HARDWOOD RECORD 



33 



liowever. that we need never fear any real "lum- 

 ber tfUSt." 



Our association, for the past several weeks, 

 has beeu undergoing a pretty severe examination 

 liy men representing the government, and they 

 apparently have been very much interested in 

 reading through our letter files and reports. It 

 IS hoped that the information and suggestions 

 which thev will e^'entunlly give to the public as 

 a result of those investigations will help us to 

 continue to even more intelligently conduct this 

 organization on the broad, high plane upon which 

 It has been conducted since its inception eighteen 

 years ago. 



It has been stated on the best of authority 

 "that the details of the manufacture of lumber 

 in every essential have changed more during the 

 past ten ,vears than during its entire history, 

 partly caused by the discoveries of new processes 

 of cemeut manufacture, and by the more ex- 

 tended use of iron because it is cheaper, and 

 by many other substitutes for wood, and be- 

 cause of the saving in tlie manufacture of lum- 

 ber. It seems that this statement is well founded. 

 and, as someone has also prophetically said. 

 "While we lumbermen are nearer to knowing 

 ■what we are doing than ever before, we are ap- 

 proaching it so gradually that liy the time we 

 are perfect in this knowledge, the surplus lum- 

 ber supply of the United States will have be- 

 come well nigh exhausted." 



The recent statement of the government as to 

 the amount of standing timber in the Tiniled 

 States does not bear out the latter part of this 

 statement, but it must be conceded that effort is 

 constantly being made for a more diversifled use 



E. F. rEIiliY. NEW YOPaC, X. Y.. SECRETARY 



lor all of our lumber products. Therefore, this 

 wider use of lumber, although with not a very 

 considerable increase in the amount, causes the 

 wholesaler and distributor to use his best ef- 

 forts to dispose of, at a profit, the entire prod- 

 uct, much of which was formerly wasted. All 

 of this opens up a wider credit field, a wider 

 traffic field, and the necessti.v for a close ap- 

 plication to good manufacturing, and a broader 

 field of trade relations. 



It is my belief that our association has a 

 great future before it. because of the centering 

 in its offices of those advanced thoughts and 

 plans of its many members, and which never can 

 be carried out by the individual working alone. 

 In all of the various lines of the work of our 

 association its individual members have had no 

 small part, and a.s the work accumulates with 

 us we must prepare ourselves to accept the 

 duties imposed upon us. 



I hardly believe It necessary to attempt to 

 specialize or itemize the general work of our 

 association for the past year. The voluminous 

 correspondence with our members, the gratuitous 

 information sent you day after day. and all the 

 other general information that is constantly 

 being distributed to you, is a better report than 

 anything that I may say, much of which would 

 of necessity be only a repetition of what has 

 been told you in former reports by me. Those 

 of you who have visited our offices in the past 

 year will bear me out in the statement that we 

 have a well equipped office to handle the regu- 

 lar association work. The number of visitors 

 is constar.tl.y increasing : our force has also in- 

 creased to four heads of departments and nine 

 stenographers, and three office helpers, and 



using for our work exclusively eight separate 

 rooms. 



A word about- committees and the result of 

 their work in general : It is each year dilBcult to 

 induce members of this association to serve on 

 committees. Not always are committees called 

 upon to do much work, although at times some 

 committees are overworked, but I believe it is 

 the duty of every member of this association to 

 always stand ready to serve and thereby sup- 

 port the president and the Board of Trustees by 

 accepting such positions as you are asked to 

 fill, not only on permanent committees, but on 

 special committees for special work from time 

 to time. 



Prom my point of view, this association Is to 

 be congratulated upon its ability, through its 

 members, committees and officers, to keep up to 

 the times and to meet the demands made upon 

 it. Associations, federations and organizations 

 of all kinds appeal to us for advice, support 

 and initiative constantly, and without a very 

 lengthy report we cannot place before you the 

 extent of the usefulness of this section of our 

 association life. 



Membership 



Those of you who have been Importuned to 

 aid In increasing our membership will bear me 

 out In the statement that it has probably been 

 more dllfieult this year to get new members and 

 sustain the present member with a possible in- 

 crease over last year than In any other year, 

 v,-liich Is evidenced by the large numlier of resig- 

 nations caused b.v retirements from business, 

 failures, deaths, etc. ; and while we come out 

 only about even, we have added more new mem- 

 bers than in an.y year with but two exceptions. 



The figures are as follows : 



Association 



Members. March 1. 1910 392 



New members 40 



4,^2 

 Withdrawals 30 



Members. March 1. 1911 393 



Bdbeau 



Subscribers, March 1, 1910 20S 



New subscribers 14 



222 

 Withdrawals 11 



Subscribers, March 1, 1911 211 



The report of the Bureau of Information 

 shows that it has also made a slight Increasi', 

 all of which, to my mind, evidences the fact 

 that our organization is in a stronger position 

 today than at any previous time, and that It Is 

 being appreciated more and more by the lum- 

 bermen, and all In the face of the seeming atti- 

 tude here in the city of Washington by a couple 

 of the departments' that all business should bo 

 done direct from the stump to the householder. 

 Our own observation is. however, that lumber- 

 m.en must get In line and keep informed as to 

 the constantly changing conditions, all of which 

 come about gradualiy, and which are each year 

 making more necessary these organizations of 

 trade. 



The legal, or what is often called the collec- 

 tion, department of our association, has also 

 proven the necessity of a specializing depart- 

 ment which becomes skillful because of concen- 

 tration of effort along definite lines, thereby 

 bringing about prompt collections and settlement 

 of disputes of all kinds without resort to the 

 courts and the lawsuit, all of which is fully 

 covered in the other reports. 



I would also especially refer to various rail- 

 read matters. While some claims are now be- 

 ing made that the Interstate Commerce Commis- 

 sion Is the mecca of all Individual Ills. It is 

 pretty clearl.y proven that the experience and 

 information disseminated by associations through 

 the expert traflic man and the committee makes 

 it possible for the Individual to know what is 

 being given to others. In the recent effort of a 

 large number of people led by our association to 

 have a proper ad.iustment of the 34,000-pound 

 minimum to water competitive points, it is easy 

 to believe that individual effort would never 

 have brought about the proper adjustment. A 

 recent meeting of traffic men which the writer 

 attended In Chicago shows that conference and 

 co-operation in the matter of traffic of all kinds 

 is essential to bringing about a right adjustment 

 of these questions which are so trying and ex- 

 pensive when confined to individual effort. 



The traffic department of our assocfation has 

 been instrumental in helping to educate indi- 

 vidual members In the proper method of handling 

 their claims against railroads and in procuring 

 from railroads such Information and reparation 

 as the individual is entitled to. 

 Akbitration 



Our Arbitration Committee will give detailed 

 statement of the special work done by that com- 

 mittee, and which work, by the way, is only re- 

 ferred to them after all effort in the oflice has 

 failed to bring the parties together In amicably 

 satisfactory adjustment. I feel, however, that 

 the individual members of this association 

 should seriously consider this question of arbi- 



tration to see whether it is possible' to devise 

 a scheme of arbitration which may always be 

 relied upon to satisfactorily settle those con- 

 troversies between lumbermen which have in the 

 past given us so much concern. We find that 

 many of our members fail to realize that arbi- 

 tration must always carry with it two prin- 

 ciples — justice and equity. Many fail to realize 

 that little has been accomplished through law- 

 suits, but that much has been saved by arbitra- 

 tion. I>urlng the past several years efforts 

 have been made to make arbitration compulsory 

 as a trade ethic as between the himl)er buyer 

 and the lumber shipper. Other efforts have been 

 made to outline a plan for a national lumber 

 arhit ration lioard. Nearly all associations in 

 these days have a clause in their by-laws which 

 makes arlutratlon practically compulsory. Our 

 own by-laws provide this only as to members, 

 and many seem unwilling to apply the principle 

 xinless they fail to see profit In a possible law- 

 suit. We have in the past years lost members 

 because of unsatisfactory results of arbitration, 

 but they have as yet failed to show where an 

 arbitration decision rendered by any of our com- 

 mittees has beeu unfairly rendered. You have 

 undoubtedly noticed that It is the policy of the 

 office to conciliate and compromise ratlier than 

 take you into the courts, or even to arbllra- 

 tion. Enough of our members, however, are al- 

 ways willing to apply to the courts whenever 

 opportunity offers, and this causes us to present 

 to you again the principle of arbitration and 

 urge that it be made more of a feature, and 1 

 suggest that the next committee be requested to 



W. W. SCIIUPNER. NEW YORK. N. Y., DE- 

 PARTMENT MANAGER BUREAU 

 OF INFORMATION 



present the subject by letter to our members, 

 with a view of increasing the usage as a weU- 

 defined principle, not onl.v as between members, 

 but as between our member and the customer, 

 whoever It may be. 



I bespeak for this association your continued 

 Interest and the cultivating of a stronger bond 

 which shall be for the ultimate good of the lum- 

 ber liade. I hope you will accept these state- 

 ments and suggestions as my report as secre- 

 tary, and add to It the actual work of the past 

 year, for a complete record. This association 

 has a record or history which cannot be in- 

 creased or added to by mere reports. By Its past 

 works is it known and by its high principles of 

 co-operation, which has brought it success, shall 

 it live and prosper. 



Right trade relations are the surest bond of 

 peace and prosperity. 



Respectfully submitted, 



E. F. PerrYj Secretary. 



F. E. Parker then submitted the report of 

 the treasurer, which showed an unexpended 

 balance on hand of .$1,670, and also submitted 

 the report of the audit and finance commit- 

 tee, which is herewith reproduced: 



Report of Audit & Finance Committee 



,\s customary In the last few years, we have 

 had the books of the association audited by the 

 Sydney P. Ward Audit Company, and we here- 



