November 25, 1916 



Auspicious Start for Oak Boosters 



The American Oak Manufacturers' Association was formally 

 launched at the meeting held at Memphis, Tenn., for that purpose on 

 Friday, November 10. 



Invitations had been sent out to the majority of the manufacturers 

 of oak in the United States and Canada and the attendance was very 

 gratifying to those identified with the promotion of this organiza- 

 tion. Furthermore, the meeting was characterized by unusual en- 

 thusiasm and particularly when it came to the enrollment of new 

 members. When the call was 

 made for the enrollment of 

 the various firms who wished 

 to become charter members, 

 there was a real rush on the 

 part of individuals to get 

 their firm names down. This 

 enthusiasm was accepted by 

 all as a most favorable omen 

 and those who participated 

 in the organization of the 

 new association feel confident 

 that it will develop into one 

 of the most important, if not 

 the most important, of its 

 kind in existence. 



It is realized that the asso- 

 ciation has a very large field 

 to cover and that it has a 

 vast amount of material from 

 which to draw its member- 

 ship. It is pointed out that 

 there are about 1,250 manu- 

 facturers of oak lumber and 

 products made therefrom in 

 the United States and Canada, 

 and that their annual output 

 is approximately 4,400,000,000 

 feet. Every effort will be 

 made to bring as many of 

 these people as possible into 

 the new association, and' those 

 who are now identified there- 

 with are of the opinion that 

 there not only is a great work 

 to be done in behalf of oak 

 lumber, but that the associa- 

 tion, with its present member- 

 ship and that which is to be 

 added, will be equal to the de- 

 mands made upon it. 



Memphis was chosen as 

 permanent headquarters for 

 the association and temporary 

 ofiices have already been opened here. Officers and directors elected 

 were: 



President — E. A. Lang. Paepcke Leicht Lumber Co., Chicago. 



First Vice-President — W. H. Russe. Russe & Burgess, Inc., Memphis. 



Second Vice-President, James E. Starli. James E. Stark & Co.. Memphis. 



Treasurer — R. L. Jurden, Penrod. Jurden & McCowen. Mempliis. 



Directors for three years — W. E. DeLaney, Lexington, Ky. ; F. W. Mow- 

 bray. Cincinnati ; Ralph May, Memphis : T. M. Brown, Louisville ; W. C. 

 Johnson, Mansfield. O. ; J. F. Mclntyre, Pine Bluff. .\rk., and W. A. 

 Ransom. Memphis. 



Directors for two years — Max Pease, Poplar Bluff. Mo.: R. M. Carrier, 

 Sardis, Miss. ; J. F. McSweyn, Memphis ; P. A. Ryan, Lufkin. Texas ; 

 George E. Breece. Charleston, W. Va. ; S. M. Niekey, Memphis, and Claude 

 Slaley. Evansville, Ind. 



Directors for one year — M. H. Massee, Macon, Ga. ; E. V. Babcock, 

 Pittsburgh ; R. H. Darnell, Memphis ; A. B. Ransom, Nashville ; W. B. 



Burke, Charleston, Miss. ; C. Boice, Richmond. Va., and F. R. Gadd, 



Chicago. 



Constitution and by-laws were adopted by the association and the 

 following provisions were made in regard to the classes of member- 

 ship, together with the dues to be paid by each: Gass A, manufac- 

 turers of oak limiber, whose dues will be assessed at a rate not to ex- 

 ceed 10 cents per 1,000 feet log scale, based on annual production; 

 class B, manufacturers of sawn or sliced oak veneer, $100 per annum ; 



class C, manufacturers of 

 rotary oak veneer, $50 per 

 annum; class D, manufactur- 

 ers of oak forest products, 

 such as staves, headings, ties, 

 etc., $50 per annum; class E, 

 nonoperating owners of oak 

 stumpage, whose dues shall be 

 $1 per million feet of their 

 estimated stumpage. 



E. L. Jurden was chairman 

 of the committee on constitu- 

 tion and by-laws, while Jas. E. 

 Stark was chairman of the 

 nominating committee. 



The first official act of the 

 association was the adoption 

 of vigorous resolutions oppos- 

 ing the abandonment of the 

 harbor at Gulfport, Miss. The 

 lumber exporters handle a big 

 amount of lumber by way of 

 Gulfport, and they realize 

 fully just how they would 

 suffer if that port were aban- 

 doned. There is a vast amount 

 of congestion already at New 

 Orleans in the export depart- 

 ment, and it is recognized 

 that if it were necessary to 

 send all southern exports 

 through that center, there 

 would be so much congestion 

 and such delay would be ex- 

 perienced as would impose a 

 severe handicap on those en- 

 gaged in the handling of for- 

 eign shipments of lumber. 



The following firms enrolled 

 as charter members, forty- 

 seven in number. 



Russe & Burgess, Inc.. May 

 Bros.. Penrod, Jurden & Mc- 

 Cowen, Memphis Band Mill 

 Company. Three States Lumber Company, Gayoso Lumber Company. 

 Goodlander-Robert.son Lumber Company, Crittenden Lumber Company. 

 James E. Stark & Co.. Inc., Crenshaw-Gary Lumber Company, R. J. 

 Darnell, Inc., Brown & Hackney, Bellgrade Lumber Company, Stim- 

 son Veneer and Lumber Company, Ferguson-Palmer Company, Green 

 River Lumber Company, Memphis Veneer and Lumber Company, H. A. 

 McCowan & Co., Niekey Bros., Inc.. Is'ickey & Sons Lumber Company, 

 Chickasaw Cooperage Company, Anderson-TuUy Company and the Woods 

 Lumber Company, all of Memphis; and Wisconsin Lumber Company, 

 Chicago ; Mansfield Hardwood Lumber Company, Winufield. La. ; Ferd 

 Brenner Lumber Company. Alexandria, La. ; latt Lumber Company, Ltd., 

 Colfax, La. ; Himmerberger-Harrison Lumber Company. Cape Girardeau, 

 Mo. : John B. Ransom & Co.. Nashville ; Lamb-Fish Lumber Company, 

 Charleston. Miss. ; the Paepcke Leicht Lumber Company, Chicago ; Alex- 

 ander Bros., Belzoni. Miss. ; Mowbray & Robinson Company, Cincinnati : 

 Utley-HoUoway Company, Chicago: North Vernon Lumber Company, 

 North Vernon, Ind. ; Ferguson Hardwood Company. Paducah, Ky. ; Bedna- 



—21— 



E. A. LANU. CHICAGO, ELECTED PRESIDENT 



