June 



1917 



A. E. CLAIiK. TOKONTO, ONT., 

 MEMBKK INSl'i;( TKIN COMMITTEE 



H. <■. FIIWI.KK, MACdX. GA.. 



mi;mi!EK inspection committee 



w. H. LEAH. I'liiLAnELniiA, pa., 

 member insi'ection committee 



to your attention these four iniportjint matters that vifall.v affect tor weal 

 or woe, the Uunlier industr.v of the nation. Each one of them demanils 

 .your serious attention. Each one of them directly or indirectly affects your 

 business for good or ill. The gooil book sa.ys "He that neglects to pro- 

 vide for his own, hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." If 

 the lumber trade does not look after its own interests with all the influence 

 and piiwer at its command, if adverse laws are enacted and unjust and 

 unfair regulations ma<le, it will he some satisfactitin . to know and feel 

 that we have done (uir duty to ourselves and the great Industry which we 

 represent. There is no older or more honorable business than ours, nor is 

 there any that has more honorable men engageil in it. The nniterial we 

 handle is the only one that has been dignified, ye«, sanctified by a divine 

 touch. "Anil when the Sabliath day was come, he began to teach in the 

 synagogue and many hearing Ilira were astonished, saying : 'from whence 

 hath this man these things/' And what wisdom is this, which is given 

 unto Him that such mighty works are wrought by His hands? Is not 

 this the carpenter, the son of MaryV" 



In a long and busy life, some honors have come to me, but* not one or 

 all of them can compare witli thi- great honor of being the chosen head of 

 the largest ami best commercial organization in the nation or North 

 America, as our (\Tnadian menibers ari' our allies and brothers. With our 

 membership, larger than all other hardwood associations combineil, we 

 have gone on from comimring to eoni|uer. We have Justified our e.vistence. 

 and accomplished what we set out to do. We have demonstrated our tise- 

 fulness to the trade. There has been no "variableness or shadow of turn- 

 ing" in giving to the wide world the best system of measurement and 

 Inspection of hardwood hnnher. There is room and a hearty welcome in 

 our association and I believe it is the legitimate place for eve;'y manu- 

 facturer of every kind of hardwood lundier and every wholesaler of it. 

 They can all do good and get good. I cannot umlerstand the particular 

 necessity of so many associations. Why not all unite In one big, sticcessful, 

 useful organization. Lots of good money can be saved and better results 

 secured. We are sound and solvent financially and 1 am sure I'very mem- 

 ber gets a good run for his money. While douils and thick darkness hangs 

 over the nation and no man can tell what a day may bring forth, our 

 • association has had 'he most prosperous .year In Its wh(de histcu-y. Like 



Postum, "There's a n^ason." Every nu'etlng of the executive < imittee 



and board of managers has been well attended and perfectly harmonious. 

 It has never been my privilege to, serve with better, more high-minded, 

 nobler men than those on these two committees. To these committees and 

 every member of the association I give my most sincere thanks for all 

 their courtesy and kindness to me, and I desire to say in his presence and 

 yours, that our very able Secretary-Treasurer Fish Justly deserves and Is 

 fairly entitled to the greatest credit for his able administration of our 

 association's affairs, A genial, lovable man, with an Immense stock of 

 sound, common sense. 



In deference to public opinion, anil in keeping with the spirit of the 

 times, it Is deemed best to dispense with liquor at our banquet. I trust 

 this will meet your approval. 



In the words of Tiny Tim, "God bless us every one, " and may the motto 

 of each one of us be what is stamped upon our coin, "In God We Trust." 



The Secretary's Report 

 The secretary of the association, Frank Y. Fish, read the annual 

 report, in which he revieweil the .year's business and explained the 

 affairs of the association. A careful and thorough account was given 

 of the inspection work in the several districts, with receipts and 

 expenditures. The total receipts from this branch of the association's 



—16— 



activities during the year exceeded $50,000. The total number of feet 

 inspected in that time was 176,332,112 'of hardwoods. The report in 

 full follows: 



In gathering here today this membership erects a new mile-stone in the 

 history of this association, because this meeting concludes twenty years 

 of successful operation of an organization that was established and which 

 has been maintained through a score of years for the purpose of promoting 

 tile [test interests of the hardwood trade, and it is only reasonable to hope 

 and confidently believe that this also is the beginning of another twenty 

 years of successful accomplishment, 



\t each of the last two meetings I took occasion to remark on the gen- 

 eral conditions prevailing In this country as a result of the war in Europe ; 

 but today war is no longer an abstract proposition having onl.v to do with 

 our neighbors across the sea — it is at our own door in concrete form, and 

 we find the entire nation engaged in the gigantic task of preparing itself 

 in a manner tliat will enalde Ibis country to give a satisfactory account of 

 itself In ail thi' matters that have been submitted to the arbitrament of the 

 swnril. The resources of the entire country are being mvibilizi'd in this 

 mighty endeavor, and the lunihermen will have their part in the work, and 

 1 believe when they are put to the test they will not be found wanting. 



The slogan of "Husiness as Usual," adopted by one of our allies in the 

 earlier stages of the European conflict, will not answer, because it will not 

 be business as usual ; nothing will be the same as it has been. It is not 

 possible to ignore the effect of war in our financial, industrial or commer- 

 cial Jictivities, because war as conducted toda.v touches our existence at 

 every point : but we can cry "Husiness in spite of war," for (he business of 

 tile ccMintr.v must go on. the arteries of commerce must continue to pulsate, 

 else the nation will die. It Is a duty, therefore, which we owe first to our 

 country and then to iiurselves, to put forth every energy we may possess 

 to keep the commerce of this country in as healthy a condition as jiossible 

 throughout the titanic struggle by which we are now beset; and, in doing 

 this, we must liold fast to all of the instrumentalities that have been proven 

 of benefit to us in the past, making them more effective than they have 

 ever been, and at the .same time lieing ready to locate and adopt any other 

 measure or measures that will tend to develoii the efliciency of our nation 

 as a whole. 



It is, therefore, not a time to neglect the affairs of this association, but 

 rather to endeavfu* to increase its strength and to develop all its latent 

 possilillities to the end that the hardwood lumber industry shall not be 

 found wanting when It is weighed in the balance of a great national need. 



There never was a time when the benefits to be derived from a close 

 organization of kindred interests were more apparent than they now are : 

 and there is no other,organization so well eiiuipped to deliver the goods to 

 the lountry at large and to its own membership as is the National Hard- 

 wood Lumber .\ssoclatiou today. The potent iality of the organization — 

 comprising nearly one thousand firms and corporations — cannot lie ex- 

 pressed in any recognized unit of force, but it is well to understand that 

 this potentiality is lost and of no value unless It is intelligently directed 

 along practical lines that will insure results most desirable to be obtained. 

 It is time for the members of this association to become fully alive to the 

 respunsiblllty which devolves upon each of them in regard to conducting 

 tlic allairs of this association and to awaken to the wonderful possibilities 

 that are presented In the situation If the full power of the association be 

 developed along mutually advantageous lines. It is not within the province 

 of the duties assigned to the secretary to iniiicale what action this mem- 

 bership should take to briug about this comlitinn. but I can advise .vou that 

 this association is stronger and better equipped in every way to meet any 

 emergency that may confront its membership than ever before In Its his- 

 tory which has been twenty years in the making. 



