HARDWOOD RECORD 



jjreat hardwood industry in which he has attained so much prom- 

 inence and distinction. He is not particularly gifted as an orator, 

 but every time he talks he says something, and there is no mis 

 taking what he means. 



Like his predecessor, W. B. Townsend, he is a strict advocate of 

 the hardwood lumber business being done ou the level. He is a be- 

 lii'ver in one standard, and when he sells a man a thousand feet of 

 lumber of a certain grade, the buyer can make up his mind that he 

 is going to get exactly what he bought in both quantity and grade. 



To "Bill" DeLaney a spade is a spade, and that is the informa- 

 tion a man will get from him whether he is a friend or a foe. His 

 enthusiasm, his specific knowledge of the calling, his integrity, his 

 • ourage and his forcefulness should do wonders for not only the 

 Hardwood Manufacturers' Association of the United States, but 

 for the entire hardwood trade of the country. 



These observations concerning Mr. DeLaney in no wise reflect 

 ou the good work that has been accomplished by Mr. Townsend, 

 his predecessor, but it must be recalled that during the incum- 

 liency of Mr. Townsend, he has been a man very much over-loaded 

 with handling out his multitudinous enterprises; has been in bad 

 health for a large portion of the year, and it has been utterly im- 

 possible for him to give close attention to the necessary details of 

 the office of president of the association. In spite of this, he has 

 done efficient work for the organization. 



Auto-Hypnotism 



Hakdwood Record has not the least appreciation of what this re- 

 markable compound word means, but this is the heading of an en- 

 ■ ouraging editorial in last issue of Hampton's concerning the busi- 

 ness situation. This magazine says that the business year of 1912 

 is ushered in with some indications that the strange auto-hypnotic 

 condition of the business world is giving way to a more normal 

 state of affairs. From beginning to end the last 3'ear was marked 

 by a determined effort of certain powerful spokesmen of business 

 — big business, especiallj' — to convince themselves and everybody 

 else that things had either arrived at the bow-wows, or were surely 

 on the way thither. 



When the season's crop report arrived, indicative of a bumper 

 cotton and grain eroji, the statisticians were denounced, and when 

 the figures were shown to be accurate, the calamitists protested 

 that big crops were calamitous an^'how. In spite of acclamation 

 that trade had gone to smash, the end of the year .showed a large 

 gain in foreign commerce. The reply was that a big business had 

 been done abroad because the country had been selling things for 

 less than cost, and hence the more sold the poorer the nation be- 

 came. 



In short, there has been insistent effort to convince everybody 

 that this country was in a hopelessly' bad condition, but despite 

 all, the round-up of the year brought unmistakable evidence that 

 the reverse was true. 



In spite of the fact that American banking interests loaned 

 vast sums to Germany during its war scare, there was still a big 

 credit balance abroad. The end of the year found conditions such, 

 that in spite of the prophecy of disaster, everyone is compelled to 

 admit; that business isn't so "rotten" after all. 



The efforts to convince everybody of ruin has been practically 

 hopeless. The new year opens with a feeling of hopefulness and 

 even confidence, which the impendency of a national election does 

 not seem likely to dissipate. The outlook is toward steady better- 

 ment. -\uto-hypnotisni is really losing its power of terror. 



Annual National Hardwood Lumber Association 



At a meeting of the board of managers of the National Hard- 

 wood Lumber Association, held on January 17, the date for the 

 forthcoming fifteenth annual convention has been fixed for Thurs- 

 day and Friday, June 6 and 7, at Chicago, agreeable to the accept- 

 ance of an invitation tendered at the last annual meeting at 

 Memphis. 



Chicago 's central location, its surpassing climate at that time 

 of year, the large element of the association centering in this 



market, will all contribute to bringing out by far the largest 

 attendance that was ever present at one of these meetings. 



Chicago lum.bermen will certainly leave no stone unturned to 

 give the visitors a most royal entertainment, and will spread 

 themselves in making this the most notable convention that has 

 ever been held bv the National Hardwood Lumber Association. 



Germany's Method of Handling Its Foreign Trade 



A perusal of the leading article in the Century Magazine for 

 February is commended to Hardwood Record readers. It involves 

 a story of the system by which the German government handles 

 its foreign trade, and recites' that the present position of that 

 government is the marvel of the age. 



The involved and scattered methods for the development of 

 foreign trade by the United States, through its Department of 

 Commerce and Labor and other bureaus, is nothing to be com- 

 pared with the system of the German Foreign Office. To this 

 division of the German government come reports from all over 

 the world — made by ambassadors, ministers, consuls and special 

 commercial agents. Here are also considered the many recom- 

 mendations from chambers of commerce, requesting this or that 

 action or making protest against this or that alleged discrimination 

 against foreign trade in various lands, and tendering much valued 

 advice in matters of diplomacy. 



The German system of fathering and assisting the foreign sale 

 and distribution of goods made in Germany is a marvel of scientific 

 and efficient management. 



Think these comparative figures over: In 1880 the population of 

 Germany was 46,000,000, and it had a foreign trade of $1,430,000,000, 

 or $31 per capita. At this same time the United States had a 

 population of 50,000,000 and a foreign trade of $1,600,000,000, or 

 .1532 per capita, while the United Kingdom had a population of 

 33,000,000 and a foreign trade of $3,500,000,000, or $100 per capita. 



Then turn to 1910: Germany's population had grown to 

 64,000,000, with a foreign trade of $3,960,000,000, or $62 per capita, 

 while the United States had a population of 90,000,000, with a 

 foreign trade of $3,300,000,000, or only $37 per capita, and the 

 LTnited Kingdom had a population of 44,000,000, with a foreign 

 trade of $5,500,000,000, or $126 per capita. In other words, with a 

 twenty-five per cent increase of population the United Kingdom 

 has increased its foreign commerce twenty-five per cent per capita; 

 the United States, with an eighty per cent increase of population, 

 has increased its foreign trade only fifteen per cent per capita; 

 while Germany, with a forty per cent increase of population, has 

 increased its foreign trade by one hundred per cent per capita. 



At this rate of increase, based entirely on scientific efficiency, 

 how long will it take Germany to control the markets of the world 

 in its manufactured products? 



General Lumber Publicity 



Hardwood Record wishes that every lumberman interested in 

 the possibilities of general publicity pertaining to lumber would 

 purchase a copy of McClure's Magazine for February, and refer to 

 the white pine advertising page of the Northern White.Pine Manu- 

 facturers ' Association of Minneapolis. This advertisement is 

 doubtless intended to stimulate the purchase of white pine and 

 Norway pine. 



What H.4RDW00D Record wishes to ask its lumber readers is to 

 carefully analyze the question of whether in their opinion this ad- 

 vertisement ' ' spells ' ' anything toward increasing the consumption 

 of these woods, or is it not rather an exhibition of the talent of an 

 advertising agent to market "blue sky" at a substantial price? 

 It is only guesswork, but the character of the copy would seem to 

 trace its authorship back to the advertising genius who has been 

 the almoner and guide of certain people prominently interested in 

 the campaign of general lumber advertising, for which the Na- 

 tional Lumber Manufacturers' Association stands sponsor. 



It is to be trusted that the Northern White Pine Manufacturers' 

 Association will eventually issue a report on the actual specific re- 

 sults that are attained by this system of magazine publicity, and 

 let the remainder of the trade have the benefit of the information. 



