I© 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



Annual Wisconsin HardWood Lumbermen's Ass'n. 



Morning Session. 

 The tenth annual meeting of the Wiscon- 

 sin Hardwood Lumbermen's Association 

 convened in the club room of the Pfister 

 Hotel, Milwaukee, at 10 a. m., Tuesday. 

 Sept. 19. Prevailing conditions were pro- 



wished. Other woods have, to a great ex- 

 tent, been substituted for basswood. which 

 has had a tendency to bear the market on 

 this very desirable lumber. This will only 

 be temporary, in our opinion, however, and 

 we anticipate that before another year passes 

 basswood will again occupy the position it 

 held a few years ago. Other varieties of 

 lumber have held their own, and some woods, 

 owing to their scarcity, have materially ad- 

 vanced in price and I am looking forward to 

 an exceptionally prosperous year for the hard- 

 wood lumber industry. 



I have had several communications from af- 

 filiated and allied associations since our last 

 meeting asking me to appoint delegates to 

 attend national meetings and to go on record 

 regarding future railway legislation. Most 

 important of these was an invitation from the 

 National Wholesale Lumber Dealers' Associa- 

 tion to be present with one delegate at their 

 annual meeting held at Ottawa, Canada, Aug. 

 16 and 17. Owing to my absence from home 

 this Invitation was not received in time to 

 comply with their request, and I so notified 



EDMOND P Akl'IX. PRESIDENT. 



pitious — the attendance was large, the 

 weather line, the participants enthusiastic 

 over the work, the Milwaukee dealers most 

 hospitable hosts, and quite a number of 

 distinguished visitors were present. 



The meeting opened with President 11. C. 

 Humphrey in the chair, and Secretary M. 



.1. Colby recording pr - lings After the 



minutes of the last semiannual meeting 



at Marshfield, April (i, had been read and 



a | . | . I-, .\ ed, President Eumphrey delii 

 the following address: 



PRESIDENT 's ADIIKKSS. 



I scarcely think that all members of this 

 association recognize the importance of the po- 

 sition occupied by Wisconsin in the hardwood 

 industry of this country. This state today is 



the foremost producer or hardw Is in the north 



country. In character of manufacture It ranks 

 with the highest, and the physical quality of 

 many of Its woods is much better than those 

 growing elsewhere. This fact is notably true 

 of the basswood and birch. 



There is a long hardwood history ahead of 

 Wisconsin iuini.cni.cn. and it behooves us to do 

 the best wc can with our inheritance of timber 

 wealth. This duty is the prime object of the 



Wisconsin iimiiw I Lumbermen's Ass. .elation. 



and itt endeavors Bhould be along the line of 

 mutual education in correct manufacture, just 

 values and the best method of sale and dis- 

 tribution. 



un the whole, the hardwood lumbermen of 

 Wisconsin have had little to complain of during 

 the past year. The movement of lumber during 

 the greater part of the season was up to. if not 

 above, the average of the past few years. It is 

 true that strikes during the summer months, 

 especially the teamsters' strike in Chicago, af- 

 fected trade to quite an extent temporarily ; but 

 recovery was prompt and vigorous as soon as 

 the labor trouble was settled. 

 Prices on some items, especially basswood. 

 •iot been as profitable as we could have 



BEN W. DAVIS. VICE PRESIDENT. 



their secretary. Since tills meeting was held, 

 I un in receipt of the following letter from 

 E. 1' Perry, secretary of the association: 



Ni CI York. Sept. 1, l'JOu. 

 H. C. Humphi i nt, 



Appleton, wis. 



ar sir: At the joint convention of the 

 n ber trade associ id at 



Ottawa, Aug. 17. your association was not 

 ■ I. By direction of the executive 

 ommittee appointed at that convention. I am 

 enclosing you a copy of the car equipment 

 complaint (lied before the Interstate Com- 

 e Commission, and also a printed copy 

 of the organization and resolutions passed 

 by these associations at Ottawa, which ex- 

 plain themselves, and I am further directed 

 to invite your association to join with the 

 eighteen associations which were in conven- 

 tion and the several others added since that 

 time. Under resolutions you are entitled and 

 requested to send me promptly the names of 

 the president of your association and one 

 member, a . which two persons will 



sent your association on the ways and 

 means committee. 



I trust you can join with these associa- 

 tions in this effort to benefit the general lum- 

 ber trade. Yours truly. 



E. F. l'liRur, Sec'y. 

 The resolutions mentioned will be brought 

 before this convention later on. I am also 

 in receipt of a letter from N. W. McLeod, 

 lent of the National Lumber Manufac- 

 turers' Association, calling attention to a cir- 

 cular letter signed by E. P. Bacon, chairman 



of the Interstate Commerce Law Commission, 

 held in St. Louis, Oct. 19. 1904: 



St. Louis, Mo., Aug. 1, 1905. 

 H. C. Humphrey, President, 

 Appleton, Wis. 



Dear Sir: There has been referred to me a 

 circular letter signed by E. P. Bacon, chair- 

 man of the Interstate Commerce Law Com- 

 mission, held in St. Louis in October, 1904. 



.Mr. Bacon states "That there will be a 

 meeting of the committee Aug. 14, at. which 

 time the question will be determined as to 

 calling another convention to be held early 

 in October, in order to impress upon congress, 

 and particularly the senate, the earnest desire 

 of the commercial, manufacturing and agri- 

 cultural interests of the entire country for a 

 speedy enactment of legislation for the regu- 

 lation of railway rates." 



As president of the association affiliated 

 with the national association I would like an 

 expression from you as to your judgment as 

 to the wisdom of the national association 

 sending delegates to the convention. 



Personally I feel that while railroad rate 

 regulation is desirable I doubt very much the 

 wisdom of the measure that is advocated by 

 .Mr. Bacon, in that it would mean placing in 

 the hands of the commission the power to 

 make rates, and as a sequence thereto result 

 ultimately in a distant tariff that would com- 

 pletely change the. present trade conditions, 

 limiting the distribution of the commodities 

 in which we are interested, as it would con- 

 line the consumption of individual products to 

 :i restricted local territory. 



If legislation is desired — and there seems to 

 be no question about this — it will be wise, in 

 my opinion, for lumbermen, through their as- 

 sociations, to appoint representative commit- 

 tees from each interest and see that the in- 

 ts of each commodity is protected in any 

 plan that may become effective. 



My suggestion would, therefore, be that the 



invitation of Mr. Bacon, to participate with 



this committee that is already committed to 



lation adverse to the lumber interests, be 



declined. 



1. however, will be pleased to act on the 

 judgment as expressed by the majority of the 

 dents of the associations affiliated with 

 thi national association. Early reply is de- 

 sired. Tours very truly. 



N. W. McLeod, President. 



I replied to Mr. McLeod that I did not care 

 to express my personal opinion, but would 

 the protection of its members in this respect. 

 The work will have to be done by us. and I 



A. E. BEEBEE. SE< KKTAKY AND TREAS- 

 URER 



bring the subject up at this meeting for con- 

 sideration. 



During the past year I think the railway 

 companies and inspection bureaus have 

 treated overcharge claims a little more lib- 

 erally than heretofore; still, we feel that a 

 vast improvement can yet be made, and this 

 association should take a vigorous stand ' for 



