34 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



November 25, 1916- 



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Clubs and Associations 



Program for Unique Salesmanship Conference 



Tlie Northern Lumbermen's Salesmanship Conference inaugurated 

 under the auspices of the sales managers committee of the Xorthern 

 Hemlock and Hardwood Manufacturers' Association will operate along 

 lines that promise definitely beneficial results. The conference will be 

 held at Merrill. Wis., in the Badger Opera House, December S, 9 and 10, 

 on invitation of the Henieman Lumber Company. A. H. Stange Company, 

 Kinzel Lumber Company and Union Land Company, all of Merrill. 



Invitation is extended to all manufacturers and retailers of northern 

 lumber and to their sales forces to attend the conference, as well as 

 wholesalers, commission salesmen and others interested in the sale of 

 northern stock. 



George Rolison of the Kinzel Lumber Company is chairman of the 

 committee in charge, which is composed further of J. F. Halpin, H. H. 

 Butts, Alfred Klass and W. E. Vogelsang. 



The object of the conference is to get together those vital forces of 

 the northern lumber industry and to bring the sales organization and 

 the manufacturing departments on a single plane in order to better arrive 

 at the proper relations of these two departments to produce more satis- 

 factory and profitable results, and to so handle these departments that 

 greater satisfaction may be given to customers. 



It is hoped to broaden the field of intelligent salesmanship in order to 

 meet the rapid changing of lumber conditions in marketing the product, 

 and to work out plans for co-operation between the selling and manu- 

 facturing departments and particularly between firms who manufacture 

 and sell northern lumber. 



It is confidently expected that accentuated feeling of friendship be- 

 tween the manufacturer and those who purchase his product may be 

 developed, to the end that a greater cooperation in working out plans tor 

 better merchandising of northern lumlier may result. 



The program includes sessions all day Friday, at which many prominent 

 operators and sales manager will offer their idca,s. fhere will be dis- 

 cussions for each paper. In the evening the manufacturers of Merrill 

 will give a banquet to the visitors. 



On Saturday morning there will be further discussions, and in the 

 afternoon a visit to the operations of the A. 11. Stange Company. This 

 will be followed by further sessions, at which important addresses will 

 be presented. The Merrill lumbermen will give further entertainment 

 Saturday evening. 



Sunday will be devoted to excursions into the woods, a visit to the 

 Heineman Lumber Company operations, exhibit and discussion of grades 

 by Chief, Inspector McDonald, and a special train trip to Xewwood 

 camps of the Union Land Company, fifteen miles north of Slerrill, where 

 a special camp dinner will be served in regular camp style. In the 

 afternoon E. M. Barrett, secretary of the World's Salesmanship Congress, 

 will present an address on "Salesmanship in Its Broadest Sense." 



Memphis Lumbermen Listen to Address on Foreign Trade 



Conditions 



The principal feature of the semi-monthly meeting of the Lumbermen's 

 Club of Memphis, held November 11, was the address delivered by 

 Erwin W. Thompson, commercial attache to the American legation at 

 the Hague and at Berlin, during the course of which he gave a great 

 deal of firsthand information regarding conditions In Holland and 

 Germany and also a forecast of the volume of business that would be 

 obtainable when the war was at an end. 



One of the theories exploded by .Mr. Thompson during his talk was 

 that Germany would be in position immediately after the close of the 

 war to flood America and other countries with finished products. He 

 said that on the contrary raw materials were so scarce in Germany that 

 it was entirely out of the question for manufacturers to obtain the 

 necessary amount to take care of current requirements of their patrons, 

 much less arrange a large aceumulatlon of products to be distributed 

 with the coming of peace. 



In this connection Mr. Thompson Informed members of the club that 

 there was very little lumlier, steel. Iron and other raw materials avail- 

 able in Germany beyond those absolutely necessary for use in connection 

 with the prosecution of the war and Intimated that there would be a 

 tremendous demand for lumber from that country when peace Is declared. 

 He also said that on account of the manner in which the blockade had 

 been made elTective by the allies and in view of the limiting of the 

 amount of raw materials that could be Imported into Holland, conditions 

 in that country will show a scarcity of raw materials quite similar 

 to those in Germany itself. 



Mr. Thompson thought that American exporters of lumber could do 

 a very large and profitable business with both Holland and Germany 

 after the close of the war. He said that It would be neees.sary for a 

 great deal of this business to be handled on credit but that there was 

 a very large supply of gold In Germany, which had been hoarding the 

 yellow metal for some years prior to the war, and that the people 

 of Holland were very prosperous. He therefore thought a credit business 

 within reasonable bounds wholly safe and that American exporters of 



lumber should cater to, this trade in a large way even if credit accom- 

 modations had to be arranged. He declared the credit of Germany would: 

 be good whichever way the war terminated because that country was very 

 rich in gold and he also said that the supply of gold in Holland was 

 unusually large, making the trade of both countries decidedly wortli 

 while. 



At the conclusion of his address a vote of thanks was tendered to- 

 Mr. Thompson. 



Two aijplications for membership were filed with the club, as follows : 

 H. J. Davis, H. J. Davis & Co.. Clarksdale, Miss., and Charles P. McManus, 

 resident manager for the Probst Lumber Company, Cincinnati. 



Resolutions were presented by George C. Ehemann, chairman of the 

 river and rail committee, protesting against the abandonment of the 

 harbor at Gulfport, Miss., by the United States authorities. These are 

 similar to those adopted by the Southern Hardwood Traffic Association 

 and by the American Oak Manufacturers' Association. 



J. D. Allen, Jr.. chairman of the special committee which raised the 

 funds for the entertainment of Hoo-Hoo at the annual held in September, 

 reported that .$2,039.99 had been collected and that $887.50 had been 

 refunded to contributors. 



There were eighty members and visitors present at this meeting, whiclX' 

 proved an exceptionally enjoyable one. 



Gum and Oak Meeting for January 

 Plans have been perfected for the annual meeting of the Gum Lumber 

 Manufacturers' Association to be held at Memphis on January 20. At 

 the meeting of the board of directors of the new oak association, held" 

 Immediately after the general session, it was decided that the oak meet- 

 ing will be held on the day previous, namely, January 19. This gives 

 the opportunity of bringing a great many men together on the two 

 meeting dates, and these two days are certainly going to be vastly 

 important to southern hardwood manufacturing operators. 



One of the most interesting reports at the gum meeting will be that 

 of the cost committee, of which T. L. Hoskins of Morehouse, Mo., is 

 chairman. 



Southern Traffic Association to Take In Arkansas Members 



Tile .Southern Hardwood Traffic Association will, as a result of nego- 

 tiations which have been completed, receive about twenty-five new mem- 

 bers frtun Arkansas. Plans were discussed some time ago for establishing 

 a branch of the association at Little Rock similar to that In Louisville, 

 but it has now been decided that the Arkansas firms desiring to become 

 identified with the association shall become active members of the parent 

 body and that, in order that they may have proper representation, the 

 board of directors will be increased from eighteen to twenlty-four, six 

 of whom are to be chosen from among the Arkansas lumbermen. 



This is regarded as a very happy solution of the problem of supplying 

 lumber Interests In .Vrkansas with facilities for the handling of traffic 

 matters. It gives them one of the most active organizations in the 

 .South in traffic matters to handle their traffic prolilems for them. At 

 the same time the addition of so many members from Arkansas will very 

 greatly strengthen the Southern Hardwood Traffic Association numerically 

 and will thus Increase its scope and influence. In addition to Increasing 

 the number of directors, which will be done at the next annual meeting 

 of the association in January, it is announced that there will be a 

 material increa.se In the office force of the association at Memphis so 

 that the additional work to be handled may be taken care of with 

 dispatch. 



These arrangements were consummated during the recent visit of a 

 number of prominent Arkansas lumbermen to Memphis. These gentlemen, 

 who were entertained at luncheon at the Tennessee Club by the governing 

 board of the association were : 



R. L. Bruce. E. L. Bruce Company, Little Rock; D. S. Walrous. Lit- 

 tle Rock Lumber & Manufacturing Company. Little Rock ; A. E. McLean, 

 McLeaii-.Vrkansas Lumber Company. Little Rock ; C. H. Murphy. Saline 

 River Hardwood Company. Pine Blufl" ; B. .\. Reynolds, .\rkansas Oak 

 Flooring rnmiianv. Pine BlulT : W. B. Morgan. Morgan Veneer Company, 

 Pine Bluff: J. F. Mclntyre. J. F. Mclntyre & Sons. Inc.. Pine BlulT. 



Chair Manufacturers Meet 

 The National Association of Chair .Manufactuvrs held its quarterly 

 meeting at the Congress Hotel, Chicago, November 14 and 15. Most of 

 the work was transacted In executive session, and related to routine busi- 

 ness. The opinion was expressed that the near future would witness a 

 general advance in the price of chairs, due to Increased cost of labor 

 and nuiterials. The increase may average as much as ten per cent. 



Banquet in Honor of Hoo-Hoo Officer 



The banquet given to Julius Seidel of the Julius Seidel Lumber Com- 

 pany In honor of his re-election as Grand Snark of the Universe of the 

 Concatenated Order of Hoo-Hoo, at the West End restaurant, St. Louis, 

 November 9. was a success in ever.v way. S. S. May was the toastmaster. 

 In introducing Mr. Seldfl, he spoke of the appreciation of the order for 

 the work Mr. Seidel had done for it and told how he had merited the 

 re-election. 



Mr. Seidel spoke very feelingly and showed how he appreciated the 

 honor given him. Others who spoke were P. P. Cook, who responded to 

 the toast, "The Ladles — God Bless Them," J. F. Gresley of Omaha, Neb., 

 and P. T. Langan of Cairo, president of the Illinois Lumber and Builders' 

 Supply Dealers' Association. 



AH lady guests were presented with black cats as souvenirs. 



