28 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



Annual National Veneer and Panel Manufacturers' 



Association 



The sixth annual convention of the Na- 

 tional Veneer & Panel Manufacturers' As- 

 sociation Tvas held in the Auditorium Hotel, 

 Chicago, December 13 and 14, being called 

 to order by President P. B. Raymond at 

 11:00 A. M. Tuesday morning December 13. 

 Secretary E. H. Defebaugh recorded. 



The meeting was replete with animated 

 and highly valuable discussions pertaining 

 to the several instructive papers read by 

 various members, and all in ail was a ses- 

 sion which all present voted that they were 

 fotunate in attending, and which well might 

 make those not attending feel they had sus- 

 tained a considerable loss. 



The report of probably more immediate 

 interest than any other at the opening ses- 

 sion of the meeting was that of M. C. Dow, 



P. B. RAYMOND, INDIAXAPOLIS, 

 PRESIDENT. 

 Jr., chairman of the membership committee. 

 This report showed that seven new applica- 

 tions for membership had been secured, this 

 being a greater acquisition than that of any 

 other year. 



The Tuesday morning session was opened 

 by the roll call and the reading of the min- 

 utes of the last meeting by Secretary E. H. 

 Defebaugh. The minutes were approved as 

 read. 



President Raymond then delivered his an- 

 nual address as follows: 



President Kajnnond's Address 



This meeting ends the (iftli year of our asso- 

 ciation. I feel that we have not made the prog- 

 ress during the past year that we should have 

 made. Our membfi-ship should have been dou- 

 bled, but instead it has only held its own. We 

 need more member.s and need them badly. Some 

 extra effort should be made to interest all manu- 

 facturers In our line. Other organizations con- 

 tinue to grow. Manufacturers see the necessity 

 of co-operation. Wliy should not the veneer 

 and panel manufacturers wake up and not let 

 every other line of manufacture get ahead of 

 them? 



Our clubs have gained In membership, which 

 Is some advantage, but the national association 

 has not kept pace with them. Will you ail 

 please get busy? 



A little child In my neighborhood was being 

 taught to say the different meals of the day — 

 breakfast, lunch and dinner. For several days 

 this had been taught her, when she was asked, 

 "What Is the first meal?" The answer came 

 back promptly, "Oatmeal." 



This seems like a veneer man being taught 

 to advance prices. A manufacturer, asking the 

 price of crossbanding, always receives the an- 

 swer- that was given years ago. Nothing new 

 enters his mind. As the child has been given 

 "oatmeal" first, she could not forget It. As 

 the veneer man had been taught cheap cross- 

 banding, he cannot forget it. As the child 

 gets older she takes up new ideas. As the 

 veneer man gets older he clings to the same 

 old ideas, and does not progress as the child. 

 Logs get poorer, higher and scarcer, but cross- 

 banding remains the same. 



Quartered oak remains the same, and in a 

 great many cases Is sold for less money than 

 when logs were fifty per cent cheaper than now. 

 Something should be done to advance prices as 

 timber advances. We should do as every other * 

 line of business does. If we cannot sell at a 

 recommended price let somebody else sell at that 

 price. There should be but one price for the 

 same grade of goods that we manufacture. If 

 we win all learn to stand "pat" when our cus- 

 tomers tell us how much better they can do 

 elsewhere, it will be but a short time until there 

 is but one price for our goods, of equal grade 

 and dimension. There is but one price for 

 "oatmeal," one price for steel rails, and leather 

 of the same quality and tanning. Railroad 

 rates from one point to another are the same 

 over different roads, the number of roads and 

 the distance by different roads making no dif- 

 ference. All have one rate. Farm products are 

 one price and all based on one market. In fact, 

 there Is a standard (one price) for nearly every- 

 thing but our products. We should have one 

 price and this can be had only through co- 

 operation. Can this be accompiiSLied? 



The most important thing that we have done 

 in the past year Is the publishing of our Credit 

 and Inspection Experience Guide. Is this book 

 of any value to any of us? Is Bradstreet's, Dun's 

 or any other commercial agency of any value 

 or importance to us? If so, then our book Is 

 of tenfold more value, because it gives us actual 

 experience of our customers' ways of making 

 payments, of their ways of inspection, etc. Does 

 auy commercial agency do this? No, indeed. 

 This book should be in the office of every panel, 

 veneer and fine cut lumber manufacturer in 

 the tJnited States, because he will then know- 

 how his customer will pay his bills, and will 

 know whether the stock will be inspected fairly 

 or not. 



This work and this booklet have been accom- 

 plished through cooperation. The members have 

 joined hands. This booklet will be followed by 

 others from time to time. The number who 

 contributed lists this time was gratifying, but 

 next time we want even more. 



I recommend that we Inaugurate an inspection 

 bureau and have national inspectors in different 

 localities where it Is found necessary. This 

 matter is one of great importance and should 

 be put upon a basis similar to the National 

 Hardwood Lumber Association. While this may 

 cost us a little more. It will make our associa- 

 tion of much more usefulness to all. 



National conservation should be taken up by 

 our association, for it is of great importance 

 to us to see that timber, now being wasted, 

 should be left to grow to a suitable size to be 

 used, thereby giving us a supply that would last 

 years longer than If used as it is being used 

 now. There is only a very small per cent of 

 timber that is cut down that is suitable to be 

 used at time of cutting, and much is left in the 

 woods to decay, thereby being of no value to 

 anybody. 



I would suggest that a committee be named 

 to take this matter up and to attend to the 

 National Conservation Congress. All national 

 organizations interested in the work are entitled 

 to five delegates. 



The object of the congress is as follows : 



First : To provide for discussion of tiie re- 

 sources of the TTnited States as the foundation 

 for the prosperity of the people. 



Second : To furnish definite information con- 

 cerning the resources and their development, use 

 and preservation. 



Third : To afford an agency through which 

 the people of the country may frame policies 

 and principles affecting the conservation and 

 utilization of their resources to be put into ef- 

 fect by their representatives in state and fed- 

 eral governments. 



I feel there Is much of good in what we 

 have done, but I also feel there Is much more 

 Ihat we can do. We must cement ourselves 

 together more securely. As Individuals we must 

 take a more personal interest and a more active 



part in association matters. We must have 

 more members. Every manufacturer of veneer 

 and panels in the country should be one of us. 

 I appeal to each of you faithfuls here. Help us 

 get new members and help us create the spirit 

 that brings results. Results will become more 

 marked as our membership increases. 



The report of Secretary E. H. Defebaugh 



was the next order of business. 



Secretary's Address 



Mr. President and Gentlemen — Topography of 

 the business world has so many hills and 

 hollows it Is hard to pick out the fertile land. 

 With the big financial interests sitting on their 

 purchasing agents and only permitting them to 

 buy enough bread for today — to forecast what 

 the harvest will be is beyond your secretary. 

 This admission on his part comes with poor 

 grace, for he has ever believed that the sunny 

 side of life was the optimist's domain. For 

 that reason he would suggest with the bounti- 

 ful crops which have begun to turn Into dollars, 

 the good fair returns coming to all parts of 

 the agricultural sections of the United States 

 must make us believe that our foundation at 

 least Is substantial, and notwithstanding our 



C. T. JARRELL, FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT, 

 HUMBOLDT, TENN. 



waste and high living, that 1911 will have many 

 charms for those who operate on good conserva- 

 tive business lines. This means that each indi- 

 vidual manufacturing veneer and its products 

 must keep his ear to the ground and discover if 

 Ijossible, the needs of his own customer, culti- 

 vating more than ever bis confidence and by giv- 

 ing him quality goods that will fill his needs, 

 not on the basis merely to help him out. but at 

 values that will net you a profit on the logs 

 that you went to so much trouble to select 

 and put in your mill and scientifically manu- 

 facture them "for the trade you best knew. 



The pertinent thought of the manufacturer to- 

 day after being assured that at the price you 

 are paying for logs you will be able to come 

 out even is the absolute checking up of every 

 department of your business so that when your 

 material is merchantable you have the assur- 

 ance that you have the right quality and that 

 vou have most intelligently made your product 

 'so that no part of it will be a drug on the 

 market, if there are any orders to be given out. 



Now that 91.li00.00u people just buy what 

 they need it may not take all of your prod- 

 uct, but there are few times in the past one 

 hundred years when with good crops the Ameri- 

 can people did not have fair business. 



It is not a time, gentlemen, however, to sit 

 nn the back fence wishing you were In the 

 heyday of more orders than you could fill at 

 prices current that netted you a maximum profit, 

 Init take a fine tooth comb and persistently 

 try to get an order, not at any old price, but 

 at" the maximum price. Read the list of your 

 customers, find out where they are buying their 

 goods ; trv and match up some stock you have 

 either in the log or manufactured product that 



