June 10, 1921 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



27 



Injunction Retards Hoover Plan 



Whether or not the AmeriiMii U.-inlwood Maiiufai-turers ' Associa- 

 tion will be able to gather information fr<]ni its members regarding 

 I)ro(,luetion, shipments and stocks of hardwood lumber for use of 

 Seeretary Hoover of the Department of Commerce, Wasliington, 

 depends entirely upon the attitude of the Department of Justice in 

 connection with this subject. Mr. Hoover wants to make use of the 

 various lumber organizations which are already established as a 

 means of facilitating the gathering of the information which he 

 desires to compile in the interest of the general public as well as the 

 industry itself. 



The American Hardwood Manufacturers' Association, however, 

 occupies a rather unique position in the respect that its members 

 identified with the open competition plan arc under an injunction 

 restraining them from any and all activities whatsoever under the 

 open competition plan. It was hoped that the Supreme Court would 

 modify this injunction to the extent of allowing the association to 

 compile data regarding sales and stocks of hardwood lumber, but 

 advices received from Washington June 1 indicate that it has 

 declined to take this course, b.y denying a request for a supersedeas. 



In view of the attitude of the Supreme Court, it will be necessary 

 for the Department of Commerce and the Department of Justice to 

 reach some agreement under the terms of which members of the 

 American Hardwood Manufacturers' Association in furnishing 

 this data will be free from any possible charge oi violation of the 

 order issued by Judge John E. McCall of Memphis in March, 1920. 



This is the status at the present time and it is quite clear that 

 the association cannot proceed with the compilation of this infor- 

 mation for Secretary Hoover unless special arrangements are 

 worked out to that end. 



John M. Pritehard, secretary-manager of the association, who 

 participated in the conference at Washington between Secretary 

 Hoover and representatives of the lumber industry, is very much 

 impressed with the earnestness of Mr. Hoover in his desire to 

 secure the basic facts of the industry for the benefit of the general 

 public as well as for those engaged therein. According to Mr. 

 Pritcliard, Mr. Hoover is anxious to make his dejiartment really 

 worth while and this is the main reason back of this movement 

 which he has launched for the gathering of such data. He believes 

 that proper knowledge of stocks, production and shipment will be 

 of very great value to the public and that it will also, at the same 

 time, result in stabilizing business. He points out that the knowl- 

 edge of the quantity of lumber available and its location will 

 enable the Department of Commerce to assist those who are in the 

 market in placing their orders and in securing their requirements. 



It goes without saying that the association is very anxious to 

 co-operate with Secretary Hoover in the movement which he has 

 launched and it is only awaiting advices indicating that the De- 

 partment of Justice will not consider its furnishing this informa- 

 tion to Secretary Hoover as a violation, in any sense, of the injunc- 

 tion now running against the defendants in the open competition 

 plan case. 



Lumbermen to Gather Statistics Under Hoover's 

 Auspices 



A program whereby the UunbcT anil wood using industry and the 

 public may be regularly advised as to the vital statistics of lumber 

 was launched at a conference held on May 24 between lumbermen 

 and officers of the lumber association and Secretary of Commerce 

 Herbert Hoover, in Washington, D. C. These statistics will cover 

 current prices, stocks on hand, production and shipments. 



In opening the conference, Secretary Hoover told the lumberman 

 that stories published to the effect that the Department of Com- 

 merce was to take over some of the work done in the past by the 

 Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice were 

 wrong. 



"What we want to do," sairl .\Ir. Hoover, "is tfl help the in- 

 dustry in every way we can with an adequate statistical service, 

 not only for the lumber industry but for all industries." 



M. W. Stark, vice-president and chairman of the statistical com- 

 mittee of the American Hardwood Manufacturers' Association, 

 pledged the aid of his association to the Department of Commerce 

 in its work, as did D. D. Conn of the ShevIin-CarpenterClarke- 

 Company of Minneapolis, representing the Western Pine Manu- 

 facturers' Association and the Northern Pine Manufacturers' Asso- 

 ciation; W. C. Sherman, president, Georgia-Florida Saw Mill Associa- 

 tion; John E. Rhodes, secretary and manager of the Southern Pine- 

 Association, New Orleans, and otlier representatives of hard and 

 soft wood associations. 



The National Lumber Manufacturers' Association made the an- 

 nouncement in which it stated that information of this character 

 would bo must helpful to the producer as well as the consumer, 

 and continues: 



It is significant that if this is the attitude of the Department of Com- 

 merce, it is in a measure a reversal of that policy which heretofore has 

 found grave fault with certain activities of tlie lumber industry which have 

 the same general purposes in view, and these activities are challenged liy 

 the Department of .Tiistice and tlie I<"ederal Trade Commission, if the 

 program is to he carried out, it will piace the industry upon the same basis 

 of understanding with the public that now is enjoyed by the other interests 

 which have their marketing facilities and statistics outlets. 



A tentative proposal of the Department of Commerce contemplates the 

 assembling of statistical information through the facilities of thi> National 

 Lumber .Manufacturers' Association, and the same machinery will be used, 

 so far as possible, in disseminating that information to the industry and 

 to the public. 



Lumbermen told Mr. Hoover that some difficulty might be ex- 

 perienced by the Department of Commerce in obtaining information 

 from thousands of small mills throughout the country who were not 

 members of any association. One of the surprising developments 

 of the conference was the fact that but a small percentage of mills 

 belong to the associations and the associations have great difficulty 

 in securing any information from these members. 



The following lumbermen and officers of lumber associations at- 

 tended the conference: 



.John E. Rhodes, secretary and manager Southern Pine Associa- 

 tion, New Orleans; W. C. Sherman, president, Georgia-Florida, Saw- 

 Mill Association, Perry, Fla.; C. E. Harrell, secretary-manager, 

 Georgia-Florida Saw Mill Association, Jacksonville; Gilbert L. 

 Hume, president. North Carolina Pine Association, Suffolk, Va.; 

 Vaughn Camp, secretary-manager. North Carolina Pine Association, 

 Norfolk; J. C. Knox, secretary-manager, Michigan Hardwood Manu- 

 facturers' Association, Cadillac, Mich.; C. A. Bigelow, Michigan 

 Hardwood Manufacturers' Association, Bay City, Mich.; 0. T. Swan, 

 secretary-manager. Northern Hemlock & Hardwood Manufacturers' 

 Association, Oshkosh, Wis.; R. B. Goodman, Northern Hemlock & 

 Hardwood Manufacturers' Association, and treasurer. National 

 Lumber Manufacturers' Association, Marinette, Wis.; J. J. Dono- 

 van, Bloedel-Donovan Timber Mills, Seattle, Wash., representing the 

 West Coast Lumbermen's Association; Junius H. Browne, Pacific 

 Lumber Company, New York City, representing the California Red- 

 wood Association; Geo. E. Watson, New Orleans, secretary-manager. 

 Southern Cypress Manufacturers' Association; D. D. Conn, Shevlin- 

 Carpenter-CIarke Company, Minneapolis, representing the Western 

 Pine Manufacturers' Association and the Northern Pine Manufac- 

 turers' Association; J. M. Pritehard, Memphis, secretary American 

 Hardwood Manufacturers' Association; M. W. Stark, ('oluml)us, 0., 

 vice-president and chairman of the statistical committee, American 

 Hardwood Manufacturers' Association; James E. Stark, Memphis, 

 chairman, executive committee, American Hardwood Manufacturers' 

 Association: and F. R. Gadd, manager, statistical department, 

 American Hardwood Manufacturers' Association, Memphis. 



