lb 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



July 10. 192; 



Picture of the Washington Conference 



Resume Taken Directly from Official Transcript Covering Complete Proceedings 

 of Four-Day Conference at Washington, Called to Work 

 Out the Hoover Program 



There are just two kinds of persons who uiay clearly visualize 

 the deliberations held at the famous Washington conference, May 

 22-26. The first must have actually attended the conference and 

 the other must carefully read the ofiScial transcript of the pro- 

 ceedings. This conference is now a matter of history several weeks 

 old, but the story has been only half told, or recounted in such a 

 way as to lead to no definite conviction. 



The preparation of this resume is something about which we do 

 not desire to boast. The necessity for presenting such a picture 

 was apparent prior to our last issue and the material duly gotten 

 together after several diligent readings of the entire manuscript. 

 The tremendous pressure for space in the June 25 issue, however, 

 precluded the possibility of using this resume at that time, and 

 possibly its presentation in the current issue will be most effective 

 because it thus will immediately precede the second conference to 

 be held at Madison and Chicago the middle of the current month. 



There has been, and still undoubtedly is, considerable confusion 

 as to the significance of this meeting, and by whom and for what 

 it was called. It is the direct result of an address by Secretary of 

 Commerce Hoover before the recent Lumber Congress at Chicago, 

 evidencing pointed, and possibly very significant interest in the 

 lumber industry, which lead to mutual expressions of desire for an 

 official conference with the department at Washington. 



Through the existent machinery of the National Lumber Man- 

 ufacturers' Association, the parent body within the lumber in- 

 dustry, made up of regional associations represented by authorized 

 delegates, the call for this conference was organized as provided 

 in the following resolution, adopted at the lumber congress: 



Whereas, the Honorable Herbert Hoover. Secretary of Commerce, ad 

 dressing a meeting in Chicago. April 4. 1922, of members of this associa- 

 tion and others, requested its assistance in giving protection to buyers 

 and users of lumber by encouraging the observation throughout the lumber 

 trade of definite standards of grade and quantity : by promoting the 

 adoption and recognition in practice of standard sizes and grades, the 

 comparative lack of which creates confusion • • *, Secretary Hoover 

 stated he would welcome the appointment of a committee of representative 

 lumbermen to come to Washington to confer with him concerning these 

 matters, and of the appointment of such a committee he was assured. 

 Therefore, be it 



Resolved, that the President appoint such a committee to consist, in 

 number, of not less than one meml)er for each regional association and to 

 include also such others as may be appointed after consultation with thi' 

 Secretary of Commerce. 



Hoover Is for Industrial Self -Rule 



Thus the movement emanates from a desire on the part of Secre- 

 tary Hoover to establish within the lumber industry a thorough- 

 going, self-government in line with standardized and ethical prac- 

 tices, which it is his desire to institute in all of our major in- 

 dustrial bodies. 



It is the purpose of this resume to give a clear picture of exactly 

 what transpired that specifically interests the hardwood end of the 

 lumber industry and those manufacturing units consuming hard- 

 wood lumber, and, further, to present analyses of other discussions 

 of a broad general interest inclusive of hardwoods as well as other 

 forest products. It is evident from the transcript of the proceed- 

 ings that the meeting was, as might well be expected, largely 

 softwood, but this is merely by reason of the fact that it was the 

 sole purpose of the secretary to bring in all groups and secure a 

 truly representative body of the entire lumber industry. 



No political considerations concerned either with the trade or 

 national politics were involved in the call for the meeting, the large 

 representation of softwood men being purely the result of the 

 natural predominance of softwood within the lumber industry. 



A careful perusal of the document reveals to an unbiased mind 

 a consistent attempt to have the conference truly follow the sug- 



gested lead of Secretary Hoover, and present to the public through 

 him and as operating through the agency of the National Lumber 

 Manufacturers' Association, the conclusions of a unified industry. 

 It is patent from all discussions that the purpose of the preliminary 

 conference was purely and simply to proceed as far as jjossible 

 with such questions as would have national significance as related 

 to all branches of the industry whether hardwood or softwood. 



It further seems quite apparent that it was the intention of the 

 guiding spirits in this movement to proceed with any question only 

 up to that point where a fair unanimity could be reached and to 

 there stop, postponing for more conclusive action on the part of the 

 respective interests involved, such questions as could be best 

 worked out only by those interests operating separately after the 

 first general conference. 



Elodgett Sounds the "Keynote" 



The keynote address was delivered by John W. Blodgett, presi- 

 dent of the National Lumber Manufacturers' Association, who pre- 

 sided throughout the sessions. To quote from his address: 



"We fully understand, Mr. Secretary, that it is your view that 

 the solution of those problems rests upon those concerned in the 

 industry and that you simply tender the facilities and knowledge 

 which your department has gathered to aid us in the t.ask. The 

 lumber industry is in full accord with your policy of business con- 

 servation and of accomplishing this end according to the lines laid 

 down by our President of more business in government and less 

 government in business. We are here, Mr. Secretary, from every 

 section of this' country where lumber is produced in any quantity. 



"We do want you to know, however, Mr. Secretary, that the 

 lumber manufacturers of their own initiative have taken many con- 

 structive steps toward protecting the consumer. But we fully 

 realize that the results of this conference will have much greater 

 weight and prestige because they are produced under your leader- 

 ship and approval." 



It thus becomes evident from the outset that from the standpoint 

 of the National Lumber Manufacturers' Association, the ranking 

 agency in tliis lumber movement, the purpose was to truly represent 

 the industry in its entirety. 



In his answer Secretary Hoover said it was the purpose of his 

 department to assist by bringing the different trades together and 

 to give such expert assistance as possible, adding, though, that in 

 that point the department would make reservations because "We 

 all know that the real expert is the producer himself. ' ' 



He said: 



We can give to the work which has been outlined a certain amount of 

 moral backing that will be of assistance to you In carrying through what- 

 ever you ma.v decide is wise. 



To quote further: 



Now, the problem that we are here to discuss is one of most fundamental 

 importance. One of the difficulties of our whole national economic system 

 Is the expensiveness of our distribution. And these questions that we 

 are going to discuss here, practically all of them, are distriljution ques- 

 tions ; the guarantees of qualities, the simplification of dimensions, the 

 grading of lumber, all of them, are steps in advance towards reducing the 

 cost and the wastes in distribution. Ever.v time we can take a penn.v off 

 the costs of distributing a commodity, we have made that much more of 

 the commodity available to that man.v more persons. In other words, 

 the whole standard of living of the American people rises directly with 

 the cheapening nf its production and its distribution. The more people 

 that can have the commodity, the wider area that is served, the more 

 people get the benefit of the commodities, every time we re<luce the cost. 



Further quotations from the Secretary's address, as outlining the 

 specific program involved, are: 



My understanding is that we are going to discuss lumber. When we 

 come to questions of grading, the first thing that one runs against is the 

 nonnnclature — of the actual names that are in use for different com- 

 modities, and different qualities or standards of that commodity. So that 

 a primary necessity is to have some agreement on the terms that are 

 going to be applied. Now, I realize that this is a trade that has an 

 enormous variety of material, so that a designation of terms must start 

 with some common acceptance of the designation of a particular type of 



w i : it is either jjine or hemlock, or it is something else. .\nd the 



primary custom of the trade is a definition of lumber on the basis of 

 spcMics. in which there is some variance that needs to be corrected by 

 agreement as to what species the lumber really Is by way of trade name. 



