24 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



FLOYD HAY. il. AY CITY. KENTUCKY VICI 

 PRESIDENT. 



REMOVAL hi ASSOCIATION OFFICES. 



The removal of the association headquarters 

 lo Chicago has been a great benefit to the 

 organization, owing to the fact that Chicago is 

 the largest consuming market for hardwoods 

 in tlie United States, and we are able to meet 

 a great many people who .nine t.i our offices, 

 members as well as those in all lines of trade. 



We are at the command of the trade at 

 large which uses our offices for information 

 which we lire glad to furnish. Our inspection 

 force, which covers the consuming markets of 

 the country, is most easily handled from this 

 section. In addition to this I believe our asso- 

 ciation has increased in membership by our ac- 

 tum in (imiing to Chicago. 



TRAVELING. 



In my chronological history I covered some 

 ■ if the important events which occurred dur.ng 

 ihe association year, all of which I attended, 

 and will also state that I visited by invitation 

 many meetings in other states, and was also 

 asked to attend the regular meetings of the 

 exchanges, all of which assisted the association 

 in my being able to explain the benefits of out- 

 work. In covering this work the travel ex- 

 tended over about 50,000 miles. 



SUGGESTIONS MADE To nil: SECRETARY'S OFFICE 



Various suggestions have been made to the 

 secretary's office at different times during the 

 year, a great many of which have been acted 

 upon by us with the result, I believe, of added 

 benefits to the membership. 



The following changes in our constitution 

 have been suggested: 



Article in. Objects. 



Article VI. Questions in Issue. 



Article X, Duties of Secretary. 



Also for the purpose of being used by mem- 

 Iiiis and the railroads in settling disputed 

 weights for shipments of hardwoods, if is sug- 

 gested that the secretary's office publish in card 

 form the official weights of the association as 

 set out in our statement of market conditions. 



STANDING COMMITTEES. 



Your standing committee on grading and on 

 market _ reports assisted the secretary's office 

 immensely this year through a mail canvass and 

 by holding meetings in various sections of the 

 country, and the grading rules which have 

 been prepared and presented to your executive 

 grading committee and the statements of market 

 conditions published from time to time were 

 the result of such hearty cooperation. 



The success of such results proved that their 

 appointment was to the best advantage of tin- 

 organization, and I ll'llsl that tile ouimit tees 



to be appointed to serve for the ensuing 



will continue such active communication with 



the secretary's office. 



Your president and executive board have been 

 in close communication with the office during 

 the year by holding meetings, and. such action 

 has given to our office the proper methods of 

 carrying on our work for the year. 



I want to thank the officers' and the different 

 committees, also all the members, for their 

 prompt action in various requests whit I 



i - sending from time to time, as such action 

 allows us to obtain the proper results, which, 

 when submitted back to the members of the 

 association, enables them to reap benefits which 

 not only keeps them closer to our organization 



but adds new members who recognize the im- 

 portant work which this organization is effect- 

 ing. Respectfully submitted, 



Lewis Doster, Secretary. 



1 'resident Wilms : Gentlemen, the next in order 

 ■ t business is the report of our chief inspector, 

 Mr. Hill. 



Chief Inspector J. V. Hill then read his 

 repOTt. It was as follows: 



Chief Inspector s Report. 



Mr. President I desire to submit the re- 

 porl ni the Bureau of Grades for the year just 

 closed. We have added to our inspection force 

 during the year, having inspectors traveling in 

 the consuming territories as follows: In the 

 eastern district, east of Pittsburg; in the mid- 

 dle west, covering iihio. Indiana and Kentucky; 

 in the western district, covering Chicago, Michi- 

 gan and vicinity, and in the St. Louis district, 

 covering Missouri, southern Illinois and points 

 nest of the .Mississippi. These inspectors travel 

 in any point in their territory where there may 

 be cars in d : spute. 



Of tlie claims that have been entered on our 

 leinspe. tiim liles the past year s.'i have not been 

 reinspected, owing to th. fact that settlement 

 had been adjusted before the arrival of the in 

 spector - not infrequently it happens that 

 the ear is found to be up to grade upon explana- 

 tion to file customer of what the grade should 

 contain. Hfty-one per cent of those reinspected 

 for members have been found to be off-grade. 

 Last year we showed 711 per cent off-grade. 

 which shows a reduction of 18 per cent in nff- 



15LMER \V HARRIS, CEDAR FALLS, IOWA 

 VICE PRESIDENT. 



grade shipments in 1906. The reduction in the 



percentage of off-grade lumber is due to the 

 facl Hint members are continually working 

 .loser to our official grading rule book, and each 

 succeeding year we believe that by such action 

 the percentage will be still further reduced. 



tit the lumber reinspected in 1906 bv nou- 

 members 85 per cent was found to be off-grade. 

 I no increasing interest in the proper applica- 

 tion of the rules will reduce the percent, igi 

 we hope with i In- proportion. 



We make re nspections for anyone request- 

 ing such work, regardless of their member- 

 ship, hut who ship their lumber to the con 

 suming markets graded according to our official 

 rules of inspection However, the charges | (h 

 nonmembers differ from the charges to mem- 

 bers. 



When the ,-ar is not intact and only rejects 

 are there to he inspected, it is impossible to re 

 port on the true condition of the car. for the 

 reason that if the stock was invoiced as No. 1 

 common or any grade lower than that and the 

 customer makes complaint for stock below 

 grade, there is always a chance that the in- 

 spector, if loading out any low grade stock. 

 ii. .n also put in some boards of a better grade 

 in even up the shipment, and if the car is not 

 intact, naturally these better hoards would not 

 In- among flu- rejects, and the report under such 



Clrcumstai would not he fair to the ship 



per. 



Resawed stock at destination is impossible 

 to reinspect properly unless the boards have 

 been held intact. us the? were loaded int.. tlie 

 car, owing- to the fact that the grade invoiced 

 is decided upon before resawing, and as in cases 

 where boards with clear face cuttings are sold 



resawed, it not heid intact us above, it is 

 niiite evident ttiat one-halt of tue board would 

 possibly be one grade lower than invoiced. 



The inspectors of tnis association have the 

 past year, with very few exceptions, received 

 most courteous treatment at the hands of the 

 customers, who have always waited with a 

 great deal of interest for our men to visit 

 .. est mation for tue purpose of establishing a 

 basis for the adjustment of complaint. 



At a number of places where we have been 

 and complaint has been made, upon explanation 

 oi what tne grade invoiced should be buyers 

 have tound that they had no cause for com- 

 plaint and have indicated their willingness to 

 accept the car as billed. Customers in different 

 cities have also requested us to instruct their 

 inspectors in the correct interpretation of our 

 luies, so that they will leel competent to decide 

 whether they are getting the grade they have 

 purchased, and we are always glad to accede 

 i" such requests.- 



A great ueal of confusion is being caused on 

 account of lumber being purchased on one grade 

 and sold as another, ana we find in investigat- 

 ing that it is advisable when more than one 

 grade is placed in a car. especially where it may 

 ne possible to manipulate tuem, that the grades 

 he piled separately, ami each hoard have a 

 distinguishing graue mark, it cannot then be 

 said mat they were originally shipped for the 

 Higher grade. 



A great deal has been said about uniform 

 inspection, but I tnitik that too much cannot 

 be said on this very important point. The mill 

 man should very careiully study this matter 

 and see to it that his inspectors are careful 

 in their interpretation of tue rules. It is an 

 excellent idea to have regular meetings of the 

 inspectors and their interpretation of the rules 

 lined up so that they wilt all grade alike. 



Sawyers, edgermeu and trimmers are now be- 

 ing taken into the meetings and discuss the 

 gi ailes the same as inspectors, both on the 

 green and dry lumber, at various points, and 

 i have in my routine work visited the mills of 

 members and attended such meetings and we 

 are always ready to continue such practice. 



If is important that a certain grade of wood 

 shipped from a mill in Mississippi should not be 

 materially different from the same grade shipped 

 in in a mill in West Virginia. We have found 

 i hat a great many consumers making com- 

 plaini mi a shipment had nothing to say as to 

 whether ii was graded strictly according to our 

 rules or not. merely that it was not as good 

 as another car they had received. 



A very important point that has been im- 

 pressed upon the members in previous conven- 

 iens is the matter of having some mark of 

 identification on their lumber. Our inspectors 

 this yen have had a number of cases come 

 before them where it was absolutely impossi- 

 ble, to identify the stock, even when the shipper 

 himself was present, as was the case on one 

 occasion. This could be very easily obviated 

 bj a brand mark on the end or side of the 

 hoards as a number of our members. 1 am glad 

 to say, now use There can be no question then 

 about the inspector's getting the right lumber. 

 This is for your own protection, gentlemen, not 

 our convenience. 



In closing 1 want to say that I would be 

 very glad to receive, verbally or by letter, any 

 inquiries regarding Hie proper interpretation of 

 any purl of our rules or fuller explanation of 

 in\ point in our rule book; also if at any time 



HALL, ASIIEVILLK. NORTH CAROLINA 

 VICE PRESIDENT 



