20 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



business was on tho same basts here it would be 

 better for us. and I am satisfied it would be bet- 

 ter for you. 



No Trust Idea. 



Mr. Gibson: We cannot do what (lie gentle- 

 man from C.'inada suggests on account of our 

 so-called "antitrust" laws, and we are not tr.v- 

 ing to. We would lio liable to go to the peni- 

 tentiary for a season if we did that. I suppose 

 our chief object in inviting you people here was 

 to see if you could help us get rid of that in- 

 ii|Uitous tariff law you have over in Canada .' 

 I Laughter.] 



Mr. Cameron ; I am a Tory and we are always 

 high tariff peoi)le. The other party — my friend 

 Mr. ISraddon — might possibly help you out • on 

 that. lie. belongs to the other side. (Ijiughter 

 and applause.] 



After much friendly banter and discussion 

 along the above line<. the as.sociation adjourned 

 until 2 :30 p. ni. 



AFTEKXO«).\ .SESSIO.X. 



Mr. Clendinen : It is now time for us to re- 

 sume our arduous duties, gentlemen. We will 

 hear the reports of various committees, and 

 would like some discussion on prices, market 

 ciinditions. the necessity of a uniform basis of 

 manufacture, etc. 



Mr. Gates : It is up to us today to state 

 whether we are going to make money for our- 

 selves or for the jobbers and the railroads. I'er- 

 baps some of us have made so much money in 

 It'OT that we don't care to make any in lints. 

 I'erhaps we have made so little money in lUciT 

 that we must make some money in lilo.S or pass 

 over our business to the i'nited States courts. 



Mr. Gibson: In the hardwood lumber trade 

 they started cutting down output. I understand 

 that .vour market is overstocked. The result of 

 the lumbermen's action is that the lumber trade 

 is still getting |)ractically the top notch jirice 

 for their goods. It ociurs to me that rather than 

 attempt to establish a market condition report. 

 you regulate this matter of supply and demand 

 and maki' handles so scarce you can command 4 

 just price for them. I suppose some are in a 

 |)osition to shut off output very much, and 

 others are obliged to. I believe that would do 

 more to strengthen the situation than to load 

 the market and demoralize trade. Is there not 

 some value in restricting output for a while? 



Mr. Gates: There is no manufacturer of 

 hickory handles today that has any surplus of 

 high grade handles. I presume if anyone would 

 take the trouble to go over the different manu- 

 facturers here today, the amount of stock on 

 hand and the grades, you would be astonished 

 at the amount of low grade stock there is and 

 the very small proportion of high grade. 



Mr. I'eters : I think we otight to all speak 

 on this question and give an opinion about it. 



Market Conditions Coaunittes. 

 After considerable discussion thi- market con- 

 ditions committee was continued, and will make 

 their report in printed form to each member of 

 the associ.-ition in the near future. 



Committee on Resolutions. 

 The committee on resolutions presented the 

 two following documents as their recommenda- 

 tions, and they were duly accepted and adopted ; 



WnEiiE.is. The purpose of the association is 

 the improvement of the handle business from a 

 "losing, holding-even or small profit" basis to a 

 more lucrative profit-earning basis : and 



WnEtiEAS. Kuough of the smaller manufactur- 

 ers will remain out of the association to greativ 

 demoralize the market : and 



Whereas, Some members of the former handle 

 association were, from financial or otlier reasons, 

 unable to live loyal to association principles ; and 



Whereas, Some of the buyers of handles re- 

 sort to various methods of securing lower prices 

 from manufacturers who are not duly alert and 

 well posted on market and other "conditions : 

 therefore be it 



Resoiv€<t, That the members of this association 

 carefully study out a s.vstematic plan of market- 

 ing handles and submit same to the secretary 

 of this association, and that he submit same to 

 tlie committee, who shall carefully stud.v out tile 

 advantages and disadvantages of 'such plans and 



then formulate some practical plan U^r a uniform 

 system of marketing handles and submit same 

 to the members of the associ.-itlon at Its next 

 meeting. 



C. W. Si'ERRV. 



II. P.. Alkxandi:!!, 



Ol.l.lE CI.EM. 



Whereas. The prevalent conditions of trade 

 and the prevatlitig low prices on handles does not 

 justify a coutiniiatioii of the present production 

 of handles : therefiue be it 



iii'solrctl. That this association reduce ju'oduc- 

 tion 7.5 per cent for the following si.Kty days. 

 (". W. Spebrv. 



II. B. ALEXAMIEII. 

 OI.I.IK t'LE.M. 



The first resolution called out considerable dis- 

 ctission and a number of those present who have 

 iiad experience in marketing ash handles through 

 a general selling agenc.v. tlius keeping stocks 

 well balanced and moving, gave details of the 

 plan and spoke ver.v favorably of it. 



Mr. Cameron : I understand that the bent 

 woods men of the I'nited States and Canada have 

 entered into some such arrangement as that. It 

 is one of the best things, they believe, they ever 

 came across. I think that resolution has in view 

 a splendid thing for the trade. In looking over 

 the manufacturers here it seems to me that what 

 the smaller manufacturers o\ight to do is to start 

 into sometliing like tliis. alfbougli I feel a little 



c \V. Sl'KKIiV. I'ultr WAV-NK. l.\l>., VICK 

 1 Ki.MIiKNT llll; n.\K ANli ASH HlVlSloN. 



bashful in trying to tell you what .vou ought to 

 do. If you would stai-t out by putting up. say. 

 ."sUiut e.-wb and |>ut it into a p<»ol with a fund 

 an.'l traveling secri-tar.v. and have him g(t aroimd 

 continually and see the smaller men, it would 

 be a move in the riglit direction. At least if I 

 were one of you I certainly would advocate it 

 and would deposit my $2(KI. and I would get it 

 liack. too. This sclieme is costing us between 

 .s:i()(> and Sf:il)(> each every year, but if it cost 

 us .fl. (11)11 a year to keep up the organization 

 we would put it up. because it would be the best 

 investment we could make. I think if you gen- 

 tlemen here would just start out in something 

 like that and keep it up you would find out in 

 the years to come it would be the best invest- 

 ment you could make. Not only would it be good 

 for you. but you would be helping your weaker 

 brethren. A man should never be so selfish that 

 be cant help the other fellow a little bit. I 

 think it would be a great benefit to this handle 

 association, iiecause prices of necessity must not 

 get less. The crop of timber does not grow every 

 year like the crop of hay or oats, and prices, 

 instead of going down, must of necessity go up. 

 If you could encourage the little men in the 

 trade to go into it you could give them their 

 money back if it did not produce results, and 



yim wouldn't have to give it back, cither, for the 

 results would be excellent. 



Mr. Gibson: I think the scheme would be 

 Iiracticai, hut on a proportionate basis with the 

 output of each man. The small man could not 

 pay as much into the agency as those running 

 several lathes. In getting funds there should 

 be some basis to correspond to basis of output. 



Mr. .Mct'ulloch : We have provided for the 

 grading of handles after they are made. Would 

 it not be a good plan to provide for the grading 

 of slabs? I move that a i-ommittee be appointed 

 to lake up the matter of grading hickory slabs. 



'I'bc iiiolioii was s'-coiuied an<l carried. 

 Concerning the Maple and Ash Divisions. 



Mr. Clendin<n : Gentlemen, I have something 

 I want to say in connection with our organiza- 

 tion. There has lieen demonstrated here today 

 that practically all the work has been done 

 through one division. We have with us today 

 men from the broom handle and the agricultural 

 implement divisions, but our entire pressure has 

 been brought to bear upon the hickory business, 

 and I have been somewliat nervous all day in 

 regard to that. We have called these gentlemen 

 here and they liave come : they have been more 

 attentive really than some of our hickory friends, 

 and it seems Ihat what has gone on has not been 

 really an imposition upon them, because you 

 could not call it that ; still it strikes me we are 

 a little lax in our organization. I feel that each 

 one of these divisions should have an organization 

 of its own to transact such business as is inter- 

 esting to it. and then [present it to the general 

 body, and we unanimously say to that division — 

 whatever it is — "We are behind you '." We can 

 meet at the same time and call separate meet- 

 ings, or at different times, and at an annual meet- 

 ing, as a general roundup of the whole day's 

 work, we can all meet together for a short time 

 and adopt the action of the various associations 

 as a whole, letting it so go out before the world 

 that we are all together. During the lunch hour 

 1 was talking with Mr. Alexander and Mr. En- 

 sign, and lluy suggested that they call a meet- 

 ing of their own division in the neighborhood to 

 endeavor to get manufacturers interested in their 

 line of work. This is a very good idea, and I 

 would like to liear from some of the members on 

 this score. 



.Mr. i;nsiL'n : It seems to be hard to bring the 

 broom handle men out because they think this 

 association is all one way : on the other hand, 

 they don't realize what an association could do 

 for them, because they have never licen allied 

 with one, and when you approach one of the 

 manufacturers to attend a meeting he says : "The 

 hickory fellows are running it, and guess I won't 

 go down." AVe tliink it would be wise to call a 

 meeting of our division and make some more 

 efforts to get them together. There Is an army 

 of them if we can get them out, and some of 

 tbem are not small manufacturers, either. I 

 would like to see it dime. 



Important Action Taken. 



Mr. Andrews : I move the vice president of 

 each division be authorized to call a meeting of 

 members of his trade at any place and date that 

 seem satisfactor.v to him. and that the secretary, 

 and if need be. the other officers, be instructed to 

 cooperate in such a meeting. 



Mr. Hale : 1 have been listening to the hickory 

 <*nd of it all day. They cut the timber and make 

 the handles to loosen up the dirt and we make 

 the handles to throw it and scoop it out. Our 

 representation is light here today and I am in 

 hopes that xTe may all get together eventually. 

 I promised .Mr. Sperry I would try to get here 

 and coiiperate with you, and am in hopes we may 

 accomplish tliat end yet. 



Mr. Clendinen : The entire association should 

 be always willing to ratify the action of any 

 division. As a whole body w'e can show strength, 

 and when the time comes for any action of any 

 section to go abroad, it goes before the people 

 :is a whole and not as the legislation of a dozen 

 here or there. 



