HARDWOOD RECORD 



21 



National Veneer & Panel Manufacturers' Association. 



The first annual meeting of the National Ve- 

 neer & Panel Manufacturers' Association is being 

 held at the Auditorium hotel, Chicago, December 

 11, as the Hardwood Record goes to press. 



The meeting was called to order with the 

 following in attendance: 



E. H. Benjamin, Cadillac Veneer Company, 

 Cadillac, Mich. 



B. A. BowinaD, Williauison-Kuny Mill and 

 Lumber Company, Mound City, 111. 



J. \V. Clinard, High l'oiut Veneering Com- 

 pany, High I'oint, N. C. 



H. J. Cuniugliam, National Manufacturers' 

 Mutual. Janesville. Wis. 



M. C. Dow, Goshen Veneer Company, Goshen, 

 ind. 



E. H. Defebaugh, Barrel & Box, Louisville, Ky. 

 11. C. Dayton, Wisconsin Veneer Company. 



Rhinelander, Wis. 



II. II. Gibson, Hardwood Record, Chicago. 



A. E. Gordon, Hardwood Record, Chicago. 



L. P. Groffman, St. Louis Basket & Box Com- 

 pany, St. Louis, Mo. 



A. O. Hubbard, Puffer-Hubbard Manufacturing 

 Company, Minneapolis. 



C. T. Jarrell, B. C. Jarrell & Co., Humboldt, 

 Tenn. 



D. E. Kline, Louisville Veneer Mills, Louis- 

 ville, Ky. 



B. W. Lord, Chicago Veneer Company, Burn- 

 side, Ky. 



M. C. Moore, Packages, Milwaukee. Wis. 



W. T. Pierpont, Beldenville Lumber Company, 

 Bruce, Wis. 



M. W. Perry, Ahnapee Veneer & Seating Com- 

 pany, Algoma, Wis. 



Carroll Quimby, Wisconsin Timber & Land 

 Company, Mattoon, Wis. 



J. N. Roberts, Roberts & Conner Company, 

 New Albany, Ind. 



Z. T. Robinson, Robinson Veneer Works, 

 Owensboro. Ky. 



W. H. Roddis, Roddis Lumber & Veneer Com- 

 pany, Marshtield, Wis. 



F. A. Richardson, Michigan Veneer Company, 

 Alpena, Mich. 



William Schoenlau, Schoenlau-Kukkuck Trunk 

 Top & Veneer Company, St. Louis, Mo. 



J. M. Schloenbaeh, Hardwood Record, Chi- 

 cago. 



C. J. F. Steiner, Baltimore Veneer Panel Com- 

 pany, Baltimore, Md". 



E. P. Sawyer, Cadillac Veneer Company, Cad- 

 illac, Mich. 



J. A. Underwood, Underwood Veneer Company, 

 Wausau, Wis. 



W. S. Walker, Portsmouth Veneer and Panel 

 Co., Portsmouth, O. 



D. W. Williamson, Williamson Veneer Com- 

 pany, Baltimore, Md. 



C. Fred Yegge, Chicago Mill & Lumber Com- 

 pany, Chicago. 



Owing to the absence of the secretary, who 

 was delayed by a late train, President Kline in 

 his opening remarks suggested that the regular 

 session of the association be deferred until 

 afternoon, but that some preliminary work be 

 done by members looking toward the prompt 

 furtherance of the business before the meeting. 



President Kline said that the Inspection rules 

 should be somewhat amended to meet curr -nt 

 conditions and that the matter was already 

 under discussion by the committee, and that 

 they would have a report to submit. 



He also suggested that it would be necessary 

 to have a committee on nomination and election 

 of officers — this being the annual meeting— and 

 appointed the following as such committee : M. 

 C. Dow, E. H. Benjamin and R. C. Dayton. 



He deemed it wise to appoint a committee 

 looking toward the poss'ble necessity for changes 

 in the constitution and by-laws and appointed 

 as such committee the following : M. W. Perry, 

 L. P. Groffman and J. W. Clinard. 



The meeting then adjourned until 2 p. m. 



AFTERNOON SESSION. 



After roll call by Secretary E. II. Defebaugh, 

 reading of minutes of last meeting being dis- 

 pensed with. President Kline delivered his ad- 

 dress as follows : 



Address of President. 



It is with great pleasure that I welcome such 

 a large and so representative an attendance at 

 the first annual meeting of the National Veneer 



& Panel Manufacturers' Association. A little 

 over a year ago a few manufacturers met at Cin- 

 cinnati and organized a temporary association. 

 A call was then sent out to everyone using 

 cutting machines and making panels and glued- 

 up stock urging them to attend a meeting which 

 was held here at Chicago on December 14, 1905. 

 At that time a permanent organization was per- 

 fected, which I have had the honor of serving 

 as first president. Right here I wish to say the 

 idea of a national association of veneer manu- 

 facturers is not a new one. More than ten 

 years ago a movement was set afoot by a prom- 

 inent manufacturing house looking toward the 

 establishment of an association. The time and 

 places set for preliminary meetings seemed to 

 be unfortunate and after two or three unsuc- 

 cessful attempts to get manufacturers together, 

 efforts ceased. Since then several spasmodic 

 efforts have been made, none of them with any 

 success until the present organization was 

 formed. 



It is a singular fact that the forerunning 

 agitation of the movement to organize the pres- 

 ent association was from the outside. Barrel 

 and Box, a trade paper published by our dis- 



D. E. KLINE, LOUISVILLE, KY., RE-ELECT- 

 ED PRESIDENT 



tingulshed secretary, E. H. Defebaugh, took the 

 initiative, ably seconded by M. C. Moore of 

 Packages, and H. IT. Gibson of the Hardwood 

 Record, Much "f the success that has crowned 

 our work is attributable to their efforts, both in 

 print and otherwise, and to the assistance and 

 advice obtained from these gentlemen. Mr. Def- 

 ebaugh has served us without compensation as sec- 

 retary and has to my personal knowledge spent 

 both his valuable time and money for our better- 

 ment. At our first meeting some criticism was 

 made ■ •! the diverse lines represented, and the 

 opinion was expressed that it would be impos- 

 sible to reconcile these interests and have a har- 

 monious working whole. It was at once sug- 

 gested that these various lines would very early 

 discover the necessity of getting together to 

 discuss their own peculiar line or lines and that 

 the probability was that subordinate organiza- 

 tions under the parent organization might be 

 found necessary. Carrying out this idea there 

 have been held from time to time, at convenient 

 places, meetings of manufacturers interested in 

 special lines. As, for instance, those making 

 rotary cut lines, that is to say the line covering 

 poplar,, oak and at a later date gum. That 

 they will also consider birch, basswood and 



other woods Is a foregone conclusion. The 

 makers of panel stock have also held a number 

 of meetings, as have also those whose line is 

 quartered oak, veneers and thin lumber in both 

 sawed and slice cut stock. Having attended 

 many of these meetings, I wish to say that it 

 is agreeably surprising to see the friendly dis- 

 cussions that are had of modes of manufacture, 

 costs, etc. 



There has also been organized during the year 

 a southeastern branch of the association com- 

 posed of members in North Carolina, Tennessee 

 and Georgia. On account of their long distance 

 from the majority of the manufacturers it was 

 deemed best that they should have a local or- 

 ganization so that frequent meetings could be 

 had. This branch is represented in the asso- 

 ciation meetings by duly accredited delegates. 



There has also been organized for the same 

 reason the New York & Pennsylvania Veneer & 

 Panel Association, with headquarters at James- 

 town, N. Y., also similarly represented in the 

 association meetings. The association has held 

 meetings in January, February and June of this 

 year and a delegation, including your president, 

 went to Asheville, N. C, in April, meeting there 

 the southeastern manufacturers, and assisted 

 in the establishment of the southeastern branch 

 already mentioned. 



A point that has been raised by some of our 

 people, already members of the association, u 

 that we must do nothing in violation of the so- 

 called Sherman law against trusts, which pro- 

 vides, I believe, against combinations in re- 

 straint of trade. I assume that we are all law- 

 abiding citizens of this country and that no one 

 of us is disposed to do anything that lays him 

 or his associates liable to punishment for viola- 

 tion of laws. 



The facts as to the condition of the trade we 

 represent were and are at present (excepting 

 the betterments that may have occurred during 

 the past twelve months) that the results at the 

 end of each year's business for a considerable 

 term of years have not justified the investment 

 in plants and equipment and the risk of fire, 

 flood and credits. This I believe to be the 

 unanimous opinion of all concerned. How are 

 we to better conditions is the question to be 

 solved by the association. First, we have not 

 been getting enough for our goods, and second, 

 the buyers, whether consumers, dealers or mid- 

 dlemen of any character whatever, have used 

 one manufacturer against the other to whittle 

 down our prices. Men with first-class reputa- 

 tions for honor and honesty have not refrained 

 from using the lie direct in naming prices to 

 one salesman, alleged to have been quoted by 

 another. The effect has been demoralization in 

 prices, terms and deliveries all along the line. 

 In our friendly intercourse with each other dur- 

 ing the past year we have found our competitors 

 to be men, and men willing and anxious to learn 

 as to methods and costs and to obtain all for 

 their goods that their competitors can. We 

 have shown up the unfair schemes of buyers 

 and have laid the groundwork for an effective 

 campaign of reform, and for a legitimate profit 

 for our output in future. The association has 

 made no prices, but has discussed costs and 

 established grades (as yet in imperfect form but 

 awaiting your action), and it has been sug- 

 gested that the minimum prices for certain 

 goods of certain grades ought not to be less 

 than figures presented from time to time. 



Upon legal advice of the best character we 

 believe this to be our privilege within any ex- 

 isting law. I think that the fear of being 

 drawn into some illegal action has caused many 

 houses to withhold their memberships. I be- 

 lieve these houses will become members sooner 

 or later, as we are continually growing. 



Another objection urged is from a few houses 



