HARDWOOD RECORD 



27 



men, buyers . and inspectors. This doinutment lias ln'cn tbo means of 

 placing deserving and competent employes in touch with those requirinc; 

 their services. The value in this work is in the increased number of hies. 



If all members will report to the secretary any information regarding 

 salesmen, etc., it will be placed on record for future references. 



This department will be opi'rated very similarly to the credit agencies. 

 It will eventually work into a compb'te file of those engaged in himlur 

 sales, inspecting and buying. 

 * 



STATISTICS. INFOKMATION 



.Members have been furnished with statistical reports of various nature 

 interesting to sales managers, to help them in anticipating the market. 

 Your secretary recommends that a weekly, semi-monthly or monthly bul- 

 letin be printed, to contain average prices of a number of leading railroail 

 industrial stocks ; amount of exports of forest products ; railroad earniugs. 

 and other figures which will indicate the trend of the market in our own 

 as well as other lines. 



MARKL-r CO.XDIIIONS 



Market conditions have been a subject of discussion at every meeting 

 of your board of directors, but no definite plan has been outlined or 

 adopted. In view of the fact that private interests are now publishing 

 a list of prices purporting to be the actual market prices on car lots to 

 the wholesale consuming trade, but which in a great number of items 

 are far from the actual and true market value, it is high time that your 

 association adopt some plan of issuing to its members an abstract of 

 the correct current market values as experienced by your members. 



It is a deplorable condition in our trade when our members should be 

 asked to accept price lists of private interests as the actual selling expe- 

 rience. These private lists as a rule reach quite a number of the actual 

 consumers who use such information to counteract the true condition. 

 Your secretary recommends that no support be given to such private 

 publications and that the list in no instance be used by members of this 

 association. 



Your secretary further recommends that early action be taken by this 

 association looking toward a publication of lumber values as experienced 

 by members of this association. 



Y'our board of directors held four meetings during the last year, three 

 at Chicago and one at Memphis, Tenn. 



Acting President Brown named the following committees: 



Officeks Reports axd Resolutions; E. M. Holland, ehainnau. i'. L. 

 Harrison, J. W. Taylor. 



XoMiNATiox : M. L. Pease, II. E. Sumner. 



J. W. Taylor in speaking for the market conditions committee, 

 deplored the lack of reliable information covering prevailing prices 

 on various kinds of lumber, and said that the surest way of de- 

 pendable information, of this kind is through the organization it- 

 self. He appealed to the members to send to the Statistical Bureau 

 of the Forest Service at Washington absolute facts pertaining to 

 prevailing high, low and average prices of lumber, so that the 

 figures published by the government would be based upon actual 

 prevailing market values, and thus would not only give to the 

 lumbermen valuable information service, but would save them 

 the losses and demoralization, due to the publication of lists 

 not basiely correct. In the discussion of these remarks, which 

 followed, the main thoughts brought out were that difference in 

 grade is the most potent cause for the wide diversity in prices, 

 and that the matter of quality is the fundamental argument in 

 salesmanship, 



E. M. Holland presented a most instructive paper on the Educa- 

 tion of the Salesman, which is printed in this issue as a separate 

 article. 



After Mr. Holland had concluded, H. H. Gibson, editor of 

 Hardwood Record, volunteered to print a special issue on Feb- 

 ruary 25, containing a complete report of the meeting and to 

 place at the disposal of Secretary Klann as many copies as will 

 be required to reach all present and prospective members of the 

 association. 



The morning session then adjourned. 



AFTERNOON SESSION 



At the opening of the afternoon session of Thursday, Acting 

 President Brown called for the report of the committee on oiEcers' 

 reports and resolutions. The committee submitted the following 

 resolution, which was duly adopted: 



\Ve approve and emphasize the firm stand t.Tken by I'resident Brown 

 in his report that it be the policy, aim and determination of the ofl3cers 

 and directors of this association, by education, practice and example, to 

 maintain a high standard of business morals. 



We deprecate the publication of unworthy trade reports referred to by 



Secn'tary Klann which are sent broadcast by misinformed publishers, 

 the same purporting to be a correct survey of lumber market conditions. 

 \Ye also recommend that the officers' reports be accepted, and that the 

 officers be thanked for good work accomplished to date. 



E. M. iUu.LA.MJ. chairman. 



C. L. llAliUISON. 



.1. \V. Tayi-ui;. 



I '. 1... Harrison then delivered an address presenting some en- 

 tirely new thoughts pertaining to the lumber sales cost from the 

 manufacturers' standpoint. His paper, which deserves the atten- 

 tion of every lumberman aiming at a high standanl of efficiency 

 is repioduced iu full in this issue. 



After a discussion of Mr. Harrison's remarks, .1. W. Taylor of 

 Columbus, 0., read a paper on the Cost of Merchandising Tumber. 

 This document forms a special article of this issue. 



Mr. Taylor's remarks brought out an earnest discussion of the 

 conditions outlined. 



A paper. on Trade Paper Advertising and Its Possibilities was 

 then delivered by H. E. Sumner; which also appears separately in 

 this issue. 



The last action in the afternoon session was typical of the 

 spirit which prevailed during the whole convention: C. L. Har- 

 rison, voluntarily pledged himself, "after," he said, "having be- 

 come familiar with the objects of the association," to secure five 

 new members within the next sixty days, and to make himself 

 personally responsible for their attendance at the next meeting. 



Adjournment then followed. 



FRIDAY SESSION 



The opening paper of the Friday session was delivered by H. 

 H. Gibson, editor of H.iRDWOOD Record, covering the relation of 

 the lumber trade journal to the lumber industry. 



Van B. Perrine of Ft. Wayne, Ind., was scheduled for a jjaper 

 dealing with the dimension question, but in his absence his paper 

 was read by Secretary Klann. Mr. Perrine 's paper forms a special 

 department of this issue. 



A lively discussion of the question opened up by the address 

 brought out the experiences of those present in the manufacture 

 and marketing of dimension in various parts of the country, and 

 demonstrated forcibly the absolute necessity of concerted action 

 to lift the dimension business from its present ridiculous position, 

 and place it on a paying business. 



Douglas Mallock, lumberman poet, talked of the "business of 

 poetry and the poetry of business. ' ' The essential thought brought 

 out by Mr. Mallock was that the injection of a certain amount of 

 poetry (sentiment) into business pa3's in that it creates a spirit of 

 optimism, and thus maintains a healthy moral condition in the 

 trade. 



The address of Mr. Mallock was the last scheduled for the 

 meeting, and Acting President Brown requested that any sub- 

 jects which the members in attendance might have iu mind be 

 brought up for discussion. J. W. Taylor called attention to the 

 pending completion of the Panama Canal with the resultant 

 material lowering in rates from coast points to the East, and 

 hence the probability of active competition of the coast woods 

 with the eastern products. The question has been brought con- 

 stantly before the lumber trade recently, and Mr. Taylor's warn- 

 ing to the lumbermen to begin to readjust their business to take 

 care of changes which are certain to come, is but a reiteration of 

 similar warnings issued by men of prominence in the trade at 

 various times and places, 



M. L, Pease, chairman of the committee on nominations, then 

 presented the report of his committee as follows: 



President : F. L. Brown. Chicago. 



First Vice-President: C. L. Harrison, Cape Cirardeau. Mo. 

 Second Vice-President : E. M. Holland, Lndington. Mich. 

 Treasurer : J. W. Taylor, Columbus, O. 



Directors : W. A. Bennett, Cincinnati, 0. ; M. A. Ilayward, Columbus. 

 O. ; W. B. Hay, Cincinnati ; II. E. Sumner, New York City. 



Mr, Brown was decidedly opposed to accepting the presidency 

 for the coming year, stating that his business and activity in 

 local association work very fully occupied his time, and that it 



