HARDWOOD RECORD 



19 



Meeting Michigan HardWood Manufacturers' Ass'n. 



There was a rousing iiieetiug of the Michi- 

 gan Hardwood Manufacturers' Association, 

 lield at Grand Rapids, Mich., Ajiril 17. 

 Although the association was only organized 

 in July last, this is the fourth meeting that it 

 has held. The attendance at every meeting 

 seems to be growing larger and is indicative 

 of the interest that is being manifested in 

 the association. Already the organization has 

 systematised plans for gaining an accurate 

 knowledge of stocks of lumber and logs on 

 hand, both sold and unsold, and many details 

 that put every hardwood manufacturer in 

 Michigan in possession of facts essential to a 

 thorough knowledge of the conditions of the 

 business in the state. This information is 

 collated by the association 's secretary at fre- 

 quent intervals and distributed to every mem- 

 ber. It is safe to say that there is no body 

 of lumbermen in the country who are bet- 



WILLIAJI H. WHITE. PRESIDENT. 



ter posted on facts of such essential interest 

 in assisting just values for their product as 

 the members of this organization. 



Beyond the information collated and dis- 

 seminated as above noted, the association has 

 formulated a set of inspection rules and 

 endorsed them, which it hopes to make the 

 standard of the entire country on northern 

 hardwoods. The membership has grown to 

 about seventy in number, and represents 

 about eighty-five per cent of the total hard- 

 wood output of Michigan. The initial meet- 

 ing of the organization was held at Ottawa 

 Beach on July 13 and 14 last. The second 

 meeting was called at Mackinaw Aug. 8. The 

 third took place at Traverse City on Oct. 31. 



The Grand Rapids meeting was called in 

 the auditorium of the Hotel Pantlind at 10 

 A. M., with President William H. White in 

 the chair, and Secretary Bruce Odell at his 

 desk. President White after calling the meet- 

 ing to order, delivered the following address: 



President White's Address. 



Gentlemen : This is the fourth meeting of 

 the Michigan Hardwood Manufacturers' Associa- 



tion and while our association has not made 



ver.v miicli stir or excitement, we feel that its 



woi-ii has been very effective. 



The last statistics which our secretary sent 



out were gotten up in splendid shape. They 



reached nearly every manufacturer and I think 



had their effect. 



The work of this meeting today, as I look at 



it, is to consider fullj' the rules that have been 

 drafted by the different committees and if found 

 to be satisfactory, adopt the same and put them 

 into effect in say thirty or sixty days. T'his 

 would give our committee a chance to confer 

 witli the committee of the National Hardwood 

 Lumber Association, as I understand it is the 

 wish tif the National Association that our Grad- 

 ing Committee meet their Grading Committee 

 and go over the rules question. If their com- 

 mittee approves of the rules which our com- 

 mittees agree on, and agrees to recommend 

 their adoption at their annual meeting to be 

 held at Atlantic City in May, on maple, beech, 

 birch, ash, elm and basswood, so that these prod- 

 ucts could be shipped on one set of rules known 

 to the trade, I feel that we would have accom- 

 plished a great deal. We want a set of rules 

 that cannot be manipulated and in order to 

 have such a set of rules we will have to con- 

 sider the board from both sides. 



I am very desirous of seeing the defects in 

 boards placed according to the amount of feet 

 in each board, instead of according to the width 

 and length. I am also very desirous of seeing 

 a tmifurm inspection — I mean one set of inspec- 

 tion rules. Every member here should give 

 this rules question serious thought because when 

 it is decided upon now it should be left so for 

 some time. 



The marketing committee has a very impor- 

 tant task to perform, and I hope they have 

 given their work sufllcient thought to enable 

 them to slate to this meeting the market con- 

 ditions as they are today, and the chance for 

 maintaining the present prices for our stock or 

 of advancing prices in the near future. We 

 also want to discuss fully the amount of stock 

 on hand, compared witti last year, and the 

 amount of stock sold and unsold at the present 

 time- We want to look Into it carefully and 

 outline a policy for this association to pursue, 

 taking into account the amount of money it 

 will re(iuire to run it successfully, and make 

 provision for raising the amount today or when 

 it will be needed. I-'or the best interests of this 

 association it is going to require lots of atten- 

 tion and work in the future. Your secretary 

 deserves a great deal of credit for what he has 

 accomplished in the short time he has had to 

 do it. Taking into consideration his own busi- 

 ness interests I cannot see how he can continue 

 this work and do either himself or the associa- 

 tion justice after the close of our year, which 

 will be in July, unless he or some one else gives 

 the work their full time and attention. 



Every member of this association should have 

 a list "of stock on hand every month : namely, 

 each kind of hardwood lumber, as well as the 

 thickness, also the market conditions and the 

 price at which lumber is selling at the central 

 points, so that every manufacturer will be 

 posted on the true condition of the market and 

 know whether the supply of material is increas- 

 ing or decreasing the demand. Products in 

 which members are interested should be consid- 

 ered even if not controlled by the association, 

 such as bark, seats and other forest products, 

 and whatever information the secretary may 

 have in his possession should go out to the 

 members and he should keep in touch with 

 them. If a member is not sure on any point on 

 which he thinks the association might give in- 

 formation, it is his duty to write the secretary 

 and try to find out the true facts as they stand. 

 We are all busy men, perhaps too busy to give 

 this association work the time it needs. Every- 

 body is willing to do what they can, but this 

 is an important work and a work that is going 

 to have its results if properly looked after. 



The matter is now in your hands and I hope 

 we will have a good meeting. 



At the request of the chair Secretary Odell 

 read a synopsis of the minutes of the last 

 meeting, which was approved. 



Chas. A. Bigelow, chairman of the grading 

 committee, stated that a conference had been 

 held between his committee and the grading 

 rules committee of the National Hardwood 

 Lumber Association in Chicago some time 

 ago, and that they had received courteous 

 treatment at the hands of the National repre- 



sentatives and that a report of this conference 

 would be furnished later. 



President White invited W. H. Russe, 

 president of the National Hardwood Lumber 

 Association, to address the meeting on the 

 subject of the National Association's joining 

 the Michigan Association, or the Michigan 's 

 joining the National. Mr. Russe responded 

 as follows : 



W. H. Russe 's Speech. 



Ml. President and Michigan Millionaires : I 

 think the request of your president is very em- 

 barrassing when he asks if Michigan shall adopt 

 the National rules or the National adopt the 

 Michigan rides. At Puft'alo we made an agree- 

 ment not to change the rules for three years, 

 but I, for one, feel there are some changes 

 which should be made. You will all bear in 

 mind in making rules, when we hear from all 

 sections of the countr.y, that Michigan will not 

 get just what it wants, that Wisconsin will not 

 get just what it wants, and Indiana will not 

 get what it wants, because we do not all think 

 alike, and that is true on any legislation on any 

 subject. .\ny legislation you might carry out 



W, W. MITCHELL. VICE PRESIDENT. 



here in your organization will not meet the ap- 

 proval of all your members. You must get to- 

 gether for the general good. I was present at 

 (Jttawa Beach when you were organizing this 

 association. I am glad you have made such 

 progress. Association work is a good thing. It 

 is a good thing if you don't go any farther than 

 to know each other, for then you have accom- 

 plished good work. 



The market has been on our side of the fence 

 for two years and I would like to see it con- 

 tinue for five years longer. Whether it will or 

 not I can not say. Hi Memphis just at present 

 we are getting good prices. A man comes into 

 an office and we add a cotiple of dollars and 

 another man comes in and we add a couple 

 more. Conditions have been such that stocks 

 have been kept at a minimum. The demand has 

 been greater than the supply and while these 

 conditions exist you are going to get good prices 

 for your lumber. 



Getting back to the rules, the National has 

 always stood for and worked for uniform inspec- 

 tion,' and by that we mean we hope some day 

 to have one set of inspection rules governing the 

 country. I believe the time is ripe now to get 

 together on the proposition. The markets are 

 with us for any changes. We are all manufac- 

 turing lower classes of material. I have alwa.vs 

 held our prices naturally will follow the quality 

 of the goods we ship and if w'e make them too 

 low we can not get as much money, but we 

 should have universal inspection. They ought 

 not to be Michigan rules, Wisconsin rules, or 

 National rules, but we ought to have only one 

 set of rules. In fact, the very existence of dif- 

 ferent rules has brought into effect the National 

 association. Originally we had a great many 

 exchanges and systems of inspection. C'jicago, 



