December 10, 191G 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



21 



tlie usual amount of lumber was not teing consumed by the building 

 public and that be often bad more lumber piled in his yard than in 

 former years, he consulted his neighboring manufacturer to see if the 

 same condition existed with him and together they visited other manu- 

 facturers and when their notes were compared they found they were all 

 in the same position. 



This led them to believe that they should band together more- closely 

 than they bad before, that confidence must be instituted between them, 

 that they should establish systems to detenuine what it is costing them 

 to produce their lumber and what the results were when sold. When 

 this was done and they analyzed these figures they found, through a bad 

 business condition that had existed for several years, that they were not 

 only losing money but were losing ground to the substitute materials. 

 This led to further investigation and they became aware that their mer- 

 chandising was very poor, that other commodities, through more intelli- 

 gent salesmanship, were taking their trade away from them and this 

 was the start of the real awalsening of the lumberman to consider the 

 more intelligent merchandising of his lumber. 



In the study of this problem he found he must take into consideration 

 his sales organization in attempting to accomplish better results along 

 these lines and naturally the first place he went was to the sales man- 

 ager. He gave the sales manager more scope, encouraged him to make a 

 study of the lumber industry, fostered salesmanship and together they 

 commenced to study the characteristics of the wood they manufactured, 

 how it should be sawed for the market and, in fact, they really started 

 to go to school in the lumber business. 



The sales manager at once became aware that he knew very little 

 about the product be sold, but he started in to learn and as a result the 

 average sales manager of today has a better and higher knowledge of 

 the lumber business as a whole than did the employer of a few years 

 ago, but we have not reached anywhere near the intelligent knowledge 

 we should have of this industry and only through a continuous study can 

 we hope to bring about that type of merchandising and salesmanship 

 that this great business should warrant. The average lumber sales man- 

 ager of the Xorth, handling hemlock and hardwood, occupies a different 

 position in many ways than do most of the lumber sales managers of 

 other wood producing territories. In this northern country we have from 

 fifteen to twenty different types of timber, mixed in its growth, and as a 

 rule each type goes into a different general use. In each of these various 

 timbers there are several grades when manufactured into lumber and 

 each year sees additional sorting necessary to meet the trade's require- 

 ments. One of the mills represented here today sorts its lumber product 

 into more than five hundred items and it advises that even with its large 

 sorting space it is unable to sort its stock to full advantage for ship- 

 ment to suit the needs of the market at the least possible expense in 

 handling. 



This advanced method of merchandising northern lumber must be con- 

 sidered carefully by the sales manager. 



He must have knowledge of each of these different kinds of woods, the 

 knowledge of the grades covered by each, know the value of the same, as 

 well as the values of competitive lumber materials, and know the market 

 and trade which will consume each of these items, out this knowledge 

 alone will not bring the results that are desired unless a more thorough, 

 high type of salesmanship and merchandising is cultivated in market- 

 ing it. 



The sales manager of the future must not only be a successful salesman 

 himself but he must have ability to successfully handle a sales force, and 

 to secure successful co-operation between his department and the manu- 

 facturing department. These branches must work together for one gen- 

 eral result and that is to bring about a proper type of manufacturing 

 and merchandising. 



It was nearly the banquet hour before the meeting closed, which 

 in itself is indicative of the enthusiasm and interest shomi in the 

 proceedings. 



SATURDAY'S SESSION 



The Saturday morning session was opened with a paper by F. M. 

 Ducker, traffic manager of the Northern Hemlock and Hardwood 

 Manufacturers' Association, who spoke on " Transportation in Modern 

 Business. ' ' Mr. Ducker said among other things : 



Transportation in Modern Business 



The question of freight claims is a subject with which you are all 

 more or less familiar. One of the constant sources of claims is the bill 

 of lading itself. The bill of lading should be legible, with the name of 

 the shipper, consignee and destination shown in full. Routing instruc- 

 tions, if any, should be clear and concise. Where there are two stations 

 of a similar name in the same state designate the county in which the 

 station is located. In submitting claims for loss and damage the fol- 

 lowing documents should be submitted by the claimant : the original 

 bill of lading if not previously surrendered, the original paid freight 

 bill, the original invoice or attested copy, together with a statement of 

 the claim showing how amount of loss or damage is determined, with all 

 the evidence he can possibly procure or may be necessary to substantiate 

 same. Bills for cost of repairs or account sales should also be included 

 where such verification is necessary. When for any reason it is impossi- 

 ble for claimant to produce original paid freight bill or bill of lading, a 



full explanation should be made with respect to the absence of these 

 documents, and be should indemnify the carrier against loss in duplicate 

 claim supported by the original documents. Conditions on bill of lading 

 with respect to time limit for presentation should be complied with. 



Claims for overcharges should be supported by the original expense 

 bill with definite authority for the rate claimed, the original bill of 

 lading where it is possible to furnish, original invoice or attested copy 

 where it may be necessary to prove the weight or classification claimed, 

 together with statement of claim showing how claim is arrived at witii 

 reference to published tariff or other authority for rate, weight or 

 classification claimed. .\s in the case of claims for loss or damage, in 

 the absence of the original documents, claimant should indemnify tlie 

 carrier and explain fully the reason why the original documents cannot 

 be produced. 



The proper presentation of a claim is halt the battle, as it expedites 

 the handling with the carrier and enables the claimant to receive settle- 

 ment with the least possible delay. 



Rate making is generally stated as being a difficult problem, which 

 simply means that there is not so far a scientific formula, which might hi' 

 applied as a yard stock, to determine the measure of a rate. In earl.v 

 days the statement was generally made that rates were so constructed 

 as to yield all the traffic would bear. If this rule were adopted, thcr,' 

 would be little difficulty in arriving at the proper rates for any given 

 commodity, but the difficulty in its application lies primarily in the fact 

 that the business of transportation companies is affected with a public 

 use, and a rate constructed solely upon this theory is by force of economic 

 law the maximum. 



The committee and visitors were disappointed that Edward Hines, 

 who had expected to be present and address them, was unable to leave 

 his business, but his place was exceptionally well filled by H. L. Dewey, 

 sales manager for the Edward Hines Lumber Company, Chicago. Mr. 

 Dewey spoke on ' ' Salesmanship in Its Broadest Sense ' ' and the rela- 

 tionship that must exist between the employer and salesman, laying 

 particular stress on knowledge and loyalty. Hakdwood Record be- 

 lieves that Mr. Dewey 's paper would be of such benefit and inspiration 

 not only to lumbermen but to salesmen and manufacturers in all 

 lines, that it will publish it in fuU in the December 25 issue, and asks 

 its readers to be on the lookout for it. 



How to Make Birch More Beautiful 



One of the most interesting addresses given during the convention 

 was that by D. E. Breinig, president of the Bridgeport Wood Finishing 

 Company, New MUf ord, Conn., who spoke on ' ' Beautiful Birch and 

 How to Make It More Beautiful. ' ' Mr. Breinig had on exhibition 

 on the platform and later in the hotel lobby a collection of large birch 

 panels showing the adaptabilitj' of birch to the different modern 

 finishes. He spoke in part as follows: 



Houses are not finished today like they were five years ago. There 

 has been a big advance made in the study of interior decoration, and when 

 a man builds a house he wants it right up-to-date. 



How much more effective is it, therefore, if it can be arranged so that 

 this prospect can see real birch beautifully finished in a large variety 

 of tones. Is it not more effective than simply sending him a catalogue 

 descriptive of the wood? 



I personall.v have questioned a large number of men in building and 

 architectural lines, as well as property owners, asking them what finish 

 they associated with birch, and nine times out of ten they came right 

 back with the idea "imitation mahogany." In other words, birch is 

 strongly associated in the minds of hundreds of people with imitation 

 mahogany, because to a great extent it is finished in that tone. 



Now suppose you have interested a person who is building a home in 

 the use of birch, and he thinks he will use birch in the dining-room, but 

 his wife poiuts out that as the furniture is finished in a brown tone this 

 will not harmonize with the natural or mahogany finish so much asso- 

 ciated with birch. If these people are not posted that birch can take a 

 variety of other tones in beautiful browns and grays the chances are the 

 wood will not he used, because the color scheme largely determines things 

 these days in the interior work. If, however, the architect, contractor 

 and property owner have seen the beautiful effects it is possible to obtain 

 then they know birch can take a variety of other beautiful colors, and 

 their color scheme followed out. 



Another point that should be brought out more strongly to architects, 

 builders and property owners is that birch has individual features of its 

 own, and is something which should not be finished in an imitation of 

 something else — for instance, mahogany or walnut. If, therefore, I were 

 traveling for a lumber house having birch for one of its products I should 

 attempt to see all the architects in the terriory I covered and insead 

 of simply talking birch I would have with me a set of panels — that is a 

 small pocket set — showing a wide variety of effects in which birch could 

 be finished, besides having one piece of house trim about 12 inches long. 

 I will guarantee you that if you will try this you will get many intro- 

 ductions to architects and, further, they will remember birch far better 

 (Continued on paije 2o) 



