24 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



and Circassian, in both solid and veneered fonn, and manifest and 

 constantlr increasing prices. 



In brief, the supply of stock situation is very unsatisfactory, the 

 price situation fairly satisfactory, and the present and prospective 

 demand excellent. 



Oeik and Chestnut Statistics 



In the latter part ui Januaiv Lucitr <>aj ijciu ai Liiitiunati a meeting 

 of something like one hundred prominent oak and chestnut producers, 

 at which time it was deemed wise to gather statistics showing the 

 totals of both green and dry stock of all thicknesses of oak and 

 chestnut lumber held, and to secure an estimate of stock to be manu- 

 factured from March 1, 1912, to January 1, 1913. Eugene F. Perry, 

 secretary of the National Wholesale Lumber Dealers' Association, 

 was prevailed upon to undertake the task of gathering these figures. 

 Mr. Perry has apparently done his work with a good deal of faith- 

 fulness, for he submits a report compiled from reports of 1,640 

 manufacturing and wholesale institutions, involving detail informa- 

 tion by thickness. In brief, the following represents the oak stock 

 on hand March 1, 1912 : 



Plain white oak. dry 43.304.000 feet 



Plain white oalc. green 17,821,000 feel 



Qoanered white oak, drj- 28,199.000 feet 



Quartered wlute oak, green 8,850.000 feet 



Plain red oak. dry 28,683.000 feet 



Plain red oak, green 22,865.000 feet 



Quartered red oak. dry 7.439,000 feet 



Quartered red oak, green . . 461,000 feet 



Total 157,622.000 feet 



These quantities, when it is considered that the normal oak output 

 of the XTnited States is approximately four billion feet annually,, 

 wotild indicate a veritable paucity of both dry and green oak in 

 first hands, and the stock is so inconsequential, in comparison with a 

 normal one, as to warrant a marked increase in market values. 

 Covering chestnut, the report is as follows: 



Cbestnat. dry 16,907,000 feet 



Chestnut, green 15,556,000 feet 



Total 32,463.000 feet 



A little over 32,000,000 feet of both dry and green chestnut in 

 first liands, as compared with a normal total annual output of more 

 than 600,000.000 feet does not spell very much in the way of stock 

 on hand. Both the oak and chestnut figures confirm the opinion 

 of the chief producers that these stocks are very short. 



The estimates that Mr. Perry has received on the approximate cut 

 for the last ten months in the year, which conclusions will be upset 

 very materially by the bad weather conditions of March and April 

 and perhaps further along in the year, are as follows : 



White oak 377,930.000 feet 



Bed oak 162.415.000 feet 



Chestnut 49..';33,500 feet 



A Forest Products Exposition 



On March y last, the following letter was addressed to A. T. 

 Gerrans, chairman of the advertising committee of the Xational Lum- 

 ber Manaf aeturers ' Association: 



TTnder the gf-npral term of "advertising." under which your committee 

 of the National Lumbtr Manufacturf-rs' Association was organized, it is 

 my imprewlon that you have considerable latitude in what constitutes 

 advertising, and the distritHitlon of the advertising moneys at your 

 command. Hence, without in any wise attempting to influence your 

 expenditures in any way. would suggest that I have followed very closely 

 the cement, concrete, steel and more latterly the clay products shows. 

 which seem to absorb such a general interest of the public in large trade 

 centers as to Induce the attendance of vast crowds for weeks at a time, 

 on the basis of flfty cents a bead. 



To my mlod. this is advertising and mighty effective advertising. 

 Hence, my sngge^tion is that while it involves a lot of work, I believe 

 it perfectl.T feanlble to organize a forest products exposition of an educa- 

 tional nature, tbc exhibits of which can be transferred to various big 

 dtlea and sbown a week at a time, for qnite a number of months, and 

 the thing can N- dr<n» under good management at a proflt rather than 

 a loss to b* p to your advertising funds. The fund you have 



back of you - r be aomctbinc you might have to draw on in the 



evi ■ ■ ■ 



-IS you in any wise, I shall be glad to make yon 

 gj.. ... nz ..rTriln Iln.* of •xblblts. for I bf-llt-ve with 



this sort of a show to put before the public, we could dt-monsiratc a higher 

 value of wood than its alleged substitutes possess which would convince 

 the public of the verity of our judgment in these matters, and contribute 

 materially to increase wood utilization. H. H. Gibson. 



Editor Haeowood Recobd. 



To this letter Mr. Gerrans replied tinder date of 3Iarch 14: 

 The suggestion Is a good one. although it will take some time and 

 money to put it on its feet. I would very much like you to give me your 

 ideas of the lines of exhibits, at your leisure, and I will bring it up at 

 our next committee meeting. A. T. GEasiXs, chairman. 



Since this correspondence ensued, other lumber trade newspapers, 

 and notably the Lumber World Review, have taken up the campaign 

 in favor of a forest products exposition. The subject is down for 

 disctission as an important part of the program of the forthcoming 

 annual of the Xational Lumber Manufacturers" Association, and 

 hence it is germane that the matter be thoroughly exploited and dis- 

 cussed. 



The idea which presented itself in the original suggestion made by 

 the editor of this publication was that an alluring exhibit, not to 

 involve n^ethods of lumber production, but of finished wood pro'l 

 ucts, could be established to occupy the reasonable area of a larg.- 

 convention hall, and be placed on exhibit for a week or two at a time 

 in all the principal cities of the United States. This forest products 

 exhibit could be made of such a highly interesting, instructive and 

 alluring character as to, in advance, almost warrant the belief that 

 the enterprise would be self-supporting from admissions alone. There 

 are thousands of splendid object lessons in wood utilization that could 

 be presented to the public which certainly would have manifestly 

 more interest to it than any cement, tUe or brick show, or any of the 

 other commercial exhibits which now are quite the vogue in many 

 lines of production. 



In short, the forest products exposition could be put in such shape 

 as to form a logical advertising campaign for the use of Itmiber that 

 it would be impossible to attain through the medium of magazines 

 or newspapers. Haedwood Becord wishes to go on record as being 

 tineqtiivocally in favor of the Xational Lumber Manufacturers' Asso 

 elation taking steps towards the organization of a permanent fores- 

 products exhibit, that may be transferred from city to city through 

 the United States, and be made a regular advertising feature of the 

 lumber business. 



This scheme has more possibilities than all the newspaper and 

 magazine advertising that money wUl buy. It is a system whereby 

 the public can be "shown," and really the average man today is 

 akin to the Missourian, and has to be shown. 



The Art of Distorting the Issue 



The leading editorial ot Hearst 's Magazine vsubheaded The World 

 To-Day) for April, bears the above title. The introduction says: 



In the mazy involutions of English politics a famous prime minlst' ; 

 was facing an appeal to the country on an issue that gave liberal promi? 

 of unhorsing him. 



"I suppose." said one of his allies, "yon feel somewhat dismayed when 

 you think of an election turning upon such a question." 



"Not I." said the Premier, who was also a philosopher and wise about 

 his countrymen. "At least, not so long as I can distort the Issue so thai 

 its own mother wouldn't know it." 



Listen well to this wise Premier, for he was speaking ot a momorabb 

 truth. The most valuable accessory of any political or other schemer in 

 any country that has a franchise is a mastery of the Vseful Art of Distort- 

 ing the Issue. Equipped with this he has a power greater and far mor' 

 uncanny than any king's. Of late years this has become apparent from ii> 

 greatly Increased use upon us and our affairs. Perhaps we may begin t^ 

 question now if we have not bad about enough of It. 



In this same issue, William Alsorandolph Hearst, as he is nick- 

 named, with his remarkable talent as a professional defamer of 

 character, stands sponsor for an article written by the notorious 

 muckraker, Charles Edward Bnssell, entitled "The Mysterious Octo 

 pus." This article pretends to give facts, analysis and deduction, 

 to prove the existence of a nefarious lumber trust, but. as a matter 

 of fact, contains few truths, very specious analj-sis and silly dc 

 ductions. In truth, the stoiy constitutes the acme of "the art of di» 

 torting the issue.'' 



If all the citations m.ide by Mr. Bussell were true (and in mo^• 

 part they are far from true), his story would not be regarded a- 



