24 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



Septiiiibei- 



lumber standardization recommended by the conference in Wash- 

 ington, and to give the organized lumber trade at large the full 

 opportunity to express its views and to make them a matter of 

 permanent record for the guidance of the further development of 

 the standardization program. It was also intended to give the 

 lumber trade an opportunity to choose its own ways and means for 

 conducting the further development of this activity. 



The United States Department of Commerce has participated in 

 these activities of the lumber trade, not at the invitation of the 

 lumber manufacturers alone, but upon that of the entire organized 

 lumber trade voicing its will through the American Lumber Con- 

 gress. In its convention in April, 1922, at which this ac ion was 

 taken, more than 95 per cent of the organized lumber trade of the 

 United States was directly represented. In keeping with his pur- 

 pose to encourage the lumber industry to devise its own ways and 

 means for developing a practicable plan for the improvement of 

 lumber standards, the Secretary of Commerce in a manner as plain 

 and explicit as the English language will permit, has stated 

 repeatedly that this is a problem for the lumber trade from pro- 

 ducer to consumer to settle for itself; that government regulation 

 or interference has no place in this activity in any shape or form; 

 that it is a proposed demonstration of the capacity of the lumber 

 industry to govern itself, to eliminate objectionable, unfair or 

 wasteful practices and standards and to give to the lumber-using 

 public efficient and honest service; and therefore that the only 

 useful service which the Department of Commerce can in this con- 

 nection perform is to emphasize the importance in the interest of 

 the lumbermen and of the public, of the lumber industry itself 

 solving these problems, and when satisfactory conclusions may 

 have been reached by the entire lumber trade, to deliver to it, and 

 to the conclusions thus reached, the recognition and support, and the 

 confidence of the American people. 



This entire program is conceived by the lumbermen as well as 

 by the Secretary of Commerce as a project not for getting the 

 regulatory arm of the government into the lumber industry, but of 

 definitely and forever keeping it out. No misconstruction, mis- 

 interpretation or mis-statement of this matter can alter the fact 

 that the organized lumber industry and the Department of Com- 

 merce, which have initiated and sponsored this activity, have done 

 so deliberately, publicly and emphatically for the dircit |iurpose 

 of keeping the wasteful arm of government regulation out of the 

 ordinary affairs of the lumber business in any shape or form. 



Consistent with his declared purpose to aid the lumber industry, 

 the Secretary of Commerce dispatched his assistant, William A. 

 Durgin, chief of the Division of Simplified Practice, to attend tlu' 

 conferences in Chicago and the meetings to consider lunil)er stand- 

 ardization held later on the Pacific coast. He suggested the 

 appointment of a small committee representative of the lumber 

 trade from producer to consumer to assume directly the responsi- 

 bility and the guidance of the development of a practicable lumber 

 standards program to be submitted when complete for the action 

 of the various lumber associations. This suggestion, received in 

 person at the Chicago meetings, resulted in the creation by that 

 general lumber conference of a centra! committee on lumber stand- 

 ards, consisting of seven men. To this committee was given full 

 authority to act in behalf of the lumber trade. Upon recommenda- 

 tion by the retail lumber dealers, vigorously endorsed by representa- 

 tives of lumber distributors and consumers, John W. Blodgett, presi- 

 dent of the National Lumber Manufacturers' Association was 

 appointed chairman of the central committee on lumber standards. 

 To represent the lumber manufacturers John H. Kirby of Houstort. 

 Tex., president of the Southern Pine Association and former presi- 

 dent of the National Lumber Manufacturers' Association, and 

 Charles A. Goodman, Marinette, Wis., in behalf of the National 

 Hardwood Lumber Association, were appointed. John E. Lloyd 

 of Philadelphia, president of the National Retail Lumber Dealers' 

 Association, was, upon request of the lumber manufacturers, joined 

 in by the representatives of both distributors and consumers, 

 designated to represent the retail lumber dealers. Dwight Hinckley 

 of Cincinnati, former president of the Yellow Pine Wholesalers' 



Association, and a director in the American Wholesale Lumber 

 Association, was chosen to represent the lumber wholesalers. By 

 unanimous agreement the American Institute of Architects was 

 invited to name one representative; the engineers and the railway 

 organizations to name another to be selected by the American 

 Railway Association. The last two designations have not as yet 

 been announced. 



The Chicago conference moreover requested the various groups 

 within the lumber trade to set up competent committees on lumber 

 standards to advise and inform the central committee with respect 

 to the facts and needs of their respective branches of the trade. 

 Large progress has already been made in this direction. The lum- 

 ber manufacturers have substantially completed the organization 

 of such a committee. Likewise the lumber retailers and wood- 

 using industries have a standing organization competent for this 

 purpose, as have also the leading associations of wholesale lumber 

 dealers. Much progress, therefore, has been already made toward 

 carrying out these requests of the lumber trade as expressed in the 

 resolutions of the July Chicago conference. 



Inasmuch as the responsibility and initiative heretofore had 

 been lodged largely with the lumber manufacturers, it was agreed 

 that this should so continue until such time as central committee 

 on lumber standards might itself assume the further conduct of 

 these activities. It was moreover understood that the facilities 

 of the lumber manufacturers' associations and the information 

 which they have compiled as result of more than three years' study 

 (if this problem would be available to the central committee. 



The so-called ' ' Washington Standardization Conference ' ' devel- 

 oped and made a matter of permanent record the views of dis- 

 tributors and consumers largely representative of the Eastern 

 states. Similarly the Chicago conference recorded the sentiment 

 in behalf of the lumber trade and in the Central and Middle West- 

 ern states. In the latter part of July and in early August the 

 conference held on the Pacific coast recorded the views and the 

 needs of the Western lumber industry. 



The complete story of these conferences is now available. Copies 

 liave been widely distributed by the National Lumber Manufac- 

 turers' Association to lumber organizations throughout the country. 

 It is expected that the central committee on lumber standards will 

 meet promptly with the Secretary of Commerce, and that it will 

 h.ave available for consideration a careful analysis of the facts 

 as brought out at the various conferences and elsewhere touching 

 the three main points of the program of lumber standards, namely; 



First — Lumber grades and grade names. 



Second — Lumber sizes, and 



Third — Guarantees for the [irotection of the public. 



Announcement to the lumber trade in behalf of the central 

 committee on lumber staiid.-irds ukiv therefore be expected in the 

 not distant future. 



If constantly in mind may be kept the determiiiatioii to get the 

 facts first, and to take no final action until all the facts have been 

 considered; tha' lumber standards and lumber trade practices may 

 be permanently improved only by a process of gradual development 

 and education and not by a sudden or hasty change; that greater 

 convenience and economy in the use of lumber will add to the per- 

 manent lumber demand and make possible substantial extension 

 of the lumber trade; that the consumers of lumber are expected to 

 meet the producers half way; and that the basic purpose of the con- 

 sideration of lumber standards throughout the country is to demon- 

 strate that the lumber industry can conduct its business efficiently 

 and honestly, and with due regard to the interests of the public 

 whose needs it serves, and thus to place a permanent and effective 

 obstacle in the way of the constant agitation for government 

 regulation in some form or other, then practical progress can be 

 made in this program of lumber standards which will mean not only 

 greater economy, better satisfaction among lumber users, but 

 greater stability and larger and more certain profits to the lum- 

 bermen, and a higher place in public esteem for the lumber indus- 

 try of the United States. 



