34 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



September 25, 1917 



Fish Tenders National Hardwood Services 



The two following letters were recently received by Hardwood Recobd, 

 and are published herewith as a matter of news. As they explain them- 

 selves, comment on their contents is hardly necessary : 



Our attention has been called to an article which appeared in 



of September 8 as a special telegram from Washington, published under 

 the heading ■H.iRDWOOI) MAXTIACTrRERS CRITICISE GOVERN- 

 MENT BULLETIN ON OAK Tl.MHKKS ■ 



Inasmuch as this article is iiiislcailin^' and the statements therein per- 

 taining to the writer's recent visit to Washington are absolutely false, 

 we feel that it is our duty to the entire hardwood trade to place our 

 position with reference to hardwood requirements of the government 

 squarely before every one interested, and accordingly enclose copy of letter 

 written the chairman of the subcommittee on lumber and will thank you 

 to publish this letter together with copy of letter to the chairman of the 

 subcommittee on lumber in the next issue of your valuable journal. 

 Yours very truly, 

 The National Haudwood Lumber Association, 



Frank F. Fish, Secretary-treasurer. 



Copy of letter from Frank F. Fish, secretary-treasurer National Hard- 

 wood Lumber Association to R. II. Downman, chairman, subcommittee on 

 lumber, Washington, D. C. 



This letter is addressed to you in my capacity as an executive officer 

 of the National Hardwood Lumber Association, an organization with a 

 membership of over 900 firms and corporations engaged in the wholesale 

 production and distribution of hardwood lumber. It is my understand- 

 ing' that you are chairman of a subcommittee duly authorized to assist 

 the government in making purchases of such quantities and kinds of lum- 

 ber as may be required, at this critical juncture, to efficiently carry out 

 the preparations for war that are now so earnestly engaging the attention 

 of all good Americans. 



The purpose of this letter is to unreservedly place at your disposal 

 all the forces of the organization which I represent to the end that the 

 co-operation of the entire hardwood trade may be brought to bear in 

 securing intelligent, prompt and efficient service to the government In 

 obtaining this class of supplies. Through the mediumship of the National 

 Hardwood Lumber Association the entire supply of hardwood lumber in 

 this country can be promptly mobilized, the amount of stock of any given 

 kind of lumber can be ascertained and exact information regarding the 

 supply can be turned in to you without delay. Prices can be co-ordinated 

 thus protecting the government from excessive charges and prompt deliv- 

 ery can be guaranteed. ^ 



In addition to these general advantages which this organization is 

 pleased to tender to the government through your committee, this asso- 

 ciation has a corps of competent hardwood lumber inspectors, numbering 

 forty-eight, located in all of the leading hardwood lumber markets of the 

 country. They are picked men and the best inspectors that can be found 

 in the entire' hardwood field. This association offers this entire corps 

 of trained experts to the government to assist in the work of inspecting 

 and measuring any hardwood lumber which the government may purchase 

 at this time. The acceptance of this offer guarantees honest "grade and 

 fair count on every purchase that the government may make. We are 

 not asking you to in any way delegate the functions of your committee 

 to this association or to anyone else, but we offer to your committee the 

 co-operation of an organization that stand ready to serve you and serve 

 the country at a time when efficient service is most keenly required. 



Tile writer was in Washington from .August 23 to .\ugust .'10 and en- 

 deavored to place this matter before yun in person, but unfortunately was 

 unable to do so and is, therefore, obliged to resort to this method to make 

 the tender. I trust tbat you will receive this communication in the 

 spirit in which it is submitted and tbat you will see fit to command 

 me and the National Hardwood Liiiiibcr .Association along the lines sug- 

 gested above. 



National Hardwood Members Invited to Join Hardwood 

 Emergency Bureau 



Frank F. Fish, secretary of the National Hardwood Lumber Associa- 

 tion, has forwarded to Hardwood Record the two following letters per- 

 taining to the question of full mobilization of the country's resources 

 in behalf of the war work : 



UNITED STATES SHIPPING BOARD E.MERGENCY FLEET CORPORA- 

 TION, W.VSHINGTON. 



September 5, 1917. 

 Frank F. Fish. Secretary, National Hardwood Lumber .Ass'n., 



t'hicago. 111. 

 Dear Sir : 



NATIONAL HARDWOOD ASSOCIATION 

 Mr. F. B. Lord, assistant to the chairman, advises that you have 

 offered your assistance and that of your organization in furnishing such 

 hardwood lumber as may be required for the use of the Emergency Fleet 

 Corporation. 



This is very kind of you and we assure you that we thoroughly appre- 

 ciate it. 



The Southern Hardwood Emergency Bureau, Cincinnati, Ohio, has been 

 formed with a view of bringing the Emergency Fleet Corporation in 

 touch with the manufacturer, as the government feels that the purchase 

 of their requirements through jobbers and wholesalers would bring aliout 

 a chaotic condition of competition and disorganization of tlie lumber 

 market as it applies to the producer of tbis class of material. 



We wish to extend to you and all the manufacturing members of your 

 organization a sincere invitation to become members of the Southern 

 Hardwood Emergency Bureau and in doing so they will show a spirit of 

 patriotism and their sincere intention of cooperation. 

 Very truly yours, 



(Signed) Frank B. Browne. 

 Asst. Gen. Purchasing Officer. 

 September 12, 1917. 

 United States Shipping Board, Emergency Fleet Corporation, 

 Washington, D. C. 



Frank B. Browne, Asst. General Purchasing Officer. 

 Dear Sir : 



I have your letter of September 5 and desire to call your attention to 

 the fact that in tendering the co-operation of this association, which I 

 represent, it was not only to asist in the purchase of lumber required for 

 th^ use of the Emergency I'Meet Corpciration. but also to assist in the pur- 

 chase of all other hardwood lumber required by the government, of which 

 the demands of the fleet corporation arc only a small part. While the 

 Southern Hardwood Emergency Bureau may be able to render some serv- 

 ice in the present situation, it is not bringing the government in touch 

 with all of the hardwood lumbermen wlio are in a position to serve the 

 government at this time, and therefore I am unable to understand Just 



why a subscription to that bureau should be regarded by you or by 

 anyone else as a competent test of patriotism. 



If anything is required at this time, it is to co-ordinate all business 

 interests in the tasks set before this country, of defeating its enemies, 

 and any attempt made to divide a trade into warring elements and to 

 parcel out the business of the government to u favored faction will 

 ultimately result in a greater degree of chaos than possibly could result 

 from the encouragement of open competition in the markets of this 

 country in the purchase of hardwood lumber or any other commodity. 



The sincerity of my intention is evidenced by the fact that I am tender- 

 ing to the government, without condition, the co-operation of an asso- 

 ciation comprising over 900 firms and corporations of the liighe.st stand- 

 ing in the trade; and the sincerity of your department may well be 

 gauged by whether it accepts or rejects this offer. 



Awaiting your further favors, I beg to remain. 

 Your very truly, 



F. F. Fish, Secretary-treasurer. 



Will Not Use Full Capacity for Ammunition Containers 



In the issue of Septi-iiibt-r 10 Hardwood Uecoud published an article 

 among Wisconsin news notes stating that the Hardwood Products Com- ' 

 panj' of Neenah had secured a contract for ammunition containers which 

 would require the entire output of the plant for many months. Hard- 

 wood Record has received the following letter from E. D. Reals, presi- 

 dent, which corrects the wrong impression given in that item : 



In the Hardwood Record of September 10, page 42, under news items 

 of Wisconsin, we find that you have published a statement concerning our 

 contract for manufacturing munition containers, in which you state that 

 the contract "will riKjuire the entire output of the plant for many months." 

 As this statement is entirely incorrect, we trust you will correct same in 

 your next issue. 



The contract in questicm will keep a portion of our plant busy for several 

 months but we will continue manufacturing doors and milhvork as here- 

 tofore. Anyone reading your article who might l)e in the market for 

 doors, would naturally assume that we had discontinued the manufac- 

 ture of doors and would so discontinue sending us llieir inquiries. Y'ou 

 can appreciate that such a news item might do us considerable damage. 



White Interests Buy Control of Big Lumber Companies 



Current news contains the announcement of the acquiring of cv)ntrolling 

 interest in the Theodor Kundtz t'ompany, thg largest hardwood user in 

 Cleveland, by the White Sewing Machine Company ami the White Com- 

 pany, making the White automobile and the White truck, also more or 

 less closely allied with the new White Tractor Company. The Theodor 

 Kundtz Company, the largest woodworking plant in t'leveland, is capi- 

 talized at ^2,000,000, and has for many years held contracts from t|)C 

 various White plants for the manufacture of sewing machine cabinets, 

 automobile and truik bodies, and automobile wheels. It is also important 

 as manufacturer of church and school furniture. The main plant of the 

 company is at WJnslow and Elm aveuuei>, near tlie Superior viaduct. 

 There is a second jilaut at Lakewood, the western suburb of Cleveland. 



Theodor Kundtz continues as president of the organization, while W. W. 

 Chase, secretary of the White Sewing Machine Company, becomes vice- 

 president. New directors of tbe Theodor Kundtz Company are A. S. 

 Rodgers, vice-president of the White Company, and Charles Cosgrove. 

 assistant superintendent. The White Company is incorporated at 5!3,000,- 

 000 and the White Sewing Machine Company at 5;i.2.'.."i,000. 



With the West Virginia Trade 



Hardwood Record has the following letter from W. T. Digglns of Dlg- 

 gins & Holden, operating in the lumber busines.s at Centralla, W. Va. : 



The lumber business is very strong now with upward tendency in most 

 all hardwoods. Mine rails, props and ties are in great dciiiMnd, in fact, 

 everything In the lumber line Is hard to purchase, ami owing to the labor 

 conditions some of tbe largest manufactures are cut down in production 

 as enough help cannot be obtained to run tbe milLs, and labor is wanting 

 at least $3.00 per day. Then the car situation maU.s deliveries uncer- 

 tain. Yet there are a number of new concerns starting in this near com- 

 munity. The Central Lumber Company of Burnsvillc which has been 

 in the planing mill and wholesale business has purch.ised a trad of tim- 

 ber and has lieen building a clrculat' mill at Bakers Hun. It will start 

 to saw lumber as soon as water can be had. The Thomas & Morton Lum- 

 ber Company has purchased 1,100 acres of hardwood timberlands on the 

 north side of Elk river at Bakers Run and will have its circular mill 

 ready to start in the next few days. The Davis-Eaken Lumber Company, 

 with large hand mill at Skyles, W. Va., has put in a new horizontal 

 band resaw to increase capacity. This company c.in finish in a vear or 

 so, where it is now located and will then move to Centralia to cut a 

 12,000-acre tract in this section. Two thousand acres of the 12.000 is 

 virgin timber of the finest kind. 



A great many of the small mills have been Idle owing to the drougli 

 but recent heavy rains will enable them to start. .\ good many of 

 the wholesale lumbermen are catering now to mine timbers and props in 

 the central i.arl of the state. I find that tbe lumbermen in our sec- 

 tion have not gotten in on the government oak orders and I tbink they 

 have let sonie good things pass tbat they could have shared in haif they 

 been awake. 



Can Supply Lignum-Vitae 

 Consul Claude E. Guyant at Barranquilla, Columbia, reports as follows: 

 .A firm iii Rarranqullla claims to be in position to furnish lignum-vltaj 

 in fairly bir^'' lots at a cost of $12 to $15 per ton, landed in Barranquilla. 

 the price d.r>cnding upon the difficulties of transportation. Tbe firm Ik 

 newly estalilishcd here. The manager states that he can obtain llgnum- 

 vltse In lets u]i to 200 tons with three to four weeks' notice, in logs .S" 

 to 12" in ili.inieter cut into 3' or 4' lengths. 



It is siii;i;csted that if the needs of any American manufacturers arc 

 such that tiay desire to investigate tbe Colombian scjurce of supply, thev 

 might send a representative to Barranquilla to arrange a contract wltli 

 this firm. 



