HARDWOOD RECORD 



29 



and then there are not enough to go around among the applicants. 

 Mr. Beckerle also said that he believed the time is coming soon 

 when, through the establishment of a National Bureau of Employ- 

 ment, men can be much more readily shifted from one state to 

 another to meet the demands for labor, giving as an instance dur- 

 ing the present season the over-supply of labor in Wisconsin and 

 the shortage in the wheat fields of Kansas. 



A general discussion of the subject of wages indicated a prob- 

 able decrease of at least $4.00 per month this season compared 

 with last, due to the uncertainty of the lumber market, and more 

 especially to the increased cost of foodstuffs. Some operators 

 who have recently been keeping careful accounts, declared that 

 oven this reduction in wages would not enable them to log a cent 

 <heaper than they did last year because of the higher prices for all 

 food for men and horses. In the same connection, the loggers 

 present were asked to give their opinion of the probable input 

 the coming season. Some stated their intention, unless conditions 

 improve, to reduce logging operations from twenty-five to thirty 

 per cent, while others declared that they are only logging normal 



amounts now and that a reduction in the input would increase 

 overhead charges to a prohibitive figure per thousand feet. One 

 member well stated the case as being better to keep plants going 

 and reduce wages than to close down completely and throw men 

 out of employment who would then have to be cared for by the 

 public. In this connection it was said that in the copper country 

 of upper Michigan 3,000 men are already idle and that another 

 3,000 might be idle before long, and the problem of caring for 

 these men is a most serious one because almost none of them, due 

 to lack of experience, can take up woods work. The general 

 sentiment was that present conditions do not warrant logging 

 enough this winter for anything more than day runs at the mills, 

 and that if conditions do not improve within the next two months, 

 operations will have to be curtailed to a greater extent. 



After discussing these and various other matters until 5:00 

 o'clock in the evening the meeting adjourned. A hearty vote of 

 thanks was given to the Elks Club of Green Bay for its commo- 

 dious hall and for the many privileges tliey had given to the 

 out-of-town visitors. 



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Tales of the Trade 



BRAVE IN HIS AFFLICTION 



Max Pease, the traveling principal of the Galloway-I'ease Com- 

 pany of Poplar Bluff, Mo., and Saginaw, Mich., tells a rather 

 amusing anecdote which involves one of his friends up in the 

 North country. This particular friend was apparently happily 

 married but unfortunately after a few years of bliss he lost his 

 wife. Max, from the utter kindness of his heart and perhaps 

 because this man had been a pretty good customer of his, extended 

 his most heartfelt condolences in the form of a beautifully written 

 and rather tearful letter. This epistle was duly acknowledged in 

 the regular form by the bereaved husband and it happened that a 

 couple of months later. Max made that territory and went in to 

 see his old friend, who met him with an expression which to Max 

 seemed to be a little bit too cheerful for one who had so recently 

 lost his wife. 



At the beginning of the conversation, however, the bereaved 

 gentleman reverted to his lost-hope air long enough to again assure 

 Max of his deep appreciation of the latter 's very tonching note, 

 and, then switching, said that he wanted to ask his advice. He 

 said, "You know I'm pretty well fixed and pretty much of a home 

 lover, and as a result I 'm rather up a tree. The last few weeks 

 I've been giving my attention to two very attractive girls in town 

 here, one of whom is the owner of a substantial eight-room house 

 and the other happens to be organist of the local church at a salary 

 of eight hundred a year. I haven't been able to decide which one 

 I ought to take and I want to get your idea as to what would be 

 the best choice." 



Max, looking at him in astonishment and with an incredulous 

 expression on his face, studied the situation for a moment and 

 then his manner became quite different. He said, before picking 

 up his hat to leave, "There is just one thing for you to do and 

 that is to give me back that letter and do it mighty quick." 



AN APPRECIATIVE AXTOIENCE 



An amusing incident is told of the late William M. McCormiek, 

 the well known Philadelphia lumberman, who with the kindest 

 heart in the world, and to whom no one ever applied in vain 

 for help in time of need or distress, was addicted to excessive 

 swearing with or without provocation. A stenographer who had 

 been in his employ for seven years finally told him she was going 

 to leave and get a position somewhere else as she could stand his 

 profanity no longer. Mr. McCormiek was profoundly, touchingly 

 sorry, but it was a hopeless case. On her departure he told her, 

 that anyone who could stand him for seven years deserved some 

 compensation and he smilingly presented her with a check for 



$200. As Mr. Henry Gibson said in substance in his loving 

 memorial of this man, the recording angel would surely wipe out 

 with a tear a human weakness which was overshadowed by so many 

 noble and Christian traits of character. 

 NO WONDER MORFORD HAS "CASHED" THESE lAST 

 FEW YEARS 



Charles M. Morford, the popular ex-president of the Nashville 

 Lumbermen 's Club, and one of the most prominent hardwood manu- 

 facturers of this territory, was the victim of a good joke that caused 

 much merriment at the meeting of the Rotary Club at the Hermitage 

 hotel on June 1. Shortly after the meeting was called to order 

 Manager Wilson of the hotel put in his appearance on the scene, 

 wearing a very serious air, and with much gravity he said: 



"Gentlemen, since you have been holding your sefsions at our 

 hotel, we have been continually missing silverware. I do not allege 

 that any of you gentlemen would be guilty of taking such articles, 

 but it is a fact that it has been missing. The waiters have been 

 searched, and a close surveillance kept over them, so that it can be 

 plainly seen that something must be done. Nothing could cause me 

 more unpleasantness than an incident of this kind, but you can see 

 my situation, and the necessity for some action." 



There was great silence while the manager was speaking, and 

 evidently much surprise at the nature of his remarks. 



' ' I move that all present be searched, ' ' said one Eotarian, who had 

 a knowing twinkle in his eye, and no one could object. 



The search was started, proceeding in a rather indifferent manner 

 until Mr. Morford 's time came. As the searchers proceeded to 

 investigate the pockets of the lumberman they found their capacity 

 taxed with knives, forks and other articles of the kind which the 

 manager claimed had been disappearing. There was a great uproar 

 among the Rotarians, but Mr. Morford was greatly puzzled. It soon 

 became evident to him, however, that the joke had been framed on 

 him. The goods had been "planted" on him by his friends while 

 he was in the dining room being engaged in lively conversation with 

 some of the Rotarians. The joke was enjoyed immensely, and while 

 Mr. Morford probably didn't like being the victim, he recognized it 

 as a good one, and one that was carried out well. 



The ship and boat building industry in this country has been 

 consuming close to 200,000,000 feet of lumber a year. Now with the 

 stimulant to both coastwise and inland water way navigation by the 

 opening of the Panama canal we should have a material increase in 

 the lumber requirements for ship building. 



