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Texas Lumber Association Meets 



The Lumbeniieu 's Association of Texas met at Dallas April 9 in 

 its thirty-second annual convention and mingled patriotism and 

 business in a two-day session. Among the addresses delivered on 

 the subject of the war, none evoked more applause and kindled more 

 enthusiasm than that of B. E. L. Knight of Dallas, member of the 

 State Council of Defense. The particular point which he insisted 

 on was that lumber has an important place to fill in our war effi- 

 ciency, and that though the heaviest artOlery and the largest ricks 

 of ammunition will be the deciding factors in achieving victory, yet 

 lumber will play a part not a whit inferior to these. 



President T. W. Griffith of Dallas presided, and the proceedings 

 were pushed so rapidly that a very full program was carried out in 

 most of the minor details as well as in the essentials. The keynote 

 of the meeting was co-operation and the extension of membership. 



The report of the treasurer, E. M. Farrar, was read by Secretary 

 Dionne, since Mr. Farrar found it impossible to be present. Mr. 

 Dionne then presented his own report of the past year's activities 

 in and out of the association. He pointed out an encouraging sign 

 of development among Texas retail lumber dealers, emphasizing 

 that point by saying: 



I am glad to say that the transition from the wagon yard to the building 

 store and from the yard operator to the building merchant is coming about 

 very rapidly. There is yet much to be done and much ground still to be 

 covered before the retail lumber industry arrives at a point where it will 

 give the public that class of service which both the public and the build- 

 ing business deserve. « » • But with each step that the lumber dealer 

 advances toward the position of building merchant or building specialist 

 there comes a call (or a change in his suiToundings ; and wbeo the day 

 comes when the lumberman Is entirely fulfilling his destiny, advertising, 

 promoting, selling completed buildings, building improvements and build- 

 ing additions, then he will find it necessary to conduct his affairs behind 

 plate glass windows on a busy business street, in an attractive and com- 

 modious place of business, just as any other merchant does. 



The secretary advocated the holding of a semi-annual meeting in 

 the fall. The business of the association has grown to such propor- 

 tions that it has become extremely inconvenient to clear the slate 

 at a single annual meeting. He urged the holding of district meet- 

 ings from time to time in the interest of various sections. 

 President Appoints Committees 



The president then appointed the following committees: 



Resolutions — N. C. Hoyt, Houston ; C. H. Flato, Jr., Kingsville, and 

 jjce D. Dewey, Waco. 



Memorial — Albert Steves, Jr., San Antonio ; E. P. Hunter, Waco, and 

 W. H. O'Neill, Dallas. 



Nominations — W. .S. Howell, Bryan ; R. P. Jeter, Cameron, and J. M. 

 Rockwell, Houston. 



The afternoon of the first day 's session was largely taken up with 

 the discussion of trade acceptances. The matter was opened by 

 an address by J. P. McCarthy of Houston, and before the subject 

 was closed, a large number of those present had taken part in the 

 discussion. The principle of trade acceptances was indorsed in a 

 resolution. , 



On Tuesday evening the association was entertained at a smoker 

 at Tunner Hall, president Griffith acting as toastmaster. 



Homebuilding and other matters connected with good citizenship 

 came up for discussion on the second day of the meeting, the prin- 

 cipal speaker being K. V. Haymaker of Detroit, Mich. The debate 

 passed on to the subject of building associations and the success 

 which had attended the activities of these organizations in various 

 towns. 



The memorial committee reported resolutions memorializing the 

 following members who have died during the last year: E. H. 

 Kemp, Boswell, N. M.; C. L. Williams, Shiner, Tex.; Max Baetz, San 

 Antonio; W. M. .Jeter, Cameron; Dr. E. W. Brown, Orange, and Peter 

 Kuntz, of Dayton, Ohio. 



More or less attention was given to a discussion of war gardens, 

 that subject being rather intimately connected with the lumber busi- 

 ness because the yard and mill workers work in their gardens after 

 the usual quitting time. 



A report by J. M. Eockwell of Houston showed that $100,000 of 



the Lumbcruicu's Underwriters' fund had been invested in Liberty 

 bonds. 



A set of resolutions was adopted, voicing the sentiments of the 

 association on most of the topics which had come before the meet- 

 ings for discussion. 



The next meeting of the association will be held at Galveston 

 next spring. • 



The nominations committee reported the names of forty-five men 

 for directors of the association and these men were unanimously 

 elected. The directors then retired and elected the following asso- 

 ciation officers: 



President— C. H. Flato, Kingsville. 



First Vice-President— E. P. Hunter, Waco. 



Second Vice-President — ^W. S. Howell, Bryan. 



Treasurer — R. M. Farrar, Houston. 



Secretary — J. C. Dionne, Houston. 



Labor Conditions Serious 



Labor conditions are quite serious in the hardwood industry 

 Ihrougliout the Memphis and valley producing regions and they 

 are steadily growing worse. Members of the southern hardwood 

 trade say that it is well nigh impossible to get enough men to 

 carry on the work in the various departments of the milling busi- 

 ness and that what help is available is hosting considerably more 

 than ever before. Farm work is drawing men away from the woods 

 where logs are being cut and prepared for shipment, and it is like- 

 wise taking men away from the mills themselves. There are other 

 industries that are attracting labor, too, and just now the average 

 lumberman considers himself extremely fortunate if he is able to 

 get enough men to man his plant. 



Labor is costing more than ever previously known and this in- 

 creased cost is not accompanied by increased efficiency. Indeed, 

 quite the reverse appears to be true. There are more complaints 

 of labor inefficiency than ever previously heard but the lumber- 

 men are in the position of having to take men almost without re- 

 gard to what they pay them or what they get out of their service. 

 The draft law is taking more men, both white and colored, out of 

 the hardwood producing region and is proving a further handicap. 



"There is so much trouble with labor and with transportation 

 conditions," said a prominent manufacturer of lumber today, 

 that there is practically no pleasure in doing business. There is 

 something coming up every minute in the day to pester a fellow 

 and, while we are working at pretty full capacity and are selling 

 our output without difficulty at good prices, we don't enjoy doing 

 business as we did when conditions were more normal and when 

 there were not so manv worries to face all the time. ' ' 



Lack of Prophetic Vision 



In the year 1799 when the first steps were being taken to build a 

 United States navy, Benjamin Stoddart, a naval officer, advocated 

 the expenditure of $100,000 to purchase standing live oak and 

 southern pine to supply a future reserve of timber for war vessels. 

 He declared that an outlay of that sum of money would buy enough 

 timber to meet all demands of the navy "for ages." 



The term ages is somewhat indefinite, but it meant a very long 

 time. The estimate sounds rather ridiculous in view of present 

 day requirements of timber for our ship yards. No one then fore- 

 saw what the future would bring forth, and the idea of a navy is 

 very different now from what it was then. The navy which was 

 under discussion at that time and was subsequently built consisted 

 of six ships. They gave a mighty good account of themselves in 

 those days, but what would they amount to now? All six of them 

 together were not equal in tonnage to one of the wooden vessels 

 which take their way down the slides in our ship yards nearly every 

 day. Several years were consumed in building those six vessels; 

 but they lasted well. One of them held out for 112 years, though 

 sunk once in the meantime; and another is still afloat. 



