50 



Hardwood Record — Veneer & Panel Section 



September 25. 1922. 



taut current events, -with the big political and economic movements 

 of the country; they are devoted to hobbies, some of them, such as 

 f^olf, or fishing, and it will do a hurdwood salesman no harm if he 

 crin converse intelligently "witli a buyer on these topics. If a sales- 

 man can sit down with a buyer and contribute something to the 

 conversation besides a string of lumber prices and "I'll say so," 

 or "You bet," he is more likely to get an order. It requires finesse 

 to deal with the big buyers of hardwood lumber, just as it does the 

 big men of any industry. 



The hardwood salesman, if he would achieve the highest success, 

 must fit himself to become the friend, guide and counsellor of the 

 men to whom he hopes to sell his product. He must be able to 

 liolpfull3' advise with them on their hardwood problems, and this 

 implies (first) a thorough knowledge of his own industry, and 

 (second) a broad understanding of the ultilization methods of con- 

 sumers. Often a salesman can give a buyer valuable advice if he 

 lias taken the trouble to inform liimself as to the manufacturing 

 methods of the industry wliicli that buyer represents. For example, 

 if he happens to be selling, or trying to sell, the buyer for a piano 

 factory and he has a good understanding of the stock that other 

 piano factories use, and why, he can often suggest some change in 

 grade or methods of utilizing stock that will save money for his 

 customer. It is needless to say that such advice will win the buyer's 

 confidence and friendship and be likely to bring about a permanent 

 connection. 



The first-rate lumber salesman will also make it his business to 

 learn something about his competitor's lumber, how his cut runs, 

 and, of course, his prices. This will be a great advantage in meet- 

 ing competition. 



In conclusion it maj' be said that success in landing tlie "Big 

 Fish" is largely a matter of fair dealing and service. But it is not 

 every man who is able to conceive of what fair dealing and service 

 reallv are. 



* t'otlthuird from luifi' -'"•' , 



tlii?^ radical iniio\':itii)U. tlie statement made \>y Mr. I>iw,uin that the hcst 

 in the pi'esent practice was to be adopted. 



Also, the small group of southern mauufactu^(n■^; wlm presume to speak 

 for an industry which tlioy in nowisi.> represent, and who also claim to In.' 

 the close followers of the "Hoover Itlea," are outspoken and vociferous 

 against the present practice in the grading of hardwood lumher, and whu 

 have their faces steadily set toward the goal of "scieutiflc inspection." 

 We do not know what is iiieaut liy the term and very much doubt if thoy 

 know, but such hij;li-soiuulin^ nuniriK-latoro hardly carries with it tbr 

 impression of simplified practice. 



As to the sopor-inspection bnreau. such a bureau was in contemplation 

 up to the time of the second conference which was held in Chicago on 

 Jnly 21, 22 and 2.S ; and it evidence were lacking that such bureau was 

 to have been under direct or Indirect governmental control, it is supplied 

 by the big stick but carelessly concealed in the circular to which this is 

 in respon.se. The Bureaucratic Camel already has its head within the In- 

 dustrial Tent. 



It was voted, or at least dec-ided, at the Chicago conference aliove 

 referre<l to, to abandon the i(U'a of a general inspection bureau, but that 

 decision was made several days svibsequent to the mailing of the qoestion- 

 Daire to which Mr. L>urgin objects. 



To my mind, the main thing for thoughtful consideration is the informa- 

 tion developeii by the questionnaire. It is information which possesses a 

 degree of value to all hardwood Inmitermen and to the Department of 

 Commerce as well. It does not disclose the existence of an extended dis- 

 satisfaction among consumers of hardwood lumber with existing conditions 

 under which that commodity is luirchastMl : but rather, it discloses almost 

 a unanimous demand that tliere lie no fnrth<T tiukering with grades of hard- 

 wood lumber and hearty approval of the methods of the National Hani 

 wood Lumber Association in its administration of hardwood inspection. 



In this situation, therefore, if Mr. Dnrgin be sincere in his statement 

 that the program of SIMPLIFICATIOX. which he espouses, means TIIK 

 ADOPTION OF TIIK BEST IN PRESENT PRACTICE, why does he ignore 

 that which has already been I'staljlished by the unscltish and efficient 

 labors of this nnunbership, consisting of 1.400 reputable concerns, more 

 than 60 per cent of whicli are producers of hardwood lumber? 



The only rules for I he inspection of hardwood lumber extant today, with 

 the exception of a set of inili-\-iilual roles, originated and sometimes applieil 

 to its own shipments by a firm in Columbus, Ohio, are the National rules. 



The only comprehensive and respected system of hardwood lumber 

 inspection that is being conducted today is National Inspection. 



The quality of the membership and of the officers and directors of the 

 National Hardwood Lumber Association is a guarantee to the public at 

 l;ii-^e oi' integrity and efficiency. 



If Simplification means the retention of the best, then the Na onal 

 Hardwood Lumber Association is the sole instrumentality which is best 

 fitted to serve the Department of Commerce in Its efforts to imp.bve condi- 

 tions In the hardwood lumber industry, and its services are always at the 

 command of that department when required along- practical lines. 



Yours very truly. (Signed) .J. W.' '' :vURB, 

 President the National Hardwoo*" .ssociation. 



Tlie following is the text of the letter wriu; ._ Mr. Durgin to- 

 the members of the Xational, to which Mr. McO'iure objects: 



(Jentlcmen: — F. F. Fish has sent out a questionnaire dated August S, 

 referring to "a movement sponsored by the Federal Department of Com- 

 merce" — "to abandon existing grade names and existing standards of qual- 

 it.v and to replace them with new grade names and new standards of 

 quality" — "administered and applied — by a central inspection bureau cre- 

 r-tid and maintained under government authority." 



This department knows of no such movement. 



The program of the lund)er industry looking toward simplification of 

 grades, sizes, and names, and the improvement of inspection practices, as. 

 we nudc^tand it and as we hope to support it, is in every respect the 

 exact reverse of that suggested by ;Mr. Fisn. 



SIMPLIFICATIOX in any line ME.VNS THE AlidPTION OF THE. 

 BEST IN PRESENT PRACTICE and elimination only of excess variety, 

 while the posititm of the Department of Conunerce in all (picstions of crea- 

 tion and maintenance of bureaus under government authority was stated 

 with finality at the first Washingtcm lumber conference by Secretary 

 Hoover when he said : 



"1 do resent these attempts to extend the arm of the Government in 

 e\-ery direction, and it is my belief that we liave reached the point in the 

 developments of our commercial fabric when our trades can be assisted 

 to establish such bases in matters of this character as to make it totally 

 unnecessar.v for the government to have any exercise whatever." 



We of the department very deeply deprecate the circidation of any nus- 

 statement of its purposes and activities, and we ask you to read thi' in- 

 closed copy of a talk to an assembly of lundjcrmen in I'ortland which gives; 

 a min*e extended expression of our interests in lumber standardization or 

 simplification and of our very geiutine desire to be of constructive service 

 to your inilu.stry. After you have read it. won't yim pass it along to any 

 of your customers who may have been nnsled, and gi\'e us your [lersonal 

 support by spreading the facts throughout the hardwood trade V 



An interesting sidelight on the above controversy is contained ini 

 a letter from Wilson Compton, secretary-manager of the National 

 Lumber Manufacturers' Association, to the Editor of Hardwood 

 Eecokd, in which Dr. Compton discusses the prevalence of misun- 

 derstandings in connection with the lumber standardization pro- 

 gram, particularly the harrlwood part id' it. l)r. Compton said: 



That misunderstanding on this subject (the hardwood phase of the 

 standardization movement) is more or less prevalent is perhaps traceable- 

 to the statements made either directly or liy intimation in certain communi- 

 cations and in(|uiries which have recently heon sent to various parts of 

 the hanlwood tratle, in w-hieh the pnigram of lumber standards under con- 

 sideration liy the lumber industry at larger is referred to as a proposal to. 

 "revolutionize" the hardwood trade, to discontinue existing standarils and 

 substitute new and untried ones: to i-i'ipnre all lumber to be graded on the 

 same ridi's ; aiul to sidiject lumber to (Jovernment inspection. I am not 

 sutlieiently infoi-med as to the purpiise for which, nor the eirctmistances 

 under which, these statetnents have tieeii made to various cross-sections 

 of tlu' hardwood trade, to warrant any judgment of them. They can. how- 

 ever, have no bearing whatever u|)on the program of lumber staudar<liza- 

 tion which is in fact now under consideration by the lumber indnsti-y at 

 l.-ir;;e, inasmu(-h as such proposals have not been made, nor would they 

 be countenant-ed ftir :i ndnute. It w-onld seem to me to tie a waste of time 

 to make iiupiir.v of Innibei- |iroilucers, distributors, oi- consumers as to- 

 -whethei- they w-iiuld be in favor of certain propositions which clearly the 

 lundier inilusti-y as a whole, from the slumi) to the consumer, would never 

 consider for a monu^nt. 



In this same letter Dr. (!'oni|itoii furtlier said, legarding the aims 

 of the promoters of lumber standardization: 



1 ni.-iy say to yon frankly .... that it was not iiroposed tiy those 

 wli*) a]-e siionsoring tin* activity in the direction of impi-oved lumber stand- 

 ards, that existing standai-ils be displ.-ii-ed and new ones sulislituted for 

 them except where a eh'ar gain eajialile of satisfactor.^- demonstration 

 would be had as a result. 1 niiaii. in otlier words, that this was not a 

 proposal to ehange everything, or to substitute one thing for another, but 

 ratii.-i- to simidify. which im-Mns to choose from existing standards the 

 best that there are, and to esl.-ildisli tliese. if possible, in the recognized 

 praeti>-i- of the lumlier tradi'. This, for instance, as applied to lumber 

 sizes might be illustrated by the situation in New York City where nom- 

 inal one-iTu-h boai-ds of various species from various sources of supply vary 

 in a.-iiKil thiekness from 1 1/1(1" at the top to ll.TtJ" at the bottom. There 

 are at least seven different thic-knesses of one-inch boards in the New 

 York market, including hardwoods. My thought is that a definite gain 

 would bi- had if those seven thicknesses could he reduced, if not to one 

 inch, to two or three or even f<iur, as being preferable to the present .situa- 

 tion and representing a dislinet gain in economy antl in possibility of cer- 

 tain .iiMl effli-ient use. 



