F. E. PARKER, SAGINAW. MICH., 

 PRESIDENT. 



NELSON H. WALCOTT, PROVIDENCE. 

 FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT. 



R. I.. 



GORDO.X C. EDWARDS. OTTAWA, ONT., CAN., 

 SECOND VICE-PRESIDENT. 



'i :;a;t^a*ia5i^>5<ato6t;^ta^i' ' iit'JiWii^i>j^^ 



am 



Annual ISfational ^A/^holesalers 





As guests of the Louisville Hardwood Club, the National Whole- 

 sale Lumber Dealers' Association held its twentieth annual meeting 

 at the Seelbach hotel, Louisville, on Wednesday and Thursday, 

 ilarch 6 and 7. The total attendance, including the wives of the 

 visitors, was about the usual number of three hundred that attend 

 these functions. There was a material strengthening in the attend- 

 ance of western and southern members, and a marked falling off 

 from the East, which was to be expected. 



President F. E. Babcock presided at all meetings, the first session 

 of which opened in the beautiful assembly hall of the Seelbach 

 hotel, at eleven o'clock, Wednesday morning. 



The president introduced J. W. S. Clements as the special repre- 

 sentative of Mayor O. W. Head of Louisville, who delivered an 

 address of welcome. 



A second welcoming speech was made by D. E. Kline, vice- 

 president of the Louisville Hardwood Club, on behalf of that 

 organization. Mr. Kline's speech was extremely graceful and 

 interesting. 



On behalf of the association, Gordon C. Edwards of Ottawa, 

 Ont., Can., made a suitable and effective response. 



The president then delivered his annual address, which follows: 



Address of President 



There .ire some well established customs that it seems well to follow, 

 particularly those of recording the past and forecasting the future. The 

 history of the .year 1911 has already been written. The volume contains 

 many references that we all hope may soon be forgotten : in the main, 

 however, it contains many pleasantries and will long be referred to with 

 pride and satisfaction. 



From a purely business standpoint, the year did not measure up to our 

 anticipation, for we had hoped that the crisis of the panic had been reached 

 and brighter days were at hand. As to volume of l>usiness. little criticism 

 should be offered. Many other conditions and improvements are overdue 

 and would be much appreciated and enjoyed by all. 



From a purely association standpoint, we have little of whieh to com- 

 plain. There never has been a time when the facilities of our association 

 were more needed or more used by our members. A careful analysis of 

 the records will show an increased participation and co-operation by all 

 members. 



The conservative policies so well founded and established leave little or 

 no opportunities for wide variation or material improvement in the official 

 duties in tlie administration of the affairs of the association. We are 

 therefore gratitied to be able to report a very satisfactory and substantial 

 increase in membership, due largely to the splendid efforts of our member- 

 ship committee. History has taught us to expect a ten per cent fluctuation 

 in memltership from natural sources. It is therefore with much keener 

 regret that we are reminded that nearly all of the withdrawals of last year 

 have been caused by financial reverses and embarrassment, and it is with 



profound regret that we are in duty bound called upouv to express our 

 sympatliies for those of our members and friends who were unable to 

 weather the storm that has so persistently prevailed throughout the past 

 four years, without a single ray of sunshine or relief. 



These burdens of our industry have been added to during the year by 

 insistence on the part of the uninformed that the lumber trade was oper- 

 ating as a trust and by the action of the department of justice in filing of 

 suits and indictments in several sections of the country. 



lou will recall that at the time of our meeting last year in convention, 

 the department was investigating this association and after a careful and 

 long continued consideration of our records and methods we were not made 

 defendants in any of these actions, and the opinion prevailed that our work 

 was being done on legitimate lines, in a fair way, and well inside the re- 

 quirements of the law. 



Some of the associations and officers who have been prominent in lum- 

 ber trade affairs, and some of these among our long time friends, are re- 

 quired to give reasons in the courts why they are organized and as to their 

 operation of rules and regulations. 



Much of the principles involved seem necessary to preserve the life of 

 trade organizations, and we hope for them a speedy and favorable settle- 

 ment of these issues. 



Having had no unusual or extraordinary expenditures, the financial con- 

 dition of the association is very satisfactory, as we have in the treasury 

 a slightly increased balance for the year just ended. 



one has only to become closely identified with the machinery of our 

 iirganization to fully appreciate the effectiveness of our various bureaus. 

 It has brought me to the full realization of the fact that any firm doing a 

 general lumber business cannot afford to forego the benefits that are to be 

 derived by an affiliation with our association. The heads of the various 

 departments are courteous, energetic and the benefits to be derived by the 

 use of their departments are many. The dues and fees are within the 

 reach of all. I can do no bettei' than to voice the sentiment of my prede- 

 cessor in the regret that our full membership does not make use of our 

 bureau of information, for the high mark of efficiency attained offers con- 

 crete and valuable information unol>tainable from all other sources. I 

 point to the resources of this department as a splendid basis on which we 

 may w'ell invite the consideration of our friends looking toward a mem- 

 bership in our association. This bureau commands the undivided atten- 

 tion of Manager W. W. Schupner. assisted by the board of managers, under 

 whose direct supervision the bureau comes. 



Our collection department has been forced to activity by the unusual 

 demand made upon it. and the results obtained are most gratifying. 

 Through the prestige of the association, benefits are often conferred on the 

 debtor as well as the creditor hy the averting of legal action. The details 

 of the work of this department will be brought out in the manager's report. 



Our transportation bureau has become a confirmed necessity, and is 

 yearly becoming more efficient. This has been clearly demonstrated to those 

 of our members who avail themselves of its facilities. The services of this 

 bureau are at the disposal of our members free-of-charge, and we recom- 

 mend your co-operation and the consideration of the advantages offered by 

 the bureau. During the year they have filed several formal and important 

 complaints with the Interstate Commerce Commission, which will no doubt 

 be brought out in detail in the bureau's report and in the report of the 



