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Annual of Chicago Association ^i 



The Lumbormen "s Association ol' Chicago lield its fortylifth anuiial 

 meeting January 19 at the Hamilton Club rooms, Chicago. About 

 four hundred members and guests were present. Tlie business meet- 

 ing was preceded by a dinner, one of the most enjoyable features of 

 which was the music rendered by thirty or more members of the 

 Mondclssohu Club of Chicago. After the business session was con 

 eluded an exhibition of rapid-fire cartoon work was given by T. \V. 

 French of the Chicago Record-Herald. Various members of the 

 association were made the subjects on which the artist successfully 

 exercised his skill in adding comical take-offs. 



A very important matter was brought before the meeting by J. K. 

 Rhodes, secretary of the National Lumber Manufacturers' Association. 

 He urged that the members and companies constituting the Lumber- 

 men's Association of Chicago, take active part in the Forest Prod- 

 ucts Exposition which will be held in Chicago late in April and early 

 in May, and in New York immediately after. The speaker pointed out 

 the need of educating the public to the good qualities of wood, and 

 particularly to show that for most purposes substitutes are inferior 

 to wood. The coming expositon will be the first adeipiate opportunity 

 to do this that has ever been presented to lumbermen; and more than 

 that, there never was greater need of doing it than there is now. 

 The speaker said that the maximum cut of lunilier in the United 

 States has apparently been passed, and there is a tendency to an 

 increase in price, owing wholly to economic conditions — largely to 

 longer hauls, but also to higher stumpage values which must naturally 

 increase as years go by. The higher cost of lumber which has 

 naturally resulted from trade conditions, has furnislied the substitute 

 people with a pretext and an argument for pushing their wares. 

 Much of their argiuneut is based on either misleading information 

 or on a concealment of the real facts. It is, therefore, incumbent on 

 lumbermen to meet the issues of that trade campaign by letting the 

 people know that there is enough wood in the country to meet the 

 public's needs; that, though prices have an upw'ard tendency, it is 

 still possible to use wood without material increased cost, provided 

 waste is lessened by closer utilization, decay hindered by preservatives, 

 and fire loss lessened by fire-proofing the wood. Mr. Rhodes said that 

 these facts and many others in the same line ought to be adequately 

 set forth by taking advantage of opportnnities which the exposition 

 will afford. 



The business meeting was opened with an address by the president. 

 Murdoek MacLeod, which is in part as follows: 



According to the report of the secretary the quantity of luralier received 

 and consumed in this city during the year .lust passed is the greatest 

 in its history. The facts brought out in this report, that we bad in 

 Chicago at the beginnins; of the year a larger stock, that the receipts 

 during the year were greater and that the stocks left on hand at its 

 close were smaller than in the preceding year, should convince the most 

 pessimistic that there should be no complaint of the volume of business 

 transacted by our members during the year that has just closed. 



If there has been a depression in many of the industries throughout 

 tlie country during the latter half of the year there does not seem to 

 have been any in the lumber trade of this city so far as volume is con- 

 cerned, and I believe there is no other reason than a psychological one 

 for the depression that has existed throughout the country at large 

 With the legislation at Washington regarding the tariff and the cui- 

 renc.v. for which the country has been waiting, an accomplished fad, 

 and with the abundant crops for the year miS. for which it is reported 

 on good authority the farmers will receive from $140,000,000.00 to 

 SIRO.OOO.OOO.OO more than they received for their 1912 crops, there can 

 be nothing but prosperity in store for the business of I lie country and 

 there should be no note sounded that is not optimistic. 



The work of the association has been carried on by your bi)ard of 

 directors and your various committees with the most cheerful and un- 

 selfish devotion to the Interests and welfare of the lumber trade of this 

 city and of the members of this association. Time forbids mention of 

 each individual engaged in this work, but I desire to make special com- 

 mendation of the work of F. H. McMullen and his associates on the 

 entertainment committee. Charles Westcott and his membership commit- 

 tee. Herman H. Hettler and the members of the traffic committee. Edward 

 L. Thornton and his inspection committee. Paul Schmechel and his pub- 

 licity committee, and finally of the committee which has achieved the 

 greatest piece of work that lias ever been undertaken by any commit- 



—36— 



lee of this association during the forty-flve years of its existence. I 

 lefcr. of course, to Mr. Pope. Mr. Thornton and Mr. Skei'le, the com- 

 mittee on the Lumbermen's Exchange building. 



I predict that by the time the building is completed, on .May 1. I'llo, 

 at least ninety per cent of the lumliermen having offices in the down- 

 lown district will have taken space for their offices In the Lumbermen's 

 Exchange building at the c<iruer of LaSalle and Madison streets. 



It is with the most profound regret that I have to announce at this 

 lime the loss of seven of our associates by death during the year: — 

 (leorge Farnswortli of the Oconto Company, .Tan. 27; S. P. C. 

 Hostler, May i:{; W. .1. Herring of Lord Lumber Co., May 26; ,Tohn A. 

 Nourse, ,7une 10; .7. C. Krupka of Burslk & Krupka, .July 30; Ben Col- 

 lins, Jr., Sept. 29 ; .Tobn Hader of .lohn ISader Lumber Company and 

 Bader-Peterson-Cook Company. Dec. 2,S. 



Our loss of members by resignation in 191.'J was In numbers only twen- 

 ly-six per cent of our loss in 1912. This goes to show that the slight 

 dissatisfaction in the minds of some of our members since the associa- 

 tion was re-organized on the present plan Is passing away and argues 

 lor greater stability in its present membership. It is almost incon- 

 ceivable that there should be in this city or county, in a business which 

 develops and includes so many broad-minded men as the lumber busi- 

 ness, a single Individual who can make the claim that membership in 

 this association Is not worth to him the cost of the annual dues. Or 

 ganizations, such as this is. are mighty forces in tin- business world of 

 today. No group of individuals, however talented, working singly as 

 individuals, can accomplish a fraction of the work that those same indi- 

 viduals working together for a common end can accomplish. 



I want to recall to your minds the address of Harry A. Wheeler, 

 president of the Chamber of Commerce of the T'nited States, at our 

 general meeting on November '2'>. Among other things he said, "You 

 cannot build a wail around your own business any more and succeed in 

 making progress. The member of your association who at the end of 

 the year will resign and say it is no good to him is the man who does 

 not come to your meetings, does not read your bulletins or come in con- 

 tact with the men who are doing things for their line of trade. The 

 man who comes around, gets into the game and studies with his fellows 

 the needs of the business will never resign." 



For the purpose of extending further the work of this association, we 

 resolved at that meeting to become affiliated with the Chamber of Com- 

 merce of the United States and your board of directors has appointed 

 a delegate to represent this association at its general meetings during 

 the year. 



.\s indicated by the reports of the chairmen of the difterent divisions, 

 while some divisions held regular meetings others have not been as 

 active as they might he. the reason doubtless being the unsettled con- 

 dition of the market during the latter half of the year and the seem- 

 ing futility of discussing these conditions. This is a condition which 

 should be remedied by the incoming administration. 



In concluson 1 wish to express my thanks for and appreciation of 

 the uniformly kind and loyal support of the board of directors during 

 the year and for tlu; ever willing cooperation and assistance of the mem- 

 I>ers of the different committees and their chairmen, and last but not 

 least of our ever faithful secretary, Edwin E. Hooper. I regard his 

 work as invaluable to the association. He is now serving his twenty- 

 sixth year in bis present position and I would wish him nothing worse 

 than to continue his services for twenty-six years more. 



The address by the secretary, E. E. Hooper, dealt largely with 

 statistics relating to the business of the association It was shown 

 that the total receipts of lumber, etc., at Chicago during the year 

 1913 aggregated, according to the best data obtainable, 2,804,276,000 

 teet of lumber, 507,796,000 shingles by rail and lake, and by lake 

 103,4.")0 lath, 36,740 cedar posts, 230,925 railroad ties. Of the fig- 

 ures given 240,276,000 feet lumber and timlier were reported from the 

 T^. S. custom house as lake receipts, leaving 2,564,000,000 feet of 

 liunlier and 507,796,000 shingles to represent receipts by rail. The 

 total volume of receipts shows an increase in lumber of 133,580,000 

 feet for the year 1913 and in shingles 6,145,000. 



Following is an analysis of the disposition of lumber and shingles 

 :it Cliic-igo for 1<)1.'^ iu'il 1912 for comparison. 



LuMBEn. 



191. 3. 1912. 



Invenh.rv at beginning of year 283..Sn.lGn 2."..i. 7110.107 



Iteceipts during year 2,804.276,000 2.670.G90.000 



Total stocks 3,088,037,160 2,926,462,107 



Inventory at close of year 282.734.053 283,811,160 



Total consumption 2.805,303.107 2.642,650,047 



Shipments 954,821,000 996,956.000 



