24 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



Spptember 10, 1921 



Teamwork 



A Imsiness iii:in wlio is pMi-t of a sni;ill organization recently 

 remarked that he could not see a very brilliant future ahead 

 for his firm, because of the lack of teamwork. Each man, 

 proprietor and all, practically goes his own gait. Earely are 

 there conferences or earnest discussions as to what to do 

 and how to co-operate tii il<i it. 



This gentleman e.xpre.sseil the belief that large organiza- 

 tions are much more likely to be systematic and efficient in 

 matters of this kind tli:in small businesses whore the people 

 are in close contact. fSuch people take it for granted that 

 conferences to consider ;i, given subject, are unnecessary. 



On the other hand, the small organization has great need of 

 the correct methods of procedure if it is ever to get out of 



the "small class" and into the grownup group. 



How about it? Is your organization as closely knit as it 

 ought to be? Is there cohesion in its policy and teamwork 

 in its action? Along this ])athway lies success. This is as 

 true where there are two men in the organization as where 

 there are twenty or two hundred. In the period through 

 which we are now passing the demand for such cohesion, such 

 teamwork, and such united effort, is very urgent. Think 

 about it! 



ihli) iifr. A |iicH-c cif t'urniturc liki- tlii 

 111' (leHcrilH'il as a piece of gum fuiuitun 

 iiiahogan.v or walnut veneer on the toil. 



Trusting that I ma.v have .voui- views 

 1 am, etc. 



to be honestly ilescrilied, should 

 i- birch furniture with a genuine 



on the above suliject shortly 



The effort to intimidate by implication is readily 

 every one of these letters. 



In closing, a word may well be said regarding tll^ antecedents 

 of Mr. Hawke. It is understood that he has said that he was re- 

 tained in this case because of his success in handling "unpopular 

 eases." He is a specialist in that type of legal work which involves 



{Continued jrom inif/f 2:'>t 



the use of propaganda. He is the leader of the Good Citizenship 

 League of Hamilton Couuty, Ohio, and is credited with-a large part 

 of the responsibility for the three winning ' ' dry ' ' tights at the 

 elections in Ohio. His prohibition efforts were continued through 

 the past year and he is reported to have done more than any other 

 man to make Cincinnati bone dry. Suffrage has also been blessed 

 by his efforts and the winning of one of his cases opened the way 

 for the winning of Tennessee, the tliirty-sixth and decisive state, 

 to the suffrage column. It was these successes that commended 

 him to the jiersons who are tinancing the campaign against misrep- 

 representeil furniture. 



evident in 



Furniture manufacturers are waiting with interest and just a 

 bit of uneasiness the results of the trips of their salesmen who took 

 to the road Sept. 1. The promise which was held out by the plac- 

 ing of orders in the July market is not being realized just as fully 

 as might be hoped and furniture manufacturers, observing what is 

 taking place in other lines of industry are rather wondering if a 

 second fall Is coming for their industry. 



Buying in the July market was most satisfactory and furniture 

 men were gleeful. The dealers had had a good spring business 

 and believed the future was bright, so they ordered liberally to 

 replenish their depleted stocks and to prepare for the holiday 

 trade. What they had on hand in June and July they hoped to 

 clean out pretty thoroughly by the way of their August sales. 



But the August sales have not generally been quite as successful 

 as was hoped and expected. True, those dealers who marked their 

 merchandise right down to rock bottom and based on the new 

 ]irices they must pay did a pretty fairly good business. These are 

 maintaining their pace even now. But, unfortunately, many furni- 

 ture dealers have been guilty of the same practices and the same 

 shortsightedness as retailers in many other lines and have not been 

 content with a small margin of profit. It has been quite customary 

 for furniture dealers, like retailers in other lines, to still seek the 

 same margins of profit they took in the heydays immediately fol- 

 lowing the war. The result to these has been unsuccessful. August 

 sales and that lack of success is reflected upon the furniture manu- 

 facturer in a considerable number of cancellations and more hold- 



up orders. Neither the cancellations nor the holdups have yet 

 reached a volume to be at all serious, but the manufacturer, observ- 

 ing what is happening in other lines, is watching lest this might 

 be a forerunner of another situation such as developed a year ago. 



The one thing tliat is troubling the manufacturer more than 

 almost anything else is that in order to keep his factory running 

 and his organization intact while at the same time working off a 

 lot of his high priced raw material, he did run his factory all during 

 the lean spring months making stock. The result was that when 

 the Julv market came on, the manufacturers' warehouses were 

 quite largely filled pretty full of ready made furniture. The price 

 on this had been marked down to a minimum — in some instances at 

 cost or even a shade below. 



The buyers came and they ordered liberally, but they ordered 

 from the new designs and passed by the stock. The result was that 

 when the market closed, manufacturers still had on hand a tre- 

 mendous lot of stock and they still have more than they wish they 

 had and must get rid of it in some way. The orders placed were 

 chiefly for designs just brought out and, therefore, for furniture yet 

 to be made. It is highly unsatisfactory to have a warehouse filled 

 with perfectly good furniture, but the factory running full time to 

 make other furniture while that in the warehouse refuses to move. 

 It is predicted by some of the most successful manufacturers that 

 this great quantity of stock must be disposed of at whatever sacri- 

 fice may bo necessary and this, it is feared, may bring about still 

 another demoralization of the furniture market. 



