HARDWOOD RECORD 



37 



past yeai-. It was the aim of the committee 

 to reduce expense and time as much as pos- 

 sible, and the report recommended that mem- 

 bers refrain from submitting small, imma- 

 terial questions with no bearing on trade prin- 

 ciples. 



Owing to the absence of G. E. Smith, chair- 

 man of the Committee on Trade Eelations, 

 this report was presented by R. L. Palmer, 

 as follows: 



Report of Committee on Trade Eelations 



When voiir presiilint in-opnsfd to me last ye.ir 

 that I serve as chairman of the Committee on 

 'L'rade Relations. I natnrall.y aslted him whether 

 the work would be laborious. He advised me 

 that trade relations matters had been rather 

 •sntisfactorv for the past couple of years. 



During the year I have faithfully watched 

 this phase of association work and am pleased 

 to report that the principles of right trade rela- 

 tions as promulgated by this association several 

 years ago are still holding, possibly unconscious- 

 ly, the attention of not only the lumbermen mem- 

 bers of our association, but lumbermen every- 

 where. The unfolding to me of the results of 

 the past efforts ou the part of the committees 

 of this association has licon somewhat of a sur- 

 prise to me as well as an education. 



The Boston agreement entered into between 

 this association and practically all of the retail 

 associations of the United States was primarily 



J. V. STIMSOX, HUNTINGTON, IND., 

 TRUSTEE 



for the purpose of bringing about broader recipro- 

 cal relations between the wholesale and retail 

 trade, and to endeavor by broad, fair means to 

 reform many abuses which had crept into the 

 trade because of lack of attention. 



Fortunately for the trade at large, this agree- 

 ment was widel.v advertised at the time of _ its 

 formation and its principles were so plainly 

 stated and so carefully worked out that the good 

 results to the trade came quickly, and therefore 

 in 190.3 when it was found desirable and neces- 

 sary that the agreements should be abrogated — 

 and at the time practically all of the associations 

 who were parties to it withdrew — the ball had 

 been started rolling and, like the snowball, had 

 accumulated impetus and size, before it could 

 be stopped. And today tliose principles of arbi- 

 tration and classification still hold good and are 

 universally recognized. 



The constant changes in the methods of hand- 

 ling and selling lumber and the dissemination 

 of information on the part of many associations, 

 much of which had its inception in the Boston 

 agreement, are making the trade relations com- 

 mittees less important each year. However, the 

 committee is here today and ready to meet and 

 confer with all representatives of the lumber 

 trade — wholesaler, manufacturer or retailer, and 

 ready to consider such propositions as may be 

 presented to produce uniformity and certainty 

 m the customs and usages of the trade upon the 

 broadest possible plane, and while we are unable 

 to report much definite work done during the 

 past year we can point to the constancy of the 

 work pei^ormed by your previous committees. 



The office of the association has In its file a 

 Toluminous fund of information, all subject to 



call on the part of our members. To this we re- 

 fer you for information at all times. 

 Respectfully submitted, 



G. E. S.MITH, Chairman. 



The meeting then adjourned until the after- 

 noon session. 



WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON SESSION 



The Wednesday afternoon session con- 

 vened at 3 p. m. The report of the Commit- 

 tee on Railroads & Transportation was pre- 

 sented by Emil Guenther, which was as fol- 

 lows : 



Report of Railroad & Transportation Com- 

 mittee 



The report of the Committee on Railroad & 

 Transportation reviewed the freight rate agi- 

 tation. Speaking of minimum weights, the 

 report says that this subject was given con- 

 siderable time and attention at the recent 

 conference in Chicago, with the result that a 

 resolution commending the system in vogue 

 ou the Santa Fe was introduced, and also 

 that the estimated weights adopted by the 

 various associations should be recognized bv 

 the railroads in connection with all claims for 

 overweight. The report reviewed the work 

 of the traffic department, commending it on 

 its efScient work and expressing the appre- 

 ciation of the committee for what has been 

 accomplished by this department. It was 

 pointed out that the trafiic department is pre- 

 pared to render valuable assistance to mem- 

 liers, which they should take advantage of. 



As to the practice of taking complaints 

 before the Interstate Commerce Commission 

 before they have been thoroughly investi- 

 gated, the committee recommends that mem- 

 bers ascertain whether or not such matters are 

 of suiBcient importance to require the atten- 

 tion of that commission, inasmuch as it is 

 now considerable overburdened. In closing, 

 it says the Interstate Commerce Commission 

 should not be made a court of origin, but 

 should be essentially a court of final appeal. 



W. W. Finley, president of the Southern 

 Railway, was then introduced. He enter- 

 tained the members for some time with a 

 discussion of forestry affairs, and especially 

 of the development of the South as a lumber 

 ]irodiieing section since the period of the Civil 

 war. He expressed the desire of the rail- 

 road of which he is president to co-operate 

 in all ways for the betterment of lumber 

 conditions, and in assisting in every way for 

 the prosperity of lumber affairs, and also for 

 the development of forestry work. 



E. V. Babcock, chairman of the Committee 

 on Hardwood Inspection, made the following 

 report, involving with it a resolution, which 

 was as follows: 



Report of the Committee on Hardwood 

 Inspection 



Your Committee on Hardwood Inspection begs 

 to report that there has been no work for the 

 committee to perform during the past year. 

 There was no unfinished business turned over 

 to this committee and nothing developed through- 

 out the year. The National Wholesale Lumber 

 Dealers' Association having put itself on record 

 repeatedly during the several years past as advo- 

 cating the establishment of a single standard 

 for the inspection of hardwood lumber, your com- 

 mittee recommends the following preamble and 

 resolution : 



Whereas, The National Wholesale Lumber 

 Driers' Association, being desirous of securing 

 for its members and the lumber fraternity in 

 general the best possible results from the lumber 

 business and having gone on record as recom- 

 mending the establishment of a single set of rules 

 for the inspection of hardwood lumber to be uni- 

 versally used ; be it therefore 



Resolved. That the president of the National 

 Wholesale Lumber Dealers Association appoint a 

 standing committee of five members, the chair- 



man to be an impartial party who does not lean 

 towards either of the two leading hardwood 

 associations : at least one member of the commit- 

 tee to have a leaning towards the National Hard- 

 wood Lumber Association and at least one mem- 

 ber leaning toward the Hardwood Manufacturers' 

 Association of the United States ; this commit- 

 tee to use its best efforts to advance the cause 

 f)f a single standard set of rules for the universal 

 inspection of hardwood lumber. 



On motion, this report was referred to the 

 Committee on Resolutions, and on its adop- 

 tion the chair was authorized to appoint the 

 necessary committee to carry out the resolu- 

 tions, which appointment will devolve upon. 

 Ihe new president. 



President Higbie then appointed the follow- 

 ing Committee on Nominations to present a 

 list of candidates for seven trustees, to take 

 the place of those whose terms of office had 

 expired. Appointed to such committee were: 

 R. C. Lippincott, chairman; R. L. AValkley, 

 Henry Cape, A. J. Diebold, George Leach,. 

 George M. Stevens, Alexander Willson, S. 

 Burkholder and John M. Hershey. 



The chair appointed the following com- 



G. C. EDWARDS, OTTAWA, ONT., 

 TRUSTEE 



niittee on resolutions: Lewis Dill, .John XT. 

 Hastings and Hugh McLean. 



Leonard Bronson then addressed the meet- 

 ing and invited a delegation of this organiza- 

 tion to attend the annual meeting of the 

 National Lumber Manufacturers' Association, 

 to be held in Chicago May 24 and 25. 



Owing to the absence of C. H. Barnaby, 

 chairman of the Committee on Legislation, 

 W. W. Knight read the report of this com- 

 mittee as follows: 



Report of Legislation Committee 



Chairman C. II. Barnaby of the Legisla- 

 tion Committee stated the only matter re- 

 ferred to that committee for action during 

 the past year was with a view of delaying 

 action by Congress on numerous bills then- 

 pending, which would affect the interests of 

 the railway companies. 



The report recommends that the association, 

 lend its moral support to all national conser- 

 vation organizations, especially those pertain- 

 ing to conservation of the forests and the re- 

 foresting of denuded lands. It was here 



