HARDWOOD RECORD 



ui.^..,„, , :, ^ ....;.^iii|{ fur tlii> iiinnii' 



fnrturc or NiK'h urtirloK ur tlioir piirrtiHHp on thiit Kidv. It io in- 

 .•oiiopivnlilo tlint ini|uirtaiit imludtrii'ii will nlliiw thoiiiitelven to 1>« 

 hrlil u|> miTcly korauiii* tlioy nro uiinlili> to noniro certain nrticlcii 

 which thpy have lH«on import iii|;. Tlio only romilt |ionHiblc in tliut 

 iimiiy new induittripK will jiprinK up iiiiil pronoiit iiniinportnnt linos 

 ot manufncturp will lio brondonoil, mm for iiistnnco jilnntH iniinii- 

 facturinK cotton into cotton cooiIk, the niiiniifiictiirc of nliips, iiinl 

 many othi-r lines. 



The Cover Picture 



TlIK I'OVKK riCTrHK for this issue of H.MiDW(X>i) Rkcoku 

 suKKosts peace, and the suKgestion ought to l)c acceptable 

 at the present time when everybody is thinkinR and tnlkinf; of 

 disturbance and trouble. It is a farm scene in the quiet precincts 

 of Fall Creek, Indiana. The state of forwanlness of the corn crop, 

 the size and condition of the leaves on the trees, and the general 

 summer atmosphere of the place, show that August is drawing to a 

 close. Kven the geese which are puddling the water near the shore 

 have a late summer appearance. The dead cornstalks which have 

 loilged on top of the fence arc the left overs from last winter's 

 tloods in the creek. The picture is from a photograph in the 

 collection of farm scenes on file in the Field Museum of Natural 

 History, Chicago, and it seems particularly appropriate at this 

 time. It is a view from the farm 's rear, not the front. It is the 

 back field fence in.stead of the yard gate. 



The lumberman need not be a farmer in order to take a business 

 interest in the picture. The farm is coming to be one of the 

 lumberman 's best markets. Farmers are doing more building than 

 formerly, and it is of a better class. They once got along with a 

 shed for the horses; a loft for a little of the hay provided for 

 winter; a leauto for the wagon, and a roof on posts here or there 

 for the plows, harrows, and other farm tools. The fields were 

 enclosed with worm-fences. Cattle and sheep fought flies under 

 shade trees in summer, and fought blizzards behind the straw ricks 

 in winter with no roof but the clouds above. 



That kind of a farm was not much of a customer for the sawmill 

 man. Changes have come rapidly. Roofs for the crops and for 

 the live stock are now considered essential. There are new styles 

 of barns, granaries, and silos. The rail fence of a former genera- 

 tion are nearly obsolete. The old-time slip-gaps and half-hinged 

 gates are seen in few places now. The changed conditions have 

 made the modern farm a market for lumber; and, conversely, the 

 fact that it is a market for lumber has helped to bring the better 

 conditions. There are 7,000,000 farms in the United States, and 

 every one is a market or a prospective market for lumber. There 

 is room for the lumberman to increase greatly his business with 

 farmers. It is a market worth fostering;. 



War Times and the Sawmill 



HARDWOOD SAWMILL MEX in general are pretty much up 

 in the air as to just what constitutes the best policy in view 

 uf present contingencies. The two groups will be affected dif- 

 ferently. Those, the majority of whose business has been export, 

 have already definitely arranged to shut down, and there can be 

 absolutely no question as to the wisdom of this policy. Even 

 though a considerable extent of the business might have been for 

 domestic shipment, it would be very apparently bad business to 

 continue running in view of the necessity for marketing in this 

 country or in new and undeveloped markets abroad the majority 

 of the stock which has heretofore been moving in regular chan- 

 nels to countries now involved in the European struggle. 



As to those manufacturers who have been marketing their stock 

 at home, there is very reasonable room for doubt as to the wisdom 

 of immediately closing down without waiting to determine the de- 

 velopments in the next few months. It would seem the wise policy 

 for this group of manufacturers to merely maintain conservatism, 

 to forego all expansion, to maintain their production at a normal 

 or below normal figure, merely to play safe and to obviate the pos- 



Hibility of being rauf(ht by any unfavornble developmratu which 

 might follow from preitont conditions. 



There doesn't seem to be any logical reason why domestic busi- 

 ness in this country should be radically disturbed, the chief dif- 

 ficulty being of n financial nature. If the recently onnctcd and 

 amended currency laws prove efllcient under trial, there is abso- 

 lutely no reason why busiucHS in this country should be seriously 

 hampered. Of course, it will take some time to determine just 

 how this enactment will work out and ju^t what pITect foreign 

 disruption will have on our domestic trade. There is every proba- 

 bility, however, that in the first place the main dilUculty will be 

 met and in the second place that wo can proceed, as far lu our 

 internal afTairs are concerned, normally without regord to what 

 is happening abroad. 



If it is possible to manufacture ami hcII lumber it is unques- 

 tionably Jioor policy for those concerns who have considerable 

 money tied up in plants to shut down entirely and for an indefinite 

 [)eriod. It seems far better for those who are able, to continue 

 their organizations conservatively until the full situation is ap- 

 parent. Hasty action in either direction is undesirable. The tre- 

 mendous harm which would result from the immediate stoppage 

 of industrial operations in all lines is appallingly apparent. The 

 example set by a small percentage of manufacturers would un- 

 questionably be followed by a majority within a short time. There- 

 fore the question of cutting out operation entirely should be con- 

 sidered fully and soberly before being adopted. The question as to 

 whether it would not be far better to continue operation even under 

 unfavorable circumstances rather than to effect a general clos- 

 ing up of industries which would unquestionably result in thrust- 

 ing this country into a state of depression which might approach 

 panic, is a grave one. The disorganized purchasing power of 

 millions of the laboring class would effect a condition which could 

 not be overcome for months were circumstances to eventually ile 

 velop which would make feasible the resumption of industrial 

 activity all along the line. 



Therefore the question should be approached cautiously but with 

 full realization of what a general closing down would mean. The 

 solid fundamental condition of our country should be borne in 

 mind and the fact that the world is now practically dependent 

 upon America for her financial and industrial resources and for 

 her raw material should be carefully considered, l^nquestionably 

 the best policy seems to be one of conservatism but of conserva- 

 tism mixed with an aggressive determination to take fullest ad- 

 vantage of all chances for advancement offered. Of course no one 

 can urge that it is not good policy for those concerns whose busi- 

 ness is purely export to shut ilown immediately, but no man can 

 tell what the next two or three months will develop for America 

 and we should not strangle our industrial life, the purchasing 

 power of the mass of our population, by too easily surrendering 

 to panic, without considering the desirability of conservatively 

 playing safe and at the same time maintaining ourselves in a posi- 

 tion where we can instantly and without delay embrace any op- 

 portunity. This country faces either a great depression or a 

 tremendous stride ahead — It is up to the business men to deter- 

 mine which it sh:ill bi'. 



The Opportunity 



IT IS CONTRARY TO THE AMERICAN SPIRIT to gloat when 

 the misfortunes of others result to our advantage. However, 

 it would be an unwise policy to neglect any opportunity to 

 broaden the consumi>tion of American raw material and manufac- 

 tured products, particularly when such an opportunity is presented 

 by circumstances beyond our control and when our inactivity would 

 not in any degree palliate the misfortunes of the former possessors 

 of those markets. 



As far as the lumber business is concerned, this opportunity will 

 come from two sources. There will unquestionably be a tre- 

 mendous field open abroad in those countries which have been 

 receiving their forest products for manufacturing purposes from 

 competing countries. This is true particularly of the countries in 



