HARDWOOD RECORD 



31 



prospertlve members. I believe tbat Is all I 

 have to present In the way of expense nrcoiiDt.-i. 

 As far as compensation for tiie seerelary-treas- 

 urer, I Ivolieve I can arranjre to Lave the clerloal 

 work carried on in ray ollicc for perhaps $100 

 .1 veiir. if that is satisfactory. 



Mr. I'eterg : While It does not seem sutBclent 

 .. me and I am sure we would be willing to 

 make It larger — it Mr. fiibson is willing to take 

 over the work, I move tbat ?U)0 a year be ap- 

 propriated for the remuneration of secretary- 

 treasurer, and that the bills as presented be 

 paid out of the association funds. 

 The motion was seconded and carried. 



Benefits of Association Work. 

 Mr. Scott: I wish to say Iliat we belonged to 

 the old association, and at tlie end of the year in 

 looking at our ledger we found a difference in 

 ii>> amount of money we made. It was simply 

 ;.■ to the fact that we got more money for our 

 ,'iiindlcs. That association made good money 

 i.ir every member in it, and it made money for 

 'ine that often went out and cut prices. It 

 Hie money for everybcd.v. and linally after a 

 lile some of them commenced to pat themselves 

 the back and say, "rra a pretty smart tci 

 w, I am : I know how to run the handle bus!- 

 iiiss about right :" They commenced to think 

 ihcy could get along just as well without the 

 -nclation. Now. as a matter of fact, he was 

 ' making money until he went with the asso- 

 itlon and when he commenced to try to get 

 ■ ■ng without It be began to lose money, and a 

 • of them had to go out of Inisiness from 

 ng broke. It they had stuck they would still 

 ive been In busiuess and making money. 

 Mr. Gates : Of course we confront now dif- 

 ii'Ot conditions than we ever had before in 

 ndle manufacture. There is right before us 

 iiv a decline In market. We have to contend 

 .th banks that won't lend any money unless 

 wan has the very best security. All of us 

 -lidt are maintaining prices arc making money. 

 The question we have to solve today is wliether' 

 we shall go into the market and cut prices and 

 ioso money, or whether we shall keep our prices 

 up commensurate with cost of production, re- 

 ducing the latter if necessary, and make some 

 more money in the handle business. The his- 

 tory of the old association is a tiling of the past. 

 but I think a good many gentlemen here will 

 bear me out In the statement that repeatedly 

 on the floor of that association I said those 

 members tbat withdrew and cut prices would 

 fail, and there are not fingers enough on the 

 hands of anyone present to count the number 

 tbat went out and cut prices and have either 

 sold out or consolidated with some other com- 

 p«ny, or else are In the hands of a receiver. 

 I say today that if the members of this asso- 

 ciation or of that exi)ect to join this one and 

 KO out and cut prices or demoralize trade In any 

 way, tlicv wili certainly go into the bands of a 

 receiver or iiave their business on the bargain 

 ' ountcr at the end of six months. It can't be 

 ''•'. Yon cannot buy hickory much cheaper 

 -III now. Krclght isn't going to be any less, 

 i •iluios labor will be a little cheaper, hut they 

 ill not leave you margin enough to cut your 

 i'CK way down. This Is the condition that 

 iironts ns t',day. Now, some may come here 

 ■1 want to play smart. I want to put this 

 ng plain. You mu.st live up to present prices 

 >ou want to make money. We cannot fonii 

 V organization, according to the Sherman 

 V. that will maintain set prices. Hut ail we 

 ■^-lnt to do is maintain prices that are In accord 

 -viih the cost of production. When we accom- 

 h that much we will have done a great deal 

 the hickory handle people at least. So far 

 ■ IS we are concerned, we don't care anything 

 about belonging to any association. We don't 

 'flleve II is of any benefit to the Turner. Day & 

 '"Iworth Company, but we do believe It is 

 lienofit to the trade. If there is anyone here 

 that will tell me just how much be is cutting 

 present prices, and how much money in bis busi- 



ness, I can pretty near figure out how long he 

 will last. I believe we can manufacture our 

 goods as cheap as anyone. There Is no royal 

 road to wealth in the handle business, but It Is 

 coming down to a point that whenever present 

 prices are cut to any extent you are cutting off 

 the life of your business. With regard to out- 

 put, lumber used, etc., the handle manufacturer 

 can sell all the grades he makes. The handle 

 business runs along about this way : Some 

 manufacturers have a trade for their best grade 

 of handles. Others have orders in excess for 

 No. 1 or No. 2, so that it Is very difflcult to 

 state whether a manufacturer's production Is 

 exceeding demand. We have had all the orders 

 we could take care of, but anticipating dull 

 times we have been running a good many of our 

 laetorles on eight-hour time. We rather hold 

 some orders back than run out of business. We 

 have cut our production 20 per cent. Some few 

 factories arc now for sale. I know of two that 

 want to sell out now. I believe that If produc- 

 tion is not curtailed now in some instances the 

 banks are going to help curtail it. 



Mr. Gibson : As .vour secretary I am going 

 10 ask you men to tell me the truth about con- 

 ditions. I am going to bother you with letters 

 galore and requests for information, and I want 

 .'lou to communicate with me freely, remembering 

 that anyth-ing you place before me in the way of 

 information will be held strictly coufulentiai in 

 the secretary's oftice. We will get all the infor- 

 mation we can and members will get an imper- 

 sonal abstra<t of all the information we get in 

 this handle business. We will try to work out 

 something tiiat will be worth to you what little 

 cost you put into it. 



Demoralizing Practices. 



A member : I want to call the attention of 

 ever.v member of the association to a practice 

 that is now being attempted by some of the 

 .iobbing trade. Practically 50 per cent of manu- 

 lacturers, or more, are putting out honest grades. 

 IJut we have been solicited very strongly of 

 late to send our No. 2 handles branded a higher 

 grade. We have refused to go into this way of 

 doing business, but in many instances jobbers 

 have bought our goods and asked us to ship 

 ihem a certain grade, and then have taken the 

 lirands off and marked up the grades ! This Is 

 very demoralizing to the trade, and there ought 

 to be some way to have this thing stopped. 

 We have notified quite a number of the large 

 manufacturers handling our goods that this was 

 lielng done, and have said we would and we 

 shall expose it whenever we find it. If we find 

 anybody marking ui) our goods or anybody's 

 else we shall expose it. We ought to have an 

 organ like the H.\nDWooD ItEcoim to speak 

 through, and where we find that, we ought to 

 put the name of the jobber right Into print for 

 ever.vbody to see. I don't know why a handle 

 inanufaclnrer I'an't take the same dignified po- 

 sition before the trade tiuit others do. We 

 ought to take the stand that we are manvifac- 

 lurlng along honest lines, selling honest grades, 

 trying to get merely honest inlces, and our 

 (ompany wants (o take the stand that we sim- 

 ply will not do otherwise. The honest large 

 J<)l}|)ers are today adopting the label system to 

 jirotect tluir Irade. an<l it will work much to 

 the benclil of llie honest manufaclurcr and the 

 honest jobljcr ; I lielieve tills is a niiitler lliat 

 ouglit to be considered seriously. If we adopt 

 standards let the Jobber buy the liandies ac- 

 ;<u'ding to griidc :iiid sell lliem that way. 



Attitude on Prices. 

 Mr. I'eters : In regard to all this talk about 

 the Sherman act. Is there any law In the laud 

 that If a huge and prosperous concern puts out 

 a new list of prices I cannot follow it'; Now we 

 all have <llfferent lists and different discounts 

 and as far as uniformity Is concerneil all we 

 want Is to all of us ask prices tbat c()nform 

 somewhiit with the high cosi of lalior, timber 

 and manufacture. .Not half the banille makers 

 have any idea of what it costs them today to 

 make handles. 



Mr. Gibson : I think It would be a good Idea 

 to put out something which may assist the 

 market by saying to handle manufacturers, 

 "Here Is a report which shows about what people 

 ought to get for handles. In these times of tim- 

 ber scarcity, expensive labor, etc. Their cost 

 Is so much, and to make a living profit so much 

 should be asked for them." I will undertake to 

 put out such a market conditions report for the 

 benefit of members. Of course, with the 

 differences In discounts, etc., it will merely act 

 as something of a guide In making quotations, 

 enabling members to use it as a convenient ref- 

 erence showing the actual cost of the goods. 



After soine further discussion upon freight 

 rates from various points, the present high 

 cost of manufacture, methods of grading, 

 etc., the meeting adjourned for luncheon. 



AFTERNOON SESSION. 



A short session was licM at -:30 p. m. 

 Considerable interesting discussion was in- 

 dulged in, and the only important action 

 taken was the selection — on motion duly sec- 

 onded and carried — of a committee on market 

 conditions, which should assist the secretary 

 in compiling a report for presentation at the 

 next mectiug. The committee consists of 

 Thomas McCulloch, C. L. Hartwell and F. 

 W. Peters. 



Next Meeting Place. 



It was decided to hold the next meeting at 

 Indianapolis, upon call of President Clen- 

 dinen, and the opinion was expressed that it 

 should be called in the near future and that 

 frequent meetings could not fail to be of 

 benefit to members. All those present ex- 

 pressed the greatest satisfaction over what 

 has already been accomplished, and member- 

 ships came in freely, verbally and by mail and 

 wire, during the meeting. Many expressions 

 of good will and congratulatory messages were 

 received from numibers who were not able to 

 be present. 



Representatives of K. C. Atkins & Co.,- 

 the great saw manufacturiug house of In- 

 dianapolis, were present at the meeting, 

 many of their customers being members of 

 the association. N. A. Gladding, secretary 

 and sales manager, entertained a number 

 of the visitors at luncheon. 

 Attendance. 



Jones. C. II.. .1. F. .Tones Sons. Columbus 

 Grove, O. 



I.ennaid, II. H.. I.cnuiircl Ilnndle Co.. Meta- 

 niora. Ind. 



.Smith. \V. II.. Alliioii Il.indie Co.. Albion, 

 Mich. 



Isley. .lacob I'., Attica. Iml, 



Ward, G. W.. Vccdersburg Handle Co.. Veed- 

 ei-sburg. Iiui. 



GrilHtb. K. 1... G. (I. GrKIilh & Sou. Albany. 

 Ind. 



Gilbrcih. I!. W.. Cliarloiicsvllle .Mfg. Co.. Char- 

 loltesvllli', Ind. 



IlcamiM-. William .7.. Consiilidalc.i lliindh' Co., 

 Manor. I'a. 



Cliarlesworth. \\'m. Charlcswortb Handle Co., 

 I'aycllcvllle, Ark. 



Iliirlnell, ti I... Hartwell lirothers. Chicago 

 Heights, III. 



I'eters. F. W.. I. F. Force Handle Co.. New 

 .Mbany. Ind. 



McCrlllls. M.. McCrlllls Handle Co., Nor- 

 walk. o. 



.McCulloch. Thomas, Turner, Pay & Woolwortli 

 Handle Co., Louisville, Ky. 



King, T. R., Ivory Handle Co., Hope, Ark. 



Ensign, H. B., Keystone Handle Co., Cory- 

 don, Fa. 



