HARDWOOD RECORD 



fiut this does not hold in all classes of work 

 by any means, as the stock is frequently taken 

 from the veneer machine on trucks to a sepa- 

 rate room for treatment. The only chl 

 therefore, to make definite plans, beyond the 

 veneer machine itself, is to assume that eer- 



. are to be cut, 

 with that i mi in view. The purpose of this 

 article is nol so much to take up thai i i 



poii i he 

 connected with the planning to handli 

 from the yard to the veneer an 



English Complaints Against Amer= 

 ican HardWood Grading. 



The following article is reproduced from 

 our esteemed English contemporary, the 

 Timber Trades Journal of London, of Aug. 

 19, 1905: 



The Hardwood Record of Chicago has, 

 with acknowledgment, reproduced certain 

 paragraphs of our article of the 24th June, 

 but omitted to give what we regard as the 

 most salient features. 



Their criticism of our remarks is not alto- 

 gether unfriendly, but they ignore the impor- 

 tance of British requirements, and the charge 

 that the Americans too often play their do- 

 mestic market against ours. 



We repeat that it is considered peculiar 

 "that there should be so many American firms 

 who are represented on this side, one-half of 

 the year spending their energies in selling 

 on an inert market, if the conditions at home 

 (America) are so brilliant." 



We are glad that our contemporary supports 

 us in our desire for the elimination of salted 

 grades, but adhere to our opinion that asso- 

 ciation inspection will not meet the difficulty; 

 especially when we remember the fiasco at- 

 tending the brief life of a certain branding of 

 oak, which so utterly discredited association 

 inspection a few years ago. 



From what rank of life does the association 

 appoint inspectors, upon whose judgment the 

 English buyer is to be bound? Are they men 

 who have had any experience on this side? 

 We think not. Whilst we hesitate to depre- 

 cate an unknown personage, even though he 

 is dignified by the title of inspector to the 

 American Hardwood Exporters' Association, 

 importers will decline to be compelled to ac- 

 cept and pay for special scantlings . which 

 fail to fulfill contract conditions even though 

 they show the talisman of the association. 

 If the association is really in earnest in 

 catering for the British trade it might look 

 out for a few expert railway inspectors on 

 this side. 



Another disadvantage of association inspec- 

 tion lies in the fact as to what the point of 

 inspection is. Is it to be at the ship's side, 

 or up the country at the mills? If the former, 

 there is a serious menace to the contract 

 business here; as rejections accumulate thej 

 must be disposed of, and naturally if they 

 have incurred railroad charges to the sea- 

 board, the owners will say. "Oh, consign them 

 to England for what they will fetch:" 



It is the enormous consignments of rub- 

 bishy oak which is the bane of the whole 

 business. Many consignments do not bring 

 out freight and charges, and yet importers 

 have such stocks pitted against them. 



In our article of the 24th June we spoke 

 of poplar being shipped as prime, which was 

 of a "birchy texture." We used this term be- 

 cause it is familiar to English users, yet the 

 Hardwood ISkcobd says our remarks arc 

 out moment, "as the rules on poplar grading 

 authorized by every association in this coun- 

 try call for yellow poplar; hickory poplar, or 

 swamp-growth poplar, has no license to he 

 inspected under this poplar classification, save 

 in width, length, thickness and method of 

 manufacture." These are our points. Far 

 too frequently the buyer on this side 



which he did not contract, and 

 what In' does nol require, or he has this 

 of lumber pitted against his standard 

 ports. 



We 'I i remember having seen any par- 

 cels shipped .-is "hi. i -i pop) 

 other goo.] arises from oui i on 



American grading we have the distinct ad- 

 mission made by our contemporary thai 

 low poplar" and "hickory pop two 



ies, yet the latter is shipped 

 largely as the former. It would be interest- 

 ing to learn what is understood in the States 

 as being tin- difference in value of the two 

 modifies, as it would be a guide In assess- 

 ing damages for shipping the lower article. 



The Hardwood Record also says: "All pop-' 

 lar rules in use for domestic or foreign trade 

 specify definitely on the subject of parallel 

 width, even sawing, and proper trimming." 

 This being so. is a further justification for 

 our protest against the badly manufactured 

 lumber so frequently shipped from the States. 

 which compares so unfavorably with the man- 

 ufacture of Canadian lumber. 



Stumpage is said to be increasing in value; 

 which is admitted; hence all the more reason 

 for manufacturing the lumber nicely. A 

 board 1 inch on one edge and l',4 inch on tin 

 other is worth less to the buyer than one 

 which is accurately cut to 1 inch throughout, 

 yet the irregularly cut one takes more timber 

 to produce, and incurs a large percentage of 

 dead freight. 



It is all very nice to be told that rules 

 ify how lumber should be cut; but if the 

 rules are ignored, they might as well be non- 

 existent. No doubt the mill superintendent 

 flatters himself on cutting his ; -0,000 



feet of lumber a day; but we might with ad- 

 vantage say that he has spoilt that quantity 

 when we find it simply torn into boards, vary 

 ing in thickness from % inch in some p 

 to i ' i inch in others. 



'J'lir original article published In' tl>" 

 Timber Ti a lea -ion ma I, I he aa lieni fea 

 of u bich svi re ' epi odm ed in i la- I 

 Record of .Inly 25, consisted first of .leprc- 

 ciating the symbols indicative of grades, 



which had I a adopted by the Hardw I 



\hi aufai tun rs 1 Association of I hi 

 stairs. Second, ii was a general onslaught 

 on 1 1 which lumber is graded and 



shipped to England from this country. 



There is a legend to i that the 



British ■- ghtly slow of comprehen 



I .,,; to more fully elucidate t" our 



English ■ Niidrv matters thai 



he fa i rill be a pleasure. 



of hardwood, both at home ami 



abroad, should recall the fad that the i 



growth in the Unit. 

 while actually small, is in realty 



B very large area. The 

 ing and) c 



,t conditions of latitude, altil 

 and ' vi "- 



13 



■ ' • the re- 



'>< lumber ia dot all . pc . 



■■■ill make the npp 

 value fully , 



ttg in ,lilt 

 "ill •. a diffi 



- 



American hard* 



.iust I 



ing, piling an. I marketing I and 



t, and evi 



'forts that this work 

 be made i | a,,,] tin , 



lory ami profitable Tine to all . 

 Tne requi paratively small 



quantity of lumber shipped to thi 

 market cannot be made such an important 

 are to the American hardwood lumber 

 manufacturer that he will subordinati 

 great necessities of the United state, and 

 of foreign markets other than the 

 iish, to require them to adopt I 

 ards lor American luml 

 While " WC try to pli 



the American lumber manufacturer, In 



much larger ami more important ii 



slake thau to attempt to very 



whim of the English mark. 



"whim" i- used advisedly, because the 



English timber merchant is decidedly whim 



Bical. Strictly high-class yellow poplai 



turned down in the I.i .rket 



simply because it was not saw n from water- 

 soaked logs. On the other hand, ecrtain 

 shipments of oak cut from n in 



Arkansas have for r in 



If.' I 



.1 well-known Indi 

 mark. 



While it is i: 

 quite a numb) who 



are so ignoranl of the requii 



• 

 abroad and learn their busi'i 

 ■■ their foolish col 

 i hand tli any Britis 



who 



knowledge of 



,.f American exporters 

 Yankee is usually willil . 

 on I 

 an English buyer cannol 



■ ..'ii Arkansas and Indi 

 Vim tality 



that is worth t> 



It i> toward the eliminatio 

 tempi at essentially fraudulei I 

 American liar. 

 ing • 

 rarie". the great majority 



