October 25, 1018 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



33 



{Continued from page 24) 

 to be a repetition of the work and not complete. With tliis en- 

 larged American Hardwood Manufacturers' Association with five 

 hundred manufacturing members and a possibility of three times 

 that number in the Southland, the exchange of this information 

 every month in sectional meetings will be Worth a lot of money to 

 the southern hardwood manufacturers and will put them in the 

 same position that the hardwood manufacturers in Michigan and 

 Wisconsin are owing to their present system of exchange of in- 

 formation on stocks, values, sales, etc. 



In the past there has been too little exchange of data as to 

 manufacturing cost. While mountain and valley logging are dif- 

 ferent jiropositions, as would be pjroven by an exchange of cost 

 records in the Mississippi valley and in West Virginia, yet be- 

 cause of lack of co-operative eifort and the exchange of ideas, oak 

 was permitted to get down in the depths. In fact, manufacturers 

 got so careless of its value or an appreciation of the wood, that at 

 times during the past year it was cheaper than it was five years ago. 



5Vith this consolidated organization backed by all the manufac- 

 turers in the Southland, that is, by their coming into the organi- 

 zation and supporting it not only by giving information but finan- 

 cially, there could be a leveling of values which will mean a steady 

 market, not necessarily an abnormal price, and backed with good 

 manufacturing cost figures exchanged between members, a stan- 

 dard value could be placed on a wood that will satisfy the con- 

 sumer better and make possible the maintenance of a reasonable 

 price at all times. 



A consumer talking about this question recently said: 

 "Why don't the boys get together? There is a range of $2t) in 

 their quotations. It makes a buyer uneasy." He doesn't know 

 where he is at and until the lumber trade as a whole standardizes 

 its values as well as its methods, it makes it difficult for a con- 

 sumer to make his plans in standardizing prices of furniture, im- 

 plements or other wood manufactures. 



The exchange of information by the 500 members to start with. 



covering logging operations, building of railroads, skidding, load- 

 ing and handling logs to the mill; the adoption of some method of 

 meeting the increased labor costs which would be fair to the em- 

 ploye as well as to the manufacturer, and standardizing values for 

 good sawing or yarding or loading lumber, will all tend to better 

 manufacture and marketing of the product. 



There is a provision, as you will see, in this resolution that the 

 consolidated association at the meeting to be held at Louisville, 

 December 11, will decide what will be done on the inspection prob- 

 lem. It is desirable to the members of the committees, and we 

 hope it will be the desire of every lumber manufacturer in the 

 country, that one set of inspection rules will be the result of the 

 organization of this association and the continuance of the na- 

 tional body now in force. 



It is hoped that the National Hardwood Lumber Association will 

 join with tlie newly launched consolidated American Hardwood ' 

 Manufacturers ' Association to work this jiroblem out to the bene- 

 fit of all. It isn't the object of the men who are working out this 

 consolidation to bring about a fight or plan anything but closer 

 atfiliation among the manufacturers of hardwood lumber in the 

 United States, to the end that the industry will always put forth a 

 solid front wherever it is represented before legislative or com- 

 mercial bodies. It is hoped that the result of the present con- 

 solidation will mean in days to .come one association with two 

 branches — one, manufacturer strictly, and the other the wholesaler 

 strictly, all working together for the upbuilding of the industry 

 and standardization of grade and values; prevention of confiscatory 

 legislation that may be an outcome of the well organized economic 

 conditions in America; the preparation by local manufacturers in 

 woods to put into effect under the new Webb law, the machinery 

 for taking care of the unprecedented demand for hardwoods 

 abroad and meeting the demand that will naturall}^ come from 

 two years' respite by the furniture, interior finish, vehicle, auto- 

 mobile and other large industries now at rest by order of the 

 government. ' 



Government Control 



The question in the minds of some people now is whether when the 

 war is over — and that seems to be in the near future — the government 

 will want to continue controlling purchases for export. There is no 

 doubt our Allies, in building up their country after the war, will nat- 

 urally for financial and other reasons, probably supervise purchases in 

 this counfry for export. The rule prevailing in England, adopted last 

 May, provides that no Englishman can buy, sell or barter, without 

 government confirmation, in this country through the mission organized 

 with offices in New York City, and means that credits are guaranteed, 

 and the market in England will be a sinecure, if prices and credits 

 are right. If it is true, and there does not seem to be much doubt 

 about it, that there is a dearth of lumber in England and material is 

 so scarce that you can sell your old cellar door for almost the price of 

 new lumber, this market should be taken care of and appropriations 

 made to that end, competition from other countries met, and through 

 the associations' work we should get our share of that busiuess. 



France will probably require a greater amount of lumber than she 

 lias ever bought from America, and whatever the method of procedure, 

 ]irobably governmental control will assist the various organizations to 

 handle that business in a more safe and sane way than has been the 

 case in years past. It means, if we interpret the matter correctly, 

 that lumber will be sold through association channels rather than han- 

 dled individually. There will be no more consignments in the future. 

 This will be a Godsend, because they not only prevented the manufac- 

 turer from getting a fair price, but were an eyesore to every broker 

 ever there, including those concerns who are represented directly in 

 Europe. It is up to us as an industry to segregate the various inter- 



ests and form enough sales companies to be able to take care of this 

 business and handle it with the idea of perpetuating the demand. 



The Eighty Per Cent War Tax 



There is no American citizen, no matter how much or how little he 

 has, who does not wish to support to the limit every request from the 

 government for taxes, Liberty Bonds, or anything else that will assure 

 the protection of liberty and democracy all over the world, but in the 

 suggestions from the various departments looking after the financing 

 of the war, etc., and working out this tax proposition, lumber and 

 other industries are being milked without a fair basis to start on. In 

 the first place eighty per cent of values as determined by a theoretical 

 board, with only half the facts on which to build their valuation, seems 

 to us like an injustice to such business men as lumbermen, who have 

 himg on by their eyebrows for a long time in order to have their prop- 

 erty placed on a legitimate basis. The Government not permitting 

 values to be buUt up in this way, is taking the birthright away from 

 these men, and insisting that the price they sell at shall be so and so, 

 and taxing them on the extreme basis. 



The old saying that everj-thing is fair in love and war may be a 

 good adage, but as an illustration of what we mean, the purchase by 

 the government on values built up on a theory, is costing the men 

 furnishing the railroads — private corporations, although operated by 

 the government — with material at $5.00 less than it is worth. This is 

 not fair to our industry. If it were timber that was to go into gov- 

 ernment built and owned boats, it would be different, but the people 

 of America are not going to permit the government to control the 

 railroads in the future, and why should any one industry be used to 

 help support the transportation companies whose stock has been 



