26 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



July 25, 1922 



last resort to which questions might be taken when differences still 

 persisted after final inspection by ,a chief inspector. In this con- 

 nection it was conceived hy the manufacturers that all technical 

 questions as to grades will have been settled after the second 

 re-inspection, and that the matters left in dispute would involve 

 some misunderstanding as to specifications or agreements on the 

 contract and might be settled by arbitration. It was not con- 

 ceived that any body of arbitrators might decide a question of 

 grades more authoritatively than could the chief inspector of the 

 organization controlling the rules under which the disputed ship- 

 ment had been made. This means that the manufacturers believe 

 that regional, state and other associations having inspection sys- 

 tems should continue to operate these as heretofore, but that there 

 should be a standing committee under the auspices of the National 

 Lumber Manufacturers' Association to which an ultimate appeal 

 may be made. It was thought that by setting up such an instru- 

 mentality the buyer or the, public will have their interests safe- 

 guarded as far as it is possible to do so. This is expected also to 

 give the public the assurance needed of the good faith of the lum- 

 berman and of the possibility of securing all possible protection in 

 their lumber purchases. 



The passage of the motion quoted leaves the question open, how- 

 ever, until it is finally settled at the final conference. 



Hoover's Representative Speaks 



The feature of the afternoon session of the general conference 

 on July 21 was the brief address delivered by W. A. Durgin, chief 

 of the division of simplification and standardization of the U. S. 

 Department of Conference. Mr. Durgin spoke of the aims of the 

 lumber standardization program as conceived by Secretary Hoover, 

 as well as the nature, in particular, of the conference which he was 

 addressing. Mr. Durgin said: 



Mr. Chairman, lumbermen and other repre.'sent.itives of wood using 

 Industries, I want to bore you a few minutes by telling you some of the 

 Ibings that we hear down in Washington about lumber. One of the most 

 common remarljs might be paraphrased in the query, "What is all the 

 shooting for?" So many people say, "What In the world are you going 



after lumber for? Why did you pick us out?" I don't just see how that 

 viewpoint got about. Lumber is not piclied out. Lumber, at the present 

 moment, is one of about eighty-seven industries that are in connection 

 with the Department of Commerce, in about the same way that lumber is. 

 To be sure, lumber is very much the most important of these industries and 

 so. perhaps, .vou may feel that you were singled out as the first great 

 industry ; but I hope as this worli goes on you will find that a matter of 

 pride instead of irritation. I thinli you will register as the first great 

 industry of the country in favor of Hoover, standardization and simplifi- 

 cation. 



Now, we regard this conference as having a rather special purpose. Wa 

 are not looking for you to adopt or to reject, as the Secretary said to me. 

 and, in fact, as he said to r>r. Compton and me a few days ago, "if lumber 

 gets this job done in a year it will do well." 



Expect Representative Expression of Opinion 



We are looliing to this conference for a representative expression of 

 opinion of all interests, the opinions of associations which will guide the 

 organization that I understand you are to form tomorrow in proceeding 

 with the work. But surely, you don't wish to adopt or reject any of these 

 questions until they have had much further discussion, much further diges- 

 tion, than has been possible ; because, gentlemen, these questions are epoch- 

 making in lumber ; they are epoch-making in this country. They are the 

 first wise attempts on the part of a great industry to use the very forceful 

 phrase that has already been used this afternoon, to "beat them to it," in 

 this continual repressive legislation, which, if it keeps on, is going to uiiset 

 the entire industrial structure of this country. (Applause.) 



As Mr. Hoover sees it, you men are going to so clean house, or are going 

 to so get together in united action, that no congressman, no senator or any- 

 one else can find any possible reason for suggesting legislation in the lum- 

 ber industry ; and as you lead the way you are going to entirely change 

 the trend of industrial philosophy in this country, and we are going to get 

 back really to the viewpoint of our forefathers who founded this country 

 as the place where every honest, wise citizen could go ahead and control 

 bis own business. That, gentlemen, is much more vital than any one of 

 the specific questions that you have before you — at least so we feel. 

 Action Desired at Final Conference 



Well, if this conference is merely to develop opinions for guidance of 

 organizations, when are you going to get to action? We take it that sucb 

 action will be proper after the various committees, experts or whoever 

 you may appoint to develop these Ideas further, have prepared final reports 

 which can be printed, which can be distributed to the various associations, 

 which can be thoroughly considered. 



We assume that then a final conference will be held at Washington, to 

 which each association will send delegates with full power to act, and at 

 such conference, we assume, you will adopt the standards of lumber and 

 associated industries to prevail until such time as a revising conference 

 becomes necessary ; and all of this work of the revising conference will 

 be part of the regular plan. 



If, next May, you fix procedure for lumber, we assume you will also fix; 

 the period through which that procedure shall control. You might conceive 

 that next May you will be in a position to fix procedure for all time. It 

 must be revised as practice develops. One would assume that it might 

 be possible to make more perfect lumber ; but it hardly seems necessary, in 

 discussing size now, to emphasize the fact that you can't make it closer 

 than a sixteenth. In any product, you have tolerance, and if you say 

 13/16ths is a standard size, of course that will mean 13/16th plus or 

 minus the necessary tolerance of manufacture. You have no new ques- 

 tion. That same question applies in the 87-odd industries now working 

 with us along similar lines. 



Can Cause Conflicting Group to Meet 



It seems to us one of the greatest services we can render you is bringing 

 in conflicting groups. I hardly suppose that the city engineers of thn 

 larger cities would care to appear with you now, but when you have your 

 program finally worked out for final action, I assume the city engineers of 

 the large cities will be very glad to accept Secretary Hoover's invitation 

 to sit in with you on final discussion. In that way we believe we can sell 

 your program to any group it needs to be sold to, and there, we think, 

 we can surely serve. 



Tbis question of specials was so well covered by my friendSj^ the architect, 

 that I don't know that it is necessary to again refer to that. He has the 

 entire philosophy of standardization. If you men will say that "13/16th;i 

 is our standard," and if you will agree that it shall appear on your bills 

 as 13/16ths, not as one inch, but that it is billed as 13/16ths, if you will 

 agree that if a man wants something different you will charge him extra — 

 you can't agree among yourselves how much you will charge him extra, 

 because that is an agreement In restraint of trade — but if you agree that 

 you will charge him extra, the specials will quickly disappear, I believe. 

 Those are the major points. 



Secretary Hoover asked me to express to you his very great interest i» 

 this work, his gratification that you are getting together in an extremely 

 hot month, in a city that, at times, is hot, even though it is my native cit.v 

 — we are looking to you men to go forward and to bring out the first 

 definite set of recommendations In support of the Hoover vision. .\U(1 

 speaking personally, not at all as representing the department, I believe 

 that most of the men here agree with me that anything that we can do 

 in s\ii>i>ni-t of Hoover will be in support of one of the greatest national 

 leaders that we have ever had, v-^PPlause.) 



I thank you. 



