i8 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



A Lumberman's Letters to His Son, 



Hot ' Springs, Ark., Feb. 7. 



My Dear Son: I have been plowing around 

 in the swamps of Arkansas for the past ten 

 days, living on minister face and kush. My 

 digestive apparatus is completely knocked out 

 and my complexion is so yellow that I am 

 repeatedly mistaken for a native. There may 

 be some soft snaps in Arkansas timber, but 

 your dad has not been able to locate them. 

 There is a lot of good timber in Arkansas 

 but lumbermen woke up long before your 

 dad did and nailed it. 



I am over here with this scorbutic bunch 

 in order to get a bath and a few square 

 meals. On what other errands a man could 

 come to this town I don't know. There's 

 nothing here but big hotels, barren ridges, 

 gambling houses, adventurers and invalids. 

 I am going out to look at another bunch of 

 timber next week, and then shall go home. 



I am glad to get your good reports of the 

 condition of the Chicago hardwood trade. 

 When home trade is all right it is the best 

 thing to stick to. It is easier to settle a 

 kick over on Western avenue than it is in 

 Boston. 



Since I have been away from home I have 

 been a good deal interested in hardwood asso- 

 ciation affairs, and think that it will be a 

 good idea for us to join all the present lum- 

 ber associations and all that may be formed 

 in the future. This association racket is a 

 game your dad never has fully gotten onto 

 before, but I believe it's a good thing. Sim- 

 ply because you belong to a particular asso- 

 ciation and subscribe to its inspection and 

 methods of doing business, doesn 't mean that 

 you have to stick to them by any means. 

 Some hardwood men down in this south coun- 

 try belong to one of the big associations and 

 some to the other, and others belong to both 



of them. They tell me that they sell lumber 

 under any rules of inspection that their cus- 

 tomers want, and that in spite of the differ- 

 ence in the rules, the grades are about the 

 same. They lay great stress on the fact that 

 when they get into a row with a customer 

 they can work one of the associations to 

 settle up the argument for them with a 

 minimum of cost. Then again they tell me 

 that they don't ship but mighty little lumber 

 under the rules of any association, but make 

 "special grades" to suit the requirements 

 of their customers and the price they can 

 get out of them for the stock. 



I am learning a lot of new things about 

 the hardwood lumber business lately that 1 

 never knew before. I am of the opinion that 

 your dad got into this hardwood game too 

 early — or maybe too late — to learn all he 

 should about it, but hope you may eventually 

 be able to get next to some of the good 

 things. 



As I analyze this association proposition, 

 their rules and regulations are things to avoid 

 until you get into trouble with a customer. 

 Then you have to dodge to cover, and put up 

 a holy holler about your own and hardwood 

 association morals. We've got to get to 

 manufacturing lumber, that 's a dead cinch. 

 It won't do to continue any longer on one 

 end of this string. To make money out of 

 the hardwood business in future you must 

 have a strong hold of both ends of the rope 

 and a considerable clutch on the middle. 



Your affectionate i'ather. 



P. S. — Your mother writes me that you 

 are making a fool of yourself over another 

 girl and keeping very bad hours. Cut it out. 

 Wake up and remember you 've got a living 

 to earn. 



NeWs Miscellany. 



Hardwood Dimension Association Meeting. 

 The forthcoiiiint; moctlnR ot the Iliirdwood 

 Dimension Association to be held at the (Jrand 

 Hotel, Cincinnati, Wednesday and Thursday, 

 Feb. 21 and 22. Is attracting widespread atten- 

 tion among producers of this class of material. 

 At this meeting It Is proposed to take up : 



1. The perfection of a permanent organiza- 

 tion. 



2. Adoption of constitution and by-laws. 



3. Establlsbment of rules governing manu- 

 facture and grading of dimension stock. 



4. Promulgation of a basis of value for di- 

 mension material. 



.o. Placing the association on a permanent 

 and profitable financial basis. 



Secretary Charles S. Bacon of Grand Rapids 

 sends the IlAnowooD Record a large number of 

 letters from manufacturers expressing optimistic 

 views concerning this proposed meeting, and 

 agreeing to be present and participate In the 

 conference. Krom these letters a few excerpts 

 are made, which follow : 



St. Lolls, Mo., Feb. 2. — Mr. Chas. S. Hacon, 

 Sec'y, Grand Rapids, Mich. : Your favor of the 

 1st at band, and In the absence of Mr. J. S. 

 Oaretson, will state that he expressed his inten- 

 tion of being presf-nt at the Hardwood Dimen- 

 sion Association meeting In Clnclnantl, Feb. 21 



and L'li. We have already felt the effect of the 

 movement, and have advanced o\ir prices on all 

 dimension stock. No dcnibt a permanent organi- 

 zation will be of great advantage to the manu- 

 facturers and consumers of this class of ma- 

 terial. Yours very truly, Garetson - Greason 

 LUMBKR CoMPANV, W. W. Dings, Secy. 



CiNci.VMATi, Feb. 2. — Dear Sir: The writer 

 will endeavor to be In Cincinnati Feb. 21 and 

 22 and will take pleasure In attending the meet- 

 ing. Yours truly. The Stearns Coju-any, E. C. 

 Groesbeck, Sec'y. 



Buffalo, N. Y., Feb. 5. — Dear Sir : Our Mr. 

 W. A. McLean of Louisville will try to make his 

 plans to meet with you at Cincinnati, Feb. 21 

 and 22. Very truly yours, IIuoH McLean Lum- 

 ber Co., Hugh McLean, Treas. 



liUNTiNGUUKG, L\'D., Feb. ;i. — Dear Sir: I 

 have been advised of this meeting from several 

 sources and on several occasions and will en- 

 deavor to be present. I am much Interested in 

 placing the dimension business on a dlUcrent 

 basis and hope to see a schedule of prices that 

 will bo profitable made current all over the 

 country. Y'oura truly, J. V. Stimson. 



Neoal'nee, Mien., Feb. 3. — Dear Sir: While 

 we are In no sense a producer of hardwood lum- 

 ber, we are ver3' large iioldors of liiirdwood tim- 

 ber lands and arc therefore tjultc Interested In 



this new association, and If possible will send 

 n representative to attend the meeting. Shall 

 watch closely the reports as appearing in the 

 Hardwood Record. Yours truly, CLE^iiLAND- 

 CLiFFS Iron Company. 



Memphis, Tenn., Feb. 3. — Dear Sir: It will 

 give us great pleasure to be represented at the 

 Cincinnati convention. Yours truly, Bacon- 

 Nolan Hardwood Company. 



Washington Coukt House, O., Feb. 2. — Dear 

 Sir : We will have a representative at Cincin- 

 nati on the 21st to take an active part in 

 forming the dimension association. Vours truly. 

 The J. W. Willis Lumber Company. 



Cincinnati, O., Feb. 2. — Dear Sir : We will 

 be glad to attend the meeting In question, as 

 we are much Interested in this subject. We 

 hope you will see also that we get a copy of the 

 Hardwood Record of Feb. 10, as you say the 

 program in detail will appear in that number. 

 Yours truly. The Royer Wheel Company. 



Clarendon, Ark., Feb. 3. — Dear Sir : The 

 writer will try to attend the Cincinnati meet- 

 ing of the Hardwood Dimension Association. 

 We are strongly In favor of creating an associa- 

 tion that will be able to control prices to a cer- 

 tain extent. Yours truly, F. M. Kennedy & Co. 



Farmville, Va., Feb. 3. — We are seriously 

 considering sending a representative to Cincin- 

 nati on Feb. 21 and 22. Yours truly, Farm- 

 ville Manufacturing Company. 



South Bend, Ind., Feb. 2. — Dear Sir: We 

 are interested in this movement and if possible 

 will send a representative to the meeting. Yours 



truly, FULLERTON-l'OWELL HARDWOOD LUMBEB 



Company. 



Fort Wayne, Ind., Feb. 2. — Dear Sir: Your 

 correspondent will Le on hand at Cincinnati 

 at the time indicated. Yours truly, I'ereinb- 

 Armstrong Co., Van B. I'errine. 



New Albany, Miss., Jan. 22. — Dear Sir : At 

 present I am not manufacturing any dimension 

 except wagon stock, and am getting for bolsters 

 $4D, reaches $4S, delivered at a 23yj-ceut rate. 

 Would be glad to manufacture other stock that 

 is going to waste in this section, but at the 

 prices 1 have always been ottered it is money 

 ahead to burn it. Hope the association will be 

 able to strengthen prices and educate the people 

 some in this line. Yours truly, D. D. Allen. 



Chicago, Feb. 2. — Dear Sir: We will try to 

 arrange for one of the members of our lirm to 

 be in Cincinnati on Feb. 21. This move is cer- 

 tainly in the right direction and we assure you 

 of our hearty cooperation. Yours truly, Hous- 

 ton & Curtis. 



Cleveland, O., Feb. 2. — Dear Sir : Our Mr. 

 George E. Breece intends to attend your con- 

 vention at Cincinnati. He is located at Charles- 

 ton, W. Va., and is presUient and general man- 

 ager of the West Virginia Timber Company, in 

 which we are Interested and which produces 

 chair and dimension stock marketed through this 

 company. Are much interested in your associa- 

 tion. Yours truly. The Advance Lumber Com- 

 pany, F. T. I'eltch. 



Louisville, Kv., Feb. 2. — Dear Sir : I shall 

 be pleased to attend the meeting of tlie Hard- 

 <vood Dimension Association at the Grand Hotel, 

 Cincinnati, Feb. 21 and 22. Very truly yours, 

 AlJiERT R. Kampf. 



Kansas City, Mo., .Ian. 27. — Dear Sir : We 

 are heartily In accord with the movement mak- 

 ing to establish some sort of a basis of values 

 and Inspection, and the writer proposes to attend 

 the Cincinnati meeting Feb. 21. Other matters 

 prevented our attending the Hardwood .Manufac- 

 turers' Association meeting at Louisville, Jan. 

 IC and 17. Our opinion is that in view of the 

 fact that a good portion of members of this 

 association are also dimension stock manufac- 

 turers, It might be a good Idea to Join Interests, 

 thereby getting the benefit of the established 

 prestige of the older association. Wc have not 

 been able to prepare a schedule of values to 

 recommend or to submit for consideration, but 

 shall do so In time to present at the meeting. 

 Yours truly, Hf.eicman Lumber Co.mpany. 



