30 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



He may be good on bli-cli or maple, but shy on 

 something else. I make a motion that you ap- 

 point a committee to take this matter up and 

 see if something tangible cannot be done. I agree 

 with Mr. Currie in everything he has said. We 

 should have intelligent men to inspect lumber. It 

 occurs to me that i£ you take these men and 

 put them in the south tor a time, then in tlie 

 north, theu in the east, and let them shift around 

 and become acquainted with these goods, you will 



H. JI. DICKSON, NORFOLK. ONE OF THE 

 HOSTS. 



be able to get good men for the different mar- 

 kets. 



Mr. Guenlher — I would move that this be laid 

 over until tomorrow under the head of "new 

 business." Just as soon as you start in to ac- 

 cept motions, the program cannot be carried out. 

 I trust the gentleman will present this matter 

 to the convention tomorrow in the same manner 

 as he has done this afternoon. 



President Russe, addressing Mr. Thompson — I 

 would prefer that .vou withdraw the motion for 

 the present. 



Motion withdrawn. 



President Russe — We will now have the report 

 of the Inspection Rules Committee. I want to 

 say in connection with this that it is a report 

 that has taken much time and thought ; in fact, 

 it is the basis of our organization — inspection. 



Mr. Fathauer read the report of the Inspection 

 Rules committee, as follows : 



Eeport of Inspection Rules Committee. 



Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Conven- 

 tion : Since our last annual meeting, but par- 

 ticularly since our semiannual meeling held 

 October 25 in Cincinnati, the resolution adopted 

 in Buffalo in May, 1905, viz. : "Rules to take 

 effect December 1, 1905 ; these rules not to be 

 changed for a period of three years," has been 

 discussed a great deal, and inasmuch as your 

 chairman supported tliat resolution, and fur- 

 thermore, since I have in the past vigorously op- 

 posed all attempts to annul same, I wish lo 

 avail myself of this opportunity to explain to 

 this convention why I took that position in the 

 past, and also my present attitude regarding same. 

 In doing so I believe I am not digressing from 

 the subject assigned to me. In my judgment, to 

 change inspection rules at each and every meet- 

 ing of our association is a serious mistake, for 

 such action is adopting a policy of vacillation. 

 It also retards the uniform application of said 

 rules, for uniform inspection rules are of little 

 use if the uniform application of said rules is not 

 accomplished. I believed at that time that not lo 

 change the rules (or a period of three years 

 would give them the much-needed stability, and 

 would also give the inspectors a chance to famil- 

 iarize themselves with same, thus accomplish- 

 ing uniform application. The above are the rea- 

 sons, as stated before, why your chairman was 

 in favor of the Buffalo resolution and why, in 

 the past, he has protested against any and all 

 efforts to annul same. 



I also consider that we made a pledge to the 

 public, viz. : hardwood lumber consumers, and 

 to break faith with them is a serious proposi- 

 tion. Before we discontinue the life of our pres- 

 ent rules, which we advertised would remain 

 in force until December 1, 1908, through the 

 distribution of 25,000 copies from our secre- 

 tary's office, wc should give the subject thought- 

 ful consideration. To discontinue an agreement 

 among ourselves is a matter easily disposed of, 

 and need not concern an.yone but our members. 

 If we can sulKtitute a set of rules that will be 

 more easily understood by the inspectors who 

 apply the rules, then we have furthered the uni- 

 form application of our rules Ijy such substitu- 

 tion rather than retarded it. If we can prove 

 to the public I the consuming tradei that we 

 have not broken faith with them, if they are 

 convinced that our substitution is not revo- 

 lutionizing the present classification and that 

 our standard is practically the same, if the new- 

 rules are plainer and the classification in some 

 instances more varied, I believe they will be 

 pleased with the change. These are the reasons 

 why I believe we can favorably entertain the 

 suspension of the Buffalo resolution with all 

 propriety. 



Conditions which have confronted the asso- 

 ciation for a year past, especially for the last 

 six months, were of such a character that to 

 assume an attitude of inflexible firmness re- 

 garding the Buffalo resolution would have been 

 interpreted as an arbitrary and unpardonable 

 act. Therefore, when a request was received 

 from another association some months ago, that 

 their inspection rules committee meet a like 

 committee from this association, the executive 

 board of this association wisely decided that 

 they should be met, and so directed our inspec- 



IIARRY S. DEWEY, NEW YORK, ONE OF THE 

 HOSTS, 



tion rules committee. This brought about the 

 first meeting, in November, 1906, of the com- 

 mittee representing the Michigan Hardwood 

 Manufacturers' Association and our committee. 

 Later a similar request was received from the 

 Wisconsin Hardwood Manufacturers' Associa- 

 tion to meet us, and it likewise was granted. 

 The latter meeting developed into a joint confer- 

 ence of the Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana 

 Associations, and the National Association's 

 rules committee, which was held in Chicago, 

 May 8 and 9. 



During these meetings tlie inspection rules 

 were discussed at length. All of the meetings 

 were amicable, and I can testify, from the view- 

 point of our committee at least, tliat the result 

 of this conference was gratifying, and I believe 

 that the visiting committee will offer similar 

 testimony. Immediately after the conference of 

 May S and 9, your committee began to prepare 

 its report in order to have same in readiness 

 to present following the suspension of the Buf- 

 falo resolution. Pardon the assertion, your 

 committee believes it has prepared the best re- 

 port that has ever been presented to this asso- 

 ciation. This by no means is a reflection on 

 the efforts of former committees, for they were 

 never given sufficient time to do themselves and 

 tills association full justice. I make al! of 

 these statements as I consider them relevant 

 and to have bearing on the suspension of the 

 Buffalo resolution. Now, your inspection rules 

 committee believes that the rules report which 

 it has prepared is an improvement over the 

 present rules ; further, that the new rules will 



make the application easier and that tlie i>ublic 

 will gladly change the new for the old. In view 

 of the fact that our board of managers, through 

 the act of directing your inspection rules com- 

 mittee to meet like comiuittees of various asso- 

 ciations already referred to, favored tlie sus- 

 pension of the Buffalo resolution, your commit- 

 tee has pledged itself repeatedly to the visiting 

 committees to favor the annulment of the Buffalo 

 resolution. 



I therefore appeal to you most earnestly that 

 when at the proper time the resolution Is 

 brought before this convention, to decide by 

 vote whether or not it shall be suspended, you 

 will help us redeem our pledge, and vote for 

 the suspension of the Buffalo resolution. 



Uniform inspection, of which so much has 

 been said and written, especially of late years, 

 can only be attained through the agency of an 

 association which is broad in its scope. No 

 association can ever hope to accomplish uniform 

 inspection unless ail hardwood lumbermen are 

 eligible to its membership. If it can be proven 

 that a hardwood dealer is not a liardwood lum- 

 berman, then I am willing to concede some 

 cliance to an opposition. M.v personal curiosity 

 is very mucii aroused to know what in reality a 

 hardwood lumber dealer is if not a hardwood 

 lumberman. There is only one agency through 

 whicli uniform inspection can be attained and 

 that is through the National Hardwood Lumber 

 Association. There is absolutely no question 

 aliout it. To oppose the National Hardwood 

 I^umber Association through personal or collec- 

 tive efforts is simply opposing uniform inspec- 

 tion, for such action is simply going on record 

 that uniform inspection is not desired, for we 

 all know "that actions speak louder than 

 words," 



TnEODORE FATHAUER, Chairman. 



J. M. Pritchard moved the report be accepted, 

 which was seconded and agreed. 



President Russe — We will continue the sub- 

 ject by listening to an address on Cherry Inspec- 

 tion by W. L. Sikes. 



Mr. Lloyd — Mr. Sikes has not arrived. I 

 do not know where he is, but he will probably 

 be here tomorrow. 



President Russe — Mr. Higbie was not expected 

 to speak until tomorrow. I am glad he is 

 here. We have a lot of work for tomorrow and 

 we would like to hear all the good things to- 

 day and get to work tomorrow. 



Mr. Higbie then gave the following interesting 

 address on "The Wholesaler — Some Reasons Why 

 He Is a Necessity" : 



Mr. Higbie 's Address. 



When the invitation to address .vou was given 

 me by the chairman of your committee, I felt 

 complimented indeed, but I want to confess 



E. S. FOSTER, NEW YORK, ONE OF THE 

 HOSTS, 



to you that at that tithe I did not fully real- 

 ize how great that compliment was. 



A short time after the invitation was re- 

 ceived, it was my good fortune to meet, as a 

 member of the inspection committee of the New 

 York Lumber Trade Association, with the com- 

 mittee of your association for the purpose of 



