December 2r,. 1918 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



19 



Hardwood Emergency Bureau wliich he headed at Washington, 

 1). C. He told of the very valuable assistance the association had 

 given to the government in the way of securing information on 

 manufacturing capacity of the hardwood trade and said that the 

 work had greatly clarified the government's ojnnions and under-, 

 standings of the hardwood business. He referre^l to the organiza- 

 tion of the rotary gum veneer association, which was consummated 

 as a war measure through the American Hardwood Mannfacturers ' 

 Association. 



Secretary Pritchard dwelt u[icui tin- niriiibershiii developiuent of 

 the association, which was co.'ored more fnlly in the membership 

 commi'ttee's report. Reference was also made to the departmental 

 work carried on by the gum. oak, rotary veneer and dimension de- 

 partments. He referred to traile extension work, stating that it 

 will be kept up by the different de]iartments. 



The report then touche<l on the work of formulating uniform cost 

 accounting formulas. It told of the work on terms of sale, advocat- 

 ing working out a uniform system in this matter. He referred to 

 the maintenance of the monthly and weekly sales reports and of 

 the monthly stock reports, stating that through consultation with 

 tlie committee on reports ami statistics, the 

 forms have been worked out so that they 

 ])<t\v represent a very convenient arrange 

 inent and one which can lie very readily used, 

 and offer very valuable information. Mr. 

 Pritchard said that taking into considera- 

 tion seasonal influences, exceptional eases 

 and the ordinary influence of supply and 

 ilemand, the reports constitute a definite 

 means whereby the members can keep in 

 touch with the market. 



The secretary then said that it is not the 

 legal right of American business men to 

 limit production. Hence, as supply and ile 

 mand govern markets, the demand must be 

 increased. This can be done only throu<;li 

 advertising and trade extension work. 



He referred then to the inquiries tliat have 

 come into the association regarding lumber 

 stocks; told of the bulletins of information 

 that have been issued on the various woods, 

 and commented enthusiastically on the pros- 

 jiects of increased effectiveness due to the 

 an.algamation. ^ ^ JUUUIO.V, RET 



H. B. Weiss' Report 



H. B. Weiss, chairman of the gum department, reported on the 

 work that has been carried on in behalf of gum. The department is 

 devoted to the extension of gum markets, the executive and general 

 work being done in the general ofiice. The gum department used 130 

 pages in thirty-two magazines, giving a combined circulation of 

 over 2,000,000, and over 2,000 inquiries were received. The assess- 

 ment for gum was based on a cut of 3S4,SS6,000 feet at six cents a 

 tnousand feet, giving a total of $22,000 available, which was prac- 

 tically all used np. 



Mr. Weiss referred to exhibits that had been organized and main- 

 tained and emphasized the need of money for other work than the 

 mere scheduled advertising. He told of logs and lumber that had 

 been sent to the government experimental laboratory, saying that 

 this wfth exhibits and other follow-up work constitute an abso- 

 lutely essential part of a successful trade extension campaign, but 

 that to carry on this work effectively it would cost money. 



Mr. Weiss then presented the following figures showing values 

 in gum in 1914 and 1918, indicating the progress made during the 

 years the advertising work has been carried on : 



Prices — Cairo 

 All 4/4" ISl* 191S 



Quartered gum. FAS $42.25 $52.75 



Quartered red gum, No. 1 Com ^S-"-"" 41.50 



Plain red gum, FAS 32.23 48.00 



Plain red gum, No. 1 Com 21.75 37.25 



Sap gum, Pj^S -1.7.'> 34.74 



Sap gum. No. 1 Com 17.50 30.25 



Sap gum, No. 2 Com 14. uU 2G.7r» 



lie said that he does not claim all of this progress for the asso- 

 c-iatioii work, but that at least fifty ])er cent of it is due to the 

 association 's campaigns. 



lie maintained that a si.v cent assessment is too suiall and recom- 

 nieuded that the association conn' up to the full ten cents a thon- 

 santl as an absolute minimum. 



Treasurer's Report 

 The secretary then read the report of Treasurer William M. 

 Pritchard, who was absent, showing receipts, $79,374.40; disburse- 

 ments, .$75,314.82, leaving a balance on hand of $4,0.59.58. 



Recommends Interesting Oak Publicity Features 



K. A. Lang, chairm.-in i>f the oak department, reported for his 

 section, showing that a mail campaign resulted in fixing an assess- 

 ment of four cents a thousand feet log scale. 



Referring to the advertising, he said that this ran from June, 

 191S, and will be maintained up to March, 1919, under the present 

 schedule. One third of the advertising has appeared in engineering 

 .and railroad publications to boost the sale of 

 liill stock and similar materials. The appro- 

 priation was assessed on a total cut of 309,- 

 475,000 feet. 



He recommended direct and follow-up work 

 in many directions. One of the most inter- 

 esting features recommended by Mr. Lang was 

 the inauguration of a national oak furniture 

 ^^,^^^^_, week which would involve a several months' 

 • ^^^^*' campaign to organize the furniture retailers 

 all over the country offering prizes for the 

 best window displays of oak furniture, and 

 also prizes to the manufacturer whose lino 

 is in the winning exhibit. The only condi- 

 tion would be that the stores would have to 

 exhibit three signs, one prior to the exhibit 

 calling attention to the coming oak week; 

 one during the exhibit stating that it was 

 being carried on by the oak association, and 

 one general sign devoted to oak. The ex- 

 hibits would be judged by competent men on 

 the basis of photographs. He estimated that 

 this work would cost from $30,000 to 

 $3.5,000, including magazine advertising. 

 IRIxii PRESIDENT Mr. Lang recommended the establishment 



and maintenance of oak exhibits and asked 

 tor the continued sujiport of the association. 



C. L. Harrison Reports for Advertising Committee ^ 



(', L. Harrison, chairman of the advertising committee, then sub- 

 mitted the following report: 



Large as this association has gmwu and important as,its other functions 

 have become, our older members at least will not forget the fact that we 

 iniginall.v built upon the rock of trade extension and in order to per- 

 petuate ourselves, we must continue to give our first thought to the 

 broad principle of how it is possible to nniintain a demand which is in 

 excess of our ability to supply. The law has said that it is not proper 

 liy agreement to curtail production in order to meet a sluggish market 

 and avoid overstocking with the result that prices tumble down to where 

 there is no profit left for the producer. However, tliere is no law against 

 going out and creating a demand that is so active and so far in excess 

 of normal supply that an active market is automatically created and 

 prosperity results for the industry. 



The common term "advertising" does not really cover the scope of the 

 work under review. We can probably more gracefully and accurately 

 classify it as "trade extension," and with your permission, I will use 

 that term bereafter In this report. 



For a number of years I have come before the annual meeting of this 

 association and its predecessors each time pleading for ample funds to 

 carry on the advertising of gum and oak in a way that will bring maxi- 

 mum results to the membership. Considering the fact that for a great 

 many years no attentiim was given by the lumber industry to the problem 

 of publicity in any of its phases, mir progress under limited advertising 



