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American Hardwood Men JMeet 



The American Hardwood Maniifactiirors' Assdiiatimi, assiiiilil.d 

 in seini-aunual meeting at Mempliis, Teiiii., Saturday, JiiUf 1, with 

 approximately 250 members of the hardwood trade present, plunged 

 into vigorous discussion of the problems growing out of the changed 

 conditions in the hardwood industry brought about by the almost 

 world-wide war, and, before adjournment, had taken action calcu- 

 lated to enable its members to adjust themselves to these conditions 

 not only in handling the requirements of the government in hard- 

 wood lumber and timbers but also in taking care of their ordinary 

 commercial transactions. 



President K. L. Jurden, who occupied the chair and who directed 

 the meeting in a masterly way, emjihasized the fact that there are 

 more problems confronting the hardwood industrj' today than ever 

 before and that there are more difticulties existing in operations 

 than ever previously known. The executive committee called the 



.\dopted resolutions sotting forth its position with ruspect to a 

 universal standard of inspection for hardwood lumber. 



Agreed to abide by the decision of the Interstate Commerce 

 Commission in connection with the proposed advance of 2.5 per cent 

 in freight rates on all commodities, including lumber and forest 

 products. 



Protested against the use by government contractors of the 

 sanction of the government in inserting advertisements in the daily 

 [lapers offering alluring wages to workmen, thus attracting those 

 from one section to another, with detriment to the hardwood lumber 

 industry, as well as all other industries. 



Organized a hardwood dimension department, with members from 

 Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee and other southern states, to be 

 operated along the same lines as the three established departments, 

 covering oak, gum and rotary veneers. 



meeting for the specific purpose of discussing and acting upon 

 these problems and difficulties and, although the afternoon was 

 extremely hot and although there were many outside attractions 

 to divert the attention of members, all of them remained in their 

 places and took an active part in the proceedings. All in all, it was 

 a remarkably vigorous and an equally remarkably successful con- 

 ference of hardwood interests throughout the territory covered by 

 this association, and members are confident that benefits of far- 

 reaching importance to the industry win follow. 



The accomplishments of the day may be briefly summarized as 

 follows: 



Eaised $1,000 for the second Eed Cross war fund. 



Authorized the executive committee to employ an engineer to 

 make a survey of the southern hardwood industry with a view to 

 determining the essential cost facts thereof. 



Authorized the same committee to draft uniform terms of sale 

 for hardwood lumber, its action to be binding on all members of 

 the association. 



Decided upon the appointment of a committee to cooperate with 

 a committee of the Southern Hardwood Traffic Association in 

 opening offices in 'Washington to facilitate the granting of permits 

 covering commercial shipments of hardwood lumber to the territory 

 east of a line drawn through Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Parkersburg and 

 Charleston, W. Va., such shipments being under permanent embargo 

 and movable only under permits. 



After delivering a brief address of welcome. President Jurden 

 introduced C. H. Sherrill of Paducah, Ky., who made a spirited 

 appeal for contributions to the second Bed Cross war fund. Mr. 

 Sherrill pictured in striking language the contrast between the 

 comforts and luxuries enjoyed by those present and the hardships 

 being suffered by the men who have entered military, naval or 

 marine service of the United States and expressed the view that, 

 before the former entered upon the transaction of the business 

 which had brought them together, it was fitting and proper that 

 the former should show their interest in, and appreciation of, the 

 latter by contributing in some measure to the most wonderful 

 agency in existence for ministrations in behalf of the fighting 

 forces of this country, the American Red Cross. 



The response was both prompt and generous and in a very short 

 time $1,000 had been contributed and a check had been started on 

 its way for this amount to the National Eed Cross War Work 

 Council. 



President Jurden, in his address, dealt wdth the steps leading up 

 to the amalgamation of the gum and oak associations into the 

 American Hardwood Manufacturers' Association and with the diffi- 

 culties that had been encountered in winding up the affairs of the 

 old organizations and in making the change from monthly to weekly 

 sales reports. He congratulated the association on the fact that 

 it had received practically all of the members of the gum and oak 

 associations and on the additional fact that it had received the 



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