20 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



St. Louis, Buffalo, New York and other cities 

 had rules. Wlien we made quotations on lum- 

 ber tliey aslied us, "Wliat rules are you going 

 to measure it liyV" Then we got together and 

 n.ade a set of rules. 



We have made wonderful progress. The suc- 

 cess of the National association proves that de- 

 spite the fact that this year there has been 

 more agitation in manufacturing centers in re- 

 gard to changes in the rules the association 

 has made a large increase in membership and 

 the inspection force has measured more lumber 

 than ever before. The National association 

 never has been in better condition than it is to- 

 day. Still we have not attained the idea we 

 started out for — universal inspection. I be- 

 lieve that with conservative action, and every 

 man giving the other man credit for being hon- 

 est in what he says, while we may not agree 

 with you. bv giving and taking we can get to- 

 gether and make a set of rules that will suit all 

 of us. With the different interests at stake this 

 will be the best thing that can be done. 



I am not familiar with your northern woods. 

 I do not know just what changes you feel 

 should be made, but I know there are a few 

 changes we of the south want and fee! we 

 should have. On the other hand, I do not be- 

 lieve iu rescinding the Buffalo agreement — tak- 

 ing it out and throwing it overboard. I believe 

 we can suspend the Buffalo agreement and make 

 the changes uecessary for the changed condi- 

 tions and let the Buffalo agreement go right 

 along until it has expired. 



I am glad your association has invited the 

 inspection committee not only of our associa- 

 tion but also of the Indiana and Wisconsin as- 

 sociations, because I believe these committees 



BRUCE ODEI^L, SECRETARY. 



have given inspection rules so much thought 

 that they can go over the entire list far better 

 than a general convention. Naturally when you 

 go in a general convention the different sections 

 handle different woods and it is hard to reach 

 an agreement. For instance, I would not give 

 any consideration as to what changes Michigan 

 needs, because I would not be in a position to 

 give them any advice. I do give thought to 

 the woods we handle personally. Your chair- 

 man would not consider the woods you do not 

 handle. There will come in differences of opin- 

 ion again, but if we simply will wipe out senti- 

 ment and merely bear in mind that we are 

 there not only for our own good but for the 

 general good, and whenever you help the gen- 

 eral good you will find you are helping your- 

 selves, you will remove the obstacles and you 

 are bound to put money in your pocket when 

 you help the general good of the lumber busi- 

 ness. 



1 feel that the movement here has been a 

 wise one and I hope that when the committees 

 get together one won't insist on having a cer- 

 tain speck removed, but by giving and taking 

 they will be able to get together and when they 

 get there we will be satisfied and then let the 

 matter rest under the Buffalo agreement until 

 it has expired. The National Association has 

 always had that one idea in view ; that is, 

 universal inspection. You must bear in mind 

 that with a membership of more than six hun- 

 dred we have differences of opinion. We have 

 differences of opinion in our club at Memphis, 

 in which we have 116 members, but we try to 

 get the best of the ideas advanced adopted. I 

 find 1 am not infallible in my views and other 

 people find out the same thing. 



Let us meet with a determination to get to- 

 gether. If you conflict you will never get to- 

 gether. Some of our members have felt that 

 they do not get what they are entitled to.- If 

 you will bear this in mind there is no reason 

 under the sun why we should not get together, 

 and I believe we will. 



General Discussion on Inspection. 



The chair next invited Frank F. Fish, sec- 

 retary of the National Association, to speak. 

 Mr. Fish stated that his time was given 

 very largely to carrying out detail work and 

 that he was not a practical lumberman and 

 was not competent to pass an opinion on in- 

 spection rules. He urged attendance at the 

 forthcoming annual meeting at Atlantic City 

 and hoped that every Michigan manufacturer 

 would be present to further the interests of 

 that section of the country. 



President White then gave Theodore Fath- 

 auer, chairman of the Inspection Eules Com- 

 mittee of the National Association, an op- 

 portunity to speak. Mr. Fathauer said: 



The question of inspection always seems to 

 be a prominent one in a meeting of lumbermen. 

 When first the subject was broached, ten or 

 eleven years ago, the National Hardwood Lum- 

 ber Association took great pains to enlist the 

 support and cooperation of hardwood lumber- 

 men. At that time they extended a general in- 

 vitation to attend a meeting held in Chicago. 

 Michigan was approached by personal efforts 

 and Mr. White was among the first to attend 

 the meeting. He is as conversant with the im- 

 portance of the achievement as any of us. The 

 dealers and manufacturers of hardwood lumber 

 should and must get together. In a measure 

 the dealer reflects the necessities of the con- 

 sumer. Manufacturers, on the other hand, know 

 what a log will produce and it would be the 

 height of folly were they to adopt inspection 

 rules which would not be practicable in the 

 manufacture of hardwood lumber. You who 

 have followed the work of the National Hard- 

 wood Lumber Association know that Michigan 

 through its representative sawmill men has 

 been represented on this committee. The in- 

 spection rules necessarily must represent the 

 custom of the trade, and the inspection rule 

 through its grades must take care of the entire 

 product of the log. You gentlemen can answer 

 the question far better than anyone else whether 

 or not the National rules would take care of 

 the entire product of the log with the exception 

 of slabs, sawdust and edgings. 



Personally I have always felt that to change 

 the rules every time you have a meeting is a 

 grave mistake. Not only are universal inspec- 

 tion rules desirable but uniform application of 

 the rules. You cannot change the rules and ex- 

 pect the inspectors to apply them as well as if 

 your inspectors had opportunity to apply them 

 lor a year or two. 



We will fight for the rescinding of the Buffalo 

 agreement if for no other reason than to show 

 we acted in all sincerity. This is the position 

 taken by the Chicago Hardwood Lumber Ex- 

 change. We will send a strong representation to 

 .\tlantic City for this purpose. 



I might say, however, that we will have op- 

 position and if you gentlemen are interested, 

 which you are — at least I think you are — it 

 devolves upon you to attend the meeting in 

 person. Proxies are not accepted. Whichever 

 way you vote, for or against, goes and you must 

 be there to voice your sentiments. The National 

 Hardwood Lumber Association for at least ten 

 years has endeavored to have its rules adopted 

 in the eastern markets and about a month ago 

 it was successful. I simply mention this tact 

 to show you with what diligence the work is 

 carried on. Also I wish to state to you that it 

 any radical movement is on foot to change the 

 rules for grading lumber you will lose the sup- 

 port whicli we now have and frustrate the 

 efforts of ten years. 



Carroll F. Sweet, a director of the Na- 

 tional Association, spoke in substance as fol- 

 lows : 



The subject of inspection rules your commit- 

 tee is very much more capable of handling with 

 the committee of the National and other asso- 

 ciations than it is possible to do here, and far 

 better results can be secured through committee 

 action. One point that is essential is to have 

 a large attendance at the .Atlantic City meet- 

 ing. Last year Grand Rapids sent a big delega- 

 tion to Memphis, which I got up, and I have 

 been requested to repeat the program this year. 



Y'our secretary has had bouquets thrown at him, 

 so I think he can stand a little criticism. I 

 called Mr. Odell up on the 'phone and he said 

 be did not see auy use in going. Now I want 

 to tell vou one thing — anything we don't get 

 doesn't do us any good. Anyone who is dead 

 doesn't get any good out. of life. 



Mr. Sweet further said that he was the 

 excursion manager of the Grand Eapids mem- 

 bers of the National Association and pro- 

 posed to charter a special car to take the 

 local lumbermen to the Atlantic City meeting 

 of the National Association, and invited all 

 members of the Michigan Association who 

 could make it convenient to join the party 

 to go with them. 



Mr. Russe then cordially seconded the in- 

 vitation given by Mr. Sweet. 



The chair invited Geo. H. Chapman, a dele- 

 gate from the 'Wisconsin Hardwood Manu- 

 facturers' Association, to address the con- 

 vention. Mr. Chapman spoke as follows: 



I would like to touch upon one question 

 which has been brought up, largely because of 

 the remarks I made at the Traverse City meet- 

 ing and because there has been some misunder- 

 standing in regal d to the position which has 



CHAS. A. BIGELOW, CHAIRMAN GRADING 

 COMMITTEE. 



been talten by the manufacturers of Wisconsin, 

 especially those who have taken an active part 

 in the "formation of our new association. A 

 good many of the wholesalers and others have 

 given it to me pretty hard because they think 

 we want to make it as hard as possible for 

 wholesalers to do business. There is no such 

 intention. We do not want to do anything that 

 would be detrimental to the business of our 

 Iriends and we want them to understand that 

 the formation of this new association is for the 

 purpose of taking up questions that our friends 

 are not interested in. We intend to maintain 

 both associations over there. There are ques- 

 tions which both can handle. There are ques- 

 tions that either one or the other could not 

 handle. We recognize that their branch of the 

 business is necessary to us. We will not under 

 any circumstances take any action that will be 

 detrimental to their affairs and those in other 

 lines of the hardwood lumber business. 



We have given this question of grading a 

 great deal of thought. Mr. Fathauer said that 

 the rules should be so written that they would 

 cover the entire product of the log. This in- 

 cludes the low grade stock which is being sold 

 for scoots, crating and other purposes. If the 

 logging is closely done and the sawing properly 

 done some provision should be made for this low 

 grade product. For this reason we are advocat- 

 ing a grade which will take care of it. We 

 think it should have a better name, however. 



We are heartily in favor of uniform rules. 

 We do not care who gets the credit for them. 

 We are willing to keep up the flght until we 

 get what we want. So far as continually chang- 

 ing the rules is concerned I do not favor too 



