February 25, 1918 



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Manufacturers Appoint Committees 



As an aftornmth of the meeting of tho executive committee of 

 the American Hardwood Manufacturers' Association, held at 

 Memphis recently, the organization has been further perfected by 

 the appointment of tho standing committees which are to look 

 after various phases of the work of this body. 



The association plans to make a drive for a large and repre- 

 sentative membership and to this end the executive committee has 

 selected a membership committee of unusual proportions with a 

 view to having one member thereon in each section of the country 

 covered by this body. This membership committee is composed 

 of the following: 



W. A. Ransom, Gayoso Lumber Company, Memphis, chairman ; T. M. 

 Brown, W. P. Brown & Sons Lumber Company, Louisvliic, Ky. ; G. II. 

 Hoiioway, Utley-IIoiioway Company, Chicago; C. H. Murphy, Saline 

 River Lumber Company, Pine BlufT. .\rl!. : Ralph May, May Brothers, 

 Memphis ; W. P. Brewer, Brewcr-Neinsteilt Lumber Company, Mlltonberg, 

 la.; Frank F. Fee. Fee-Crnyton Ilarihvood Lumber Company, Dinmott. 

 Ark. ; F. L. Gregory, Biiss-Cook Oak Company. Bllssville. Ark. ; Chester 

 F. Korn. Tiiiingle Lumber Company. Cincinnati: R. M. Carrier, Carrier 

 Lumber & Manufacturing Company, Sarilis, Miss. ; J. F. MeSweyn, Mem- 

 pnis Band Jnu Company, Memphis ; McEwen Ransom, John B. Ransom 

 ft Co.. Nashville, Tenn. : W. C. Bonuer, J. IT. Bonner & Sons, Memphis : 

 8. M. Nlekey. Green River Lumber Company, Memphis: II. .1. IiiKiam, 

 Stont Lumber Company, Thornton, Ark. 



It is likewise planned to have the offices of all the associations 

 in Memphis — the American Hardwood Manufacturers, the Southern 

 -Mluvial Land and the Soutliern Hardwood Traffic — on the same 

 floor of the Bank of Commerce & Trust Company building for the 

 convenience of the members of these bodies. There are many 

 members of one who are connected with one or more, or with all, 

 of these organizations and the idea is to facilitate transaction of 

 such business as they may have with these various organizations. 

 The committee which will handle this subject is composed of the 

 following: 



B. F. Dulweber, Memphis, chairman ; II. B. Weiss, George C. Brown 

 & Co., Memphis, and James E. Stark, James E. Stark & Company, Mem- 

 phis. 



C. L. Harrison, Cape Girardeau, Miss , constitutes the advertis- 

 ing committee at the moment but there is to be a governing com- 

 mittee for each hardwood lumber or each department and one of 

 the members of each of these governing committees is to serve on 

 the advertising committee, with the result that Mr. Harrison is 

 simply chairman of the whole and that the committee will be of 

 considerable size when . all the departments contemplated have 

 been organized. 



The other committees are given herewith: 



E.iECCTiVE — R. L. Jurden, president, ex-offlclo chairman ; E. A. Lang. 

 Chicago ; R. M. Carrier, Sardls, Miss. : M. B. Cooper, J. W. McCluio. 

 James E. Stark and T>. F. Dulweber, Memphis. 



Finance — -B. F. Dviiweber, Kractzer-Curcd Lumber Company, Mom- 

 phis, chairman ; Mark IT. Brown, Brown & Hackney, Inc.. Memphis ; p. F. 

 Ilouer, A. N. Thompson & Co., Memphis ; W. L. Crenshaw, Crensbaw- 

 Gary Lumber Company, Memphis, and W. L. Coulson, Coulson Lumber 

 Company, Memphis. 



Assessment — -J. W. McClure, Bcllgradc Lumber Company, Memphis, 

 chairman; R. C. Stlmson, Stlmson Veneer & Lumber Company, Memphis; 

 W. E. Hyde. Ilj'de Lumber Company, Memphis; R. Sondheimer, B. Sond- 

 helmer Company, Memphis, and Homer Alexander, Alexander Brothers, 

 Beizoni, Miss. 



Repoiits & Statistics — M. B. Cooper, Three States Lumber Company. 

 .Memphis, chairman ; R. II. Darnell, R. J. Darnell, Inc., Memphis, and 

 R. T. Cooper, Memphis Band Mill Ciunpany, .Memphis. 



The association is receiving numerous letters from members com- 

 plimenting it on the aggressive manner in which it has begun its 

 work. Special commendation has been tendered on the issuance 

 of weekly instead of monthly sales reports because it is realized 

 that, in the present situation, with prices changing so rapidly 

 and with conditions generally so uncertain, sales reports a month 

 old are of rather questionable service while those issued weekly 

 are of inestimable value. The association has just begun issuing 

 these reports weekly. • 



The association is much pleased with the attitude of those mem- 

 bers from whom it has heard regarding sending in bona fide sales 



reports. Four prominent firms have advised the association that 

 they are perfectly willing to send in actual copies of sales reports 

 as forwarded to their mill foreman, including the name of the buy- 

 ing individual, firm or corporation. They believe that this method 

 will insure most satisfactory results because it will remove all 

 possible suspicion regarding both sales and prices. They point out 

 that they rely on the superior character of their product to insure 

 commanding the patronage which they are now receiving and that, 

 if they arc not able to hold their customers on this basis, they are 

 not entitled to keep them. 



Plans arc being worked out which will enable John M. Pritchard, 

 secretary-manager of the association, to spend part of his time in 

 Memphis in tho interest of this organization. Nothing, however, 

 can be given out for publication at this time as to just how this 

 will be accomplished. The idea is to secure part of his time with- 

 out impairing his usefulness as manager of the Southern Hardwood 

 Emergency Bureau at Washington. ' 



Minimizing Lumber Handling 



Furniture and llooriug factories and other cousumcrs of lumber 

 give thoughtful attention to eliminating unnecessary handling 

 after the lumber has reached the stock sawyer and begins its way 

 as raw material through the plant. It has long been recognized as a 

 waste to run stock through a machine and let it drop or be piled 

 on the floor where it must be taken up and loaded on a truck for 

 conveyance to the next machine. In the modern plant stock goes 

 from the machine either directl}- on to trucks or to conveyors which 

 carry it to the next point. Quite a science has been made of this 

 subject iuside the factory, but more attention should be given the 

 handling of lumber outside the factory. 



This is a thought that came to mind recently while looking over 

 the out-lay at a flooring plant which had been carefully planned 

 both for receiving lumber and for shipping out the finished product. 

 The plans included a dry kiln where additional compartments could 

 be put on as increased capacity might be needed. Fronting the 

 dry kiln were transfer trucks and tracks which would carry any 

 truck of lumber from any kiln compartment directly to the receiving 

 end of the factory and start it on its way without rehandliug after 

 drying. At the other end of the dry kiln, considerable lumber was 

 piled fairly convenient to tho loading or piling platform. The side 

 track was parallel with the plant, convenient to unload from the 

 ears to piles which were near enough to be drawn from, and the 

 lumber piled on dry-kiln trucks. 



But at that point there was extra handling of lumber. The extra 

 time consisted in putting it down in piles from which it had to be 

 taken up again and loaded on dry-kiln trucks. Here was an oppor- 

 tunity to eliminate one time handling by following out the same 

 idea put into practice at the other end of the kiln, that of having 

 a transfer track and a series of trucks on which lumber could be 

 piled as it came from the cars. This would call for a little more 

 space, a little more investment in trucks and tracks, but it would 

 minimize the handling and ought to justify itself at many plants 

 where lumber is handled several times. 



In some instances this idea is being put into practice. When 

 lumber is received on the car it is sorted and piled on trucks, the 

 trucks and piles being made to fit into dry-kiln compartments, which 

 eliminates one time handling. Sorting and distributing to different 

 trucks can be accomplished readily by the use of gravity conveyors 

 and in many instances quite a saving in labor cost effected by a plan 

 of this kind. It is just as important to minimize the labor item 

 in handling lumber between the car and the dry-kiln as it is to elim- 

 inate useless handling of lumber from the dry-kiln through the fac- 

 tory. 



The way tho "little things" are done about tho factory usually 

 indicates the measure of success of the concern. Where little 

 things are neglected, greater things may also be neglected. 



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