November 25. 1918 





m A Mass Meeting hy Lumbermen ||| 



Several hundred hiiiiliermen from all parts of the United States 

 assembled in the gold room of tlio Congress hotel, Chicago, on No 

 vcmber 22, in resiionse to a tclcgrapliic call by John H. Kirby, presi- 

 dent of the National Lumber Manufacturers' Association. The call 

 followed close upon tlie signing of the armistice and while the jiurpose 

 of the meeting was not announced in advance, it was understood by 

 nil who received the call that the meeting was being held to discuss 

 problems connected with the change in lumber conditions due to the 

 sudden ending of the war. 



No program was prepared for the guidance of the meeting's delib- 

 erations, except that the names of a few speakers were announced, 

 and the fact was announced that the board of directors would hold 

 a meeting. It was stated also that provision would be made for reso- 

 lutions. This was the sum of the information concerning the pur- 

 pose of the meeting, and the delegates assembled at the appointed 

 time and at once entered upon the work that was understood to be in 

 need of doing. 



Purpose of the Meeting 



When John H. Kirby, president of the National Lumber Manu- 

 facturers' Association, called the mass meeting to order in the 

 Congress hotel, lie stated that tlie call had been sent out by tele- 

 graph, following a conference of about forty lumbermen in Wash- 

 ington a few days before. A number of government officials had 

 come before that congress and had given information on the subject 

 of the change from a war basis to one of peace. The business of 

 the country was vitally concerned and it was felt that business men 

 should be fully informed, not for the purpose of warning them of 

 dangers, but on the contrary, to allay the fears of any who might 

 be uneasy as to what lies ahead. In view of that, it was deemed 

 necessary to summon lumbermen in mass meeting in Chicago, and 

 the call was accordingly sent out by wire, and the response was so 

 prompt that lumbermen came from all parts of the United States, 

 not only manufacturers of lumber, but wholesalers and retailers, 

 and there came likewise men who are identified with other indus- 

 tries. Several hundred business men had assembled at the appointed 

 hour. 



Chairman Kirby in calling the meeting to order, stated that this 

 call had been sent out because of the rapid change in conditions 

 in Europe. He knew of no reason why lumbermen should be 

 panicky, and briefly reviewed the situation, the substance of his 

 talk being that botli supply and demand were in favor of lumber- 

 men. The meeting, had been called for the purpose of counseling 

 together, and the meeting was turned over to those present. 



A brief program had been prepared, the principal speakers being 

 Brigadier-General E. C. Marshall; George M. Reynolds, president 

 of the Continental and Commercial bank, Chicago; Hon. Edwin B. 

 Parker, priorities commissioner, War Industries Board, Washington, 

 and Harry A. Wheeler, president of the Chamber of Commerce of 

 the United States. Several speakers who were not named on the 

 printed program addressed the meeting. 



How THE Cantonments Were Built 

 General Marshall was prevented from being present, but he sent 

 a paper which was read by Col. E. H. Abadie. The paper gave the 

 particulars of the construction by the government of various can- 

 tonments, camps, hospitals, and other structures in which 3,000,000,- 

 000 feet of lumber were used and $140,000,000 expended, all within 

 the space of sixteen months from the first outline of a jjlan. The 

 remarkable feat was made possible by cooperation and organiza- 

 tion, and therein lies one of the lessons which may be learned from 

 the war. General Eeynolds sounded a warning that the labor 

 situation should not be changed rapidly, but such changes as must 

 come should be brought about gradually. A similar note was 

 sounded by all the speakers, and some dwelt upon the matter with 

 special emphasis and discussed various points of the labor problem 

 that ought to be given careful consideration. 



Optimistic View of the Future 



The address by George M. Beynolds was characterized by 

 optimism. The speaker could see no very dark clouds ahead in the 

 business world, and could see many that were bright with promise. 

 He looked upon the war as a training which Americans should turn 

 to account. It has taught the power of cooperation and par- 

 ticularly of organization. We have learned the results which come 

 when resources and effort pull together. 



He insisted that care must be exercised in slowing down the 

 train an<l switching it from the track of war to the track of peace. 

 Energies working at full power in war cannot be immediately 

 turned at full power upon the work of peace. A little time will be 

 needed in changing from one to tlie other. There may be a few 

 months during which business will seem a little disorganized, but 

 such disorganization will be only temporary, because conditions 

 are all favorable for a prosperous time. Lumbermen, during the 

 next few months, should not be discouraged if farmers and others 

 seem a little slow in buying lumber for building. They may wait a 

 time to see if prices are going to fall, but when they become con 

 vinced that no sharp decline need be looked for, and the lumber 

 prices will hold up for a long time, they will buy lumber and pro- 

 ceed with the building of which they stand in need. The curtail- 

 ment of building for the past four years has created a need which 

 must be met soon. Mr. Reynolds urged the lumbermen not to 

 become impatient because sales seem slow at first, and begin to 

 cut prices. That would not help the lumbermen, since a cut in 

 price would not greatly increase sales, and it is not necessary to 

 cut at all. All the lumber 'available will find a market without a 

 cut in prices. Farmers and others have inoney with which to buy 

 lumber. There never was a time when they were in better finan- 

 cial condition, and what lumber is needed will be bought, if not at 

 once, it will be bought eventually. 



The speaker declared that raw material is now as good as legal 

 tender. It is worth the price and will sell for it. America now 

 has one-third of the world's supply of gold, which furnishes the 

 basis for enormous trade. The abundance of money is a guarantee 

 that prices and labor will not decline rapidly. They may be 

 expected to remain a long time at something near the present level. 

 So favorable is the situation that America can from now on be the 

 business and financial center of the world; but the business men 

 must take advantage of it, and hold to what they now have, 

 acquire information and knowledge of facts and conditions which 

 concern business, and above all must maintain strong faith in them- 

 selves, the country, and the future. 



Some Inside Pointers 



Judge Edwin B. Parker, who lived in Texas till the United States 

 entered the war and since that day has camped in Washington without 

 ever going home once, addressed the meeting on certain phases of the 

 war which until recently were not public. Judge Parker is the priori- 

 ties commissioner on the war industries board, and his work has been 

 along that line and has brought liim in contact with lumbermen. He 

 issued orders which occasionally inconvenienced men with lumber to 

 sell and in his address he explained some of his activities and told 

 why some orders, which appeared drastic at the time, were necessary. 

 For example, he said no harm could now result in stating a fact which 

 was not publicly known at the time, that in June of this year the 

 French expected the Huns to take Paris, and that President Wilson 

 was about to prepare an address to the French people, to be sent after 

 the fall of Paris, bidding them to be of good hope and courage, that 

 help would arrive in time to save the day. 



Again, it was related by Judge Parker that the war industries board 

 was at work preparing a "work or fight" order far more sweeping 

 than any that had gone before, when information came that Turkey 

 was preparing to surrender. Upon the receipt of that news, the 

 ■ ' work or fight ' ' order was countermanded instead of being made 

 public. 



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