HARDWOOD RECORD 



23 



moved the association's offices to Chicago. The 

 change was beneficial, enabling oui* secretary 

 to come in close contact with om- membei'shlp, 

 and was also of great benefit to our members 

 who do business in Chicago. 



After being elected and assuming charge of 

 the duties imposed by you, the executive com- 

 mittee dccideil that their main object during 

 the year wmild be the improvement of the in- 

 spectiim department : that we would not give 

 our attention to securing new members but would 

 try and give tlie members we had better and 

 greater facilities — providing more inspectors, 

 and doing all we could to see that the applica- 

 tion of the rules was more uniform. Following 

 out this i)lan we relieved the surveyor general 

 of part of his duties, and put the entire office 

 and correspondence in charge of our secretary, 

 leaving the surveyor general with nothing to do 

 but to see and instruct his deputies as to the 

 proper application of the rules and to make re- 

 inspection when necessary. 



(tur reasons for desiring this change were : 

 First. We found that our inspectors in the dif- 

 ferent markets were not making a uniform ap- 

 pliratiiin of the rules and felt that when we 

 could get the inspection of a shipment within 

 the 4 " per cent clause, whether made by the 

 deputy in Memphis. Xew York, (^'hicago, or any 

 other market. <uir work, as far as the applica- 

 tion was concerned, would be practically solved, 

 lor the buyer would then know just what he 

 would receive when the goods were measured 

 by a National A.ssociation deputy and certificate 

 issued. 



Second. That we were not giving prompt serv- 

 ice to re-inspections. 



The records will show that the change was 

 not only a good but a necessary one. 



As already stated, we have made no special 

 effort to increase our membership. The change 

 in luindling our inspection department, and in 

 giving prompt service naturally brought in new 

 members, and I am pleased to inform you that 

 we have enrolled 169 new members during the 

 year. 



As you all know, the organization of our 

 association was brought about by the fact that 

 every market had its own inspection rules, and 

 the "object was to get the different markets to- 

 gether and adopt one rule and make it possible 

 for the different markets to know what they 

 were buying and selling. As I understand it. 

 this association still has this, for its main ob- 

 ject and if it stands for anything it stands for. 

 and is committed to bring about, one inspection 

 rule and luiifnrm application of same. 



At the liuffalo meeting a resolution was 

 adopted not to change our rules for three years, 

 the rules taking effect Dec. 1. 1 1)0.5, .so that 

 the time the i-utes would remain in effect would 

 be until Iiee. 1. IttO.S. At that time we all felt 

 that this was a wise move. We did not antici- 

 pate the changes that would develop, whicli 



FUAXK F. FISH. CIIICAIjO. REAPPOINTED 

 SECRETARY. 



have been ni^)re marked than has ever been 

 known in the history of the lumber interests. 

 Timber lands and stumpage have increased in 

 such a marked degree that manufacturers have 

 been obliged to saw and manufacture logs that 

 formerly were left to decay in the woods. The 

 scarcity and high price of some one wood would 

 cause manufacturers to try a cheaper article 

 which they would substitute and find that it 

 would give satisfaction, thus bringing into gen- 

 ei*al demand lumber to which very little atl;eu- 



tion was given when the rules were made, on 

 account of its limited use and cheapness. Our 

 rules of today do not conform altogether with 

 custom and the entire output of tlie log is not 

 provided for. There has been for the past year 

 a persistent and vigorous agitation for what 

 are considered necessary changes in the rules 

 from the producing centers of Indiana, Michigan. 

 Wisconsin and the South. Your E-vecutive Com- 

 mittee, feeling that an earnest effort would 

 and should be made to suspend the Ruffalo 

 agreement at this meeting, instructed tlie 

 secretary to send out a letter to the 

 membersliip to this effect, and asked them 

 to send their views to Chairman Fath- 

 auer of the rules committee of any changes 

 they thought necessary. This was done for the 

 reason that lieretofore the inspection committee 

 has attempted to do this work, just prior to. 

 and at. the annual meeting, and was unable to 

 five attention 10 and to hear all who wished to 

 be heard on the subject. The inspection com- 

 mittie has nut only taken into consideration 

 all views from members who have given the 

 matter enough tluutght to express themselves 

 but liave also heard committees from other asso 

 ciatiiins and has its report ready to hand in 

 at tills meeting. I can assure you that the 

 changes offered have had more consideration 

 and tliought tliau any ever presented. I recom- 

 mend that the liuffalo agreement be suspended 

 and that the changes in the rules be adopted, 

 lefore leaving the subject I would also recom- 

 mend that the measurement be made on the hair 

 inch, viz., fi. eVj, 7, TVo-inch, etc.. and do away 

 with the give and take proposition tliat is the 



W. A. BENNETT, CINCINNATI, DIRECTOR. 



lause of so many cars falling one or two hun- 

 ilred feet .-.hort. and that we also allow a per- 

 lentage of odd feet in length. In shipping 

 lumber there is often six inches or one foot at 

 the end of the board that is valueless, and I 

 ran see no reason why two feet should be cut 

 ott simply because the custom was established 

 when we' had mtire timber land in the country 

 tluin wc knew what to do with. Lumber is too 

 valuable to continue this w'aste. 



The inability of the railroads, for the past 

 eight months, to handle with promptness busi- 

 ness offered them has Interfered with the ship- 

 ments to such an extent that all of you have 

 sustained more or less serious loss. Railroad 

 officials frankly admit that the traffic of the 

 country has increased beyond their facilities to 

 such an extent that they are unable to promise 

 auv definite relief. This has brought into prom- 

 inence the subject of improving our existing 

 waterways. I consider it one of the vital ques- 

 tions of this day — we not only need trans- 

 ])ortation. but we want transportation at a 

 minimum and not a maximum cost. Our water- 

 ways should be made navigable and kept so, and 

 when they are tu"re will be no such thing as 

 car shortage for, by relieving the railroads of 

 the vast amount of bulk product, they will be 

 able to keep up with the general development 

 of our country. We have invited John A. Fox, 

 special director of the National River and Har- 

 bor Congress, to speak on this subject tomor- 

 row, and I can assure you his address will be 

 entertaining and instructive. 



I take this opportunity to thank the Board 

 of Managers and their committees for their 

 hearty and loyal support. TTie year has been 

 a very successful one for the association, and 

 before' closing I wish to place the credit where 



it largely belongs, to our efficient secretary, 

 Frank F. Fish. 



W. H. RussE, President. 

 The address was received with applause. 

 Secretary Fish then read his report, as fol- 

 lows : 



Secretary's Report. 



Mr. President and gentlemen : In submitting 

 this, my second annual report. I am gratitied 



.lOlIN N. SC.VrCHERD, BUFFALO, DIRECTOR. 



at being able to do so in a spirit of confidence 

 not possessed bv me upon the former occasion. 

 The as...oriaie vear closing with this meeting has 

 been profitable to the association and prolihc 

 in experience to the secretary. Each day has 

 developed new situations demanding the exer- 

 <ise of judgment and discretion in order that the 

 interests of the association might be fully pro- 

 tected In this school of experience I have 

 "•ithered a fund of information relative to asso- 

 ciate mctliods of operation and development not 

 possessed by me on taking charge of the office. 

 I trust tliat this training has not been secured 

 at an unduly high cost to this association, and 

 beg to assure this membership that it will he 

 used to the extent of my ability for the fur- 

 ther lietterment and development of the asso- 

 ciation. , , , 



In the preparation of my report I have been 

 pla<-ed at some disadvantage by the knowledge 

 hat it would follow the address of our able 

 president, which will leave little or nothing of 

 ''cnerai interest for the secretary to communi- 

 cate to this membership aside from details 

 connected with his official duties. I trust, how- 

 ever that even those details may contain some- 

 thing worthy of consideration on the part 01 

 the members' present. .. , ij ;„ 



Shortly after the annual meeting lield m 

 Memphis last May, and in pursuance of the de- 

 cision reached by the Board of Managers at 

 that meeting the executive offices of the asso- 

 ciation were removed from Indianapolis, Ind. 

 It is mv belief that the change in location has 

 been distinctly advantageous to the interests of 

 he association, as it has enabled a much lai;ger 

 percentage of the membership to come in duect 

 contac with the actual workings of the asso- 

 ciation than would have been possible had the 

 ofhce been maintained in its former location. 

 The best assurance that the change has not in 

 a'; d?gre"e' worked adversely to the interests 

 of the association, rests m the tact that it has 

 occasioned no unfavorable comment "« bile on 

 ?he other hand, in its present location the office 

 has been of much convenience to members who 

 ale had occasion to visit Chicago. It has been 

 mVbel ef ?hat the office belongs to the members 

 ot thi^^ association and I have therefore en- 

 deavored to extend to members a hospitable le- 



""■""new departure in the work of the pa^t jear 

 was the holding of a semiannual mating of 

 the membership, which occurred m Cincinnati 

 on ofto^ei 2.5 aid 26. and brought out a credit- 

 able attendance. AS a full report of this ineet- 

 11'' was published in the various trade .lour- 

 n ,1s t is not desirable to enter into any de- 

 tails pertaining thereto. It may, however be 

 m-ope. to place some emphasis upon the adverse 

 ,ction taken at that meeting with regard to 

 ; he admission to membership in this association 

 of Hi ms or individuals not actually engaged 

 in the lumber trade. This action demonstra.ed 

 beyond any question that it is practically the 



