June 25. 1922 



Hardwood Record — Veneer 6c Panel Section 



47 



Sale Talks on Value of Association Services 



Veneer and Panel Manufacturers' Association Holds First Meeting Since Merger; 



Leader of Organization Shows That Industry Cannot Properly 



Safeguard Its Interests Unless It Is United Nationally 



The serious efforts of those intrusted with the administration 

 of the merger of the National Veneer & Panel Manufacturers As- 

 sociation and the Plywood Manufacturers Association, to build an 

 organization w^hich will adequately serve the industry in those en- 

 deavors in which united action is requisite to success, were ex- 

 emplified in the address delivered by H. Brooke Sale of the Hoff- 

 man Brothers Co., Fort Wayne, Ind., president, at the opening 

 session of the first meeting since the merger. This session was 

 held at Chicago, in the Auditorium Hotel, June 20, and was the 

 first of tw^o days of the semi-annual meeting. Mr. Sale had this 

 to say: 



"It is not my intention to bore you w^ith a lot of my ideas of 

 what is going to happen in business, for with Babson, Brookmire, 

 and Hoover gathering statistics and disseminating them, the first 

 two, I imagine, at an enormous financial benefit for themselves, it 

 would be rather presumptuous, in my opinion, for a business man 

 who does not maintain a statistical department to attempt to ad- 

 vise you as to w^hat is going to happen in the future. 



"However, as I would feel a good deal like the poor, old sym- 

 pathetic Irishman Vk'ho upon hearing of that fatal disaster, the 

 sinking of the Lusitania, immediately sought solace by imbibing 

 of our old friend John Barleycorn to an alarming extent, and w^as 

 found prone upon the sidewalk with his hands dangling out into 

 the gutter. As it happened to be raining, the gutter was full of 

 water, and one of his friends w^ho feared for his safety, went to 

 his rescue, and said, 'Pat, let me help you up.* And, Pat replied, 

 'Save the women and children first!' 



"How^ever, by deduction, w^e all must feel that we are on the 

 verge of a long, strong prosperous period, not one such as we 

 experienced in 1919, and the early part of 1920, but a logical, 

 healthful prosperity. Those w^ho have prepared during this period 

 of physical, financial and moral reconstruction for what is to 

 come, those who have fortified themselves w^ith every available 

 method of economy, w^ill fare best, and be prepared for the final 



reaction to depreciation which will inevitably come when the 

 point of saturation is reached. 



You, no doubt, all recall the circumstances under which I 

 was nominated and elected, but for the benefit of those who were 

 not present at the December meeting, I can not refrain from recit- 

 ing the circumstances from my point of view. 



Accepted Presidency for Good of Industry 

 I was endeavoring to be of service to the Association and in- 

 dustry by serving on a committee which was appointed for the 

 purpose of revamping the by-laws with a view to consolidating the 

 National Veneer & Panel Manufacturers Association with the 

 Plywood Manufacturers Association and during the period of our 

 labors, before we had completed, I was informed that the meeting 

 was about to adjourn, having elected all of the officers, and my- 

 self as President. 



"I recall within the past five or six years a time when a gentle- 

 man was elected to the presidency of this association, and only 

 by the strong persuasion of a number of his friends did he accept 

 the office; the strongest point which they made was that the 

 position having been tendered him, should he refuse, would make 

 it very difficult to find anyone who would accept the office, and 

 which would very likely result in the disintegration of the as- 

 sociation. 



"I recite this that you may understand that my mental deduc- 

 tions were not in the least egotistical, but it has been the history 

 of voluntary associations that when an office is refused, it is 

 primarily because the association is not worth a great deal to 

 the members, and the reason it is not worth a great deal to the 

 members is that they have not put in sufficient funds to make it 

 possible for any one person to draw a salary that would compen- 

 sate an experienced person to spend the time necessary to properly 

 direct the functions of the association. 



"You have all had the printed copies of the proceedings of 

 the meeting, called for the purpose of finally consummating the 



H. Brooke Sale, President 



F. B. Ward, Vice-President representing Plywood 

 Group 



J. Barnard, Vice-President representing^ 

 Quartered Oak Veneer Group 



