February 10, 1917 



LEON ISAACSEN, COAL GROVE, O., 

 DIRECTOR 



RALPH 1L\Y, MEMPHIS. TEXN., 



DIRECTOR 



E. M. VESTAL. KXOXVILLE. TEXN.. 

 DIRECTOR 



Oak Selects 



Length : (i' aud over admitting 13 per cent of odd lengtlis not over .'10 

 per cent under 12' and not to exceed 5 per cent in G' and 7'. 



Widtlis ; 5" and over. 



Thicknesses : Standaril. 



Bright sap is not a defect. 



Inspection to be made from the good side of the piece. Reverse side in 

 pieces 8' and over long must worlj at least SO per cent sound.. 



Pieces G' and 7' long must be clear one face and sound on the reverse 

 side. 



Pieces 6" and over wide, S' and over long, must grade not below seconds 

 on the best face. 



All pieces other than those described above below the grade of seconds 

 must work SO per cent clear face, as follows : 



Lengtiis Xumber of Pieces 



12' and shorter 2 



13' and longer 3 



The smallest cutting allowed must contain 144 square inches. It must 

 not be shorter than IS", nor narrower than 3". 



On quarter-sawed same as plain except the widths shall be G" and up. 

 WoKMY Oak — ^Fas 



Fas to grade the same as the present rule of Fas except that spot worms, 

 scattered pin worms and bird peck shall not be considered a defect. 

 No. 1 Common 



No. 1 common to grade the same as the present rule covering the regu- 

 lar grade of No. 1 common as to the size and number of cuttings. The 

 cuttings may contain pin and spot worm holes, shot worm holes and 

 bird peck. 



Core Stock 



Lengths 4' and over long : 3" and over wide, not to exceed 13 per cent of 

 odd lengths ; not over 10 per cent under 6'. 



This stock to work full length and width except that wane not over 

 %" deep and not over 3' long, and splits or heart shake not exceeding in 

 length the width of the hoard shall not be considered defects. This grade 

 will admit all defects that will not interfere with its use for core purposes, 

 these defects largely being worm holes, ingrown bark, bird peck and sound 

 knots. 



The grading commission recommends the adoption of the rules for fig- 

 ured gum recommended by the Gum association. 



Draft of Proposed Plan for Establishing Open Competition 

 Among Hardwood Manufacturers 



Chairman Stark of the committee on open price plan, then presented 

 his report, which was adopted out of the regular order of business, 

 being held over to await a meeting of the board of governors later in 

 the day. Mr. Stark said that enough hmibermen had already signified 

 their willingness to adopt the plan to make it sure of success. This 

 was characterized as the most important business to come up before the 

 convention and before decisive action was taken, a full expression of 

 the delegates was desired. The plan was printed in pamphlet form 

 and distributed among the delegates and a thorough perusal of same 

 was urged by President Burns. The plan follows : 



Prepared by Committee Appointed by the Board of Governors of the 



Hardwood Manufacturer's Assoclation on December 15, 191G. 



(Approved by the Board of Governors January 29, 1917.) 



The purpose of this plan is to disseminate among members accurate 



knowledge ni pripductiou and market conditions so that each member may 

 gauge the market intelligently instead of guessing at it: to make competi- 

 tion open and above board instead of secret and concealed ; to substitute, 

 in estimating market conditions, frank and full statements of our competi- 

 tors for the frequently misleading and colored statements of the buyer. 



This plan does not contemiilate anything illegal or anything which might 

 be developed into illegal acts. There is absolutely no agreement as to 

 prices, either real or implied. There is no obligation, either real 

 or implied, on the part of any member to charge any other price 

 than what he himself thinks best. There is no obligation, either 

 real or implied, on the part of any member to reduce, increase 

 or change the character of his production in any other manner 

 than he himself may think best. The plan will, however furnish informa- 

 tion to enable each member to intelligently make prices and intelligently 

 govern his own production. 



The advantage of this plan as a matter of public policy must be self- 

 evident. The advantage of a stable market to both the buyer and the 

 seller is well known. A large part of the time wasted in arguing over 

 prices and the various maneuvering on the part of both buyer and seller, 

 one trying to reduce the price and the other trying to raise the price, wastes 

 time and energy and results in a great variet.v of prices for the same kind 

 and quality of lumber. 



By making prices known to each other they will gradually tend toward 

 a standard in harmony with market conditions, a situation advantageous 

 to both buyer and seller. The committee does not expect this plau to 

 result in one price for any one grade and the difference between even the 

 same grades of various manufacturers is well recognized. It is contended, 

 however, that in a very short time the extreme range of prices on any one 

 grade will be materially reduced and eventually the prices obtained will be 

 in direct relation to the character of the grade offered and the prevailing 

 market conditions. This is all any of us can hope for. 



The Plan 



The plan covers all hardwoods, but it was deemed advisable by the com- 

 mittee to start with one wood only, until the members became familiar 

 with the workings and then to add other woods as rapidly as the secre- 

 tary's office can arrange to handle the details of same. Owing to the fact 

 that the wood most largely produced by all members is oak, it was decided 

 to start with oak. The oak is to be classified into plain and quartered, also 

 according to thickness aud also whether red or white ; these subdivisions 

 in turn to be classified under the grades hereafter shown. Those members 

 who do not divide their red and white oak at all or only in certain grades 

 will report them as mixed and they will be classified in the secretary's 

 reports as white oak. 



The grades for division are as follows : 



Is and 2s No. 1 Common No. 



Select No. 2 Common No. 



No. 1 Common aud Select Sound Wormy 

 The bill stock will be classified as follows : 



Switch ties, members will designate as to whether matched or 



unmatched. 

 Cross ties, with sizes designated. 

 Crossing plank. 

 White oak car stock. 

 Mixed oak car stock. 



Sound square edged construction timbers, IG feet and shorter. 

 •These to be divided in 6xG to 12x12 for one class and below 

 6x6 for another class. 

 Sound square edged plank. 

 .Ml special grades are to be reported as such. 



Any grades not coming under the above classifications are to be reported 

 for just what the.v are. 



3 Common 



4 Common 



