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Editor's Note 



Tbe following is an address delivered bv Ernest II. Burgess, assistant secretary of the Herman n. Hettler 

 Lumber Company of ChieaKO, before a recent meeting of tbe membersbip bureau of the local CI amber of Commerce. 



It contains some new and pointed arguments sbowing the unfairness of the present campaign of wood substitute man- 

 ufacturers. 



I wonder how many of you, not lunibcrmpn, have any idea of lumber yard covers an area of eighteen and one-half acres. Our 



the vastness of this industry? Are you impressed with its extensive- stocks of lumber vary from 28,000,000 to 35,000,000 feet. In con- 



ness when you contemplate the many and diversified uses of lumber? junction with our lumber yard we operate a planing mill, ec|uipped 



Just to mention a few of these at random : the houses you live in with modern type of machinery. "We can furnish dressed lumber to 



and most of their furnishings, like furniture, trim, sash, doors, etc.; suit the individual needs of each customer. We also operate a hard- 



the passenger coaches of steam, electric and street railways; freight wood flooring plant and all the paraphernalia which goes with this, 



cars; railroad ties; planking for bridges and roadways; crating like dry kilns, etc. 



and boxing lumber; the chairs you are sitting on; the tables you Shipping Facilities 



eat from; matches; your daily papers are printed on pulp wood; Our yard is located on the north branch of Chicago river and on 



etc. Summed up: Lumber supplies the natural needs of man more the Wisconsin division of Chicago & Northwestern Railroad. Prac- 



than any other substance, excepting tlie soil. tically all of the northern products of lumber are received by boat 



Cliicago is preeminently the greatest lumber market of the world during season of navigation, for which reason we have a large river 



and is destined to remain so. Last year there was received in this frontage. With few exceptions our own boats carry this lumber. 



market a total of 2,804,434,000 feet of lumber, which is equivalent The Chicago & Northwestern Railroad performs switching service 



to a total tonnage of 8,413,302,000 pounds. These figures may during the night so as not to interfere with either the loading or 



not appeal to the non-lumbermen so I will present this comparatively. unloading of ears during our working hours. 



Last year's grain receipts in this market were as follows: For local delivery we have motor trucks and horses. Large, heavy 



Wheat 50,372,000 bushels loads and long hauls are combinations especially attractive for our 



Corn 127,773,000 bushels motor truck service. 



Qgts 124 405 000 bushels Salesmanship 



. ., . , ' '/',',. y ,' ' -i -a rcJ onn i rru j- t i Just a few words about the salesmanship of lumber. I have long 



equivalent to a total tonnage of 14,lo8,56S,000 pounds. The total t, . , , ^ i i. ■ i * „„„4.„-., 

 , , , . ,,■ • 1 \i ^ ago learned that Providence has created certain woods for certain 

 lumber tonnage tor this same period was more than any one of " „, „ , , , i • iu „i v,„ „<- .,i,„;i 

 ,, ^, ^ , -J. c ■ 1 net. ■ 1 T J i purposes. The successful lumber salesman is the one who has studied 

 these three staple items of gram and fifty -nine and one-half per cent ii^ n-i-ruui ii, „,„i;„ „;+;„„ 

 „ ^, ^ ^ , . ^ ,-,*«*;, I , *. •, T lumber business from this angle. He should know the peculiarities 

 of the total giam tonnage. Of the total lumber tonnage railroad . „ , , -.^t- i i i i, 1 1 i,i„ i,;™ »„ 

 ■ , „ ^ ^ ■ ,^ , ^ ^, . , ^ I, • , of each kind of lumber and this knowledge should enable him to 

 companies received all but eight and two-thirds per cent, which , , , /.^ , , i • 4. ti,„ „„„.„„„. t „.„i,„,. ^^ 

 '^ , . , . X T -n ^ , -i., i. x!. i give wholesome and profitable advice to the consumer. Lumber ex- 

 represents receipts by water. I will not bore you with further sta- *' , , / ^ 1 j.. , i- i-t 1. „-ti,of„„ i n,„ 

 ^.^., 1. X . i T -J , ^ i- *• J. posed to the elements must be ot lastmg quality to withstand the 

 tistics to prove above statement, as I consider such statistics are of ^ , „ ^. t 1 i„ 1 •„ n,„ „,„„„,i „,. .,uvi- 

 ' ' . u • 4. i J t 1 elements and ravages ot time. Lumber placed in the ground 01 next 

 value only to lumbermen. You will, however, be interested to learn ., , ^ , i.-i , i. • t t u„, ,.=„,! *,.» 



, ^^. ,,„.,.,.,.. • ., , . .4 ,. to the soil must not be susceptible to moisture. Lumber used lor 



why Chiago has this distmction — primarily because of its geographi- „ , • , i,, • t * „ 1 1 „ <.„„«;„ ,„„„f 



/ . ..r . , ,\., , , J . X. ., \- planking or floors on which there is constant and hea\y trafhc must 



cal location. Here are assembled the lumber products ot the entire ' , , , , ■-.-^ 



TT •. J 04 i jr. 1 I i c ■ 11 T i\x- 1 ■ liave strength and durabihty. 



United States and Canada, also of some foreign lands. From Michi- „, „ ,f . ^- , u- 1 „ „j •„ a„,,t„„i,„,. on ;=c.„„ nf 



. ' 1 „ -, x, . n ■ c^ 1 The following article which appeared in September 20 issue ot 



gan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Canada the tollowing sott woods ,, , . ... . , 



* ' , ' ,. .^ • ^T • 1 1 1 » • Construction News emphasizes this point: 



are procured: White pine, Norway pine, spruce, hemlock, American ^^ .^ u„£ortunate that so little attention is given to educating the users > 



larch, balm of Gilead, etc.; and the following hardwoods: Maple, ^^j mmber as to the best wood intended for the respective kinds ot work, 



beech, birch, ash, elm, basswood and oak. A shoo dealer would not sell a laborer .1 patent leather light-soled shoe for 



From Pacifid coast states we receive: Fir, red cedar, spruce, west- work in the swamps, or a heavy boot to use on a dance floor ^o-J in "'^ 



, ^ ' > r ! wisdom gave us the forests to use wisely and judiciously. V\ hen, therefore, 



ern pine, sugar pme, redwood, etc. ^.^^ ^^^ ^ quick-decaying wood for exposed work, .vou are helping to mold 



From the northwestern states we receive: Idaho white pine, west- public opinion and make the buyer believe that lumber is no good for a 



ern hemlock and western pine. durable job and further lead him to the straight road to try something 



From southern states, principally from Mississippi, Georgia, Ala- other than lumber. We know that proper lumber °f/^ P^'' s™'!^. "»' 



. . . , ' ' ,' „, •' . '\' .. withstand the ravages of time as will nothing else at an equal 01 highei 



bama, Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas wo receive yellow or southern ^^^.^^ ^^.^ ^_^^^^^ ^..^^^ admiration and reverence to old homesteads of 



pine. From seme of these states and Tennessee, Kentucky, West wood that have stood for flfty to seventy-five years and are still inhabited. 



Virginia and Ohio the following hardwoods are procurable: Poplar, llave you heard of a modern metal sheathing that will stand for ten years 



nflk ach cvnress etc without paint every six months, a plaster or composition board that can 



oaK, a.n, cypiess, etc. „ 4, . • .. beat a seven-eighths-inch wood ceiling for wear, a cement floor in a base- 



From foreign countries, like Africa, South America, there are ^^^^ ^^.^^ ^.jj ^^^ ^^ tracked, concave or convex in ten years? .\ floor 



brought to this market mahogany logs, etc., which are here worked ^^ cedar or while oak sleepers with proper ventilation will last twenty-flve 



into veneers and high class finish. years. A shingle root will last thirty -five years in the country or sixteen 



, , ,„,.., ^ i 1 • r, fr, fn-onfw trmrs in the citv Show me a composilion that will hold up 



The lumber yards of this city, for mental convenience, can be to twenty years in tno city. =5""™ ,'„,.„, J„i,„;t tbe old n-iken bucket 



•' , „, ■ , , 4., u 1 1 J one-half as long. Put your galvanized bucket against tbe old oaken bucket 



divided into two classes: The pme yards and the hardwood yards. ^^ ^^^^^, micket. We dole on antique furniture; it was built to wear and 



Few of the pine yards make any effort or attempt to carry a stock ^^ cherish it. How Ions will steel cases last after they get dented and 



or assortment of hardwood lumber, and vice versa. The hardwood the lacquer off? Would our descendants cherish it? Metal furniture :s 



lumber yards specialize in their particular line. Crandall & Brown, finished to imitate wood. How complimentary ! 



of which firm our worthy chairman is a member, handle hardwoods Cost of Lumber 



exclusively and specialize in cypress. There is a general impression among non-lumbermen that lumber 



To give non-lumbermen some idea how a wholesale and retail lumber jg very scarce and, therefore, high in price. Just the contrary con- 

 yard is operated in Chicago, I will present a little data of the Her- jitions exist. Lumber is plentiful (and this applies to all kinds, even 

 man H. Hettler Lumber Company's business. There are other lumber ^^it cork white pine, which ever and again is referred to as "now 

 yards operated practically along the same lines but I am better in- almost extinct," and prices are reasonable. These erroneous state- 

 formed and can speak more intelligently of the company I am asso- nients are being circulated by manufacturers of other materials which 

 ciated with. are hoped will eventually replace lumber. A brick concern recently 



Our ofiice is located at 2601 Elston avenue, on the northwest side, pxiblished a booklet from which I quote the following: 



near Diversey boulevard and north branch of Chicago river. Our Millions of acres that were once the source o£ supply of cheap lumber are 



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