HARDWOOD RECORD 



39 



Substitutes in Wisconsin 

 The secretary called attention to the campaign in Wisconsin 

 by manufacturers of substitutes for lumber to push their prod- 

 ucts with all possible energy. Some of the state officials were 

 apparently favoring the substitute sometime ago, and this occa- 

 sioned a visit to them by Mr. Kellogg and Adolph Pfund of the 

 Wisconsin petail Lumber Dealers' Association, and the matter was 

 talked over in a friendly way. It was explained that the men 

 with substitutes were much more active in pushing their mate- 

 rials than lumbermen were. They are always on the ground when 

 building material is to be sold; always ready to explain the merits 

 and the best ways of using what they have; and the result has 

 lieen that they have received more attention along certain lines 

 than has been given to lumbermen. 



That was the explanation given by the agricultural department 

 of the University of Wisconsin in answer to the criticism that 

 sulistitutes were being favored above lumber. The lumbermen 

 wfre asked to push lumber with the same energy that cement and 

 other substitutes were being pushed. The time is opportune for 

 <loing so. In the past two years the University of Wisconsin has 

 sent out 11,000 blue prints, giving plans and specifications for 

 farm buildings and other improvements. This is done for the 

 purpose of assisting farmers to erect buildings economically and 

 in a scientific way. The substitute dealers have been following 

 u[i these Idue i)rints with offers to furnish the material, and in 

 tliis way have been getting business which lumbermen were over- 

 It will not remain so in the future. The retailers are now go- 

 ing after that business in an aggressive way, and are gettiug in 

 touch with the farmers. The advertising committee of the North- 

 ern Hemlock and Hardwood Manufacturers' Association is uow 

 distributing farm building plans, showing the advantages of 

 using lumber, and these will be widel;^^)ublished. In Wisconsin 

 there are farm experts in every county seat whose business it is 

 to give advice concerning crops and buildings. The advantage 

 to the lumberman of getting in touch with these people is apparent. 

 The manufacturers of substitutes are well aware of the advan- 

 tages. Cement associations have experts who go about the coun- 

 try for the sole purpose of showing builders and contractors how 



Traffic Matters 



George H. Chapman of Stanley, Wis., chairman of the railroad 

 committee, made a verbal report of the work done by himself 

 and associates in the way of extending trade for lumber, and 

 other matters connected with their duties. Kates have been asked 

 for, which if granted, will extend the market for hemlock from 

 fifty to one hundred miles toward Missouri river points. The matter 

 is now before the Interstate Commerce Commission. 

 Gamp Sanitation 



Dr. L. E. Spencer, of the Wisconsin State Board of Health, ad- 

 dressed the association on the subject of camp sanitation in the 

 lumber regions. He recently made a tour of inspection, not only 

 through the lumber regions, but where railroads are building, and 

 among other industries where camps for men are maintained. He 

 found some model lumber camps, but he found others which were in 

 bad condition. As a result of his investigation a set of rules and 

 regulations was prepared by the State Board of Health to apply 

 to industrial camps in Wisconsin. 



Copies of these regulations were distributed at the meet- 

 ing and called forth considerable discussion and numerous ques- 

 tions. As a whole, the regulations were favorably received, and 

 the following resolution was adopted by the association: 



Kesolved, That the Northern Hemlock and Hardwood Manufacturers' 

 As.sociatlon cooperate so far as practicable with the Wisconsin State Board 

 of Heiilth in carryin.? out thp spirit of the regulations for camp sanita- 

 tion ; and the efliciency committee be authorized to represent the associa- 

 tion in matters relating to the enforcement or modification of these- 

 regulations. 



The text of the regulations will appear in the issue of Hard- 

 wood Record of May 25. Dr. Spencer stated that the condition 

 of lumber camps compared favorably with other industrial camps 

 visited iu his tour of inspection. He further stated that, as a 



rule, the most efficient logging operations were in connection with 

 the most sanitarj' camps. 



Inspection Kules Matters 

 F. F. Fish, secreary of the National Hardwood Lumlier Asso- 

 ciation, addressed the meeting on the subject of grading rules, and 

 he particularly called attention to efforts which are being made 

 by certain consumers to discredit the rules of 1913 and go back 

 to thdse of 1912. He gave a history of the rules as they now 

 stand, said that they were adopted with less opposition than any 

 rules previously adopted, and explained that, under the bylaws 

 of the association, no changes can be made for another year. The 

 inspection rules committee of the National Hardwood Lumber 

 Association held a meeting in Chicago the last week in April, 

 and no applications for changes were received or considered. Mr. 

 Fish stated that his association had added 100 new members the past 

 year, and now has 892. 



Complaint from Michigan 



J. C. Knox, secretary of the Michigan Hardwood Manufacturers' 

 Association, I'adillac, Mich., addressed the meeting on conditions 

 there, stating that the estimated season's input of hardwood logs, 

 revised April 1, was 450,000,000 feet, which was 8,000,000 below 

 the estimate of January 1. It is not expected that the harvest 

 of hemlock bark will quite come up to last year's and there will 

 be little change in price. Mr. Knox referred to efforts to change 

 the inspection rules, and said that practically all such efforts 

 could be traced to consumers. 



;Mr. Kno-K complained of price cutting, and said he was sorry 

 to state that most of it came from Wisconsin. He referred specif- 

 ically to maple and cited an instance whose unnecessary cutting of 

 price had hurt the Michigan manufacturers. Kegret was ex- 

 pressed that such a condition existed, particularly when it did not 

 seem lo be necessary to cut prices in order to sell. 

 Advertising Lumber 



Mr. Kellogg- reported for the advertising committee which is 

 expending an appropriation of $10,000 a year in placing its merits 

 of Wisconsin hardwoods and hemlock before the consuming pub- 

 lic. The advertising campaign thus far has aimed principally to 

 reach t'jie trade in Wisconsin and surrounding territory, and not 

 the whole country. Among the committee's activities recently 

 was the circulation of 1,100 building-plan books in Wisconsin, 

 600 in Indiana, and others elsewhere. These books contained plans 

 and data for farm buildings. Literature is distributed among 

 farmers in winter and among artisans in summer, the purpose being 

 to reach each, class during its season of greatest leisure. 



Increased results are coming from the advertising campaign. 

 This is the natural result which usually follows prolonged adver- 

 tising. The methods followed the past year will be continued. 

 The Eetail De.u-ers 



The Wisconsin Retail Lumber Dealers' Association was repre- 

 sented by Adolph Pfund, who explained the methods adopted by 

 the association in getting in touch with the users of lumber, and 

 the results which have followed. 



All inquiries from prospective users are sent to the nearest re- 

 tail dealer, with an account of the kind and amount of work in- 

 tended, from which tlie probable quantity of lumber can be esti- 

 mated. This method of bringing purchaser and seller together 

 produces good results. 



A circular is being prepared for distribution among farmers. 

 It will deal with the proper ventilation of barns, and the size of 

 the barn for so many acres, so mapy cows, and so much storage. 

 Another circular will deal with silo frames. 



Report of Committee on Grades 



The report of the committee on grades was presented by M. J. 

 Quinlan, who saw much encouragement in the situation and no 

 serious clouds on the horizon. Building promises to be good; some 

 substantial sales at good prices have been made, some woods are 

 well sold out, while it is not so well with others. It was predicted 

 that hemlock will find markets this year in a way which will not 

 allow any accumulation of stock, and at prices not below the pres- 

 ent, and probably a little above. 



