance would be fully and satisfactorily taken care 

 of. He further said that no man knows when fire will take place, and 

 he should consider his insurance with the idea that his property is 

 liable to burn the following day. 



The speaker advocated that if the manufacturer himself is unable 

 to give the matter his personal attention, he should detail someone to 

 make a close study of the question and keep it under his personal 

 supervision. 



Secretary Doster read a letter of greeting from the Lumbermen's 

 Club of St. Louis, addressed to the Hardwood Manufacturers' Asso- 

 ciation. 



Frank A. Nurre of Cincinnati reviewed the terms of the proposed 

 workmen's compensation law of Ohio. He stated that while this law 

 applies only to Ohio manufacturers, its provisions are fairly typical 

 of the compensation laws in force in the various states. It provides 

 that every employer of five or more men must insure with the State 

 Insurance Commission, and if he does not take advantage of the act 

 he loses his three defenses in ease of accident to any employe. The 

 speaker said that under the act each employer is compelled to pay a 

 semi-annual premium determined by the state insurance board, and 

 that those not paying this premium are liable for any injury to em- 

 ployes. The act as it reads means that the employer must come under 

 it, and that if he does not pay the assessment his case in the event of 

 injury to any of his employes is practically hopeless. The act further- 

 provides that any employe hurt by wilful act of employer in the mat- 

 ter of not providing proper safety appliances, can sue either in the 

 civil court or secure compensation to the extent provided by the act. 



Discussion of the talk showed a varying opinion among the members 



as to the ability of the various state insurance acts to cover the ques- 

 tion in an equitable manner. It was noticeable that those members 

 expressing themselves as favorable to the act referred to are not resi- 

 dents of Ohio, while the expression of opinion from the Ohio manu- 

 facturers was rather against the proposed measure. 



The chair then appointed a nominating committee as follows: A. P. 

 Steele, A. E. Norman and F. A. Kirby. 



The committee on officers' reports recommended that the present 

 standing committees of the association meet for the purpose of taking 

 up statistical work with special reference to stock on hand, market 

 conditions and other matters of importance affecting hardwood lum- 

 ber in the various sections of the producing territory, and that the 

 members of these committees be selected as nearly as possible from the 

 representative producing sections, and with particular reference to the 

 specific hardwoods produced. The report further suggested that in 

 the event of any vacancies occurring on the committees, the president 

 has the right to appoint successors. 



The report further recommended standing committees on arbitra- 

 tion, transportation, freight rates, standard weights of lumber and 

 logs, executive grading commission, cost of manufacture, sales code, 

 utilization of waste, insurance matters, legislation and freight legisla- 

 tion. 



Committees on resolutions and nominations were further recom- 

 mended. 



The committee commended the reports of the president, secretary 

 and treasurer and recommended their adoption. 



E. H. Vansant moved that the committees on the various kinds of 

 woods make a written report to the secretary at as early a date as 

 possible in order that information covering market conditions and 

 stocks of the various woods may be compiled in the next bulletin 

 issued from the secretary's office. 



The motion was carried. 



H. E. Sumner of the Sumner Lumber Company, New York, delivered 

 an address, entitled ' ' Personality in Selling. ' ' This appears as a 

 special article in another section of this issue of Hardwood Kecord. 



The report of the committee on resolutions expressed the appre- 

 ciation of the association as a body for the warm welcome extended by 

 the local trade and by the city of Cincinnati. It expressed apprecia- 

 tion also of the addresses delivered by various men, the excellent 

 service afforded by the Hotel Sinton, and the generosity of Henry 

 Disston & Sons, Inc., who contributed the badges to the association. 



Then followed other resolutions, which are shown herewith: 



The Government Forestry Service 



RE.SOLVED, That this association approve in a general way the past 

 nccomplishments of the Federal Forestry Service of the Department of 

 Agriculture. While there may have been occasional mistakes of policy 

 in administiation, the good accomplished has far outweighed them and 

 we strongly disapprove any effort to distribute the national forests 

 among the various states. We believe that the forestry policy of the 

 nation should be handled as a unit, and that the various states should 

 individually co-operate in forestry matters within their present domain 

 of jurisdiction, in which there is ample opportunity for greater work 

 than any state has yet accomplished. 



Organized System in Eliminatixg Forest Waste 



Resolved, That this convention heartily approve the suggestions con- 

 tained in the communication from W. S. Whiting of the Whiting Lumber 

 Company, Asheville, N. C, that a system be organized whereby various 

 items of dimension manufactured from waste at individual mills may be 

 accumulated in order to fill orders which otherwise could not be han- 

 dled by any one mill without prohibitive amount of delay, and we 

 recommend to the incoming officers of the association that the matter 

 of perfecting a plan of this sort along Mr. Whiting's very clear and 

 detailed suggestions be given careful consideration, and that the con- 

 vention authorize the incoming president to appoint a special committee 

 on this subject If it is believed that the matter can be most practically 

 bandied in this way. 



CUESTNl T TRKE Bl.lOIlT 



Resolved, That this association heartily approve of the work being 

 done by the Federal Forest Service In the light against Insect devastation 

 of trees which does more damage annually than fire, and partlculnrly 

 the organized effort to control the chestnut tree blight, and this asso- 

 ciation pledges its hearty cooperation in every possible way In this 

 matter. 



