Januar\ ^Ti, llHi 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



21 



North Launches New Publicity Drives 



Assessments for Nation-Wide Exploitation of Birch and Maple Authorized 

 at Annual Meeting of Northern Hemlock and Hardwood Manufacturers' 

 Association; Fox is Unanimously Re-elected President 



A rousing vote of eoufideiu'e in tlu' future was recorded by tlie 

 Northern Hemlock and Hardwood Manufacturers Association at its 

 annual meeting at the Plister Hotel in Milwaukee, Wis., on January 

 20, when the members unanimously decided to enter into a new- 

 nation-wide birch promotion campaign and in addition the nation- 

 wide exploitation of maple. 



The formal aspect of this decision was the indorsement of a reso- 

 lution drafted by the Board of Directors of the Association, which 

 stated that "it is the unanimous opinion of the Board of Directors 

 that we recommend to the convention that we assess all members 

 25 cents per thousand on birch shipments for promotion purposes, 

 and 10 cents per thousand on maple, the maple assessment being 

 contingent upon the Michigan Hardwood Manufacturers- Associa- 

 tion voting a similar assessment." 



J. C. Knox of Cadillac, Mich., secretary-manager of the Michigan 

 Hardwood Manufacturers Association, was 

 present and announced that at a meeting of 

 his association in Detroit on the previous 

 day the members had unanimously agreed to 

 an assessment of 5 cents per thousand feet 

 on maple shipments, for the purposes of co- 

 operating with the N. H. & H. M. A. in their 

 maple advertising campaign. He said that in 

 cents might .just as easily have been agreeil 

 upon had the members of his association 

 known that this assessment was desired. Ar- 

 rangements might be made to raise the 

 assessment to the desired sum, he believed. 



The maple asessment will exclude flooring, 

 as the maple flooring manufacturers arc 

 already conducting an advertising campaign, 

 .and will apply to No. 3 and better maple. 



Among other important action taken by 

 the association was the adoption of grading 

 rules applying to hemlock timbers thicker 

 than 2 incli and rules for No. 3 lath; the 

 autliorization of a committee to co-operate 

 with the sales code committee of the Na- 

 tional Hardwood Lumber Association, the 

 underwriting of a subscription to the Blue 

 Book for each of the 90 or more members, 

 for a total of $3,600. 



In spite of his earnest efforts to be relieved from responsibility, 

 M. J. Fox of the Von-Platen Fox Lumber Co., Iron Mountain, Mich., 

 who devotedly served tlie association as president during 1921, was 

 unanimously re-elected. Earlier in the meeting President Fox had 

 asked that his name not be considered for re-election, because of 

 the present heavy burden of his private business affairs, but wlien 

 the report of the nominating committee was made by Geo. N. 

 Harder, chairman, he feelingly expressed the affection of the mem- 

 bers for their 1921 president, and urged the necessity of his con- 

 tinued presence at the helm of the association. Mr. Fox was forced 

 to yield to the enthusiasm with which this nomination was received 

 by the members. 



With Mr. Fox the members elected C. C. Collins, vice-president ; 

 Geo. E. Foster, treasurer; B. B. Goodman, E. A. Hamar, W. B. 

 Clubine, Geo. N. Harder, Chas. K. Kinzel and Chas. W. Fish, direc- 

 tors; J. R. McQuillan, chairman of the Committee on Grades; M. V. 

 McCuUough, chairman of the Bureau of Promotion; J. L. Osborne, 

 chairman of the committee on Legislation and Transjiortation. 



Mr. Harder explained that the committee had recommended the 



M. J. Fox, Re-Elected President 



The undcrwiiting w-as 



ri-eU'ction of some of its own members as directors, because it 

 thought it best to keep the same leaders at the head of the associa- 

 tion (luring tliis critic.-il juncture in tlie affairs of the lumber indus- 

 try, and bad policy to make a change at such time. The nominating 

 committee comprised besides Mr. Harder, W. B. Clubine and A. L. 

 Osborne. 



The report of the resolutions committee, presented by R. B. 

 Goodman, chairman, contained four resolutions. The first indorsed 

 the plan for the construction of an inland waterway through the 

 Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean, and urged that the congressmen 

 and senators of the Lake States use their influence to secure favor- 

 able action on the project from the Federal government. The 

 second expressed disapproval of the proposed legislation providing 

 for tlie transfer of the Forest Service from the Department of 

 Agriculture to the Department of the Interior and asked that this 

 transfer be not made. The third resolution 

 instructed the Secretary of the association to 

 express the association's indorsement of 

 House Roll 9j7.T, providing an appropriation 

 of $40,000 for the establishment of a Forest 

 Experiment Station for the Lake States, and 

 urge the Congressmen and Senators of Wis- 

 consin, Michigan and Minnesota to support 

 the measure in the National Congress. The 

 fourth resolution expressed the deep grief of 

 tlie association at the death of Murdock 

 McLeod. 



The principal speaker of the day was 

 Wilson Compton of Washington, D. C, 

 secretary-manager of the National Lumber 

 Manufacturers Association. Dr. Compton 

 discussed the Supreme Court decision in the 

 American Hardwood Manufacturers Associa- 

 tion case, which was handed down just one 

 month prior to the meeting at which ho 

 spoke. He deplored the inclination of some 

 trade associations to be panic stricken by 

 the ruling and pointed out the folly of pre- 

 cipitate action. It would be most unwise 

 and presumptuous of him, he declared, to 

 attempt to deduce from the decision a specific jilan of action for 

 any trade association. But he believed that any association which 

 conducted its activities as good citizens and with a sensitive regard 

 for the interests of the public as well as them.selves w-ould not come 

 in conflict with the decision. Because of the attitude of Govern- 

 mental departments the decision in the hardwood case had created 

 a problem not only for lumber associations, but all trade organiza- 

 tions in the land, he said. However, the fact remains that the 

 decision itself "did not settle anything." It did not alter the 

 fundamental law of the land nor create new law. The Supreme 

 Court's ruling was based strictly upon the facts in the record of 

 this one case and can not be specifically applied to other associa- 

 tions. The decision does not involve a wholesale decapitation of 

 trade associations, and the Government has sho^vn no disposition 

 to destroy the legitimate co-operative efforts of business men. In 

 short, trade associations should continue to be guided in their 

 activities by the law as it now stands; they should seek the best 

 Iiossilde legal advice on w-hat the law is and then lie guided by 

 their conscience. 



In his annual address, delivered shortly after the opening of the 

 meeting, O. T. Swan, secretary-manager of the association ileclared 



