SeiJtember 10, 11U5. 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



23 



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Clubs and Associations 



Big Rate Meeting in Chicago on September 15 



Regardinj; ihe y-nin-al cuni(--rt-'UCL' oi lumb<_T organizatious ou the ques- 

 tion of reclassification 'of freight rates, R. S. Kellogg, secretary of the 

 National Lumber Manufacturers' Association, which organization is tak- 

 ing, general charge of the work, has the following to say : 



As a result of conferences and corr<-spondenco with organizations and 

 representatives of various branches of the lumber industry, upon the ques- 

 tion of lumber rates and classification. President Downman of the Na- 

 tional Lumber Manufacturers' Association has issued a call for a gen- 

 eral meeting in Chicago on Wednesday, September lu, beginning at 10 

 a. m. in the east room of the La Salle hritel. 



Every association affiliated with the National Lumber Manufacturers' 

 Association has endorsed the action of the executive committee of the 

 latter organization in the plan proposed for appearing before the In- 

 terstate "Commerce Commission. Each of the amliated associations has 

 been asked to send to the meeting in Chicago, September 15, a commit- 

 tee of three members, with full power to act for its association, which 

 will later beco,me a part of the general committee of the National Lum- 

 ber Manufacturers' Association, to handle the case before the com- 

 mi.ssion. 



Representatives of the National Hardwood Lumber Association, the 

 National Association of Box Manufacturers, the National Slack Cooperage 

 Manufacturers' Association, the retail associations and others will par- 

 ticipate in the conference, and it is expected that the result of the meet- 

 ing will be the adoption of a common platform, upon which all branches 

 of the lumber industry can get together in the presentation of the case 

 to the Interstate Commerce Commission. The lumbermen have complained 

 for many years that lumber tratEc is bearing more than its share of 

 carrying costs, and also that the classifications of lumber and lumber 

 products have not been worked out on any scientific basis. They wel- 

 come, therefore, the opportunity to place all the facts before the com- 

 mission, and will take the necessary steps to this end. 



Chicago Association Credit Bureau Successfully Launched 



On September 7 the office of the credit bureau of the Lumbermen's 

 Association of Chicago was opened formally in the association rooms, 

 404 Lumber Exchange building, this city, and is now in active opera- 

 tion with the promise that it will work out successfully for all members 

 of the organization. The purpose of the bureau will be to interchange 

 information among members with regard to bad accounts, and to stimu- 

 late collections. All members of the association are entitled to the serv- 

 ice, and all nt the information in the possession of the bureau will be 

 at the disposal of members. Of course, the usual confidence will be main- 

 tained in handling the various cases. 



No charge will be made directly for the information service, the bureau 

 to be maintained by a comission of five per cent chargeable on all ac- 

 counts paid while in the hands of the bureau for its attention. The 

 bureau is not a collection agency and does not receive accounts expressly 

 for collection, or retain them indefinitely. An account is subject to the 

 attention of the bureau only until it is bulletined or otherwise disposed 

 of, an interval of two or three weeks at the outside, and the commis- 

 sion Is accordingly payable only on prompt settlements. 



The association has through the credit bureau issued a book of rules 

 under which the bureau will operate. 



George C. King is manager. 



Veneer and Panel Men Adopt Reclassification Policy 



The National Veneer and Panel Manufacturers' Association convened 

 in a special meeting at the Congress hotel on Tuesday, September 7, 

 to decide on the best policy to be pursued in connection with the pro- 

 posed recla.^sification of freight rates. The results were harmonious 

 and supported by the organization unanimously. It was decided to ap- 

 point a committee to work out the necessary data and to secure such 

 additional expert help as is needed. 



President B. W. Lord was In the chair. 



Association Employs Traffic Manager 



One of the most important advances made in some time by the North- 

 ern Hemlock and Hardwood Manufacturers' Association is the addition 

 of a trafljc department to be run in connection with the association work. 

 Traffic matters as affecting the lumber business have become so com- 

 plicated recently that the proposition of employing a traffic manager to 

 look .tfter the interests of the association has been under consideration 

 for some time, and at a meeting of the bureau of transportation and leg- 

 islation of the association two weeks ago, F. M. Ducker of Cairo, 111., 

 was selected to act in the above capacity. 



Mr. Ducker has for the past three years acted as traffic manager for 

 the Cairo Association of Commerce. Cairo, 111. Altogether he has had 

 thirteen years' experience in the traffic line, his first work being v/ith 

 the railroads in various rate capacities, and later with a number of the 

 larger sawmill operations in the South. Mr. Ducker was highly recom- 

 mended by the Cairo association, and by others from whom the associa- 

 tion sought references, and his ability, efficiency and knowledge of traf- 

 fic work and rate conditions generally were very favorably spoken of. 

 His experience covers the handling of claims and rate litigation before 

 the Interstate Commerce Commission, being able to file such complaints 

 and following same up to the filing of the briefs. He is thoroughly 

 familiar with the legal end of the transportation of lumber, as has been 

 promulgated from time to time by the Interstate Commerce Commission, 

 and will bring with him for the new work a fair traffic library consist- 

 ing of the bound reports of the Interstate Commerce Commission, and 



many other important books on traffic matters ; In fact, a library that 

 will assist him in giving authentic Information to the members upon 

 nearly all subjects as affecting the transportation of their products. 



The first work the new traffic department will undertake is a study 

 of the investigation of the Interstate Commerce Commission regarding 

 the reclassification of lumber products, as well as other proposed in- 

 vestigations by this body. The association has also secured suspensions 

 of different tariffs affecting its members, and much data will have to be 

 collected for the forthcoming hearings on these matters. After some of 

 these questions have been disposed with, the traffic bureau will also audit 

 freight bills for the members. 



The mam purposes of the new department will be to handle all ques- 

 tions relating to lumber rates from all initial territory to receiving points 

 as a whole, and to see that these rates are fair as compared with rates 

 from other producing paints. It will be prepared at all times to resist 

 advances and secure reductions on rates on lumber and forest products 

 that would help the members of the association, and will keep a com- 

 plete set of lumber tariffs so that all members can be advised promptly 

 of up-to-date rates on all kinds of forest products from any point where 

 the members are located. 



Commissary Managers to Come to Chicago 



The St. Louis delegation to the sixth annual convention of the Na- 

 tional Commis.sary Managers' Association, held last week in Cincinnati, 

 at the Hotel Gibson, lost a hard fight for the 1916 convention to the 

 Chicago managers. The choice of Chicago was reached only after a 

 spirited campaign, but inasmuch as St. Louis already has had the pleas- 

 ure of entertaining the commissary people and Chicago has not. the 

 Windy City delegation soon had things going their own way and won 

 out. Over five hundred out-of-town delegates were on hand for the big 

 convention, thus making it one of the largest held in Cincinnati this 

 summer. 



Prof. J. 10. Swanson of Chicago, at the closing session advocated the 

 formation of a permanent committee, with sufficient funds, for a thor- 

 ough investigation of the steady increase in the cost of merchandise. 

 Prof. Swanson also strongly urged that bitter battle be waged agninst 

 this unnatural increase. His suggestion will be acted upon at a future 

 meeting of the advisory board. 



J. Milton Kailey of l^enland, N. C, was elected president of the organ- 

 ization and the following were chosen for the various other offices : G. A. 

 Musseu, Weed, Cal., Pacific coast vice-president; A. M. Philips. Altoona. 

 Ala., southern vice-president ; John I. Bellaire, Blane.v, Mich., northern 

 vice-president ; E. L. Harley, Warren, Ark., central vice-president ; F. S. 

 Meyer, Hopkins, Fla., southeastern vice-president ; J. W. Walters, Frank- 

 lin, N. J., eastern vice-president, and Tracey D. Luccock, Chicago, was 

 elected secretary-treasurer. All elections were unanimous. 



Southern Committees Appointed to Ansiver Traffic Questions 



Belov.- i.s givin a list of the? committees which have been appointed by 

 John W. McClure, president of the Southern Hardwood Traffic Associa- 

 tion, to deal with the seventeen questions propounded by the Inter- 

 state Commerce Commission in connection with the reclassification of 

 lumber : 



Llmbkii — J. D. Allen, Jr., chairman ; Geo. Land and H. B. Weiss. 

 Box MATEiiiii. — S. B. Anderson, chairman ; R. L. McClelland and P. F 

 Wilnau. 



Cooperage — Walker L. Wellford, chairman ; Chas. Hudson and A. J 

 Harris. Jr. 



Veneers — James E. Stark, chairman ; S. M. Nickey and Elliott Lang. 

 RuTAKV Gum Venekes — R. L. Jurden, chairman; R. V. Stimson and 

 G. ^V.. Sparks. 



r"LOOBi.\'G — G. M. Lee, chairman ; R. J. Lockwood and F. L. Gregory. 



The board of managers of. the association has had several meeting* 

 in connection with these questions and it was decided that the best man- 

 ner in which to proceed was to name committees covering not only lum- 

 ber but all of the analogous commodities, including box material, veneers, 

 rotary gum veneers, cooperage products and flooring. It is recognized 

 that the answers to these questions will involve a vast amount of work 

 and it is the sense of the board that this can be done only through co- 

 operation on the part of those who are entirely familiar with every line 

 represented. These committees will, together with the board of man- 

 agers, proceed as soon as possible with the compilation of the data nec- 

 essary to intelligent and accurate answers to these questions. This is 

 regarded as one of the most important matters affecting the welfare of 

 the hardwood lumber industry in all of its branches and for this reason 

 it will be handled as vigorously as possible. 



The Southern Hardwood Traffic Association will have representatives 

 at the conference which has been called by the president of the National 

 Lumber Manufacturers' Association at an early date. J. W. McClure, 

 president of the association, attended the preliminary conference which 

 was held at Chicago about ten days ago. The officials of the Southern 

 Hardwood Traffic Association realize quite forcibly that there are a num- 

 ber of matters which can be handled much more successfully through a 

 traffic association of national scope than by one of local or territorial 

 character and they are. tlierefore. heartily in sympathy with this move- 

 ment. A case in point is the issue raised by the seventeen questions 

 asked by the Interstate Commerce Commission. It Is f£lt that this can 

 not be handled by local organizations successfully but that all of the 

 various organizations must get together and deal with this in the light 

 of the experience of all. 



