28 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



would be a tlistinet hardship for him to inidertake auy further 

 duties. While Mr. Brown 's request for the substitution of some 

 other name to replace his was entirely sincere, the high character 

 of the work which he has done for the association during his 

 temporary incumbency of the last three months, and his recognized 

 efficiency, character and strong personality precluded any pos- 

 sibility of the membership placing any other in the chair. As a 

 consequence it was moveil and seconded that the nominations be 

 closed and that the secretary cast a single 1 allot of the ticket, 

 as recommended by the nominating committee. 



E. M. Holland opened up a discussion on the question which is 

 of constant annoyance and a source of loss of profit to shippers, 

 namely, the practice of unscrupulous buyers kicking on such small 

 differences of measurement as to make it not worth while for 

 the shipper to take action against them. He deplored the fact 

 that shippers recognized some of the ridiculously small differences 

 of which the consumers complained at times, and suggested that 

 it would be of immeasurable benefit to refuse to cotisider any 

 claim under five dollars, thus entitling the shipper to no ri' 

 inspection where the difference was less than that amount. The 

 speaker contended that it was not reasonable to suppose that the 

 consumer's inspection would be any more accurate than the mill 

 men 's as the consumer inspects but a very small amount of lumber 

 in comparison to that loaded out by the mill inspectors. 



J. W. Taylor, speaking along the saine lines, suggested that the 

 association request the National Hardwood Lumber Association 

 and the Hardwood Manufacturers' Association to insert a clause 

 in their code of ethics which would provide that any claim of 

 less than $5 be not recognized. 



President Brown recited an instance illustrative of this condi- 

 tion and deplored the condition of trade which permits lumber- 

 men to go on record as allowing these small claims. 



The meeting was brought to a close by a characteristically 



meaty talk by Fresident Brown in which he first summarized the 

 various papers which had been presented, pointing out the essen- 

 tially instructive features in each, and then expressed the hope 

 that all those in attendance would carry away with them the 

 belief that the real accomplishments of the meeting had more 

 than offset the absence of a large attendance. He reiterated his 

 belief that the Lumber Sales Managers ' Association has a dis- 

 tinct and a more iirofitable mission than any other associatioil in 

 existence in the lumber trade, and expressed the hope that the 

 members would advertise and advocate the association in every 

 way, and at every opportunity possible in order to build it up 

 as a powerful factor w'orking in the interests of the best in the 

 lumber trade. He thanked the members for their support and 

 said that he sincerely desires and anticipates that the accom- 

 lishmcnts of the association before the next convention will be a 

 source of sincere gratification to those who attended the present 

 meeting, and to the entire lumber trade. 

 The convention then adjourned. 



MEETING BOARD OF DIRECTORS 



A meeting of the board of directors was held directly after 

 the adjournment of the convention. E. H. Klann, of Chicago, was 

 re-elected secretary of the association for the coming year. 



The board mapped out a program of action in harmony with 

 the sentiment expressed on the floor of the convention. It was 

 decided that the first efforts would be expended towards the forma- 

 tion of a reliable system of market conditions and price reports. 

 The board further discussed the question of exchange of lists of 

 lumber stocks among the members. The exact form in which 

 these stock reports will be gotten out will be decided later. The in- 

 formation will be compiled in the secretary's office from reports of 

 stock members want to move, and will be distributed by the secre- 

 tary among the membership. 



V i'i/xA::/.^ 



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Hardwoods in Elevators 



I'sually when one thinks of an elevator, the picture' that comes 

 to mind is that of an iron or bronze structure, more or less ornate 

 with grille-work and bronze bossing. In the old days (and yet ncjl 

 80 very long ago, either) when the manufacturer aimed at the 

 construction of an especially fine elevator, he gilded the grille-work 

 or twisted it into more fanciful designs. Today, however, sees a 

 renaissance of elevator building, and the opening of a new, large 

 field wherein the lumberman can dispose of some of Ills finest stock. 

 One need only to observe the elevatois in the larger department stores. 

 office buildings and more pretentious apartments, lo havi' rlie full 

 realization of this impressed upon him. 



Nowadays when a good elevator is specified iiml tluTc is im dispn 

 sition to haggle over the price, a hardwood elevator is iiivMi iably in- 

 stalled, a thing of as much beauty and elegance in npi dinlnient as 

 a drawing-room. Xo longer is the elevator passenger forced to ride 

 heavenward in a cold iron cage. They put freight in that kiml of 

 an elevator in modern buildings. Passengers ride upwards in a 

 miniature parlor, electrically lighted, often furnished with leather 

 or jijush upholstered seals and roofed over and wains<'Oti'd with 

 richly-figured hardwood. 



Of course, elevators of this type are expensive, but th.il fact seems 

 in no way to curtail the demand for them. This is the only type 

 of lift being installed in the new buildings uiidci' ccinstruction cm 

 State street, Chicago's trade artery. At the i)resent time there are 

 no less than twenty-six of them in Rothschild's big department store. 

 thirty-four, many of them even in mahogany enclosures, in M;irsh:ill 

 Field & Co. 's store, eleven in Maiidel Bros.', with eleven more to 

 follow in their new additiim. It is estimated that the average install;i 

 tion of hardwood elevators now means a total cost of .$500,000 per 

 annum, these figures being the result of the investigation on the part 

 of the Standard Company, which, under a dozen different names. 



nmuufacturers the bulk of the elevators of this type in the United 

 States. 



Naturally enough, the installation of these fine elevators is largely 

 confined to hotels, the large department stores, office and apartment 

 buildings, though there is also quite a demand for them in the most 

 ]irctentious private residences. This demand has increased consistently 

 for the past twci or three years, in spite of the fact that exclusive of 

 the cost of machinery and cages, the hardwood elevators cost any- 

 where from .$.5flO to $1,000 apiece, whereas the old style steel cars may 

 be had up from $150 to .$700. 



Only closely-selected, perfectly-figured stock is used in the con- 

 struct inn of the hardwood elevator. They are made up from artists' 

 designs in oak, mahogany, Circassian walnut, rosewood or birch in com- 

 bination with mahogany veneerinj;'. In some cases hardwood is 

 uscil merely for finishing eB'ect, but more often it forms the entire 

 wall and canopy of the elevator. Five-ply veneer is commonly used 

 where the elevator box is only wainscoted, and where combinations 

 of art glass and wood are useil in the canopy. Inch stock is used 

 in '•itl'cr panel or solid wall effects, and in such cases where wood 

 iiist'Md of iron grille doors arc used Wooden enclosures through 

 which the elevator runs are occasionally made of mahogany, but 

 these are generally manufactured by interior finish concerns. 



There are ipiite n nnndier of elevator concerns in this country 

 devoting themselves to the nnniufacture of hardwood elevators. One 

 of till' largest of them is The Standard Company of Chicago, a big 

 corjioration operating throughont many states, and endiodying in its 

 various branches all | h.'iscs of the industry. It manufactures every- 

 thing t'finn the iron :ind !ir(tn/.e woik in the grilles and doors lo 

 |jlalforms, guides and cables. This company alone consumes many 

 cars of select stock annually, and (piality and figure are the most 

 important faetnrs in placing an order, rather than price. 



