HARDWOOD RECORD 



37 



GEOKGE E. \V. LLEHK.MA.NN. ST. I,(JIIS, MO., 

 MEJIBEU EXECUTIVE BOARD 



A. B. RAXSOM, NASHVILLE, XENN., 

 MEMBER E'XECUTIVE BOARD 



irriER. COLUMBUS, O., MEMBER 

 EXECUTIVE BOARD 



iu the (lark. They would find tliar in many instances they had been 

 n-ceiying a large percentage of liiml«T 1k-Iow grade, and at a cost much 

 in excess of what they would have lieen obliged to pay if they had pur- 

 chased standard grades at standard prices in the first place. If the 

 consumer can use a yariety of grades it is much more economical to 

 purchase standard grades and do his own mixing. 



The buyers for some of the large consuming institutions who pride 

 ilicmselves upon their ability to purchase below the market should be 

 .>ihovvn the results of these evil practices. With them it is not a ques- 

 tion of grade but one of price, and the fact that their superiors do not 

 know the actual grade of lumber received enables them to present an 

 enviable record for their office in the matter of prices. The effect in the 

 end is the same as in the ease of the ignorant buyer. If these buyers 

 purchased standard grades of lumber such as their firms required they 

 could make at the end of the year a much better showing than under 

 present methods. The instances cited are of common everyday occur- 

 rence, but they do not apply to all consumers, many of whom are 

 thoroughly informed with respect to grades and buy in an intelligent 

 manner. There is a sulHcient number of those who are not informed, 

 however, to keep up a continual disturbance in the market. I think I 

 am right in the statement that when you find a consumer or a yard 

 man who is well informed as to the grades of lumber, one who buys 

 standard grades and sees that he gets them, you will generally find a 

 .successfully conducted business. Who loses and who gains, as "a result 

 of certain practices of the trade in the marketing of lumber? Investi- 

 gation discloses many instances of unbusinesslike practices of which 

 the following are the most common : 



First. A carload containing over .30 per cent common, balance firsts 

 and seconds, shipped and invoiced as such, on being resold is invoiced 

 as all firsts and seconds. 



Second. Many instances come to light wherein the number of feet 

 originally invoiced is raised before it is received Iiy the final buyer. 



Third. The purchase of common and resold for selects and selected 

 common. 



Fourth. The purchase of selects and sold for firsts and seconds. 

 Fifth. The purchase of straight cars of due grade and sold for the 

 next higher grade in solid bulk. 



It would appear, therefore, that if the executive officers of some of 

 the consuming organizations would give the purchasing end of their 

 business as careful attention as they do the selling end they might dis- 

 cover something which would be an unpleasant surprise, and in the end 

 profitable. It can be set down that the shipper who practices such irreg- 

 ularities usually meets with misfortune ; on the other hand, the class of 

 trade who do not use such methods are usually successful. Imposi- 

 tions such as I have enumerated practiced upon the intelligent buyer, 

 who has a right to expect value received, have l>een so frequent and so 

 flagrant as to cause the purchaser in numerous cases to lose faith in the 

 entire trade. The consumer is awakening to a better understanding of 

 conditions, but we cannot hope to eliminate bad practices ail at once. 

 It must come gradually, and if we put our best efforts forward and work 

 In unison we will place the industry on a higher plane. No one is 

 capable, by simply reading a set of grading rules, to judge as to what 

 lumber he would actually receive, but only the application of the 

 rules to the lumber itself will show the boards that will go into a given 

 grade and the boards that would be laid out. The purchaser has gen- 

 erally given too little thought to the matter of inspection. He sees a 



book of rules, picks out what appeals to him as some slight flaw, and 

 immediately condemns the whole. 



In placing before you the actual facts I have been guided by a knowl- 

 e'dge of conditions as they exist. Our organization has been working 

 along strenuous lines to bring about the best results in every department 

 of the trade, and if we are to cure the evils that now exist we must 

 eonfinue to work vigorously along scientiflc and educational lines, both 

 at points of production and consumption. 



Your association, through its officers and committees, has, during 

 the past, entered into an agreement with one of the most intelligent 

 bodies of organized lumbermen representing the eastern territory, where- 

 in a third set of grading rules was in operation. After several con- 

 ferences an agreement was reached whereby this association was able to 

 combine those rules with our own, which we published and which be- 

 came effective .June I, 1910. The results of this conference point sig- 

 nificantly to the general tendency and widespread desire of all sections of 

 the country to unite upon a single standard. This now leaves prac- 

 tically two grading rules in the field, and it seems to me that men 

 with sufficient knowledge to run any branch of the lumber business, 

 and actuated by other than the most selfish motives, should be able to 

 get together and wipe out the apparently slight differences that exist 

 between the two present standards of grading. When this is done, as 

 it is certain to be eventually, there is not a question that most of the 

 troubles of the hardwood trade will have been overcome, and we will 

 then be able to give more attention to other branches of our business, 

 insuring better financial returns and enabling us to give better service 

 to our customers. This association has expended a matter of over 

 •fSOO.OOO chiefly for the purpose of standardizing inspection rules, and 

 although this outlay has brought excellent returns, we must not be 

 content with results already accomplished. We should now concentrate 

 every effort to the end, that a single standard may be adopted. Our 

 association has accomplished some truly gratifying results and has made 

 every effort in the past to bring this about, but up to the present time 

 we have not been able to obtain the desired results. The policy of this 

 association has always been one of willingness to meet every condition 

 that would bring this about, and in spite of adverse criticisms for the 

 lack 'of results there has never been any instance wherein any repre- 

 sentative of this association has not acted in good faith. We have always 

 stood ready, and we stand ready now, to meet upon a common ground, 

 in a spirit of fairness, with the sole object of agreeing upon one standard 

 of inspection, and which work should be pushed to a speedy and satis- 

 factory conclusion. 



I have yet to hear any man express disapproval of a single standard, 

 but, many are indifferent to the importance of it, and are unwilling to 

 lend their moral support and influence toward bringing it about. Much 

 of this no dotibt is due to a spirit of rivalry between the different organ- 

 izations, and an unwillingness to look squarely at the issue from a 

 broad-minded point of view. I sincerely hope that the better element in 

 the hardwood lumber industry will join their forces and their energies 

 in the direction of accomplishing a single standard, which move on their 

 part will force the \inwilling clement to discontinue practices which have 

 done so much to demoralize the trade. 



There may be conditions affecting the various sections of the country 

 that will require study and consideration. Problems confronting the 

 Northern territory, embracing Michigan and Wisconsin, may require 

 methods of solution differing from those which would apply to the 



