HARDWOOD RECORD 



21 



much o£ that, but it seems to us that the great 

 trouble with the hardwood lumber business has 

 been and is today because we are working on 

 antiquated plans. The first hardwood rules 

 ever written were written in Wisconsin. They 

 were used as the foundation of the National 

 rules. They were written fifteen or eighteen 

 years ago in a great deal of haste. We all of 

 us know that conditions in the lumber business 

 have changed within the last ten or twenty years. 

 I do not know of a single set of rules that have 

 not been changed materially within the last ten 

 years. Shop common and pine rules are as 

 radically different from w'hat we had years ago 

 as is possible. Changes were made in order to 

 give sash and door factories what they wanted 

 and then put on an adequate price. The rules 

 were changed probably fifteen years ago. X'o 

 make these changes there were conferences be- 

 tween the bureau of grades and the sash and 

 door concerns tributary to the Mississippi river 

 territory. 



I don't see what objection there can be to 

 making changes in the rules provided they are 

 needed. I don't see that anything can be 

 gained by changing gradually. Hardwood lum- 

 ber as graded out is not as a rule satisfactory 

 to the users of lumber. In a great many case.s 

 it is necessary to make special grades. I 

 think all of you can recognize where that comes 

 in. I think the basis — that is, the ground work 

 of the present National rules — is not right. We 

 do not think they cover the wants of the users 

 of hardwood lumber. We don't care what it 

 does to the manufacturer, because you can make 

 a grade and put the price on it. but there may 

 be a hardship on the user because he may not 

 be able to use our grade. You are not going to 

 change the real value of your lumber by chang- 

 ing the grade. We feel conditions are such that 

 a radical change can be made. There are only 

 slight differences which would enable us to give 

 a man who is cutting up good lumber something 

 that can be used to advantage. 



On invitation Chas. H. Barnaby, president 

 of the Indiana Hardwood Lumbermen 's As- 

 sociation, spoke as follows: 



I came here to represent Indiana in the joint 

 conference on rules and am greatly pleased to 

 find the Michigan association in session. We 

 had a conference several years ago and we went 

 to Chicago and tried to get changes but did not 

 get anything. The next year we went to St. 

 Louis, fought good and hard and got what we 

 wanted. If we are going to get anything now 

 we must fight for it. We have met four times, 

 our Indiana committee, and suggested such 

 changes as we think are right. We are going 

 to Atlantic City in a body and are going to 

 fight hard to have the Buffalo agreement sus- 

 pended and have adopted such rules as we can 

 have recognized by the National inspection com- 

 mittee. 



Now. gentlemen, the chairman of the inspec- 

 tion committee cannot change these rules. It 

 is the majority of the entire convention that 

 will change them. If you want them changed 

 you must go down there and fight for it. Now' 

 you speak about the manipulator. He will 

 manipulate some way if he is a smooth citizen 

 regardless of rules. Why, there is a fellow in 

 our town who makes good money by manipulat- 

 ing and he will keep on just as long as he can 

 do that. I hope Michigan will send a strong 

 delegation and fight for the suspension of the 

 BuflTalo resolution. 



W. C. Hull of Traverse ('ity responded to 

 Mr. Chapman's address as follows: 



I do not know that I have anything to say 

 until the discussion of the rules comes up. I 

 was quite interested in the remarks of the gen- 

 tleman in regard to grades. The gentleman who 

 spoke at length says one cut of the log is not 

 provided for. He advocates another grade and 

 doesn't seem to like the name scoots. A No. 3 

 now is a very poor board. They only require 

 25 per cent sound cuttings and" a board that 

 will cut less than 25 per cent sound certainly 

 Is not entitled to a much better name. Should 

 we change the name to No. 4 the result would 

 be that one-half of the boards which the inspec- 

 tors now put into No. 3 will go into No. 4. 



On motion of D. H. Day a vote of thanks 

 ■U'as given to visiting members of other hard- 

 ■wood associations for their attendance. 



The Hart Cedar & Lumber Company of 

 Hart was admitted to membership, where- 

 upon the grading committee and the dele- 

 gates from the National, the Wisconsin and 

 Indiana associations went into session, as 



well as the Market Conditions Committee; 

 recess was then taken until 2:30 p. m. 

 AFTERNOON SESSION. 



Secretary Odell submitted the following 

 statement as a report of the Market Condi- 

 tions Committee: 

 Report of Market Conditions Committee. 



From the stock reports of January 1, 1907, 

 and such other information as your committee 

 is able to obtain, stocks of all kinds of northern 

 hardwoods are very light, probably lighter than 

 at any time in several years. In the opin- 

 ion of your committee the following prices can 

 lie obtained for northern hardwoods over rail 

 or by vessels : 



BIBCH. 



4, 4 red ?40 



First and No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 



second, common, common. Com. 



4/4 $29 $21 $15 $13 



5/4 and 6/4. 31 23 15 13 



8/4 33 25 17 



30/4 37 27 17 



12/4 40 30 20 



ie/4 45 35 25 



MAPLE. 



4/4 $25 $20 $15 $13 



5/4 26 21 15 13 



6/4 27 22 15 13 



8/4 28 23 16 



10/4 30 24 17 



12/4 32 26 18 



16/4 35 28 19 



No. 3 

 common. Log run. 



Ash $15 $30 



Basswood 16 26 



Keech 13 16 



Soft elm lo 26 



Rock elm 15 25 



Bruce Odell^ 

 A. W. Newark, 

 W. L. Martin, 

 W. N. Kellev, 

 S. G. McClellan, 

 W. C. Hull. 



R. Hanson said that the prices recom- 

 mended by the committee were already being 

 secured in most cases and gave a very op- 

 timistic ■view of trade conditions. The senti- 

 ments expressed were confirmed by both 

 W. W. Mitchell and F. A. Diggins. On mo- 

 tion the report was accepted and adopted, 

 and the meeting adjourned until 8 p. m. 



EVENING SESSION. 



Chas. A. Bigelow, chairman of the grading 

 committee, submitted the following report: 



Report of Grading Conunittee. 



Your committee submits the following modi- 

 fications and changes in the rules of inspection 

 of the National Hardwood Lumber Association, 

 as its report, which, if incorporated in their 

 rules, will, we earnestly believe, result to the 

 advantage of all concerned. We ask that a 

 committee be appointed by you to meet the 

 inspection rules committee of the National Hard- 

 wood Lumber .\ssociation in Chicago, prior to 

 the meeting of that association in Atlantic City 

 the latter part of May. as we believe the pres- 

 ent time most opportune in which to further 

 our efforts for a uniform inspection of hard- 

 wood lumber. 



No. 1. Reference paragraph 2, general in- 

 structions : Both sides of the board shall be 

 taken into consideration by the inspector, ex- 

 cept as otherwise stated. 



No. 2. Reference paragraph 3, general in- 

 structions : Instead of the words "and square 

 ends" use the words "all ragged and bad ends" 

 shall be trimmed off. Tapering lumber in stand- 

 ard grades to be measured one-third the length 

 of the piece from the narrow end. 



No. 3. Reference paragraph 4, general in- 

 structions : In the measurement of lumber in 

 miscellaneous widths, all fractions one-half foot 

 or over, as shown by the board rule, shall be 

 added to the next higher figure, and all frac- 

 tions under one-half foot shall be dropped. 



No. 4. New paragraph, general instructions : 

 All lumber grading firsts on the best side of the 

 piece and No. 1 common on the reverse side 

 shall be classed as seconds, and admitted into 

 the grades of firsts and seconds. 



No. 5. Standard lengths : Fifteen per cent 

 of odd lengths to be admitted and measured and 

 classed as such : 25 per cent of 8 and 10 foot 

 to be admitted in the grade of firsts and sec- 

 onds, not exceeding 10 per cent under 10 feet. 



No. 6. Standard thicknesses of lumber are 

 % inch, 1/2 inch, % inch, % inch, 1 inch, I14 

 inch, 114 inch, 2 inch, 2% inch, 3 inch, 3Vj 

 inch, 4 inch, 4 li, inch, 5 inch, 5 14 inch and 6 

 inch. 



No. 7. Stain that will surface off in dressing 

 to any standard thickness shall not be consid- 

 ered a defect. 



No. 8. All lumber less than 1 inch in thick- 

 ness shall be measured and counted the same 

 as lumber 1 inch thick when sold as such. 



No. 9. Wane : Wane on edge of inch board 

 not exceeding one-half Inch in width on face 

 side of the piece, running not to exceed one- 

 third in length, shall not be considered a de- 

 fect. Inch and a quarter and thicker lumber 

 will admit a proportionate amount of wane. 



No. 10. No. 1 common : Width, 3 inches and 

 wider ; lengths, 6 feet and longer. This grade 

 is a cutting up grade, and must work two-thirds 

 clear face cutting in not exceeding three pieces. 



No. 11. No. 2 common : Width, 3 inches 

 and wider ; lengths, 4 feet and longe'r. This 

 grade is a cutting up grade and must work 50 

 per cent clear face, cutting in not exceeding four 

 pieces. 



No. 12. No. 2 common in soft elm shall con- 

 form to the general rules of all No. 2 common, 

 except that the rules shall read "sound cutting" 

 instead of "clear face cutting." 



Your committee recommends further that 

 copies of this report be furnished the secre- 

 taries of the Wisconsin Hardwood Manufac- 

 tures' Association, the Indiana Hardwood Lum- 

 bermen's Association ; and again we ask that a 

 special committee be appointed to confer with 

 members of the associations previously named. 

 Respectfully, 



Charles A. Bigelow, 



F. A. DiGGINSj 



Henry Ballou, 

 D. H. Day, 

 R. J. Clark. 



On motion of F. A. Diggins the report 

 as read was approved. 



R. Hanson then addressed the association 

 as follows: 



I make a motion that the committee 

 which had in charge the making of the 

 specifications submitted be continued ; that it be 

 instructed to attend the National convention 

 which meets at Atlantic City in the near future 

 for the purpose of having these inspection rules 

 adopted. It is a well recognized fact that in 

 order to make these inspection rules of any ben- 

 efit to us it will be necessary for us to have 

 them recognized by the National association. X 

 do not mean by that to say we should join the 

 National association, but in dealing with people 

 in diflferent cities we become international, in a 

 sense, and for that reason want rules recognized 

 by the general trade as the standard inspection 

 rules. We would have hard bumping to inaugu- 

 rate our system in our part of the country. 

 I do not mean to say that we cannot enforce 

 our inspection rules in a measure, but it will be 

 a great deal better to have them adopted by the 

 National association. I cannot see that we 

 would gain anything by joining the National 

 association, but I know we will profit materially 

 by having them recognized as the standard of 

 inspection, or In other words that our inspec- 

 tion rules agree with theirs. We are an associ- 

 ation that does not come in contact with the 

 other manufacturers' associations. We deal in 

 lumber in which they do not deal. They should 

 recognize our inspection as the standard inspec- 

 tion. I would recommend instructing this com- 

 mittee to attend the National association con- 

 ference and. if possible, having it secure the 

 incorpotation of our inspection in their rules. 



By having an organized association and taking 

 a positive stand and adopting certain rules and 

 regulations by which we want our lumber in- 

 spected they will listen to us and modify their 

 inspection of that grade of lumber to harmonize 

 with ours. Indications are they want us to he 

 part of their body, but this I do not favor, be- 

 cause our interests are not common to that 

 extent. If we were taken in as a body in that 

 association they would have to supply us the 

 same inspectors as are used in that body, and 

 that I believe we can accomplish with a great 

 deal more readiness than to attempt to fill the 

 same positions they have to fill. 



Let us stand outside of the association and 

 hold the same relative position to their organi- 

 zation as the states hold to one another in the 

 federal government. I am right, I believe. We 

 should proceed along the line I have stated and 

 appoint a committee with full power to act. I 

 think we should send a committee down there 

 with power to make reasonable concessions. If 

 we do not give them that power then I do not 

 think there is any use to send a committee. 



Secretary Fish was asked to name a con- 

 venient time for the proposed conference with 

 the Grading Rules Committee of his associa- 

 tion, and suggested May 9. 



