HARDWOOD RECORD 



31 



Nineteenth Annual Wholesale Lumber Dealers' 



Association 



The nineteenth annual meeting of the Na- 

 tional Wholesale Lumber Dealers' Association 

 was held at the New Willard hotel, Wash- 

 ington, D. C, on AVednesday and Thursday, 

 March 1 and 2. The meeting called out a 

 large proportion of the membership of this 

 sterling organization, and was marked by un- 

 nsual interest. 



The reports presented covered the splendid 

 work of the organization during the past year, 

 and it is evident that the association has made 

 very substantial progress in all the lines of 

 work which it has undertaken. 



The administration of Robert W. Higbie, 

 president of the organization, has been very 

 efficient, and it goes without, saying that his 

 successor, Fred E. Baboock, will carry on the 

 work in a forceful and energetic manner to 

 a highly successful issue. 



R. W, HIGBIE, NEW YORK, N. Y., RETIRING 

 PRESIDENT 



The first session opened in tlie convention 

 hall of the New Willard hotel at 11 a. m. on 

 Wednesday, March 1. President Higbie in- 

 troduced Gen. John A. Johnston, commissioner 

 of the District of Columbia, who delivered an 

 admirable address of welcome. The crux cf 

 his remarks was to the efifeet that Washing- 

 ton is the nation 's city and every patriotic 

 American should have as much interest in it 

 as any resident of the city itself. He wel- 

 comed the members of the organization most 

 cordially, and bespoke their continuing to 

 hold their annual meetings in Washington. 



Hon. John M. Woods of Cambridge, Mass., 

 was called upon and made a brief response to 

 the address of welcome in bis usual pleasing 

 and forceful way. 



The meeting was then called to order and, 

 on motion of F. S. Underhill; the roll-call of 

 members was omitted. 



On niotion of E. V. Babcock the reading of 



the minutes of the last meeting w;is dis- 

 pensed w-ith. 



President Higbie then delivered his annual 

 address, as follows: 



Address of the President 



The hi.story of another year has been wiiin-n. 

 The record Is flDishpd and the books are closed. 

 A calm review of our condition will, I trust, 

 show that the body of the association is full 

 of vicor and health. The report of the treas- 

 urer will. I am sure, also show that, financially, 

 we are prosperous. While the year has in no 

 sense been a brilliant one and offers no oppor- 

 ttinit.v for glorification, still the work has been 

 prosecuted faithfully and with energy and with, 

 I trust, such measure of success as that the re- 

 sults attained may be of some permanent benefit 

 to our association. Our secretary has advised 

 me that the routine work carried on and ac- 

 complished in the several regular departments 

 will compare favorably with that of former 

 .vears. and has shown the normal increase. Cer- 

 tain it is that a close personal contact for the 

 past year with these various departments makes 

 it both possible and easy for me to say that 

 they are splendidly organized and fully equipped 

 to serve our members and to perform the func- 

 tions for which they were created. Indeed, it 

 is not an extravagant statement to make that 

 our Bureau of Information, our Collection de- 

 partment, and Railroad & Transportation Bureau, 

 have no superiors, and few. if any, equals. So 

 strongly has the work of these departments 

 been impressed on me that I do not hesitate to 

 say that no lumberman who is eligible to mem- 

 bership in this association can afford not to be 

 a member. The small annual dues are as noth- 

 ing when compared with the lionefits to be re- 

 ceived. 



Aside from the regular daily routine work of 

 the association, several matters of more than 

 passing interest have received our attention. Y'ou 

 will recall that there was held, during the year, 

 a great conservation congress at Minneapolis. 

 Minn. At this congress "we were ably repre- 

 sented by three delegates, one of whom was the 

 chairman of our forestry committee, and he 

 will make full report to this convention con- 

 cerning this congress and other matters which 

 have received the attention of his committee. 



In addition to the report of the forestry com- 

 mitee. we will have the pleasure of listening to 

 an address by Dr. Graves, forester of the United 

 States, and I bespeak for him your attendance 

 and attention. 



While several matters have had the attention 

 of the Railroad & Transportation Committee, 

 tliere were two which were of more than usual 

 importance. I refer, first, to the attempt on the 

 part of the railroads to increase the minimum 

 weight from .34,000 pounds to 40.000 pounds on 

 carloads of lumber from certain points in the 

 South to water competitive points in the North. 

 That this attempt on the part of the railroads 

 so to increase these minimum weights did not 

 succeed was due to the direct efforts of our 

 Railroad & Transportation Committee, working 

 in coniunction with the manager of our Railroad 

 & Transportation Bureau, and is a good illus- 

 tration of the influence which our association is 

 able to exert for the benefit of the whole lum- 

 ber industrv. This matter will be reported to 

 you in detail in the resfular report of the Rail- 

 road & Transportation Committee. 



The second question of more than passing in- 

 terest in the railroad world is the matter now 

 pending before the Interstate Commerce Com- 

 mission, referring to the proposed advance in 

 all freight rates, and this is of so great im- 

 portance that a few words at this time may be 

 in order. . 



For several years many of the railroad of- 

 ficials have claimed that the necessity existed for 

 a general advance in freight rates, but no step 

 was taken to put these higher rates into effect 

 until about fifteen months ago. when new tariffs 

 were filed with the Interstate Commerce Com- 

 mission. These new tariffs showed the advances 

 to be most general, and consequently included 

 higher rates on lumber from and to nearly all 

 points. Immediately upon receipt of notice of 

 these advances the oflicers of your association 

 filed with the members of the Interstate Com- 

 merce Commission a protest, and asked to be 

 heard at the proper time. Your president and 

 secretary appeared before the commission on the 

 first day appointed for the hearing, and at sub- 

 sequent' hearings your association was repre- 

 sented bv the secretarv and manager of the Rail- 

 road & 'Transportation Bureau. At the meet- 

 ing of the trustees next following, this matter 

 was laid before them for their consideration, to- 

 gether with a letter from the Shippers' associa- 

 tion, which had been organized for the purpose 



of representing the interests of all shippers at 

 the hearings to be held before the Interstate 

 Commerce Commission. It was also learned 

 that the members of the Interstate Commerce 

 Coraniission had ruled that because it would be 

 manifestly impossible for them to hear argu- 

 ments for and against the necessity of the pro- 

 posed advance in rates on each individual com- 

 modity, evidence aud argument would for the 

 time being be limited to the one general proposi- 

 tion, namely ; Are the railroads entitled to an ad- 

 vance in freight rates at this time? 



After full consideration it was the unani- 

 mous opinion of your Board ot Trustees that 

 the interests of our members would be best and 

 fully protected by joining with the .\ssociatlon 

 of 'Shippers above referred to, and entrusting 

 their general counsel to represent our interests. 



That our confidence in the general counsel 

 of the Shippers' association was not misplaced 

 is amply .iustified by the sweeping decision which 

 v/as handed down "by the Interstate Commerce 

 Commission last Thursday. The members of 

 this commission, after most exhaustive hearings, 

 covering ever.v possible phase of this question, 

 have unanimously decided that the railroads are 

 not at this time, upon the evidence submitted, 

 entitled to make any advances in their rates. 

 You will, of course, understand that an appeal 

 from the decision of the Interstate ('ommerce 

 Commission may be taken by the railroad of- 



F. E. PARKER, SAGINAW, MICH., FIRST 

 VICE-PRESIDENT 



ficials to the newly organized commerce court, 

 and while 1 have no information on this sub- 

 .lect, I have no doubt that such an appeal will 

 be taken. In that event the question will 

 naturally be limited again to the one general 

 proposition upon which the Interstate Commerce 

 Commission has jnst passed : ".\re the railroads 

 entitled to an advance In freight rates at this 

 time?" 



I would suggest, therefore, in view of the fact 

 that the appeal will refer only to the general 

 proposition, that your Board of Trustees be 

 ;nilhori-/.ed and empowered to act in this matter 

 in such manner as may seem best to them, and 

 1 so recommend. 



I am also glad to be able to announce that 

 W. W. Finley, president of the Southern Rail- 

 way Compan.v, has accepted an invitation to be 

 with us this afternoon and address us. Mr. 

 Finley needs neither introduction nor commenda- 

 tion ; he is one of the great railway presidents, 

 and his address should command a full at- 

 tendance. 



The question of hardwood inspection seems to 

 lie like the poor — it is "always with us." After 

 much consideration, carried on through several 

 years, our association had adopted as its prin- 

 ciple a belief in univer.sal hardwood inspection. 

 There has been no reason or aigument advanced 

 during the past %-ear whereby this association 

 should change its policy on Ibis question. There 

 has. however, lieen one decided and important 

 change in the aspect of this inspection matter 

 during the last twelve months, namely : there 



