20 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



KI, ITCHES 



consists of stock cut sundry lengths, 4 feet and 

 up. and sundry widths. G inches and up : the 

 sheets are kept in consecutive order as they are 

 cut from tlie flitch : shali admit of not over 50 

 per cent sap in any one sheet, splits and heart 

 knots where the sheets will cut 50 per cent 

 faces. 



I.OG RUN' 



consists of stock of such widths and lengths 

 as tlie log will make. G inches and up wide : 

 not over 25 per cent to be under 12 inches 

 wide, not under ,^n per cent faces, and re- 

 mainder can be defective, as the loy ma.'*- turn 

 out. 



D.4CKS 



consists of stock of all thicknesses cut to re 

 quired sizes not suitable for faces but reason- 

 ably sound and shall admit of sap. 



liACKING 



consists of stock of random widths and lengths 

 suitable for backing only. 



Mr. Defebaugh: It seems to me there has 

 beeu a great variety of rules in the past 

 and it would be a good thing if these were 

 sent out to all of your customers so that 

 when you get around to making a price for 

 anyl)ody next time, he will know on wliat 

 basis he is bu^-ing his stock. 



Mr. Kline resumed his seat as jiresiding 

 officer and said: 



These rules are now the chissificntioii ;ind 



M. (■ IICIW. DlHKCTdH. (JOSIIKN VENEEK 

 I'd., (iOSIlEN, IXII. 



grading rules adopted by the National 

 Veneer and Panel Manufacturers' .Associa- 

 tion; why shouhl not they go into print 

 with that official announcement f 



Mr. Lord: I recommend that they bo 

 printed and sold all members; when they 

 are printed, have them printed on thin pa- 

 per to facilitate distribution of a nunilier 

 at a time by mail. 



Mr. Raymond: You will note we have left 

 the word "veneer" out of the headings. 

 The dictionary definition of veneer being 

 an "outside lieforation " makes the freight 

 charge on some of our stock ridiculous. The 

 railroads make no discrimination between 

 the fine finished product and the common 

 grades, charging the same rate for Cross 

 Banding as for the others. Through the In- 

 terstate Commerce Commission we expect 

 to get a different rate, and tliis change in 

 name will let "veneer'' come in where it 



really belongs, and the other stock we make 

 be known as thin cut lumber. 



Mr. B. Anderson: I move that the associ- 

 ation have the grading rules printed as 

 adopted, leaving out the word "veneer'' as 

 suggested, and sending two or three hun- 

 dred copies to each member. 



The motion was seconded and carried. 



Mr. Kline: Gentlemen, it has been sug- 

 gested that the question of price, or per- 

 haps trade conditions, is one that should be 

 discussed by the association. I would like 

 the views of members upon the subject. 



Mr. Defebaugh: Every once in a while 

 we get a letter from some one who says, 

 "We want to work in harmony with this 

 jiroposition, we want to get a top-notch 

 price for our goods, but we have no guide 

 to go by." Perhaps this person is not as 

 active in the trade as some other manufac- 

 turer and he does not know what ouglit 

 to be a jninimum price. 1 think if you 

 will discuss conditions as they are — the 

 prices you are paying for logs, etc. — you 

 will come to a conclusion that a price-list 

 sent out as a guide to the trade, without 

 being an established selling price, will bring 

 some people in line who are now selling 

 stock for much less than other manufac- 

 turers. It is true that those wlio are in 

 the clubs are in close touch, but there are 

 a lot of people who are not in touch even with 

 the association. They can be benefited by 

 some discussions here, and the appointment 

 of a committee to make what should be a 

 valuation for the various classes of veneer 

 without regard to any fixed jirii'c. or any- 

 thing of that kind. 



Discussion of Log Prices. 



Mr. Lord: With regard to trade condi- 

 tions, taking the northern market, the wood 

 I am most in touch v/ith is poplar. Sawn 

 poplar lumber is selli»g today higher than 

 it ever has before; poplar timber is higher; 

 lugs are higher and harder to get; they do 

 iiot run as good; you have to take a harder 

 grade. Now if that condition exists in the 

 other woods your raw material, which is 

 your principal cost and your base, is costing 

 you more money. Unless you can get your 

 law material down there is very little hope 

 of lowering prices in any way. Of course 

 there are bound to be depressions when busi- 

 ness is not quite as good, but if your raw 

 material still stays at the same point, you 

 have no hope of decreasing your cost of pro- 

 duction. I cannot understand why poplar 

 lumber should advance under present con- 

 ('itions when a great many of the \eneer 

 men are inclined to ease off a little on their 

 prices, and two or three large operators in 

 l)oplar lumber and veneer say they could 

 make more money in sawing logs into boards 

 than in cutting them. That is the condi- 

 tion in our section of the country with re- 

 gard to poplar. 



Mr. Underwood; As far as I am concerned 

 in our northern woods we make very little 

 headway in making any change in prices 



except once a year because furniture people 

 all go ahead about the first of January or 

 last of December to make prices for the 

 coming year and they expect those to pre- 

 vail. Of course the pane! business is a sep- 

 arate thing. But with veneers we cannot 

 go out today and make any advance in 

 price. I know what my logs cost me for last 

 winter, and I base my prices on the cost 

 of those logs to go through to another sea- 

 son. You cannot go over to Grand Bapids 

 and make any changes in your prices. Those 

 people follow the prices in making their 

 goods; the furniture manufacturers make a 

 price and they expect the stuff to continue 

 going into their goods at the same price. 



Mr. Eaymond; Down in our section and 

 further south it is impossible to buy logs 

 today at what we did last January. As the 

 price advances we have to advance the 

 price of our stuff and the men in the north 

 have the benefit of our advances whether 

 they buy their logs at the same price as 

 last .Januarj' or not, and they are the men 

 who should profit. Poplar logs today cannot 



F. i>. ii.vrrii. iiii;i:rT(ii:. .iamestow.n ve- 



N'EEK & r.WEl, ('(I.. .I.AMESTOWN, N. Y. 



be bought in our section for less than $40 

 and even last week I was compelled to pay 

 $50. Last winter we bought them for $30, 

 but I cannot keep my prices down to the 

 $30 basis and pay $50 for logs, and I do not 

 think .any one else can do it very long. 

 The price should advance all over the coun- 

 try as logs advance in different sections of 

 the country. As far as advancing the price 

 to northern manufacturers, we do it right 

 along and are getting in Grand Eapids more 

 money today than we did three months ago. 

 Mr. Wilson: We have thought that owing 

 to the fact that these furniture men estab- 

 lish a price, we could not raise on them, but 

 as timber advanced we discovered that if 

 we furnished at that price we would go in 

 the hole, so we got just a little hard-hearted 

 and regardless of their wishes advanced 

 prices, and are doing business just the same 

 today. We simply had to do it. As re- 



