HARDWOOD RECORD 



41 



B 106 — Seeks Hickory 

 Newi'oi'k, OctoliiT Ifi. — Editor IlAKDWonn Ufa- 

 ■ORD : We have quite a foreign trade in liickory 

 billets, n-liich must be prime second-growth, all 

 white and straight-grained, running from 7 to 

 10 feet in length and 4 to 414 inches in width, 

 and 1 to 1V4 inches in thickness. With .vour 

 wide acquaintance in the lumber industry we 

 presume there are some parties known to you 

 who are in a position to cut this stock for us. 

 If you will be kind enough to give us their names 

 and addresses we sliall indeed appreciate your 



^•ourtesy. Company, 



The above letter is from a leading New 

 York export and import agency, and it has 

 been supplied with the names and addresses 

 of sundry hickory producers, An.y others 

 interested in the business can have the ad- 

 dress by writing and referring to B 106, — 

 Editor. 



B 107— On Salting Poplar Grades 



The following communication is from .J. 

 V. Hill, formerly chief inspector of the 

 Hardwood Manufacturers' Association of 

 the United States, but now engaged in the 

 manufacture of railroad ties and lumber, 

 with headquarters at Columbus, O, Mr, Hill 

 is manager of Hill Brothers Tie & Lumlier 

 Company, His long e.xperienee and studious 

 analysis of lumber inspection methods makes 

 anything he has to say on this subject prac- 

 tically authoritative. The letter is fully 

 worth the jjerusal of manufacturers, jobbers, 

 inspectors and consumers. 



Columbus, O., October 16. — Editor Hardwood 

 Kecord : The reinspection of the car of select 

 poplar referred to in Mail Bag section, B 90, of 

 October 10, is only another instance of the result 

 of two grading rules. The ob.iect of the Hard- 

 wood Manufacturers' Association in making the 

 select grade of poplar was to supply a certain 

 class of trade with a one-face grade that would 

 answer their purpose as well as firsts and sec- 

 onds and not to make a grade that could be 

 put on the market as firsts and seconds. 



The rule, as it is set forth, describes prac- 

 tically every board that the grade contains, and 

 there is no possible reason for a lumber inspector 



to make other than the proper grade. On the 

 other hand, the National Hardwood Lumber As- 

 sociation rule is so close to the grade of tirsts 

 and seconds that there is a large amount of this 

 grade of selects going onto the market as firsts 

 and seconds. The writer on several occasions 

 was called to the yard of the largest consumer 

 of poplar lumber in or around Chicago, to re- 

 inspect the re.iects from several cars that had 

 been invoiced by the manufacturer to the whole- 

 saler as selects and invoiced by the wholesaler 

 to the consumer as firsts and seconds. 



The rejects from these cars invariabi.v were 

 the one-faced selects. On one occasion I met 

 the representative of the wholesaler, who told 

 me that they were shipping selects for firsts and 

 seconds and could afford to lose some on the 

 rejects. On another occasion I was on the yard 

 of one of the largest producers of poplar in the 

 country, where a wholesaler had his inspector 

 taking up selects, A controversy came up over 

 the grade of a certain board, the producer's 

 man claiming that the board was a select. The 

 wholesaler's man finally agreed that it was. but 

 remarked that he could not take it, as it would 

 not ship as firsts and seconds. I can recall 

 many instances similar to the above. Only re- 

 cently I was in the yard of a new wholesale 

 concern in this city, when the president remarked 

 that it was liard to educate lumber inspectors to 

 mix their grades properly, as he did not use any 

 grading rules when he shipped out to the con- 

 sumer. In the face of all the evidc^nce that can 

 be produced, what conclusion shall we come to'^ 

 Sliall we continue to have rules for grading tliat 

 will allow the shark practice that our friend 

 the salesman talks about, or divide the grades 

 in such a way that a poorer grade cannot be 

 shipped as a better one? '(Vhen this comes to 

 an issue it will show who is doing the shark 

 practic.v .T. V. Hill. 



B 108 — An Approval of Hardwood Record's 

 Editorials 



Coal Grove, O., October 13. — Editor Hakdwood 

 Record : I have read with much interest your 

 article in Issue of October 10 on the subject of 

 "Steel vs. Wooden Passenger Cars," and I want 

 to congratulate you. To my mind it is one of 

 the best articles I have read along these lines. 

 I also note your editorial on the subject of "Un- 

 truthful Advertising," and think your attitude 

 in this matter is absolutely right. 



*'- ^f. Crawford. 



' tl <TOiSa5Kffl3iTOW)tTOgWM>WTO^^ 



'News Miscellany 



NOTES OF THE VENEER TRADE 

 Report Denied 



^ It was announced in a recent bulletin of a 

 leading lumber commercial reporting agency that 

 the Southern Vtmeer Manufacturing Company of 

 Louisville, Ky.. was going out of business. This 

 report, on the supposition that It was authentic, 

 was quoted in the Veneer Department of Hard- 

 wood Record, October 10. 



The Southern Veneer Manufacturing Com- 

 pany writes that there is no truth in this state- 

 ment. This is a young concern, and it feels 

 that such a report naturally would do it harm, 

 as it says that it already is in receipt of sev- 

 eral communications from houses doing busi- 

 ness with it. inquiring as to the truth of the 

 statement. 



This company is handled by George F. 

 Kretschmer, who is secretary and treasurer, and 

 manufactures sliced and quarter-sawed oak, fig- 

 ured and plain mahogany, Circassian, figured wal- 

 nut, curly birch and other kinds of thin lumber. 

 Hardwood Record sincerely regrets that it aided 

 in extendini; a false rcp(u't for which it believed 



it had authority ; otherwise it would not have 

 been printed. 



« * * 



A commercial reporting agency advises that 

 the Castleberry Veneer Company of Castlebcrry, 

 Ala., has recently gone out of business. 



* * * 



It is reported that the Jackson Veneer Com- 

 pany of .lackson. Ala., has filed a petition in 

 bankruptcy. 



* * * 



It is announced that the Bridgeport Wooden- 

 ware Company of Bridgeport, Ala., manufac- 

 turer of veneers, fruit and vegetable packages, 

 has increased its capital stock from ^70,000 to 

 *i!00,000. 



* * * 



The Michigan Bent Rim & Basket Company of 

 Lowell. Mich., has been forced to close its plant 

 because of lack of space for manufacturing pur- 

 poses. (Jeneral Manager Stehourer states that 

 there is enough business on hand to keep the 

 company's seventy-five or eighty men working 

 steadily for three months. An addition will be 

 constructed immediately. 



A petition has been made for a receiver for 

 the ruyallup Veneer v>c Mill Company, Puyallup, 

 Wash., whose plant was destroyed by fire on 

 Si'ptember 27, according to daily newspaper ac- 

 counts, 



* * * 



The Ahnapee Veneer & Seating Company of 

 .\lgoma. Wis., will oi)en a distributing station at 

 I'enver, Colo., for the benefit of its western 

 trade. Newton I'erry will be in charge. 



* « * 



The Kiel Woodenware Company of Mellon, 

 AVis., has completed its new drying room and has 

 placed a new veneer dryer in operation. 



* « * 



Tile Georgetown Manufacturing Company of 

 Georgetown, Miss., has recently installed a 

 veneer dryer at its plant and is now manufac- 

 turing veneers. 



* * * 



The Penrod Walnut & Veneer Company of 

 Kansas City, Mo., has secured a site at Helena, 

 Ark., on which a plant for the manufacture of 

 veneers will be established. Negotiations that 

 had been under wa,v for some time have just 

 been closed through the transfer of the neces- 

 sary location for the plant. Work will begin at 

 once on the erection of the factory. 



Monthly Meeting Lumbermen's Association 

 of Chicago 



At the Louis XVI banquet hall of the Sherman 

 House, at 12 :30 on Tuesda.v, Oct. 17. was held 

 the monthly meeting of the Lumbermen's Asso- 

 ciation of Chicago. About one hundred and 

 twenty-five members were present, and among 

 the distinguished guests were G. von Platen of 

 Grand Rapids, Slieb., and George D. Burgess of 

 Memphis. Tenn. A delightful luncheon consist- 

 ing of blue points, cream of lettuce, saddle of 

 spring lamb with vegetables, chifEonade salad, 

 sherbet, cake and coffee was served. 



The subject .of discussion for the day was 

 "Reciprocity," which in real interpretation re- 

 ferred specifically to a more thorough business 

 and social co-operation of all interested in the 

 Chicago lumber industry. The meeting was pre- 

 sided over by President Frederic T. Boles, who 

 felicitated himself and the association on the 

 good attendance. He took occasion to thank the 

 Entertainment Committee for its efforts in mak- 

 ing the meeting a success. 



F. L. Brown, vice-president of the organiza- 

 tion, and chairman of the Membership Commit- 

 tee, reported a considerable number of new mem- 

 bers, several of'J^'hom were invited to address 

 the meeting. 



The president announced that the subject of 

 next month's session would be "Local Transporta- 

 tion.'' 



George J. Pope, on invitation, delivered a brief 

 address on the subject of reciprocity, which con- 

 tained many forceful observations, in wbieli the 

 speaker stated that while his remarks were some- 

 what theoretical, the "dreamer of today is in 

 the future hailed as the wise man." 



Mr. von Platen was called upon to speak, and 

 not having been previously advised, was under 

 the impression that the discussion referred to 

 the recent defeat of reciprocity by Canada. He 

 described the attitutde of Michigan lumbermen 

 on this subject, in which he said that Michigan 

 men were disappointed in the attitude of Canada, 

 as they were favorable to reciprocal business 

 relations with that country, and that the average 

 Jlichigan lumberman was not in sympathy with 

 the present import duty placed on Canadian lum- 

 ber products, as he believed it in no wise affected 

 anything but a small portion of the coarse end 

 of the output. 



The chair then announced that the kind of 

 reciprocity the Chicago lumbermen are chiefly 

 interested in at present is between themselves, 

 and read a paper suggesting closer reciprocity be- 

 tween all members of the trade. 



