THE HARDWOOD RECORD. 



15 



W. H. KUSSE, 

 First Vice-President. 



bers of this orgaiiizatiou, and with that 

 addition the dues need never be above $30. 

 Personally, I should dislike very much 

 to see the dues increased. This has always 

 been a democratic organization and we 

 ought not to raise anyone out. By con- 

 servative and economical management and 

 a vignruus campaign to increase our mem- 

 bership, we should be able to make both 

 ends meet at a yearly cost per member of 

 $10. At that price no hardwood lumber- 

 man of the United States can afford to 

 remain outside the organization, and that 

 is what we want. 



OUR MEMBERSHIP. 



During the past year we have added new 

 names to our list to the number of ^Z. 

 We have lost a few through members 

 making business changes and a small num- 

 ber from other causes. Two or three have 

 resigned for the reason that they were, so 

 they said, getting no benefit from belong- 

 ing. This seems to me somewhat hasty ac- 

 tion. It is as though a man was building 

 a house, and after spending a goi)d deal 

 of time and money on it. shotild stop be- 

 fore he has the roof on, because he is not 

 getting any benefit. We are building the 

 Nati<Jiial association carefully, tlioroughly 

 and patiently and on a sound foundation. 

 It is far enough along now that it protects 

 many members, and it will, in a short time, 

 be roofed in and be big enough to protect 

 the entire trade. 



There can be no question in the mind of 

 any fair man that at the time the Na- 

 tional association was organized there was 

 need of its services, and any member of 

 the trade who is convinced that the mem- 

 bers of this association are working con- 

 scientiously to benefit the trade, should 

 add his efforts to theirs. 



In extending the membership each mem- 

 ber should be a committee of one to as- 

 sist. Each can get one new member at 

 least. The greatest leverage for raising 

 our membership list, however, will be for 

 this meeting to do its work so fairly and 

 conservatively that it will meet the ap- 

 proval of the trade. Let each member 

 bear in mind that there is no delegate 

 present who will ge't all he wants or have 

 all his views prevail, remembering that, 



a.s Daniel Webster said, "All legislation is 

 the result of compromise." 



WORK BEFORE THIS MEETING. 

 As for the work tliat will come before 

 this meeting, I have no suggestion to make, 

 except that the association push forward 

 vigorously in the work it has undertjiken 

 of establishing a uniform and reliable sys- 

 tem of hardwood luml)er inspection 

 throughout the United States. This work 

 is great enough aud large <>nougli. it seems 

 to me, to fully occupy the l>est thought and 

 the best effort of the members of tliis 

 association. Much progress has been 

 made, enough to demonstrate the possibili- 

 ties of the situation aud to cheer us with 

 the prospects of a complete success. 



In pursuing this work we have no prece- 

 dents to guide us. We are sailing an un- 

 known sea. All our work must be evolved 

 and there is nothing for it but to feel our 

 way carefully along, being certain tliat we 

 keep tlie fair and reasonable men of the 

 trade with us. The management of the 

 National association under such circum- 

 stances is placed in the position of a .ludge 

 rendering a decision in a court of law 

 where there are able advocates on each 

 side watching him sharply to see that he 

 keeps in a sU-aight line. Every step he 

 takes must be explained most clearly and 

 a good reason must be given for everything 

 .done. 



The work; of this association never has 



WM. H. WHlTIi, 

 .Secoud Vice-President. 



been, and never can be. carried forward 

 in a narrow and selfish spirit. The work 

 of establishing a uniform system of hard- 

 wood inspection is one of too \-ital interest 

 to the hardwood trade to permit of any 

 carelessness, slackness or unfairness. It 

 might be possible for some element of the 

 trade to so control this convention as to 

 secure an unfair advantage U> their section 

 of the country or their department of the 

 trade, but such actii..n would be rejected 

 by the trade at large. Whatever work is 

 done at this convention m.ust be of a 

 character to stand the closest scrutiny as 

 to motives and the severe test of practical 

 application. 



In reviewing the four years of the asso- 

 ciation's work, the thing that impresses me 

 mcst is the growing interest which the 

 trade is taking in the meetings and in the 

 progress of the work generally. To the 

 early meetings many came in a spirit of 

 skepticism. They had little faith that the 

 work of the National association would 

 ever amount to much. They came either 



for recreation cr to get acquainted with 

 possible customers; to buy or sell, or to 

 have a good time. T'here has been a great 

 change, however. Members realize that 

 the work of this association is slowly but 

 surely working a change in the hardwood 

 trade, amounting almost to a revolution. 

 Much progress has been made; more than 

 anyone has a right to expect, but the prog- 

 ress that has been made in securing the 

 goodwill and confidence of the general 

 trade is more valuable than all else. Con- 

 fidence is a plant of slow growth, Init once 

 the National association has secured the 

 confldenec of the hardwood trade, all else 

 is easy. If In the past four years it has 

 been demonstrated to the trade at large 

 that the National Hardwood Lumber Asso- 

 ciation is making a sincere attempt to place 

 the hardwood lumber liusiness on a more 

 responsible and relialile basis, and to do 

 away with the immense annual loss aris- 

 ing from disputed inspection, we have done 

 well. 



Another thing which impresses me is the 

 constant tendency in all our deliberations 

 and enactments toward a consideration of 

 that which is fair and just to all. No 

 fallacy can su,stain itself in a free and open 

 discussion of intelligent men. The con- 

 stant tendency of such discussion is to 

 bring uppermost that wliich is just and 

 right, and I believe we have never had a 

 meeting that has nat resulted in bringing 

 about a more equitiible condition in the 

 hardwood trade. 



The principal work to come before this 

 meeting is, probably, the revision of the 

 rules of inspection. Considerable im- 

 patience has been expressed that satisfac- 

 tory rules have not been secured before 

 this time, but all things considered, I think 

 there is no cause for surprise. The work 

 of uniting the entire hardwood trade of 

 the United' States upon a set of inspection 

 rules is a large undertaking. Our work 

 heretofore has been largely experimental, 

 not only in the making of rules but in other 

 matters. Otir flr.st meetin,gs were scarcely 

 representative of the entire hardwood 

 trade and there has been much prejudice 

 and mistmderstanding to overcome. The 

 present meeting is, I believe, by far the 

 most representative we have yet had, and 

 we should be able to produce work that 

 will be of permanent value. 

 In closing. I wish to congratulate the 



MAX SOXDHEIMER. 

 Tliird Vice-Pre.sideut. 



