HARDWOOD RECORD 



• inr»« now. srn? msnr of vn will not Ikj inlorontoil in wlint liappoiis 

 '! linvc Ijcen u«<>J up. 

 iliriiltics mill provont tbo stubRtiliitOR 

 - a )iroblt>m too ililticuU for mo to 



\. : lilt I i.luM. It til.' .iiii.Ti'iil niworintioiui, anil Dinnufnrlurprs 



111 arc not mpmbrrs of nny ntMocintioiis, nrouUI nppoint a number 



; fpmmittf^» anl rally to their sup|>ort, fall u|>on our neiglibor» 



iiuH'tinn!', get tlicni JntcreHtod and workinR 



■1 :iik1 attending meetings, hearing the reports 



:■.- lire iloing, we would soon odurate onrs^elvos 



! .1 work lip I'linuuli oiilliiuiinsm to overcome our troubles. 



Xnture hns favored the lumbermen in ninny ways. The depict in;; 

 ! the fimljor stipply gives a natural advantage that practically im 

 •lier induMry in the world has. But this advantage has caused us 



overlook the imiwrtance of promoting our own product, which hns 

 .wn the substitutes the advantage, they having hml to create a 



nrket for their product. 



A Mattes of Co-opebation 



I fi|^rc the greatest good can be accomplished iiirini;;ii tm' runpc- 

 .ition of all wood manufacturers, because, in the end, our interest 

 ^ largely the same. It is difficult to increase the consumption of one 



.>od without interfering with or decreasing the consumption of 

 niother: and the incrcafc in the consuniption of one wood at the 

 Npcnse of another will eventually react against wood products as a 

 • hole. Kor instance, the yellow pine manufacturers could reduci' 

 uon prices and increase the consumption of their produce so long 

 IS the other woods would keep up their prices. But to do this would 

 ause the manufacturers of competing woods to pile up stock, and 

 inless the natural conditions of the countrj- would bring about an 

 ricreased demand for lumber, the competing woods would cventuall.v 

 '■iwer their prices to meet the situation, and the yellow pine manu- 

 tacturers would soon find their territory no greater, but the price 

 reduced. 



There are. however, many conditions and problems concerning the 

 ■msumption of each wood species that require special treatment, and 

 I should like to urge that each lumber association or manufacturer 

 n'.erested in an.v wood species appoint committees and devise means 

 ■o protect our industry from infringement b.v the stubstitutes, and 

 promote an increased demand in every direction, not at the expense 

 •ir sacrifice of some other wood now being used, but in some new 

 iirection. 



I should like to urge the appointment of a national bureau for 

 the purpose of making scientific research in any direction which may 

 be for the general benefit of all wood producers, and let the committees 

 of the different associations, working on problems which affect all 

 wood species, cooperate with the national bureau so as to avoid 

 friction as l)etween the different wood species, and try to work 

 together with as little conflict as possible. 



This bureau should work through and in connection with tlie labora- 

 tory at Madison, and all other scientific research laboratories and 

 schools throughout the entire world. The government has established 

 a laboratory at Madison and has invited us to aid and co-operate 

 with tbem, but so far as I can learn we are not giving it an opportunit.v 

 to be of an.v benefit to us. 



The retailer, not being interested in stumpage, is naturally not so 

 much interested in the future use of lumber as the manufacturer. 

 It makes little difference to him whether he sells lumber or substitutes. 

 Of course, if the substitutes are something he can not well handle, 

 he will devote more energy toward promoting the use of lumber. 



The silo business has proved to us how our lumber merchants com- 

 pare with those in other lines of industry in promoting tlieir product 

 in some new direction. Most of the silos are being constructed of 

 wood. yet. I dare say, 95 per cent of the wood silos constructed to 

 date have been sold by silo manufacturers direct to the consumer 

 through some other than a lumber dealer, although the dealers in 

 most cases have been given first chance and urged to go after the 

 business. 



So we can not rely too much upon the retailer to promote the 

 consumi'tion of our product. However, we can not afford to overlook 



the fact that our iiiteroKts ran Ih>hI be |ir<imoteil through the rotuil 

 lumber merchant ; our HucreMi in promoting and protecting our ■inlereit 

 lies in educating him, getting him out of the rut and m-oing if he 

 ran not l>e iniide as eflicient in iiicn-hniidiitiuK as those in other 

 industries. He in on the ground and Nhoiild l>o best qualified to ru|>« 

 with whatever coiitiiigi-ncioii inny arise. 



There are many diOiculti(>H that can be overcome if the innniifai- 

 turere will co-operate more with the retailer, and thmugli liuii aiiicn.l 

 their grading rules and classificationH in a manner to meet ilio public 

 demands. The manufacturers have lireii too independent in foriiiu 

 lating their grades and clnssiflrations; in many cafes they have bi-<ii 

 too one-sided, too little consideration has U-en given the ro<|uirenirnlj< 

 of the buyer or consumer, who, in the end. must be Hatisfiod if tin- 

 lumber is to be consumed. The retailer conii>s into direct contact 

 with the consumer, the manufacturer doen not. The reliiiler should, 

 therefore, bo solicited and his idea* given consideration when formu- 

 lating our grading rules and classifications. I do not mean by this 

 that he should dictate, but the demands of the buying public should 

 be duly considered. This is more necessary under present conditions 

 than it has been in the past. 



Man.v of the retailers are going to oppose, for various reasons, 

 some of the plans we may suggest, and it will doubtless be nccet-sary 

 to make experiments in different directions to find out .just what 

 course is best to pursue. All of this work should be looked after by 

 committees appointed by the individual lumber nsHociatioiui and manu- 

 facturers of different wood species. The lumber salesmen throughout 

 the country should be schooled along different lines. Instead of 

 ]>lodding along taking orders offered thcni here and there, they should 

 be instructed to educate the retailer in a way to produce better 

 results; they should report to the different bureaus which may be 

 established any new construction of aay nature in which wood could 

 be used; and there should be a system of following uji matters of 

 this kind in the same manner as the substitutes. 



I think the lumber associations depend too much upon their secre- 

 taries, and one or two other officers, to do all the work; and the 

 few who arc appointed on the different committees accept the appoint- 

 ments merely as a matter of courtesy and really make no effort to 

 licrform the obligations entailed. I have no definite plan by which 

 to overcome our present difficulties, except that everybody interested 

 in stumpage meet to discuss the nei-essity of promoting and protecting 

 our interest. If that is done, I am satisfied it will not be long 

 until we will be organized and accomplishing results. 

 Depend Too Much Vpos Secretaries 



Stumpage holders, who are not niaiiufactiirers, are not spending 

 anything toward promoting the use of wood |irodiicts, although they 

 arc .iust as vitally interested as the manufacturer, who is cutting up 

 liis timber at this time; in fact, mun- so, liecause interest is piling 

 up on his holdings, and unle.s8 something is done to stop the inroads 

 being made by the substitutes the cliam-cs are he will never realize 

 cost out of his timber. 



I think we have made a mistake in advertising how rapidly the 

 forests are being depleted, as it has given to the manufacturer of 

 substitutes and the public the impression that lumber is scarce, and 

 therefore high priced. 



It seems to be the object of the present selling organizations to 

 try to get a few cents more for their jiroduet than their neighbors, 

 and if this is done the.v seem to be content, believing that end of 

 their business is being properly handled. In most cases the one having 

 the largest selling force and spending the most money to beat the 

 other fellow to the business, or beat him out of it, is considered 

 the most .successful in the selling department, although he creates 

 nothing, docs not increase the consumption of lumber one foot, and 

 knows when he is taking the business that, sooner or later, the other 

 fellow will either increase his selling force to get the business, or 

 will cut his jirice sufficiently low to force it his way. So in our 

 selling methods, instead of increasing our efficiency, benefiting our- 

 selves and the world in general, we are adding to the cost of 

 lumber. What lumberman here today has caused an increase in the 

 consumption of lumber in any direction, or whnt lunilennan do you 



