HARDWOOD RECORD 



17 



Ing manufacture abolit 79 per cent of all the gum produced by our mem- 

 bership. It Is estimated that a normal stock of gum lumlier at this time 

 would be about 50 per cent of the total annual production. On this 

 assumption there would be 109,000,000 feet In the hands of our member- 

 ship, but on the above basis the reports received Indicate that there Is on 

 hand 9'i, 500,000 feet. The membership of this association manufactures 

 approximately one-third of all the gum produced in the United States, and 

 with the figures furnished in this report a fair analysis of the entire situa- 

 tion may be had. 



This association was organized with thirty-two charter members ; 

 nineteen new members have been added. We have lost eleven members, 

 which leaves a total membership of forty. Under the conditions which 

 have prevailed, we consider this a creditable showing ; however, there Is 

 a host of manufacturers who have not ytt united with the association 

 who should do so at once, and lend their support to the loyal members 

 who have so faithfully stood by the cause of gum. 



No gum manufacturer should hesitate to give his support to the Gum 

 Lumber Manufacturers' Association. It Is not just that the expense of 

 the association be borne by a few faithful ones, and we are confidently 

 counting on a big Increase in membership. 



After referring to the coming meeting of the Forest Products 

 Federation, which will take place at Cliicago on February 24-25, 

 President Harrison called upon C. C. Parlin, heading the Division of 

 Commercial Research maintained by the Curtis Publishing Company 

 of Philadelphia. This division was inaugurated for the purpose of 

 studying merchandising problems confronting advertisers and pros- 

 pective advertisers in the Curtis publications, the idea being to so 

 direct advertising campaigns as to realize tlie fullest possible bene- 

 fits for such people. According to Mr. Parlin, all merchandising is 

 essentially the same. He cited as an illustrative example the auto- 

 mobile industry, which while started under abnormal conditions under 

 which the manufacturer could put out any kind of an article and 

 could be assured of a sale simply because the demand could not be 

 supplied, has in recent years been adjusted by the balancing up of 

 supply and demand on the basis of strictly modern merchandising. 

 He compared the merchandising of lumber under present conditions 

 with the merchandising of other commodities, maintaining that under 

 conditions of oversupply the consumer is able to select his goods more 

 closely to suit himself and his pocketbook, whereas when demand is 

 ahead of supply the opposite is true. He maintained that the specific 

 trouble with gum is that the people themselves have not been given 

 BufiQcieut linowledge regarding this wood, and while the architects and 

 contractors might favor it, it is against their business policy to rec- 

 ommend a wood against the choice of the customer. He stated that 

 the customer who is sold a commodity against his wishes is too critical 

 and hence the architect will not take chances in pushing gum where 

 his customer is not familiar with its qualities, even though he him- 

 self might favor the wood. 



Mr. Parlin made the recommendation that, for the purpose of 

 realizing sufficient funds to advertise to the customer, the individual 

 assessment be raised to twenty-five cents per 1,000 feet cut, the object 

 being to continue advertising to the architects but at the same time 

 get up attractive literature to reach the consumers. The result would 

 be to maintain the lumber cut as an asset as it must be cut the same 

 during hard times as under normal circumstances. 



President Harrison said that Mr. Parlin 's views are in accord 

 with those of the advertising committee. 



The meeting then adjourned for a luncheon tendered the visitors 

 in the convention hall by the Menipliis Lumbermen's Club. 

 AFTERNOON SESSION 



The afternoon session opened with a report of the committee ap- 

 pointed to make recommendations as to changes in the constitution 

 covering membership and dues. The recommendations follow. 



Report of Committee on Eecommendations 



The following recommendations of the committee appointed at the 

 semi-annual meeting to consider changes in the constitution regarding 

 membership were voted on at the annual meeting, January 10, as pro- 

 vided for In article ten of the constitution and by-laws : 



Article III 



Section 1 : Any person, firm or corporation engaged In the manufac- 

 ture of gum lumber, gum veneers, and non-operating owners of gum 

 stumpage shall be eligible to membership in this association, and entitled 

 to one vote. 



Section 2 : Initiation fee shall be $25.00, on payment of which the 

 board of directors shall Issue a membership certificate. 



Section 3 ; The dues shall he assessed annually by a committee on 

 assessments for the period of the calendar year, with a minimum of 



$50.00 per annum, and shall be paid in twelve monthly Installments based 

 as follows : 



Class A : Manufacturers of gum lumber shall he assessed at a rate of 

 not to exceed 15c per 1,000 feet, log scale. 



Class B : Manufacturers of sawed and sliced gum veneers shall be 

 assessed at the rate of $100.00 per annum. 



Class C : Manufacturers of rotary gum veneers shall be assessed at 

 the rate of $50.00 per annum, provided, however, It assessment Is paid 

 in Class B, same will cover Class C. 



Class D : Non-operating owners of gum stumpage shall be assessed 

 at the rate of $1.00 per million feet on their estimated gum stumpage 

 holdings. 



Manufacturers in Class A, who may also he operating In Class B or C 

 are subject to assessment only in Class A, but may at their option become 

 a member of the other classes. 



Section 4: If, in the opinion of the treasurer and secretary, acting 

 jointly, sufficient funds are In the treasury. It will be in the power of 

 said treasurer and secretary to pass one or more monthly assessments. 



Section 5 : When an assessment is made it shall be considered binding 

 on all who are members at the time such assessment is levied. .4ny member 

 failing to pay same or any installment thereof within thirty days after 

 It Is due, will be subject to suspension. 



Section C : Any member who has paid his assessment In full for the 

 calendar year may withdraw from this association by giving thirty days' 

 notice in writing, and surrendering bis membership certificate; but mem- 

 bership In this association shall not be transferable. 



Section 7 : Any member may be expelled for cause by a majority vote 

 of the board of directors. 



A paper was read by H. D. Tiemann, dealing with the principles 

 of drying lumber. Mr. Tiemann is in charge of timber physics at 

 the Forest Products Laboratory at Madison, Wis. He was the de- 

 signer of an experimental dry kiln in operation at the laboratory, 

 where tests are made to determine the results obtained by submitting 

 lumber to various degrees of heat and moisture during stated periods. 

 The principles on which the kiln works, and some of the results ob- 

 tained, were discussed in the paper. He explained briefly the struc- 

 ture of wood and the problems which must be solved in seasoning it. 



The point most prominently brought out was that all woods are 

 not alike in structure, but that numerous differences exist and some 

 of the differences are great. Therefore, a successful process of 

 drying one wood cannot be accepted as a guide in drying others. If 

 certain woods possess peculiarities, such peculiarities must be care- 

 fully studied. Failure to do so is nearly certain to lead to dis- 

 appointment. 



It is usually not difficult to expel the free water from wood. Such 

 water is that contained in the hollow cells and vessels, much as liquid 

 may be contained in a bottle. When heat is applied to the wood, 

 the free water is speedily driven off; but it is a different matter 

 to get rid of the water absorbed and hidden away in the fibers of 

 the wood in the cell walls themselves. It takes a lot of heat to drive 

 that water out, and in doing so, the wood may be injured. Most 

 warping, shrinking and swelling, which plague the man who is using 

 a kiln, are due to this water. Some of it is so stubborn about letting 

 go that no practical dry kiln is able to force it all out. 



Mr. Tiemann 's paper explains why it is desirable that the surface 

 of lumber should be kept moist in the kiln until the heat has pene- 

 trated to the interior of the boards. That prevents casehardening or 

 cheeking near the surface by hindering the too rapid drying. 



The effects of steaming wood as a preliminary step in drying it are 

 discussed in considerable detail. Subjecting wood to the action of 

 superheated steam heats the lumber, in the presence of moisture, 

 sufficiently to boil some of the free water out of the cells; but it is 

 not every wood that will stand the process. 



Various methods of drying lumber under pressures other than 

 atmospheric have been tried, such as alternate steaming and vacuum. 

 Wood may be placed in a closed cylinder and after a partial vacutmi 

 is drawn, superheated steam may be introduced; or heat may be 

 applied directly to the partial vacuum. 



Unless carried on to such a degree as to break down the cell walls 

 and injure the wood, ordinary steaming below twenty or thirty pounds 

 pressure produces no change in the structure of the wood observable 

 under the microscope. Chemical changes in the wood substance are 

 no doubt brought about, but it is not known what effect such changes 

 have on drying the wood. 



Soaking for a long time before drying has been practiced. While 



