28 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



January 25, 1917 



if possible an increase beyond previous marks, rather than a job of edu- 

 cating the public to the merits of an unknown article. 



Naturally those who have the largest stake in oak's prosperity — meaning 

 ourselves as oak ninuufacturers — are the ones who should take the action 

 necessary to restore public interest in oak. It is ours to do and ours to pay 

 for (and ours will he the profit if we act with vigor, alertness, and fore- 

 sight, and on a scale adequate to the need). 



The advertising of lumber to the "last man," the actual \iser, is long 

 past the point where it has to prove its value. It is no longer an experi- 

 ment, it is in no sense a donation to anybody, It is not at all a specula- 

 tion — it is now recognized, even by many lumbermen who formerly opposed 

 it because they did not understand it. as a straight-out. deflnite and prac- 

 tically guaranteed investment. The only three conditions of success are, 

 first, "skill in handling the advertising (by which we mean not alone the 

 use of .space in important publications, but also the "follow-up" and every- 

 thing that helps to develop public favor) ; 2nd, conservatism in expendi- 

 ture, by which we mean caution which does not spoil liberality, and an- 

 alysis which does not interfere with breadth of view and purpose ; and 

 3rd. steady "plugging." persistency, continuity, patience and the faith 

 that is based on the proven winnings of others who have worked by the 

 same recipe. 



The testimony as to the legitimate investment character of advertising 

 money, if properly expended, is already so voluminous that it is hard to 

 select examples. A couple of years ago John W. Blodgett, upon being ap- 

 pealed to for contribution to lumber advertising in his capacity as a timber 

 owner, wrote a letter in which he said in effect that in his opinion the 

 advertising of lumber to the consumer was the most important step that the 

 industry had ever taken. Everybody in the lumber business knows of the 

 demonstration of commercial value in carefully conceived and well-handled 

 advertising made by the cypress association after about seven years of 

 continuous publicity. I quote a cypress bulletin issued in August last 

 year as follows : 



On July 1, 1916. there was over 46.000.000 feet less cypress lumber on 

 haud at the same 31 mills than on January 1, and there was also less on 

 hand than on July 1, 1915. 



This was in the face of full time in all mills reporting and should be 

 considered in connection with the fact that the log-run price averaged at 

 least $2.00 advance., notwithstanding the price conditions of some com- 

 peting species. I quote again — 



And t'je future looks good. The replies from our advertising have 

 never been so heavy during the mid-summer period as during the past 

 two months. It has usually been our experience that few people reply to 

 our advertising during the summer, but this year has been an exception 

 and it can only mean an increasing demand this Fall. 



This prediction also came true. Thirty days later cypress reported as 

 follows : 



Despite the fact that most people have not considered 1916 a brilliant 

 lumber year, there has been more cypress sold than has been manufactured, 

 as the people now know enough about cypress to insist upon it for those 

 purposes where it is best. This condition has resulted in a gradual ad- 

 vance in price, which during the past few weeks is apparently more radical, 

 with the indications pointing to further advances in the near future. 

 Stocks of some items are rather depleted, and the manufa<'turers are in- 

 clined to pick and choose among those orders which are offered, there being 

 no desire to accept at any price more business than can bo easily handled. 



Bear in mind that this is the condition after consistent and persistent 

 advertising for several years, resulting in a stable market, and the avoid- 

 ance of the ups and downs which are often so distressing and perplexing. 



A December statement by the cypress people says — 



As a result of more experience than most other lumber manufacturers 

 have had in using advertising to shape the public mind, the cypress manu- 

 facturers have become sure of their ground, and they know what they can 

 do and what they cannot do.- 



It is a point of interest in connection with these quotations that they 

 ■were written by the secretary of the cypress association and not by their 

 advertising counsel. One more cypress quotation of recent date : 



We cannot at this time conscientiously solicit orders. We can promise 

 to render the best possible service on your orders which are received, 

 but we must admit that we are not strenuously seeking new business. 



To bring the citations nearer home, I think I may properly quote a letter 

 printed in a recent gum bulletin stating : 



Tour letter is carefully noted. Where gum might have been today is 

 not worrying us just now, l)ut where It is going to be some months from 

 now if these good prices continue and we don't keep up the good strong 

 advertising for gum. Our regret Is that you didn't stick on the full 

 assessment of IHc instead of 12V.C. 



This is signed by a member of the gum association. A later bulletin of 

 Mr. Pritchard's right up to date stated that "this phenomenal Increase In 

 the sales of gum lumber is a direct benefit to the manufacturers of the 

 work of the Gum Lumber Manufacturers' Association. In creating a 

 greater and more stable market our advertising campaign has been suc- 

 cessful, and the value of co-operation will no longer be questioned." 



R. H. Downman, president of the National Lumber Manufacturers' Asso- 

 ciation, in an interview early in December said — 



The lumt)er manufacturer in his mill operations, cutting of the timber, 

 and then the conversion of the log into lumber, has showed himself the 

 peer of any and superior of most manufacturers, and there his ability has 

 ceased to manifest itself. We are all equall.v guilty. We have thought that 

 the lumber would sell itself. It has not done so, does not, and never will 

 again. We must be merchants, not alone manufacturers. 



The Pacific Coast Timber Bulletin says — 



The absolute need for advertising and promotion is known and pro- 

 claimed by those progressive lumbermeo who have been helped through 

 regional exploitation. 



Cypress manufacturers pay 25c a thousand on a cut within the asso- 



ciation, probably no larger than our oak association will represent when 

 we get a good start. 



Hemlock manufacturers pay lie. North Carolina pine 8c, southern pine 

 10c, and gum 1214c. The cedar shingle manufacturers expended $60,000 

 last year exploiting "rite grade" shingles, and California white pine, red- 

 wood, and fir are in line locally. 



We are treating ourselves kindly in demanding no more than 10c a 

 thousand on oak to start this new movement, and put oak on the map 

 again. We are entitled to receive and should receive the application of 

 every eligible manufacturer of oak. The formation of this association 

 alone has added sufficient value to your oak lumber to pay your assessment 

 in the association for several years. You are not indifferent to the benefits 

 possible from an association of this kind, and I do not believe there is a 

 man in this room who would willingly receive benefits he did not help gain. 



How can you hesitate when every delay to start "full speed ahead" 

 means that much subtraction from our marketing momentum later on? 



After the appointment of a special membership committee to 

 work on those present who were not already signed up, the meeting 

 adjourned for a buffet luncheon that was served in the meeting 

 hall. 



AFTERNOON SESSION 



In his talk, which opened the afternoon session, Dr. Hermann Von 

 Schrenk, the eminent lumber technologist, did not spare the feelings 

 of his audience. Dr. Von Schrenk is consulting engineer for the 

 New York Central and other prominent railroad systems, supervis- 

 ing the purchasing of forest products. He good naturedly but no 

 less pointedly criticized the methods of the oak manufacturers in 

 marketing their materials, but stated that most of the error is due 

 to the absence of systematically compiled data that will permit of 

 better salesmanship, that is, a closer meeting of the needs of the 

 consumers with the production of the producer. 



He referred specifically to a number of interesting exhibits which 

 he had ou tables in the convention hall tending to show the proper 

 utilization of oak under varying conditions, and said that proper 

 handling and treatment of oak would not only give the greatest per- 

 manency of use, but would create the most favorable impression 

 in the minds of the users. He pointed out two oak stakes, one of 

 which had been in the ground for five or six years but which, because 

 it was not treated with preservatives, had literall.y gone to pieces. 

 Beside it was a similar stake which had been in the ground for 

 some twelve years, but having been properlj- treated, it was as good 

 as when it was first put in. 



He pointed to the object lesson presented by the merchandising of 

 the substitutes for wood, saying that here the manufacturers of 

 lumber can get their best education as to methods of procedure 

 and their best impression as to the tremendous results possible by 

 intelligent trade expansion. The success of the substitute sponsors 

 is based, according to Dr. Von Schrenk, upon the fact that they know 

 their good.s, they know exactly what they will do and what they will 

 not do, and hence can intelligently urge their use where that use is 

 feasible and discourage their use where failure under improper serv- 

 ice would give to the user a wrong impression of this or that mate- 

 rial. The speaker said that were the methods of the lumbermen not 

 obsolete and more or less haphazard, the substitute people would 

 have been able to secure a much smaller percentage of the business 

 that the}' have already taken away from lumber; that the lack of 

 knowledge of the defects of wood and its availability in specific 

 usages made attempts at merchandising impotent in the past. He 

 said that while the good qualities of oak, its strength, its durability, 

 its general desirability are generally recognized, specific data and 

 scientifically arrived at arguments are essential to a complete devel- 

 opment of all possible fields in the future. He instanced the particu- 

 lar and exacting tests and investigations of the possibility of spe- 

 cific figuring when work contemplating the use of steel is projected. 

 This service by the steel manufacturers, relieves the customer not 

 only of such duties, but also of the anxiety of not knowing whether 

 his material is going to stand up under test. So Dr. Von Schrenk 

 urged those groups of manufacturers of forest products who desire 

 to develop for their manufactured materials, markets commensurate 

 with their importance in the industrial life of the country, to 

 adopt the same modern and scientific methods of investigation, of 

 service and of selling as have the manufacturers of clay, cement, 

 steel and similar products. 



