E H DOWNMAN NEW ORLEANS. LA., E. G. GRIGGS, TACOMA. WASH.. RETIRING W. E. DELANEY, CINCINNATI, O., VICE-PRES- 

 NEWLY-ELECTED PRESIDENT. PRESIDENT. IDENT. 



l^ational Manufacturers^ Meet 



Editor's Note 



the 



Tbe tollowins' is a summarized report of tlie business sossious of (be clevcuth annual meeting ot 

 tional Lumber Manufacturers' Association. Except for the reports of the president and secretary, no papers 

 run in full in tbis general report. All addresses of particular interest to the hardwood trade, which 

 marized herein, are run as special articles in this or subsequent issues. 



Na- 



are 



not sum 



The eleventh annual convention of the National Lumber Manu- 

 facturers' Association was held at the Hotel Baltimore, Kansas 

 City, Mo., on Tuesday and Wednesday, June 3 and 4. In spite 

 of the rather torrid weather which prevailed, the meeting brought 

 out a satisfactory representation of lumbermen from all parts of 

 the country as delegates from the various affiliated associations. 

 The meeting was opened with an invocation by the Rev. George 

 H. Combs, of Kansas City, Mo. 



Following the invocation, Capt. J. B. White, of the Missouri 

 Lumber & Land Exchange, Kansas City, was introduced by 

 President E. G. Griggs. Mr. White delivered an address of wel- 

 come, speaking humorously. He introduced his talk with a story 

 of his acquisition of the title of "captain." He said that when 

 he came to Missouri, thirty-five years ago, he built a house in the 

 woods and equipped it with two chimneys. At the same time a 

 Kentuckian, bearing the title usually carried by the sons of the 

 "Blue Grass" state (colonel), built a house in the same section 

 and erected three chimneys. With this visible evidence of superi- 

 ority the "colonel" patronizingly adopted Mr. White and favored 

 him by calling him "captain," the next lowest ranking title, 

 which has clung to him tenaciously ever since. 



Speaking seriously, the speaker gave the visiting lumbermen 

 every reason to feel sure of their welcome to Kansas City. 



In his response on behalf of the association, William Irvine, 

 of Chippewa Falls, Wis., said that Kansas City, as a great yellow 

 pine center, seemed a logical meeting place for the association. 

 He said that while forty per cent of the membership of the asso- 

 ciation is made up of yellow pine manufacturers, he had never 

 seen any tendency on the part of that element to dominate the 

 association in its meetings or administration. 



President Edward G. Griggs, of the St. Paul and Taeoma Lum- 

 ber Company, Taeoma, Wash., delivered a highly interesting and 

 valuable address as follows: 



Address of President 

 Aa your retiring president. I wish to congratulate the associations 

 iimiiated with the National Lumber Manufacturers' Association in kcepmg 

 this organization intact and very much alive for an even dozen years. 



The greatest shock to me since my incumbency was the apparent ease 

 with which this or that affiliated association, through Its board or officers, 

 would t.nder its resignation without regard to Hnauclal burdens assumed 



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or obligations incurred, closing, if you please, its chapter with some asser- 

 tion of fancied wrongs or future Improbabilities, and then, after due apolo- 

 gies, withdraw it. 



No association board can accomplish results commensurate with re- 

 sponsibility assumed if it is not backed by a supporting membership that 

 will stick through at least high water : nor can any management be secured 

 that will be permanent unless this great industry, as represented in this 

 one big united association, will permanently endow it. 



We have existed long enough not to be required to apologize for our ex- 

 istence, and the small financial burden necessary to keep the organization 

 keenly active is inconsiderable when taken as a whole. 



Tbe industry needs It. will always demand it, and can have it most eflS- 

 cient by financially endorsing it. 



Presidents and secretaries will come and go. but let me impress this 

 fact upon you : The very best efforts of the highest talent you can secure 

 will accomplish but little if there is not a feeling of permanency and the 

 virility of strong business men to support. 



Tbe acceptance of elective positions of honor is to the conscientious 

 man an assumption of responsibilities that mean work and worry. 



To the end that we might have a strong centralizing feature, your board 

 during the past year has greatly strengthened our credit rating depart- 

 ment, and coupled this supervision with our secretary's duties. It has 

 always been a valuable feature, and the National is responsible for it and 

 should profit by it. 



The efforts that business men must make to protect themselves from 

 financial loss due to poor credits and bad accounts may seem futile, con- 

 sidering all the devices we can and do suri'ound ourselves with : but it is 

 very gratifying to know from a fellow lumberman that John Jones does 

 or does not pay his bills promptly or otherwise. 



It is desirable that we have an organization competent to cooperate 

 and work with the government in its various departments that vitally 

 concern the industry. 



It does not seemingly affect the individual tax payer that the govern- 

 ment, through its various departments, spends vast sums to investigate the 

 will-of-the-wisp lumber trust, but it is highly important to the people nt 

 large to know tbe national expenditures and the plain, unvarnished truth 

 about an industry that concerns more labor than any other. 



This organization must have men who ai-e competent to dig up these 

 national costs, clarify the industrial atmosphere, acting as a bureau of 

 information to the government, which after all is the people. 



One of our chief aims is to secure among the manufacturers of hmiber 

 of these United States uniformity of manufacture. I lielievc in some of 

 our local associations a great deal has been done along this line. In dis- 

 cussing this matter with the chairman of the committee I conclude the 

 report will be instructive and interesting. 



The closer application we have on these lines, the less waste, the better 

 utilization of by-products, and the wider our markets. Our producing 

 centers are being drawn closer together by the linking ot our two coasts 



