HARDWOOD RECORD 



41 



and recall it would be worse. The Manufacturers' Association 

 had succeeded in killing this bill. It was suggested that it was a 

 good organization and it would pay any member to join it at its 

 annual cost of $25 a year. 



Report of Forest Fire Committee 



T. A. Green, chairman of the forest fire committee, reported that 

 a considerable part of the work of his committee was done by the 

 legislative committee, and that in reality his committee had done 

 very little. In Michigan several prospective laws were killed that 

 might have been on the statute books, to the disadvantage of 

 lumbermen. He said the Michigan Hardwood Manufacturers ' 

 Association had decided to form a fire protection association such 

 as the northern Michigan people had, and he believed the time 

 was ripe for Wisconsin manufacturers to do the same thing. The 

 northern Michigan association now has 2,000,000 acres enrolled, 

 and patrolled about 5,000,000 acres. He thought the enrollment 

 paid during the present year would represent about 2,.500,000 

 acres, and, to illustrate what work they had done, he said that 

 they had notified 8,000 blueberry pickers during the past season 

 to be careful of their fires when they were at work. As a result, 

 not a fire was caused by them. The association 's patrolmen had 

 put out ninety-five fires with little or no damage. He said, of 

 course, the association had been favored with a wet season. 

 Nevertheless, it had done good work. Among other things, he 

 said it was found that only about two per cent of the settlers 

 knew the provisions of the forest fire law, but that the association 

 had furnished every one of them with a copy of it. The cost of 

 patrolling during the past year was five-eighths of a cent per acre. 

 The expense of forest fire fighting in Michigan is borne one-tbird 

 by the township in which the fire occurs and two-thirds by the 

 state. 



This report was supplemented by one from W. A. Holt, chair- 

 man of a subcommittee of the forest fire committee, in which were 

 recited various details of proposed forest legislation. 



Other discussions prevailed during the morning sessions, after 

 which the meeting adjourned. 



AFTERNOON SESSION 



During the afternoon session President Landon introduced Fred 

 Klapproth of Chicago, vice-president of the National Association 

 of Box Manufacturers, who invited the members of the association 

 to be present at the meeting of the box makers at Chicago on 

 February 21-23. 



Report of Committee on Grades 



M. J. Quinlau, in behalf of the. committee on grades and informa- 

 tion, submitted the following report: 



Mr. President .ind Gentlemen : In the absence of the chairman of your 

 committee on information. I liave been aslsed to submit a report for that 

 committee. While regretting that this duty wa.s not assigned to one 

 better qualified, I will give you the main points as they occur to me. 



This branch of our business tor 1911 was fairly good, in volume at 

 least, and barring the prices obtained for No. 3. it would be called fairly 

 satisfactory as regards prices, the whole showing a small margin of profit. 



At the risk of being called tiresome I am going to say a few words on 

 the various woods that go to make up the group known as northern 

 hardwoods. 



Ash : This wood, while being but a small item with most of us, is 

 quite important with some. Has had a fair sale and reasonably good 

 prices — ranging from about .f25 to $30 for No. 2 common and better 

 F. O. B. mill. Only a few of our members produce good enough quality 

 to obtain the iighest prices. No. 3 common in this wood has been very 

 low. 



Basswood has been in the dumps for the last year and a half, but the 

 last three months has seen quite a marked improvement. This is par- 

 ticularly true of the lower grades. 



Beech while not considered a prominent wood in Wisconsin, is surely 

 forging to the front and is finding a readier market at better prices than 

 in former years, and I predict that this encouraging market for this 

 wood will continue. 



Birch : This wood, while still a prime favorite, has lost of its popu- 

 larity by the substitution of red gum. It is, however, produced by us at 

 a profit which can very easily be wiped out by a very slight over- 

 production. 



Soft elm is, I think, daily advancing in value, while the supply is 

 surely decreasing. This wood should bring its manufacturer a better 

 price. 



Maple ; This wood reached a higher plane of value in 1011 than at any 

 previous time, but owners of Wisconsin maple have always been ready to 

 crawl into their holes when Wisconsin and Michigan maple came in for 

 coraparisuu. This, gentlemen, is a mistake. I am ready to admit that 

 Michigan log run maple is worth more than ours, but I am not ready to 

 admit that grade for grade there is any material difference. I expect this 

 statement to be questioned, but am ready to defend my position. 



Hock Elm : I hardly know what to say of this wood, which I consider 

 as the most valuable wood, intrinsically, that grows in our state, but it 

 is not bringing its owners any return on the money Invested. Sales of 

 thi.s lumber during 1011 have been made as low as .$20 per M F. O. B. 

 mill, while other stocks little or no better, but carefully shaped up, have 

 brought .12.8 F. O. B. mill. This statement is a fact auil seems worthy of 

 serious thought. 



Oak : I am sorry not to be able to give some information on this very 

 valuable and fast disappearing variety ; none of it grows in my section 

 of the state, and I confess I am not competent to discuss the wood 

 intelligently. 



Before leaving the domain of hardwoods, perhaps a few words as to 

 prices obtained during the year may not be out of place. 



Basswood during the year lias sold log run at from $22 to $25 and 

 Xo. 3 common as low as $10, but lately this last named grade has readily 

 brought $12.50 to $13 or even higher prices F. O. B. mill taking a 10 

 cent rate from Wausau. 



Beech has sold at from $13 to .$10 F. O. B. mill, but this lumber ought 

 to bring about $18 when compared with the cost of other woods going 

 into the same use. It is used quite largely for flooring, and, finished, 

 brings nearly as much as maple in the same grades. 



Soft elm during the year has moved readily at prices ranging from 

 .fl.s to $24 for log run. You will note a wide range in prices, and it 

 hardly seems right to have no great dift'erence in, or between, diCEerent 

 lots. Xo. 3 in this w;ood moves at about $9 to $10 F. O. B. mill. 



Maple: The quantity of this lumber in mill hands is greater than it 

 ought to be in order to obtain a fair price. This is. I think, particularly 

 applicable to 1-inch and is attributed to the reduced sales of maple 

 flooring. The sales of this wood during the year have run from $17 to 

 $21 for log run but the. No. 3 has sold as low as $5.50 to $6. which 

 prices represent not much, if any, more than half the cost of production. 

 I have already said all that I feel warranted in saying about rock elm. 

 We will now consider hemlock : 



Perhaps the less said about it the better, and yet it is so important 

 au item in our state that it deserves serious consideration. Wisconsin 

 has for the last few years produced more of this wood than any other 

 state in the union, even surpassing Pennsylvania in output. We are 

 rapidly denuding our state ot this valuable wood and doing it not only 

 without profit but at an actual loss — I have no hesitancy in saying that 

 no manufacturer in this state has got a new dollar for au old one out of 

 his hemlock transactions since 1907. 



I believe a good bunch of hemlock stumpage would sell today for $3 a 

 thousand, and yet we are cutting that same stumpage into lumber and 

 getting out of it about $1 per thousand for stumpage. I don't think any 

 one present will dispute this statement. 

 How long will these conditions continue? 



The remedy is in our own hands, all that is needed is the courage to 

 apply it. 



I hesitate or fear to make any forecast for the year 1912. Many men 

 prominent in the business and financial world predict a better outcome 

 fpr business this year, but I cannot feel very sanguine over the outlook, 

 and, if given to the habit of advising others, I would be inclined to say 

 go slow. 



CJentlemen, I thank yon for the close attention you have given this 

 report. I have Just touched the various subjects ; the report is far from 

 being complete. I have barely suggested what might be a remedy for the 

 existing conditions and leave to this association to work it out. 



Mr. Quintan also presented the report of Chief Inspector C. F. 

 Ijusk, which recited the work of his department during the year. 

 On motion the reports of the committee and the chief inspector 

 were accepted. 



Recommendations 



M. P. McCullough, chairman of the committee appointed to 

 review the reports of the president and secretary, then made the 

 following report: 



"Your committee has no recommendations to make on the car stake 

 question a.5 it was disposed of at the morning session. 



"We recommend that the committee on grades consider the advisability 

 of the changes suggested in the hardwood grades. 



"We recommend the co-operation of our association regarding uniform 

 standards of working all kinds of lumber. 



"We recommend that the suggestion of nioviug the ofiiee of chief 

 inspector from Owen to Wausau be referred to the board ol directors 

 and committee on grades. 



"Owing to the present condition of the treasury and inadvisability of a 

 special assessment for the purpose, we recommend that our associatioB 

 does not participate with the proposed national advertising campaign. 



