32b 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



May 10, 191» 



Wisconsin Sees Bright Future 



At the semi-annual meeting of the Northern Hemlock and Hard- 

 wood Manufacturers' Association, held at Milwaukee on April 30, 

 was revealed a situation so far as stocks, sales and prices are con- 

 cerned, which left few lumbermen in doubt as to the immediate 

 future of the hardwood business. 



President George N. Harder was in the chair and spoke briefly 

 in the initial session about the remarkable inspiration derived by 

 all those who attended the big Lumber Congress at Chicago re- 

 cently. He particularly referred to the sales managers' meeting 

 which was held there bringing together competing interests from 

 the northern states and southern pine regions and emphasized the 

 fact that as a result of these meetings these interests will be able 

 to rcmpete on a much more favorable basis than formerly. 



M. J. Fox reported on the development work for the group of 

 manufacturers allied to investigate and develop export demand 

 for northern hardwoods. He expressed himself as believing that 

 there is a great potential demand abroad for northern hardwoods 

 and that a full development of this demand is exceedingly im- 

 portant to northern manufacturers. In fact, according to Mr. Fox, 

 a better appreciation of what the export business means to the 

 industries of this country is absolutely essential to future 

 prosperity. He briefly reviewed the formulation of the export 

 plans by representative northern manufacturers and extended a 

 hearty invitation to any others so desiring to come in with the 

 present group and share in the profits and benefits. 



Mr. Fox then told of the progress reported by B. H. Jones, who 

 is now abroad representing this group in a preliminary investiga- 

 tion of European markets. Mr. Jones has so far been occupied in 

 England and reports an exceedingly cordial reception and sub- 

 stantial progress. At the request of Mr. Fox, Secretary Swan read 

 a letter from Mr. Jones analyzing and describing the business situa- 

 tion in England and telling of the prospective demand there for 

 northern grown hardwoods. The immediate outlook is for definite 

 marketing there of considerable quantities of maple lumber and 

 maple flooring. Birch, he said, will come later, but the present 

 outlook is that the Michigan and Wisconsin stocks will not be able 

 to compete so successfully on account of the shipment from Quebec 

 and other sources. 



Basswood and rock elm also will be benefited materially by this 

 concentrated effort on the part of northern manufacturers, but Mr. 

 Jones urgently recommended that the placement of northern grown 

 hardwoods in English markets be made through established brokers 

 who are thoroughly acquainted with domestic consuming trade and 

 altogether reliable. He made a recommendation for connection 

 with a certain house which was later decided upon as being the 

 proper way of approaching the English consumer. 



Considerable interest was noticed in Mr. Fox's report, and it is 

 likely that further support will be given to the export movement. 

 It is recognized that every northern manufacturer is vitally in- 

 terested whether he ships abroad or not, as every foot of lumber 

 taken out of domestic markets and shipped abroad will increase the 

 strength of the domestic market by just that much. 



Mr. Fox concluded by talking about the hardwood grades, say- 

 ing that no changes will be made in northern grades at the coming 

 meeting of the National Hardwood Lumber Association. 



The question of continuing the present arrangement upder which 

 the members of the Northern Hemlock and Hardwood Manufac- 

 turers' Association are allied with the National Hardwood Lum- 

 ber Association, was favorably voted upon. 



Charles A. Goodman of Marinette, Wis., president of the Na- 

 tional Hardwood Lumber Association, was then called to the floor 

 and talked briefly about what is being done by the National or- 

 ganization. Mr. Goodman said that the present membership is 

 now 1,021, this meaning a net gain of eighty-eight since the last 



meeting. He briefly discussed the hardwood grading rule question, 

 making a short comparison between the National rules and those 

 recently promulgated by the American Hardwood Manufacturers' 

 Association. He said that there is no essential difference between 

 the two, the principal difference being that the American Hard- 

 wood Manufacturers' rules provide for four inches and up against 

 three inches and up in the National Hardwood rules. 



Mr. Goodman expressed himself as believing that all interests 

 are anxious to get together and that undoubtedly the future would 

 show the entire hardwood trade to be in accord on this question. 



A. L. Osborn, chairman of the legislation and traffio committee, 

 gave a ver}' interesting and earnest talk in which he outlined the 

 trend of legislation as revealed through the bills offered in the 

 Wisconsin legislature. He gave a summary of bills offered during 

 the last session and a brief description of each, in which it was 

 shown that the tendency is toward radical, unfair and impractical 

 control of industry. Commenting on this, Mr. Osborn said it is 

 ditficult to arrive at a proper plan for meeting such developments, 

 but that it is absolutely essential that employers find some means 

 of adequate representation so that their continued existence may 

 be safeguarded. 



Mr. Osborn then asked Traffic Manager F. M. Ducker to read 

 copy of the switch track lease offered by the railroad administra- 

 tion. Mr. Osborn emphatically stated that the lease is unfair in 

 every particular and recommended that the lease should not be 

 signed by the members. 



The afternoon session was particularly interesting on account 

 of the report on market conditions. It was revealed that the log 

 input for the year up to April 1, 1919, showed a falling off of eigh- 

 teen per cent as corresponding to the previous year. 



In commenting on the log situation, William Maitland of Park 

 Falls, reviewed the labor situation in the woods and recorded that 

 in most instances the sliding scale of wages had proven unsatis- 

 factory. Mr. Maitland stated that the northern section is having 

 less trouble with the supply and quality of labor than is the south- 

 ern section. 



Secretarj^ Swan was then given the floor for a discussion of the 

 trade development efforts of the association. He reported a very 

 marked increase in the interest in the association's advertising 

 since the signing of the armistice. During the war inquiries re- 

 sulting from advertising totalled less than 100 a month, but since 

 the fighting ceased, the average monthly response has been in the 

 neighborhood of 7,000. Mr. Swan said that this undoubtedly indi- 

 cates a national desire to start building and that the advertising 

 of the association is now more productive than it ever has been. 



He then described the rejuvenated statistical reports which will 

 be put in effect under the new economics plan and will give the 

 members of the association accurate and regular reports on cut, 

 log input, shipments, sales, markets, costs and other matters of vital 

 interest. 



The market situation as revealed by Alfred Klass of Oconto, 

 chairman of the bureau of statistical and educational informa- 

 tion, was interesting because of its strength and the optimistic 

 deductions that were warranted by the statistics. The report 

 showed a constantly and greatly increasing demand for hardwoods 

 as well as hemlock. The report left no room for doubt as to the 

 shortage of supply and the greatly increased demand for the com- 

 ing mouths. 



The meeting wound up with a general market discussion in which 

 every member participated. 



H. S. Dewey of the Edward Hines Lumber Company, Chicago, 

 gave striking reasons why prices should hold up as based on figures 

 at which sales are actually being made in Chicago by competing 

 woods. 



