THE HARDWOOD RECORD. 



15 



your time, and make an extra effort to at- 

 tend its meetings, and brine- someone witli 

 jou. The membersliip at tlie present time 

 is 44, which is a slight increase over last 

 year. This increase, small as it is. shows 

 that we are not losing ground. Still, 3S is 

 certainly a very small jiercentage of those 

 who are interested in hardwood lumber 

 in the state, and it is to be regretted tliat 

 more of them cannot be induced to join 

 hands with us and help to make this asso- 

 ciation of greater power and influence with 

 the trade. 



The most important question which the 

 association has had to deal with the past 

 year has been the matter of inspection 

 rules, either the revision of our rules or 

 the adoption of those of the National as- 

 sociation. This subject is still open, but I 

 trust will be disposed of at this time. I 

 would earnestly reeonnnend that the Na- 

 tional rules of inspection be adopted by 

 this association as otficial. These few men 

 who were instrumental in bringing about 

 this Wisconsin association and who de- 

 voted their time and energies to compiling 

 n set of inspection rules "built better than 

 they knew," for the result of their worlc 

 can be seen in the present National rules, 

 which are. with a few exceptions, identical 

 with those of our association, and we 

 think the time is now ripe to adopt them 

 and so bring us into closer harmony with 

 the National body. ' It might appear to 

 many that should this association adopt 

 the National rules, its usefulness as an or- 

 ganization is ended, but we feel that there 

 is still a larger field of usefulness left. 

 This association should be kept alive, if . 

 for no other reason than that of coming 

 together twice or more times a year to 

 discuss the trade conditions, stocks on 

 hand, ^-evision of prices and innumerable 

 other questions of interest that will come 

 up from time to time. 



The transportation question should re- 

 ceive more attention at the hands of the 

 association, and I would therefore recom- 

 mend that a permanent railroad commit- 

 tee be appointed, whose duties would be to 

 work in harmony with similar committees 

 from otlier associations toward securing 

 reasonable rates, ad.iustment of claims and 

 various other matters that may come up. 



There is a gi-eat deal of dissatisfaction 

 existing among lumbermen regarding rates 

 that are being charged by irisurance com- 

 panies on hardwood lumber risks, the 

 rate having recently been advanced 25 

 per cent, and I have been requested to 

 bring this matter before the association 

 for discussion. It has been suggested that 

 this as.sociation look into the question of 

 organizing a mutual company to carry a 

 portion of these risks, patterned after the 

 Mutual company that was organized by 

 the Retail Dealers' Association a number 

 of years ago, and which has been able to 

 furnish insurance to its members at a very 

 much less cost than they could get from 

 that a committee be appointed to investi- 

 the stock companies; I would recommend 

 gate tHTr question fully and report at some 

 future meeting. 



Before closing, I wish to say a few 

 words regarding the National association. 

 I think there are very few of us who ap- 

 preciate its growth and development and 

 influence. As its name implies, it is truly 

 national, there being at the present time 

 nearly 700 members located in nearly every 

 state and territory of the Union; it has 

 long passed tlie "experimental stage" and 

 BOW holds the proud position of being the 

 large.st and most influential association 

 ^-ver organized in the interest of the hard- 

 wood lumber trade. Every member of this 



as.sociation should become atliliated with 

 the National organization, and I feel that 

 I can render no greater service to our 

 members than by urging the importance 

 of this upon them. 



The secretary read a detailed report of 

 the receipts, disbursements, etc., which 

 are not of especial interest to our readers, 

 except as showing a very handsome finan- 

 cial condition, with several hundred dol- 

 lars in the treasury. 



A report was then called for from Mr. 

 Wagstaff, chairman of the committee ap- 

 pointed to attend the annual meeting of 

 Ibe National Hardwood Lumber AssoCia- 



B. F. Mc.MlLL.iX, McMII,L.\X, WIS. 



Newly elefted president o£ the Wisconsin 

 Ilai'dwiiiid Lumbermen's Association. 



tion, held at St. Louis, May 15 and 10, 

 1902. 



Mr. Wagstaff read the following report: 

 TO THE MEMBERS OF THE WISCON- 

 SIN HARDWOOD LUMBER- 

 MEN'S ASSOCI.\TION. 



At the annual meeting held in Wausau, 

 Wis., Sept. 17, 1901, the question of in- 

 spection rules was brought up, and a com- 

 mittee of five, consisting of H. C. Hum- 

 phrey, C. H. Curtis. W. J. Wag.s-tafTf, C. K. 

 Ellingson and W. H. Dick, appointed to 

 make a study of this matter, both as to 

 changes that would be desirable in our 

 rules, if any, and also what changes it 

 would lie wise for us to undertake to se- 

 cure from the National Hardwood Lumber 

 Association, and to report the same at a 

 special meeting of our association to be 

 called at some future time. 



A special meeting was held in Wausau, 

 Wis., February 14, and this committee ren- 

 dered a written report to the association 

 at that time, recommending that this as- 

 sociation undertake to secure changes and 

 modifications in the inspection rules of the 

 National Hardwood Lumlier Association, 

 at their annual meeting in May, on bass- 

 wood, rock elm, soft elm and birch. The 

 changes recommended in the written re- 

 port of the committee were thoroughly dis- 

 cussed and finally adopted, and this re- 



\ision committee, as named above, was 

 duly elected as a special committee to at- 

 tend the annual meeting of the National 

 Hardwood Lumber Association at St. 

 Louis. Mo., to try to secure the changes as 

 agreed ui)on. Some discretionary power 

 was given the committee to act for the 

 association. Of the committee who were 

 appointed there were but two who, owing 

 to sickness and business engagements, 

 were able to attend, H. C. Humphreys 

 and W. J. Wagstaff. The instructions to 

 said committee were to use all possible 

 effort to secure the adoption of a revised 

 set of rules adopted b.v our association, as 

 mentioned above, copies of which have 

 probably been furnished all the members. 

 AVe were not able to secure all that we 

 went after, but through the co-operation of 

 Mr. B. F. McMillan we were able to se- 

 cure a number of concessions; the rules 

 as adopted by the National association, on 

 the item of Wisconsin hardwoods that we 

 were interested in and covering the con- 

 cessions that we were able to get, were 

 published in their general book of rules, 

 .Tuly 1, 1902, copies of which were sent 

 to our association, and our members have 

 probably all been supplied, so that the 

 question of the adoption of the National 

 rules is up to this association. 



There were some very radical changes 

 made; one important change was putting 

 S-foot lengtlis into first and second grade, 

 and another and ver.v important change 

 adopted by the National association, 

 through the efforts of our friend, Mr. B. F. 

 ■McMillan, after first being voted down 

 good and hard, but. upon thorougli con- 

 sideration, was unanimously voted by the 

 association — the eliminating of the grades 

 of common, shipping cull and mill cull, and 

 calling all grades below that of firsts and 

 seconds No. 1. No. 2 and No. 3 common. 

 The grades are all much more liberal than 

 lieretofore, and it seemed to those of the 

 committee who have looked into this more 

 thoroughly, that it would be to the ad- 

 vantage of the Wisconsin association to 

 change our rules, so as to be in harmony 

 with the National rules now in effect. This 

 is merely a suggestion, as this matter is 

 of great importance, and this association 

 will know what they wish to do about this. 



In connection with the matter of rules, 

 a very important feature is the applica- 

 tion of the rules; in the National associa- 

 tion there is a committee on the revision 

 of inspection rules; our president, Mr. 

 H. C. Humphrey, was appointed tlie three- 

 year member from Wisconsin. There is 

 also an inspection l)ureau committee, of 

 which Mr. M. M. AVal! is surveyor-general, 

 with headquarters at Buffalo, N. Y., and 

 there are nine members, as shown on page 

 t) of the National Association Book of 

 Rules, whose duty it is to work with the 

 surveyor-general, to see that the rules are 

 properly applied. Wisconsin has no Na- 

 tional association inspectors, and it was 

 suggested that I present this matter be- 

 fore our association, with the view of the 

 members recommending thoroughly com- 

 petent men to cover the territory well, who 

 would be appointed and qualify, and act 

 as National association inspectors. 



Mr. JI. M. Wall is with us for the pur- 

 pose of explaining fully the workings of 

 the inspection bureau committee, which 

 he will be glad to do, at the most con- 

 venient time during the meeting, and pos- 

 sibly take further steps, if it is the wish 

 of the association, toward helping those 

 who are appointed to become familiar with 

 the details of the work. 



We have added this special subject of 

 National association inspector to our re- 

 port to save time, and this report can be 



