November 10, 1921 



Hardwood Record — Veneer & Panel Section 



35 



Better Terms for Furniture Get Strong Backing 



Vigilance Committee of Associated Advertising Clubs of World Approves Work of National Council 

 of Furniture Associations and Suggests Definitions That Sfiould Be Used 



The movement begun by the National Council of Fur- the committee, with the idea of producing terms that may 

 niture Associations to establish definitions for their prod- be applied to all kinds of furniture, not merely that manu- 

 ucts that will honestly describe the materials used in their factured by any one group or set of groups: 



manufacture and thus elevate the ethics of their trade, 

 was given powerful impetus at a meeting held in Cleve- 

 land, Ohio, by the Vigilance Committee of the Associated 

 Advertising Clubs of the World on Tuesday, November 8. 

 The work of the furniture council was commended and a 

 series of classifications were adopted along the lines laid 

 down by them at their meeting at Hot Springs, Va., in 

 September. 



These terms were merely suggestive and it is the under- 

 standing of the Cleveland meeting that they are to be 

 subject to amendment by interested parties until they are 

 finally acceptable and accepted by all. when they are to 

 become the authoritative standards of the trade. 



The purpose of the committee in calling the meeting 

 was to promote the development of standards for furni- 

 ture classification which not only can be used in the sale 

 from the manufacturer to the retailer, but are thoroughly 

 comprehensible and significant to the layman in his pur- 

 chasing of furniture from the retailer. 



Plan to Sell Entire Trade 



The meeting was attended by representatives of furni- 

 ture manufacturers, lumber manufacturers, furniture re- 

 tailers and the furniture and lumber trade press. It was 

 presided over by Richard Lee, counsel for the Vigilance 

 Committee, who was tendered an invitation to attend the 

 annual meeting of the National Retail Furniture Dealers' 

 Association at Grand Rapids in January, where it is hoped 

 the manufacturers and retailers of furniture may be 

 brought together and the whole industry, at one time, 

 "sold" not only the idea of the four square definitions 

 but the vi^onderful spirit behind the great constructive work 

 of the Vigilance Committee toward purifying American 

 trade practices. 



In his introductory talk, Mr. Lee, accorded some credit 

 to Law^yer Hawke of Cincinnati for the movement for 

 honest representation of furniture, but declared that w^hile 

 some good had come of Hawke's efforts, his methods 

 were doomed to fail because they were unethical and 

 compulsory, while no permanent good can come from a 



"(a) SOLID THROUGHOUT: This to describe such 

 furniture as is composed in every particular entirely of 

 solid wood of the kind in question. 



"(b) SOLID EXTERIOR: Those pieces, the exposed 

 or exterior parts of which, are made of solid wood of the 

 kind in question, other parts to be of such woods as in the 

 judgment of the manufacturer are best suited to the pur- 

 pose. 



"(c) BUILT-UP: Bed Room or Dining Room Fur- 

 niture shall have all exteriors, except Case Back, Case 

 Bottom and Mirror Back, of the kind of wood designated. 

 The Tops, Fronts and Ends may be Built-Up (meaning 

 Veneers). It was the sense of the meeting that the words 

 veneers or veneering should not be used in retail advertis- 

 ing to the buyer of furniture, but that every effort should 

 be made to kill the term as applied to cabinet work. 



"(d) COMBINATION: Bed Room or Dining Room 

 furniture designated as COMBINATION shall have the 

 tops. Drawer Fronts, or Doors and Ends of Built-up or 

 solid wood of the kind designated, the remainder of 

 the case to be constructed of such v^foods as the manu- 

 facturer may consider most suitable for the purpose. The 

 term COMBINATION should always be accompanied by 

 an accurate description of what the combination consists, 

 as to kinds of wood used. 



"(e) FINISH: This term should be used only in con- 

 nection with an accurate statement of the name of the 

 wood of which the furniture is made. 



"(f) Furniture shall always be called by the name of 

 the wood of which it is made, and not by the name of a 

 substitute or fanciful name tending to mislead." 



The meeting went on record as recommending that 

 with an indelible stamp there be placed on each piece of 

 furniture shipped, the letter designating its classification 

 as "A," "B," "C." etc., this to apply of course only as 

 to standards of materials used and not as to values. 



Furniture Council Terms 



The following are the terms adopted by the National 



movement of this kind except through conversion by Council of Furniture Associations at Hot Springs, and 



means of education. since ratified by the National Alliance of Case Goods 



The status of the committee's meeting in Cleveland Manufacturers and the Central Bureau of Dining Table 



was informal and because of this its actions were merely Manufacturers, the latter with two minor amendments: 



advisory. But, nevertheless, they will be followed 



through, until out of them has come a clear definition of 

 standards of furniture materials, which neither the furni- 

 ture manufacturer nor the furniture dealer can afford to 



Definitions Suggested 



"SOLID 



"Bed Room or Dining Room Furniture designated as SOLID 

 shall have all exteriors except case back, case bottom and mirror 

 back, of solid wood of the kind designated. 



"The interior of the case may be constructed of such woods as 



The following are in eif act the definitions developed by the manufacturer may consider most suitable for the purpose. 



