14 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



July 25. 1922 



long, as business fundamentally had not gone far enough to sustain 

 such sudden improvement, though this lack of balance between 

 supply and demand would be apt to have a more permanent effect 

 this year than last, as the country is in much better shape to pro- 

 long such tendency to inflation. 



In view of the distracting elements in industrial circles, it is not 

 wise to counsel too strenuously one way or the other in the matter 

 of purchases of raw material, but it would be Hardwood Eecokd's 

 version of the situation that just as soon as there is some definite 

 settlement of the labor controversies, consumers of hardwood lum- 

 ber should immediately look to effecting a good coverage. Follow- 

 ing the excessive high water which prevailed this spring, there has 

 been a general movement to resume operation, but in spite of the 

 large number of mills that li'ave gotten back into production, it is 

 apparent to the careful observer that but a very small proportion 

 of the small mills that make up a substantial volume of the cut 

 have resumed. In addition, water still covers considerable areas, 

 as the stage this year was so far beyond anything of record that 

 it reached points which in many cases were never before touched. 

 In short, while most of the larger mills have resumed, there is still 

 a fair projiortion of them who have not, and in addition there is 

 very little production amongst the small mills, which in itself 

 would seriously militate against a full and adequate total. If the 

 industrial situation becomes ironed out so that it does not of itself 

 seriously interfere with expected progress to full improvement, the 

 demand for hardwoods which must eventuate will still be out of 

 proportion to the quantity of stock available. 



Second Hoover Conference Reports Progress 



THE SECOND CONFERENCE called under the auspices of the 

 National Lumber Manufacturers' Association and operated under 

 the so-called Hoover program convened at Chicago last week, as re- 

 corded in complete detail elsewhere in this issue. A casual examina- 

 tion of the record might indicate a more or less anomalous outcome 

 as the conference met without the ability to bring forth conclusive 

 results. As stated by the chair, it was the desire of Secretary Hoover 

 that this conference refrain from expressing a yes or no vote on any 

 question up for discussion. It was the express desire of the secre- 

 tary that the conference confine itself entirely to a mere expression 

 of opinion for the further guidance of the constituencies of the dele- 

 gates present. Thus, with a single exception of the selection of what 

 might be termed a "steering committee," the conference refrained 

 from positive action on any subject presented. 



The conference was called in attendance for the purpose of listen- 

 ing to a report from the committee on standardization which had met 

 during the preceding days with engineers, government experts and 

 others at the Forest Products Laboratory at Madison, Wis. From 

 this meeting evolved a rather complete report with specific recom- 

 mendation in the matter of grades, sizes, definitions, etc., as cover- 

 ing the softwoods. As part of the same report there was handed 

 down a very brief manuscript covering hardwoods recommending a 



coni]ilete technical survey of the hardwood consuming industries and 

 containing certain blanket recommendations for consideration in the 

 matter of grade definitions. 



Till" single definite action coming out of the conference, namely, 

 the appointment of the steering committee, gives promise of great 

 accomplishment, as with this less unwieldy body the conference will 

 lie able to keep the matter constantly alive and in a state of per- 

 petual animation. The personnel of this committee leaves no room 

 for doubt as to its proper functioning. Also, with the request from 

 the recently formed Hardwood Manufacturers' Institute that a rep- 

 resentative of the National Hardwood Lumber Association be espe- 

 cially invited to sit on this committee, there seems to be a strong 

 ho))c that the controversial aspect on the hardwood participation in 

 tlie Hoover program may be at least partly minimized. 



Hardwood Becord has had the thought since the appointment of 

 this committee that possibly there is not sufficient representation from 

 tlie consumers to adequately cover all the consuming angles. How- 

 ever, the committee has the power to enlarge itself and it is to be 

 hoped that when it so functions it will recognize the necessity for 

 having one special member as representative of the hardwood consum- 

 ing industries. 



The Saving Wage 



THE "SAVING WAGE;" that is, the wage which will permit 

 a worker not only to have the necessities and some of the pleas- 

 ures of life, but to accumulate a competence for his old age, or the 

 ' ' rainy day," was recently discussed by James J. Davis, secretary of 

 lalior, in a series of articles in the Chicago Daily Tribune. Secretary 

 Davis maintains that the American laborer will never again be 

 content with the so-called "living wage," which is adjusted 

 rigidly to the scale of the cost of living and affords only a bare 

 existence. In times of depression and great unemployment the 

 laborer may submit to this wage, but in the recurrent eras of pros- 

 perity, he will demand and compel the payment of the "saving 

 wayo. " In his first article the Secretary quoted this expression 

 from oTifi of President Harding's addresses, meaning it to describe 

 the new position which the American worker has achieved and 

 which he must hold: 



The workman's lowest wage must be enough for comfort, 



enough to make his house a home, enough to insure that the 



struggle for existence shall not crowd out the things worth 



existing for. 



That is a sentiment which tlie enlightened, liberty-loving 

 American employer no doubt endorses, but it implies obligations 

 upon the worker as well as the employer. A wage that adheres to 

 this ideal is impossible of being consistently maintained without 

 favorable conditions and a high efficiency on the part of labor. 

 The world is still a vast battlefield, where the rule is that the 

 fittest garner the best fruits. There will always be some who be- 

 cause of their own ignorance, slothfulness, or misfortune, must 

 suffer. 



Table of Contents 



REVIEW AND OUTLOOK: 



General Market Conditions 13-14 



Second Hoover Conference Reports Progress 14 



TTie Saving Wage 14 



SPECIAL ARTICLES: 



Problems of the Hardwood Manufacturers - 18-18-B 



Standardization Efforts Centralized 18-C-20 & 22-24 & 26 



Sales Satisfactory at Grand Rapids ■.' 35-36 



Furniture Council Proposes Changes in Hardwood Grading Rules 46 



CLUBS AND ASSOCIATIONS: 



Miscellaneous 30 & 32 



Northern Operators Adopt Guarantee Plan 15-17 



Walnut Manufacturers Select Day to Succeed Kosse 28-29 



Northern Wholesalers Discuss Standardization Problem 29 



WHO'S WHO IN WOODWORKING: 



Chas. R. Sligh 38 & 44-45 



HARDWOOD NEWS NOTES 33 & 51-53 



HARDWOOD MARKETS 53-56 



CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS 60-61 



aDXERTISERS' DIRECTORY 59 



HARDWOODS FOR SALE 62-64 



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