20 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



May 10, 1921 



In addressing tlie eonvontion, Mr. Martin said that the citizens 

 of Cincinnati wore delighted to be honored witli a convention 

 vvliicli represented tlie most important branch of the lumber indus- 

 try. Completing his remarks, Mr. Martin presented President 

 Norcross' son with a baseball, which contained the signature of 

 "Babe" Ruth, the home run king of baseball. Messrs. Hargravc 

 and Reilly, concurred in the remarks of Mr. Martin and added 

 that their respective orfjanizafions were at the disposal of the 

 delegates. 



George N. Delaney of Williamsburg, Ky., responded to their 

 remarks on behalf of the delegates and assured the organizations 

 which were instrumental in bringing the spring conference to 

 Cincinnati that the delegates were pleased with the selection. 



The address with which Pfbsident Norcross opened the conven- 

 tion expressed a spirit of hopefulness and fcelijig of confidence in 

 the present industrial depression. Discussing association matters, 

 Mr. Norcross urged that the annual meeting be held in Cincinnati 

 in the spring instead of the fall and that the fall meetings be held 

 in rotation in the various Southern States. He placed his proposi- 

 tion before the body following ;i discourse on the advantageous 

 location of the city. 



"I have a recommendation which 1 hope will be approved by tlie 

 delegates, which is of vital importance and that is an amendment 

 to the constitution concerning dues," Mr. Norcross said. "If this 

 proposal is adopted it will put the organization on a sound financial 

 basis." 



Concerning tlie logging industry he said tliat "serious problems 

 which now confront the business will be discussed and plans 

 devised for their early solution. The lumbermen must protect 

 themselves from the drastic laws which are being introduced in 

 the national and state legislative bodies in reference to the lumber 

 industry." 



In reference to trade conditions Mr. Norcross said that "in 

 years when business was good we were deprived of surplus funds 

 and today when conditions are the reverse we are caught with a 

 small surplus fund. Lumber prices have recently dropped 35 to 

 60 per cent from the top prices and millwork 17 per cent. But 

 wages have not come down and the lumbering industry must either 

 reduce the cost of production, shut down or go into bankruptcy. ' ' 



Proceeding to reforestation Mr. Norcross stated that "he hoped 

 that some plan would be laid out shortly whereby for every tree 

 cut down another will be planted. We are getting deeper and 

 deeper into the primeval forests and the best lumber now to be 

 found is in remote places. That adds to the cost of production. 

 There is perhaps only one-half of the original stand of forest left 

 in the Appalachian system. The government figures indicate that 

 at the rate of devastation production of hardwood in twenty years 

 will be seriously impaired. Now very little walnut remains. 

 Reforestation must be done under some form of Government super- 

 vision as in France and Germany. In Maine pulp concerns are 

 cutting trees under Government supervision." 



Secretary's Report 



The report of Secretary T. Sunderland dealt largely with the 

 financial situation of the association. He said that the member- 

 ship roster today contains 64 members as against 7 when the 

 organization was founded. 



The first address of the convention was made by Landon C. Bell, 

 of Columbus, Ohio, on "Co-Operation." Mr. Bell urged the lum- 

 •bermen to practice this more in their daily tasks and hailed it as 

 the fundamental principle for conducting a successful business. 



Owing to the absence of J. J. Adderly of the Integrity Mutual 

 Casualty Company, Chicago, 111., who was called unexpectedly to 

 Atlantic City, George M. Williamson addressed the delegates on 

 "Safety in Mills and Woods." Mr. Williamson illustrated his 

 lecture with motion pictures. 



Speaking on transportation problems of today, J. J. Townshend 

 of the Southern Hardwood Traffic Association, Memphis, Tenn., 

 said that the lumber industry suffered untold losses during the 

 past year, due to the lack of sufticien.t car supply and transporta- 



tion facilities. This .situation, he stated, was aggravated by 

 ]jriority orders issued by the Interstate Commerce Commission, 

 giving preferential car supply to certain commodities. Mr. 

 Townshend said that under the Transportation Act of 1920, the 

 Interstate Commerce Commission was given authority to make 

 special rules or orders with respect to car service affecting any 

 specific commodity. The result, he continued, was a serious dis- 

 crimination against the hardwood industry in the distribution of 

 eciuiiiment. Mr. Townshend urged the delegates to support a bill 

 to secure the abolition of such legislation as gives the Interstate 

 Commerce Commission authority to issue priority orders. 



The address of L. Wallis Gibbons, of the H. J. Baker & 

 Brothers, New York City, on utilizing of waste of hardwood lumber 

 was very interesting and applauded by the delegates. 



Mr. Gibbons made a comprehensive survey of the logic of waste 

 prevention and utilization of hardwood lumber, appealing to the 

 lumbermen to gather up the waste in the mills and woods and 

 disjiose of it to the wood chemical plants. 



The afternoon session concluded with an address on "Fire Pre- 

 vention and Insurance Problems," by Frank Burns of the Lee 

 lilakemore. Inc., Chicago, 111. 



In the evening the delegates were the guests of representatives 

 of tlie machinery and supply houses in the ballroom, where the 

 latest developments in machinery used in the logging and lumber 

 industry were shown by motion pictures. A Dutch lunch and 

 vaudeville show followed. 



During the second morning of the convention the members 

 listened to a most interesting address from E. A. Gaskill, of the 

 Suncrest Lumber Company of Sunburst, N. C, on logging power, 

 equipment and methods. Mr. Gaskill advocated that the plant for 

 all around logging in the Appalachian Mountains should be on one 

 steel car between 36 and 40 feet long, and the \yeight for the car, 

 machinery, tower spar and rope should not exceed eighty tons. 



Discussion of Addresses 



Discussion followed the addresses of the second day nud on Mr. 

 Gaskill 's topic it was largely over the advantage of using super- 

 heated steam in getting efficiency and reducing boiler troubles. 



The importance of avoiding curves in the slide and the use of 

 oil at some points in the slide in dry weather and of ice for the 

 same purpose in cold weather was emphasized by F. B. Duane of 

 the Western Carolina Lumber Company, Burnsville, N. C, in his 

 address on logging with log-slide method in combination with 

 ground skidder. Another speaker at the morning session was C. S. 

 Badgett of the Champion Fibre Company, Canton, N. C. 



Addressing the convention on problejns of capital and labor of 

 today, John Raine, of Rainelle, W. Va., former president of the 

 congress, said that they never will be settled right until they are 

 negotiated on the basis of the principles of Jesus Christ. Mr. 

 Raine emphasized the fact that there must be permitted the influx 

 of the right tj'pe of foreign labor because the lumberman always 

 needed this and with prosperity will need it again. 



Horses are preferred more often for logging purposes than mules 

 or steers, John Shea of Knoxville, Tenn., said in an address on 

 horses. The reason for this, he said, is because the horse is 

 "smarter." In conclusion Mr. Shea said horses should only be 

 fed half their regular allotment when not working. Overfeeding, 

 he stated, has resulted in the death of many animals in logging 

 camps. 



A discussion followed on the subject as to which was the best 

 for logging purposes, the horse, mule, steer or skidder. It was 

 agreed that this could not be determined because conditions arise 

 sometimes in the forest where one could be used to better advan- 

 tage than the other and then vice versa. 



Some startling figures as to the saving by the use of track laying 

 machinery in preference to the old way of constructing railroads 

 were given by J. J. Lumm of the Clyde Iron Works, Duluth, Minn. 

 Mr. Lumm described the latest development in track machinery 

 to answer the purpose of the loggers. The adoption of power for 

 logging purposes in the place of muscles, he said, has been slow. 



