June 25, 1921 



Hardwood Record — Veneer & Panel Section 



31 



Veneer and Panel Men Will "Carry on" 



National Association Decides to Proceed with Advertising Campaign Despite 



Severe Depression in Business; Grading Rules are Adopted Covering all 



Woods Represented by Various Divisions of the National Body 



J. T. Horne, Tuscaloosa 



According to statements made at the 

 semi-annual meeting of the National Veneer 

 and Panel Manufacturers Association at the 

 Auditorium hotel, Chicago, June 14 and 15, 

 the veneer and plywood business is ex- 

 tremely slack in all sections, both as to pro- 

 duction and demand, logging as well as mill 

 operating. 



Nevertheless, this meeting was character- 

 ized by progressive action, expressing in un- 

 mistakable terms the belief of the members 

 of the association in the early return of 

 normal activity to the industry. Chief of 

 this progressive action was the adoption of 

 the report and recommendations of the 

 Trade Extension Committee, which provides 

 for a national campaign of advertising to 

 cost not less than $50,000, to start in Sep- 

 tember. 



The next important revelation of faith in 

 the future was the taking of definite steps to 

 carry out the decision made at the annual 

 meeting in December last to establish a na- 

 tional inspection rules bureau for veneers 



and plywood. As a first and basic step tow^ard the creation of this 

 bureau the association adopted grading rules applying to all w^oods 

 represented by the various divisions of the associations. That is, 

 the rules of the Commercial Rotary Cut Gum Manufacturers Asso- 

 ciation of the South, as applying to gum w^oods, cypress, yellow 

 pine, sycamore and cottonwood, rules of the Plywood Manufac- 

 turers Association, rules of the northern birch club, which in- 

 cluded maple and other northern woods; quartered oak rules, 

 rotary oak rules and rotary poplar rules. In connection with the 

 adoption of the gum rules the sales code of the Commercial Rotary 

 Cut Gum Manufacturers Association was also adopted. 



The rules adopted w^ere reported by the chairmen or members 

 of various committees selected to represent each w^ood or group 

 of woods. The report on the gum rules was read by Howard S. 

 Young, secretary of the National Veneer &c Panel Manufacturers 

 Association. O. C. Lemke reported the birch rules; D. E. Kline 

 the rotary oak rules, H. B. Sale, the poplar rules, and Lacy H. 

 Sergent for the plywood manufacturers association. 



The plan for a national inspection bureau contemplates the 

 maintenance of an inspector to settle disputes for grades and rule 

 interpretations, as suggested by C. B. Allen of the Allen-Eaton 

 Panel Company of Memphis. 



The decision to proceed with the national advertising campaign 

 was made after G. O. Worland, chairman of the trade extension 

 committee had described the wealth of material for effective veneer 

 and plywood advertising that the committee has been able to un- 

 cover during the past six months. The possibilities of developing 

 new fields for the use of veneers and plywoods through advertis- 

 ing are also surprisingly extensive Mr. Worland said. In this con- 

 nection he mentioned the fact that architects are already showing 

 interest in plywood panels for walls and expressed the firm belief 

 that there would some day be a big demand for such panels. 



necessity of dropping the cognomen, as had 

 been considered, Mr. Worland said. This 

 research work demonstrated that veneering 

 is a fine art and has been such since before 

 the time of the Ptolemes. By digging into 

 such ancient chronicles as Pliny the his- 

 torian of Rome, and others, actual photo- 

 graphs were presented showing the veneer- 

 ing process as far back as the earliest 

 dynasties of Egypt. These photographs 

 w^ere exhaustive, covering the entire world 

 history of veneering. It was also shown 

 that the great master furniture craftsmen 

 of all time, ancient and modern, used veneer 

 to beautify and enhance the value of their 

 creations. All of this, Mr. Worland, said, 

 answers conclusively the misconception that 

 veneer is or ever has been a cheap substi- 

 tute for solid wood. Veneer is a first rate 

 cabinet making material, without which 

 some of the finest decorative effects in wood 

 work could not possibly be secured. 



Agency Is Selected 



Mr. Worland reported that the committee had selected the Con- 

 over-Mooney advertising agency of Chicago to handle the adver- 

 tising campaign. The contract with this agency specifies that it 

 is not to be considered binding unless William Clendenin, the mem- 

 ber of the agency's staff who conducted the preliminary research 

 work, is permitted to direct the campaign. This provision was 

 made, Mr. Worland said, because of the fine enthusiasm and 

 knowledge of the subject which Mr. Clendenin developed while on 

 the research assignment. The committee felt that the experience 

 which Mr. Clendenin gained in the research work would be inde- 

 spensable to the success of the campaign. 



One thousand dollars was spent in this research work, which 

 Mr. Worland advanced out of his own pocket, and for which he 

 was reimbursed by the Plywood Manufacturers Association, which 

 is sharing the expense of the campaign with the National Veneer 

 & Panel Manufacturers Association. Accordingly, the N. V. 6c P. 

 association directed the treasurer to pay back $500 of the $1,000 

 spent. The treasury will be reimbursed out of the advertising 

 campaign fund. 



The N. V. & P. M. association assumed the responsibility of rais- 

 ing $25,000 of the $50,000 that will be expended. It is expected 

 that $20,000 of this $25,000 will be raised among the members 

 of the association on the basis of Vi of 1 per cent of the total 

 sales during the year from July, 1920, to July, 1921. according 

 to a suggestion made by Mr. Allen. This will be collectable 

 quarterly. 



The work of the trade extension committee terminated with the 

 delivery of Mr. Worland's report, but the association made him 

 chairman of a new committee to direct the actual campaign. C. 

 B. Allen and E. E. Hemmingway were selected to serve with him. 



Home Discusses Conditions 



The meeting was opened by J. T. Horne of Tuscaloosa, Ala., 



The information which the research work uncovered concern- 

 ing the ancient and honorable employment of veneer through the president of the association, who presided, and delivered his semi 

 ages had so dignified the name veneer that there would be no annual address. In this address Mr. Horne discussed general busi 



