THE HARDWOOD RECORD. 



.17 



ability, but lacked the knowledge of lum- 

 ber; others possessed the knowledge of 

 lumber and the business ability, but were 

 not in position to work for nothing and 

 pay their own expenses until the associa- 

 tion began producing some revenue. 



I had conferred with Mr. Wall, however, 

 and told him that I did not see any way 

 out of it, except for him to take the place, 

 and after thoroughly discussing the matter, 

 Mr. Wall agreed that if no other available 

 man could be found he would accept it. 



Consequently, after everybody else was 

 through with suggestions as to the proper 

 man for the place, and all those who had 

 been suggested had been found lacking in 

 some essential, I arose in the committee 

 and suggested the name of Mr. M. M. Wall, 

 and stated that I believed he could be in- 

 duced to accept the place. You never saw 

 a more surprised lot of people in your life 

 than the members of that committee. They 

 all recognized that Mr. Wall was the 

 proper man for the place, but were sur- 

 prised that he had confidence enough in 

 the success of the inspection bureau not 

 only to risk his time and money, but to 

 risk his reputation by accepting the guid- 

 ance ^and direction of the inspection bu- 

 reau. Aside from the committee there 

 were probably not fifty lumbermen in the 

 United States who believed the inspection 

 bureau could be made a success; and if 

 Mr. Wall had taken it and had failed, he 

 would not only have been out his time and 

 money, but he would have become the 

 laughing stock of a good many people. 

 Mr. Wall had figured it out, however, and 

 on the promise that the committee would 

 lend him unwavering support, he accepted 

 the position; and for so doing the hard- 

 wood lumbermen owe him a debt it will 

 take a long time to repay. 



(To be continued.) 



CHICAGO COMMENT. 

 Colonel Adler, of the Adler Lumber 

 Company, Lyons, Ky., came to Chicago 

 on business and found time to attend the 

 Derby. He was one of the fortunate 

 "I told you so's," and as a matter of con- 

 firmation he did tell us so about six hours 



before the race was run. 



* * * 



F. H. Smith of St. Louis was in Chicago 

 on business last week. 



« * * 



W. E. Trainer came liome from a two 

 or three weeks' trip in the South a few 

 days ago with a couple of sample pieces of 

 Tupelo gum under his arm. He said that 

 was all the lumber he was able to get dur- 

 ing the trip, and he thought he would just 

 save freight by carrying It home. 



* • * 



Otto Meyer, representing the Bousacic 

 Lumber Company of St. Louis, uncorked 

 his language tank and we listened to a 

 strong line of bright trade prospect talk. 



* * • 



Col. J. W. Thompson of Memphis, ac- 

 companied by wife and children, the latter 



including a small miss four montlis old, is 

 in Chicago this week. The afternoon that 

 he was in the office he was on his way 

 over to see Allen Vinnedge, to match 

 babies, to see which one would take both 

 of them. Jess says she is a girl and a 

 good democrat, but by the time she is 

 old enough the women will be voting any- 

 how. 



* * * 

 J. V. Stimson of Huntingburg, Ind., was 

 in the city this week and called at the 

 Record office. Mr. Stimson is one of prime 

 movers in association work, being an of- 

 ficer and charter member of the Indiana 

 Hardwood Lumbermen's Association, and 

 a strong supporter of the National associa- 



WILLIAM KRAMER. 



Most of our readers know of the firm 

 of C. & W. Kramer, Richmond, Ind., as 

 it is well and favorably known in almost 

 every market where hardwood lumber is 

 sold. Of this firm Mr. William Kramer, 

 whose photograph appears herewith, is the 

 liead, his brother and partner, ilr. Conrad 

 Kramer, having retired from active Ijusi- 

 ness some years ago. The writer had the 

 pleasure of a visit to their plant at Rich- 

 mond, Ind., and has had the honor of Mr. 

 William Kramer's acquaintance for a num- 

 ber of years, and it is with great pleasure 

 that he bears testimony to the excellence 

 of their plant, the integrity and success of 

 their business methods and the personal 

 worth of the subject of this sketch. 



The Kramer brothers, Conrad and Wil- 

 liam, came to this country when both 

 were in their teens, with no capital but 

 their pluck, energy and the characteristic 

 German thrift. Thirty years ago they em- 

 barked in the hardwood lumber business 

 at New Hope, Ohio, where they continued 

 to prosper, until in ISS.j they removed to 

 Richmond, Ind., and established their pres- 

 ent business. 



They now have at Richmond, Ind., one 

 of the finest hardwood lumber manufac- 

 turing plants in the United States. In 



tion. He is also manufacturing good lum- 

 ber at Huntingburg. Summing up the sit- 

 uation briefly, he said trade was good an"d 

 the manufacturing of lumber seemed to 

 be worth while nowadays. ' 



* ¥ * 



The Messinger Hardwood Lumber Com- 

 pany of this city reports that trade is 

 pretty fair for this season of the year, and 

 prospects good for fall business. 



• • • 



Governor Bliss of Michigan was re- 

 nominated on the republican ticket to make 

 the race again. There was but one bal- 

 lot taken. The governor is an old-time 

 lumberman of Michigan, and recently be- 



addition they deal largely in the product 

 of otlier mills, buying throughout Indiana 

 and the South, and marketing their lum- 

 ber all over the United States and Canada 

 and in all parts of the world. ,They also 

 own and operate the Kramer Manufactur- 

 ing Company, engaged in the manufacture 

 of interior finish, store fixtures and the 

 finer grades of furniture. Tliis latter 

 plant occupies a substantial four-story 

 brick building and is equipped with all 

 that is best in appliances for producing 

 the highest grade of work. 



In addition to the assets above named 

 they have two sons, Horace M. and Clar- 

 ence H. Kramer, now in the prime of 

 young manhood, who, with Mr. William 

 Kramer, furnish the energy and ability 

 which causes the firm of C. «& W. Kramer 

 to rank among the most substantial and 

 most successful hardwood lumber firms in 

 the United States. 



When the writer visited Richmond, a 

 few years ago, and was shown through the 

 various departments which go to make up 

 the business, the thing that impressed him 

 most was the thorough manner in which 

 everything had been and was being done. 

 Everything was done in the best possible 

 manner. The machinery in use was of 

 the best, the buildings were of the most 

 substantial and the output was the very 

 best possible. Such business methods can- 

 not fail to bring success. 



There was an absence of the hurry-up, 

 get-rich-quick character to their busi- 

 ness, which too often mars the busi- 

 ness methods of the American business 

 man. Eveiything showed the thorough 

 going methods which have made Ger- 

 many, although a country of vei-y 

 meager natural advantages, one of the 

 leading commercial and industrial nations 

 of the world. 



The personality of the subject of this 

 sketch is such as you would naturally ex- 

 pect in a man vvho has built up such a 

 business, and in addition he is a rjan of 

 a kindly, genial nature, a friend and well- 

 wisher to evei-yone. 



The Record is proud to count Mr. Kra- 

 mer one of its best friends, and the hard- 

 wood lumber trade would be better off if 

 it had more such members. 



