36 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



J. W. DICKSON. MEMPHIS. TENN., GUM 

 GRADING COMMITTEE. 



dent, the sincere thanks of the association for 

 his unselfish work and his untiring interest in 

 its behalf. His administration has been one of 

 unbounded success. By his labors he has added 

 much in usefulness to the association. Its value 

 as a business organization representing one of 

 the great industries of the country is becoming 

 more appreciated every year. In his retirement 

 as president he carries with him the thanks of 

 every member of the association. We appreciate 

 his good fellowship as a man and his executive 

 ability as a presiding officer.* 



It was with sincere regret that the member- 

 ship of this association learned of the death of 

 its former treasurer, Mr. Ferdinand C. Fischer. 

 The association will miss his advice and pres- 

 ence at our meetings, lie was a splendid busi- 

 ness man, one who made friends among all he 

 met. We tender to his family our most sincere 

 sympathy in his death. 



To our efficient secretary, Mr. Lewis Doster, 

 this association is very much indebted fur the 

 work be has done during Ihe five years since 

 organization. He has proven an official who has 

 given of his time and energy without limit. He 

 has met every demand that has come upon him 

 in the discharge of his duties. It is rare that we 

 find embodied in any one man such a pleasant as- 

 sociate such a faithful employee and one so well 

 qualified to discharge the duties that have de- 

 volved upon him as secretary of the association. 

 He has been the strong right arm of each one 

 who lias held the position of president since the 

 first organization of this association. We would 

 not pretend to dictate to the incoming Executive 

 Board who it should elect to till the various 

 places at its disposal, but we earnestly hope that 

 in their wisdom they will find it to the continued 

 interest of the association to retain Mr" Doster 

 as its secretary. All of which is respectfully 

 submitted. A. J. G ah AG AN j 



A. LOVEMAN, 



w. w. Dings. 

 The report was unanimously and* en- 

 thusiastically adopted ami tin- nominees de- 

 clared elected. President Wilms thereupon 

 surrendered the chair to the new president, 

 John B. Ransom of Nashville, who said: 



Gentlemen, I am really too full for utterance — 

 of gratitude. 1 mean. This is the greatest honor 

 that I have ever had thrust uih.ii me. and I hope 

 I shall be able to get through this year without 

 anything to regret. I understand that our vice 

 president, Mr. Gilchrist, is a good speaker I 

 will ask him to do the speaking and I suppose 

 Mr. Doster will do the other work. I realize 

 that I am in the presence of a very distinguished 

 body of business men and I really believe that 

 some of them have been hypnotized in selecting 

 me as your president. I really don't feel equal 

 to the occasion, as I s.< told some of the com- 

 mittees who waited upon me, but I am going to 

 do the best 1 can— and we now are ready for 

 business. 



Mr. Gilchrist— Gentlemen, I don't know just 

 what to say, but I thank you very much. I will 

 do the best I can. 



President Ransom — I realize, gentlemen, that I 

 am taking the place of a very strong man who 

 was our former president, and 1 would like to 

 hear from him — Mr. Wilms. 



Mr. Wilms — Gentlemen, in retiring from the 



office of president I take with me a recollection 

 of the cooperation of the members and the Ex- 

 ecutive Board that will be permanent, and I 

 can't express it more fittingly than by saying 

 that, in spite of the labor and extra work put 

 upon me, it has been a pleasure to serve you. 



I desire to express to you my gratitude for hav- 

 ing had sufficient confidence in me to place me at 

 the head of this association. If, in withdrawing 



I I Mm that place of honor, you feel that I have 

 performed my duties to your satisfaction, I shall 

 go home with my heart full of gratitude to you 

 and the association. I shall continue the same 

 loyalty to the association in the future as I 

 nave in the past and if at any time my services 

 may be of hen. 'lit to the association I will serve 

 you with the same effort as heretofore. [Ap- 

 plause.] 



The Chair — I know our secretary is always 

 ready to talk, and we would be pleased to hear 

 from him. 



Mr. Doster — Gentlemen, I have not any com- 

 mittee reports to read. [Laughter.] That is all 

 I know — association work and association talk. 



I am certainly pleased with the manner in 

 which you have taken hold of the association and 

 the manner in which you have transacted the 

 business. It gave me a great deal of pride to 

 listen to your applause, and that is worth trav- 

 eling 50,000 miles to hear. This association has 

 broadened me out by meeting men of this class. 

 I never shall forget the kind treatment which 

 you have given me during the year, while my 

 work was in progress and at the eonvention. 

 The members of the committees and the indi- 

 vidual members of the association have always 

 laid aside their business whenever I have called 

 upon them. The manner in which they have 



E. L. DAVIS, LOUISVILLE, KY.. VEHICLE 

 DIMENSION COMMITTEE. 



treated me with their hospitality, as well as 

 commercially, has almost spoiled me, for it 

 makes me feel like traveling when I have office 

 work to do. 



1 want to thank you for your kindness, but I 

 want you to feel that 1 have been supported not 

 only by the members but I have also been sup- 

 ported by the lumber press. The office assist- 

 ants I have obtained have also enabled me to 

 produce the results from which I get the bene- 

 fits. The inspection bureau also works in your 

 interests and we have been working together like 

 one large family. While we continue that policy 

 we should be successful, and I believe everyone 

 should be given due credit. I thank you very 

 kindly. [ Applause.] 



lie- ('hair — Gentlemen, we are always glad to 

 hear from the biggest man in the association — 

 the biggest man in many ways — and I will call 

 upon Mr. Vansant. 



Mr. Vansant — Gentlemen, it is hardly neces- 

 sary for me to undertake to respond to the 

 problem given me, because I know Brother Ran- 

 som was not sincere. I have in mind one matter 

 which I think Mr. ( ;ahagan and his committee 

 overlooked in their resolutions. I think all lum- 

 bermen will recognize that one of the most potent 

 factors in this organization has been the practi- 

 cally united support of the lumber press. [Ap- 

 plause.] They are as essential to our business 

 as an- our inspectors and bookkeepers. It is 

 our duty not only to encourage them in their 

 business, but to support them. I move that the 

 thanks .if this convention be tendered unaui- 

 mously to the lumber press, which has so ably 

 assisted us in rallying on our work. 



The Chair—Another heavyweight with us 

 whom we would be pleased to hear from is Mr. 

 Crane. 



Mr. Crane — Well, I don't believe I can add 

 much to what has already been said. I have 

 watched the progress of this association. I was 

 one of the first at the organization ; I attended 

 the meeting at St. Louis and have never missed 

 one. I have tried to attend all the Executive 

 Board's meetings and perform my duties the best 

 I know how. I am impressed with the growth 

 of the association, and I think this is one of the 

 grandest meetings we have ever had. Everybody 

 is pleasant ; everybody is looking well and mighty 

 few are hunting up buyers for lumber. They 

 seem to be getting ready to manufacture some— 

 which, I think, is the general condition of the 

 whole country. I don't know whether the asso- 

 ciation brought that condition about or not, but 

 I shouldn't wonder. The difference in inspection 

 and method of doing business is worth hundreds 

 of thousands of dollars a year, and I hope the 

 association will continue along the lines we have 

 been running on. After we get the consumers a 

 little closer with us we will be stronger and the 

 misrepresentations some people are making about 

 us will be at an end. [Applause.] 



On Mr. Vansant 's motion the lumber 

 press received the thanks of the association. 



Mr. Gahagan, chairman of the resolutions 

 committee, then spoke as follows: 



Mr. President — There is one w r ord of explana- 

 tion due from the Committee on Resolutions. It 

 is impossible for the most intelligent committee 

 to cover all the delicate points which come to 

 our attention inside of fifteen minutes. When I 

 looked at this splendid body of newspaper men, 

 representing, to my mind, one of the greatest 

 business organizations in all the world, I felt 

 that we had forgotten something: At the time 

 I could not get the committee together to make 

 another report, hence we overlooked the news- 

 paper men. 



While I am not identified with any newspaper 

 in a business way, they always have found in 

 me a business friend and one who has been al- 

 ways ready to serve them. I have been called 

 upon from time to time to give them informa- 

 tion and have always done so. 



I notice also that we omitted any reference to 

 the death of a splendid man. Mr. C. A. Ward. 

 who has rendered valuable service to the associa- 

 tion, and we ask your pardon for that omission 

 and request that Mr. Doster add a supplement 

 to our report referring to the death of Mr. Ward 



To look into the faces of the gentlemen who 

 constitute this organization and who make up 

 an industry that is one of the greatest and most 

 important that pertains to the welfare and 

 growth and development of this entire country 

 gives me great pleasure. I have never' missed a 

 single meeting of this organization. I am a busy 

 man at home, having but a few hours for any- 

 thing except the details of business, but I come 

 to these meetings and spend two or three days 

 of real recreation and go home feeling about ten 

 years younger, better qualified to discharge my 

 obligations. 



Cooperation is the watchword of the day. 

 Good fellowship has as much to do with the pro- 

 motion of business as dollars and cents'. As men 

 go along and time passes and as men become 

 educated in the details of business they come 

 closer together. There was a time when a man. 

 in the conduct of business regarded every fellow 

 as his enemy and "the devil take the hindmost." 



VAN B. PERRINE, FT. WAYNE, IND.. FURNI- 

 TURE DIMENSION STOCK COMMITTEE. 



