22 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



who say they are very busy, are getting top 

 prices, and don't need an association. rerbaps 

 not now, but these times will not eominue for- 

 ever. The time will come when we will all 

 need orders and then if we have an association 

 in good working order the benefits will be ap- 

 parent. However, I claim that the high priced 

 man needs the association fully as much as the 

 one who has been low priced. 



The last objection to the association that I 

 think of comes from a house which says it sees 

 among our officers men who have sold goods for 

 the lowest possible prices. Perhaps so. They 

 are of the men who have needed education and 

 have taken and applied practically the lessons 

 they have received. We want them all, aud the 

 high priced man is the best teacher of the low 

 priced one. 



There is another matter I wish to touch upon. 

 After our organization it was discover d that 

 there was an association with headquarters at 

 Indianapolis which calls itself the National Ve- 

 neer .Manufacturers" Association. This ass < lis 

 tion is composed exclusively of manufacturers of 

 quartered oak. Efforts in the early part of the 

 year to have them become members of this asso 

 ciation were without effect. They, however, have 

 taken ci gnizance of the apparently satisfactory 

 working of the association : they have held re- 

 peated meetings (luring tlie year, and are oper- 

 ating witli the sarin- end in view that we are. 

 and will, 1 think, be represented here. I have 

 hope that the two associations can be merged 

 into one, and thus have one grand parent organi- 

 zation. 



The subject of grades has been mention id, 

 and there will be presented to you grading rules 

 on various lines that have already been the 

 subjects of much discussion. This notwith- 

 standing the fact that this association has al- 

 ready formulated some grading rules in some 

 lines. It is hoped that this convention of the. 

 association can accept rules that will be later 

 presented, and make them thus in fact the 

 national rules for grading. 



At times during the y ar there has been much 

 to cause us to feel discouraged that results have 

 not been more quickly attained. Those familiar 

 with association work say. however, that we 

 have made wonderful progress. I mist that it 

 is so. They point to other associations thai 

 have spent years of time and much money before 

 getting matters upon a satisfactory basis. There 

 seems, therefore, reason for us to continue the 

 work vigorously, smoothing down the rough 

 places within the association and urging those 

 still on the outside to come in with us and 

 derive the benefits thathave already commenced 

 to show and certainly will be increased in the 

 future. 



Secretary Defebaugh then read his report, as 

 follows : 



Secretary's Report. 



Gentlemen — I will not take up your time with 

 the details of the work of the secretary's office 

 the past year, but wish in prefacing my remarks 

 to thank the veneer trade for the extreme cour- 

 tesy extended to the writer in his voluminous 

 correspondence with the various members of the 

 trade for the past twelve months. 



When we made our first effort to promote a 

 national organization we met wi.th discourage- 

 ments not anticipated, but in cooperation with 

 the officers your secretary has not allowed these 

 to decrease his interest in the promotion of an 

 organization that will add pleasure and profit to 

 your business. And, while a very busy man, 

 I have found time to visit, either through my 

 representatives or personally, every section of 

 the veneer territory with the exception of Wis- 

 consin, and I am happy to say that conditions 

 have been improved by the influence of the 

 work of this organization. Too much credit can- 

 not be given to the individuals who have gone 

 out of their way to try to influence their neigh- 

 bors, their competitors and their friends to get 

 in line with the up-to-date men of this organi- 



zation, and the result has been local organiza- 

 tions in each section. 



It is true that these have not all been consum- 

 mated on lines that we feel would have mate- 

 rially increased the volume of the bank acccunt 

 of the veneer and panel men. But progr ss 

 has been made, and the best testim: ny that this 

 is true is the correspondence that reaches our 

 office which says. "We have advanced our pre s. 

 thanks to the association." or "We are better 

 off because of the influence of the National or- 

 ganization and we desire to cooperate in any 

 way." These encouraging messages do not come 

 from the sixty-three members of the association 

 only, hut from the 220 manufacturers in the 

 trade. This should be encouraging to any man, 

 and our only regret is that we are not able to 

 report to you that we have 220 members. But 

 Borne was not built in a day. and I have known 

 many organizations that have spent much more 

 money and exerted more energy with less suc- 

 cess. Hence I think the association may be 

 congratulated on its efforts, for we have with' 

 us, for us and supporting every effort of the 

 organization the best men in the trade. There 

 are others who should be preferred stockholders 



.]. A. UNDERWOOD, WADSAU, WIS. RE- 

 ELECTED FIRST VICE PRESIDENT. 



in this prosperity wagon of the veneer and panel 

 trade, and we hope that we may shake hands 

 with many of these gentlemen today and enroll 

 them so we can have their moral and financial 

 support. 



Twelve mouths ago your secretary urged you 

 to work with the association and get your neigh- 

 bor to do likewise, to join in the movement sug- 

 gested for wheels within this big wheel, and I 

 trust that the meetings held before and after 

 and during this general meeting will insure more 

 aggressive work by these local bodies that they 

 may uphold the recommendations of the officers 

 of this association, for if in our swaddling 

 clothes we could accomplish the results which 

 mean dollars and many of them in our bank 

 accounts because of membership in this organi- 

 zation and the branches formed within it, no 

 man in the trade can afford to stay outside the 

 fold. Your secretary can see great possibilities 

 for the organization. It is true we need money 

 enough in the treasury to employ a man who 

 will give his whole time and effort to the up- 

 building of the veneer trade. 



As a point for cons'. deration, because ven er 

 manufacturers not in the association cut the 

 price in the month of October, lumber manufac- 

 turers who are in competition with you for the 

 same logs veneer is made of had to cut the lum- 

 ber price down $o a thousand. Veneer and lum- 

 ber in ii should cot be in competition either in 



purchasing or selling, but should work together 

 to buy the logs as cheap as possible and sell 

 their manufactured product at the top of the 

 market, and with this cooperation you need not 

 fear hut what dividends will be paid each year 

 on the capital stock of your institution. 



You can accomplish nothing in life without 

 effort. Effort is made easy by the cooperation 

 of the individual with the high class organization 

 whose aim is to improve the conditions in the 

 craft. We have the organization. We have 

 sixty-three tried men who have been and are 

 making the effort to assist each other, but there 

 is plenty of room en the front seat in this 

 organization to make additions to this roster and 

 to enlarge the influence and effort of this body 

 for the greater prosperity of the industry. If 

 you have not .gone on record as being favorable 

 to this greater prosperity you can only blame 

 yourselves for any disasters that may come from 

 high-priced logs and low-priced manufactured 

 products. 



It is true there has been absolutely no com- 

 bined effort in this organization to put in effect 

 an iron-clad price list. We tannot do it: we 

 would not do it if we could. We are happy to 

 say that the suggestions of the wisest men in 

 the trade have been accepted by the majority of 

 the veneer and panel manufacturers because we 

 had an organization where we could all get 

 together and talk it over, rjere we are again 

 gathered together to work out plans for l'JOT. 

 Let us give our time and talk freely and from 

 the heart and we can accomplish much more 

 than we have ever done before at this meeting. 

 We know, because we have tried it, that the 

 other fellow will follow our lead. If this meet- 

 ing is not composed of 200 men, as it should be, 

 don't be discouraged, but remember that ycu 

 have the same experience in the town meeting, 

 the commercial club, the church and the lodge, 

 thai two or three must do the work, must out- 

 line the plans, and the American manufacturers 

 are willing to help themselves when some one 

 suggests a possible way to improve their condi- 

 tion. Don't let anyone discourage you. Our 

 organization's work can be put up beside the 

 effort of any like organization in its first year's 

 life and we can show the man from Missouri or 

 any other state that we have accomplished won- 

 derful things. That being the case, we should 

 be encouraged to give more effort, more time, 

 more money to create more dividends for the 

 individuals in the veneer and panel business. 



If I have gone too much into generalities in 

 this little talk I have not been bluffing. I have 

 got four aces in my hand and they represent and 

 will take the pot of the veneer and panel trade 

 against any hand that the seller of logs or the 

 buyer of veneer can hold if you will give, your 

 attention to the business game and cooperate 

 through the national organization of the vein- r 

 and panel trade. 



Secretary-Treasurer Defebaugh then delivered 

 his report on the financial condition of the asso- 

 ciation, which showed a balance on hand on 

 June 19, 1906, of J12S.65 : receipts since that 

 date of $190 ; balance on hand at date. $86.91. 

 He reported dues unpaid of about $110, and re- 

 quested prompt attention. 



The report was referred to an auditing com- 

 mittee composed of Messrs. Walker, Richardson 

 and Benjamin. 



H. J. Cunningham of the National Manufac- 

 turers' Mutual Insurance Company, Janesville, 

 Wis., was then introduced and gave a clear and 

 comprehensive resume of the work which his 

 company and others organized along the same 

 lines are doing. 



B. W. Lord was asked to deliver an address 

 which he had prepared on "Waste in Manufac- 

 turing Veneei, but reouested that it oe de- 

 ferred until the next session. 



J. H. Talge of the Talge Mahogany Company, 

 Indianapolis, was then called upon for a paper 

 on "Cost of Logs." but was not present. 



M. C. Dow then spoke on "Manufacturers' 



