34 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



Liverpool, KiiK.. Dec. 20. — Kdllor II.viiDWiKiD Ui;<ohd : I liine just 

 noticcil .vour ni'ticle on pngo ;>;! of your issue dated N'oveniliei- li.'i and 

 really must protest against tlie lieadlns:. 



The hardwood section of tlie Tinil)er Trades federation spent a lot of 

 time and Iroulile in gettius tl>c trade to acree tliat all American hard- 

 womls sliouid be measured liy the I.ufliin rule and under the same terms 

 as liie iumlier is bought and sold In your country, wbieb was done so as 

 lo avoid any discrepancies in measure. 



Tliere is no doubt discrepancies still e.\isl but there Is also no doubt 

 that the measure as taken in London is correct ninety-nine times out of 

 a liundied, and I thlnl; you will agree that I am .lustlfled In saying so 

 when I explain the ■method and compare it with methods In the States. 



l-'iusr: The incasurinK is done by an independent measurer in the 

 employ of the Port of London Authority, whose interest if any Is to maivc 

 the measure as much as possible as all tiieir charges are based on their 

 tueasmement return. Kach bon.rd is laid on tressels and measured for 

 length, width and thickness, the width and thickness probal>ly in three 

 places. These particulars are entered separately In a tally book, the 

 board is then measured with the Lufkin rule and contents as shown alsn 

 entered in the book. 



Now compare this with the sellers' method. They usually measure on 

 the pile, the length is guessed in nearl.v every instance, the thickness in 

 every instance, and I do not think I am exaggerating when I say that in 

 00 per cent of the boards the rule is not put absolutely flat on the board, 

 as it would require the measurer to kneel down every time, which lie 

 certainly does not do. 



.\nother reason that the figures do not agree is lieeause afli'r gettiiiy 

 the trade here to use the Lufkin contents rule, the shitijiers will insist on 

 measuring on a 12 foot basis and thus bring into their invoice every odd 

 two i>r three inches, for instance : a board 14 feet long, 8 inches wide 

 would Ije measured here as containing !) feet super, and 100 of them 

 would contain 900 feet, but on some shipper's invoice it would appear — 



100 pieces S inches = SOO feet; off 1/16 = total O.'J."! feet. Witliout 

 admitting the correctness of the statement that there is seldom a shortage 

 when measured in merchants' yards. I could explain some reasons why 

 this may happen. First of all, the lengths are as in America more or 

 less guessed and the wood is measured as tight as possible for selling 

 purposes and without a doubt is not so carefully measured as when done 

 by the Port of London Authority. 



Then we come to the question of the IV^ per cent shortage. Why 

 should the buyer pay for something he does not receive? I am sure no 

 one in the States buys on such terms. I agree that the shipper rarely 

 hears of any over-plus either on dock or yard measuring. My own opinion 

 is that the two principal reasons why the shortages occur are first: 

 Measuring on a 12 foot basis and second measuring as tight as possible, 

 and if I am riglit. then it is obvious that these are apparent shortages 

 and only exist on paper. 



We now come to the question of tliirkness and 1 should tirst of all 

 like to say that I do not see wliy tlie boards cannot be out lo hold full 

 thickness when dry. .iusl as tlie.\ nse<l to be years ago and are now by 

 some shippers. 



.\ board that is I/IO inch scant in one place might just as well lie 

 scant all over, and there is no doulit that at one time many shippers 

 kept all their scant 2 inch lumber for export, knowing that what was 

 noticed would be called 1%" if exported, wheivas. at that time it would 

 he called down to 1%" in their own country. 



It is a pity you did not investigate tliis matter a little further for 

 you would have found that the Timber Trades Federation here gave the 

 matter every consideration, whereas I cannot learn that the counter pro- 

 posals and reasons for not agreeing to the originals have ever had the 

 attention of the National Lumber Exporters' Association, or at any rate 

 have the points raised on this side been replied to. 



No one reading your report would understand that the I'>deration 

 here had expressed its willingness to submit the following provided the 

 National Lumber Exporters' Association agrees : 



1. In taking the lliickness of all American lumber, same to be taken 

 1 foot from the thinnest end. 



2. In ease nut morr than 2% per cent in plain oak and .T per cent in 

 quarlired uak 1". mikI thicker, .should be l/l(i scant in thickness and 3/4" 

 and thinner. 1 .'U'seant in thickness, no notice is to be taken and the 



parcel as a whnb' is to I .iisiili nil full ihirkn.-ss. If the scant lumber 



exceeds these pei-centai:''s up in ." jh r ..m in |il;iiii eak and 10 per cent 

 in quartered oak. buyers ~l>:ill ;irr, pi ih ^i.uU wiih an allowance for all 



the scant lumber. If tbr scam liniil.. r .x 1- ."> |ier cent in plain oak 



and 10 per cent in quarlered oak. buyers to have the option of rejecting 

 the wboie of the scant lumber. I Siibjeet to satisfactory arrangements 

 being made with the Port of Lond<in Authority.) 



o. Where shipments are found by the Port of I,ondon .\uthority to 

 have the superficial euniinis marked on each piece in figuri^s such figures 

 must stand, or alt.M ri;ti iv-u, any pieces with tlie measurement of whicli 

 the Port of Londnn AinlMMii\- disagree, must be laid aside for inspection. 

 Shippers to pay iiecessmy ixpenses. 



B 642 — Wants Persimmon 



Kinghorn, Fife, Scotland, Dec. 11. — Editor IIakdwooi. Kki-cumi : We are 

 in the market for 100 to 150 tons of persimmon for early 1014 delivery. 

 We shall be glad if you can furnish us with the names of several firms 

 having persimmon logs to offer for early shipment to Olasgow. 



'^ :<go'.H>3la!i^y;:i^swi;xi>MA^i^»;^^v>^^^^ 



Clubs and Associations 



The above foreign house has been supplied with a list of nian- 

 nfacturers of persimmon. Anyone desiring the address can have it 

 upon application. — Editor. 



Indiana Lumbermen to Meet 

 Tile Indiana Hardwood Lumbermen's Association announces that its 

 fifteenth annual meeting will be held at the Hotel Dennison. Indianapolis. 

 Ind., .lanuary 14. .Secieiuiy ('. II, Kramer Issues a cordial invitation tn 

 members of the hardwund i radc' ip l.p in attendance. 



Michigan Manufacturers to Meet 

 Secretary .1. C. Knox of the Michigan Hardwood .Manufacturers' Asso- 

 ciation announces that the mid-winter meeting of tliat organiiiation will 

 lie held at the Poutchartrain hotel, Detroit, Mich., on Wednesday, Janu- 

 ary 21. Statistics will be presented covering a largo percentage of the 

 lumber cut tor the year 1013 and the estimated figures for 1914. making 

 the meeting of much importance to the manufacturer of lumber. Other 

 subjects to be considered are : Present market conditions ; discussion of 

 stock reports covering liardwoods and hemlock and their relation to the 

 present market; experiences of manufacturers under .the liability act; 

 logging and camp expenses ; report of regular and special committees ; 

 forest fire protective matters and Torest I'roducts Exposition. 



National Wood Preservers' Association 



■I'll.' .\atiPiial W.kkI Preservers' Association has issued its regular 

 lirogiani for the tenth annual convention, which is to be lield at the St. 

 Charles Hotel, New Orleans, January 20, 21, 22. The first session will 

 be on Tuesday, January 20, and will open with the usual addresses of 

 welcome, responses, roll call, officers' addresses, reports, etc. There will 

 be in all fourteen papers covering the many questions directly interesting 

 the members of the association and others interested in wood preservative 

 work. .\I1 papers will be prepared and read by experts in their respective 

 lines. In additinn there will be reports from five slaiuling committees. 



The Hardwood Manufacturers' Meeting 



The program for the twelfth annual convention of the Hardwood Manu- 

 facturers' Association of the United States, which is to be held in Mem- 

 phis, January 21-22, has practically been completed. It will be unique in 

 the absence of long winded speeches, the whole program being arranged 

 with a view to insuring a meeting full of vital and lively interest to lum- 

 iiermen. 



One of the features will be a discussion of logging problems, the same to 

 bo considered from the standpoint of operations in both the hill country 

 and in the low lands. Results of practical experience as to methods and 

 cost will be given, and an open and free discussion is to follow on the 

 floor. There will be several short set talks on logging to open the forum. 



The rule of the meeting will be more to encourage discussion to develoi> 

 features of prime interest to the lumbermen in attendance than to have 

 them chafe under long oratorical efforts. In short, it is to be a lumber- 

 man's convention and every mother's son who attends is expected to "talk 

 right out in meeting." 



Reports received at the office of Secretary Weller at Cincinnati, indi- 

 cate that the attendance this year will be very large. The fact that the 

 convention is to be held in the heart of the hardwood ju-oducing belt has 

 met with enthusiastic response on the part of the lumbermen and par- 

 ticularly in the Memphis territory, and many new faces will be seen in 

 the hotel lobbies and on the convention floor. The ilemphis hotels, par- 

 ticularly the Memphis Hotel Company, which controls the Gayoso and 

 the Chisca. are arranging to take care of all visitors. The headquarters 

 of the association and the sessions of the convention will be held at the 

 Gayoso. 



The Memphis lumbermen are working bard to boost the attendance and 

 particularly among the consumers, special invitations being enclosed in 

 all the mail that is going out of lumber ofllces at Memphis. M. B. Cooper 

 of the Three States Lumber Company and Ralph May of May Brothers 

 of Memphis are the two resident members of the committee in Memphis, 

 and they are doing yoeman service. The other members of the committee 

 on arrangements are R. M. Carrier of the Carrier Lumljer & Manufacturing 

 Company, Sardis. Miss., who is chairman, and J. F. Mclntyre of J. F. 

 Mclntyre & Sson.^. Pine Bluff, Ark. The Lumbermen's Club of Memphis 

 has adopted a resolution welcoming the convention and the individual 

 members of the club are working hard to make a success of the meeting. 

 The lumber industry in Arkansas will be represented by practically every 

 hardwood producer in the state, which is likewise true of Mississippi. 

 Louisiana and Texas. 



Convention of Ohio Association of Retail Lumber Dealers 

 On February ". 4 and 5 the Ohio Association of Retail Lumber Dealers 

 will hold its annual convention at the Hotel Gibson. Cincinnati, O. 



Work on the new hotel where the convention will be held is nearing 

 completion and all doubts as to its readiness are removed. The conven- 

 tion is expected to be one of the largest ever held by the association. 

 About 1.000 visitors are expected. 



The Lumbermen's Club will have full charge of the registration as well 

 as the entertainment features, and the entertainment committee will 

 spare neither pains nor money to make the visitors welcome and long 

 remember their visit tn the Queen City. 



