HARDWOOD RECORD 



27 



ship for twelve months and nearly all of them 

 withdrew. Some could not dig up any real 

 excuse for severing their connection than that 

 they were afraid of the trust law. 



Mr. Gregory: I do not know that I can say 

 anything just now, as I am not acquainted, 

 very much with association work and I prefer 

 to hear from the other people. I do not be- 

 long to the other association. I did not need 

 to belnog to it. but I can see it did the busi- 

 ness some good. I think it should have been 

 kept up. But now if there should be another 

 association foi-med I am with it, and if we 

 can do any work by associating together, 

 which I believe could be done. I am for it. 

 The secretary of the wagon association was 

 very forceful in his remarks. It seems that 

 the prime object in that association is to 

 teach manufacturers the actual cost of their 

 goods, and that is very important. Tou teach 

 the manufacturer the cost of his goods and 

 the prices will take care of themselves, be- 

 cause no man is going to sell below the cost 

 of production unless he is financially em- 

 barrassed. While we are small in the busi- 

 ness we find a market for all the handles 

 we can produce and are generally behind witli 

 orders. But we try to get the most we can 

 out of it. We try to get cost of production 

 and a little more. If we cannot sell our han- 

 dles above the cost of production we have not 

 yet been forced to put them on the market. 

 We hold them until we can get a price that 

 will justify us to sell them. The actual cost 

 of production is the hardest thing we have to 

 figure on. If this association can do any 

 good, which I think it can. I am willing to do 

 anything I can along that line. ■ Of course I 

 know there are a few of these older manu- 

 facturers and larger concerns that have al- 

 ready an established trade, and it would not 

 matter to them as much as to some others 

 whether there was or was not an association. 

 But I believe it will do us all good. 



Mr. Gibson: Of course this is practically a 

 hickory crowd, but my idea was to get to- 

 gether a national organization, with divisions 

 of course, but with one strong organization 

 from which much m6re can be gained in mat- 

 ters of securing a hearing on freights, for 

 instance, and other matters of importance 

 which are continually coming up. There arc 

 between six and seven hundred concerns in 

 the United States — large and small — engaged 

 in the manufacture of handles of one kind 

 and another, and should pull together for the? 

 general good of all. 



It was decided to leave further discus- 

 sion and any decisive action on tlie ques- 

 tion of an organization until afternoon, 

 and upon nuition tlie meeting adjourned 

 for luncheon. Before it was served the 

 delegates were grouped and photographed. 

 AFTERNOON SESSION. 



The second session was called to order at 3 

 p. m. Mr. Gregory moved that a vote of 

 thanks be extended to Henry H. Gibson, editor 

 of the Hardwood Record, for his efforts on 

 behalf of the proposed association. On ac- 

 count of the small number of ash people rep- 

 resented no divisions were made, but all as- 

 sembled in one body and a large part of the 

 time was spent in informal discussion of the 

 jiroposed association, the benefits to be derived 

 from it, the drawbacks to lie reckoned with, 

 etc. 



Mr. Clendinen: Gentlemen, what is your 

 pleasure along the line of forming an organi- 

 zation that sliall be permanent in its char- 

 acter? 



Mr. McLaughlin: I would like to have some 

 one outline just about what kind of an or- 



ganization we ought to have. 



Mr. Clendinen: I think the proper thing to 

 do would be to have a motion whether yo\i 

 want the organization or not. Then we can 

 formulate plans on which it should be organ- 

 ized. The first thing to know is whether you 

 want an association or not. 



Mr. Gibson: There seems to be a small 

 representation of hickory handle people so far 

 —though a large percentage of output is 

 represented. I know. Can you not appoint a 

 committee on organization and find out 

 whether these other people who have written 

 these enthusiastic letters will attend and sup- 

 port an organization or not? If you appoint 

 a committee on permanent organization to 

 report on a meeting to be called in the future, 

 we could have some one correspond with all 

 these people and find out their attitude and 

 see what we can depend upon them to do. 



Mr. Scott: When you write letters to peo- 

 ple, as Mr. Gibson has. they have to make 

 some answer — they have to give a polite re- 

 ply, and they don't care just what they do 

 say, but naturally answer in the same vein in 

 which the letter was written. At the same 

 time they have no real idea of actually join- 

 ing even if an organization is made. Now, as 

 Mr. Gibson has said, it would be a good idea 

 to appoint a committee and if they do join, 

 let their check for dues accompany their let- 

 ter — something bona fide — something tangible, 

 to show they are in earnest. They will all 

 wish us well, and say they will join, and all 

 that. If we could effect something this after- 

 noon and state that the association will be 

 formed provided we can get enough into it to 

 perfect it I would be in favor of doing so, and 

 let them accompany their reply with a check 

 for dues for the year, dating from the date 

 of actual organization. Then if the associa- 

 tion is not formed their check will of course 

 be returned intact. In that way we will have 

 some basis to work upon, for a man won't 

 send his check unless he follows it up by 

 some action. 



Mr. Gibson: It occurs to me that first you 

 want to pass a motion indicative of whether 

 you do or do not want to form an organiza- 

 tion. Second, you should, if the motion be 

 passed, appoint a committee on permanent or- 

 ganization, constitution and by-laws. Then 

 you have something to present to these peo- 

 ple and can say to them. "Here is this propo- 

 sition: do you want to get in on it or not?" 



Mr. Gates; As to the former suggestion, I 

 do not think there is any question but we are 

 willing to form an association if we can get 

 outsiders to corne in. Our presence here is 

 reasonably indicative of that. 



Mr. Scott: I will move that a committee 

 of five on permanent organization be appointed 

 by the chair to report at a general meeting to 

 be held at the Grand Hotel. Indianapolis, on 

 Wednesday. Nov. 20. 



The chair put the motion, after being 

 seconded, and it was unanimously carried. 



Further Discussion. 



Mr. Peters: I favor the idea of a general 

 .-issociation of handle manufacturers, arranged 

 in subdivisions, and think it will make a 

 stronger organization than taking any one 

 branch alone. We need various departments 

 to give the association the proper amount of 

 backbone. 



Mr. Alexander: I venture to say that the 

 broom handle men will be there full force, and 

 I will do all I can to get them out. 



Mr. Scott: If we could form on a sound 

 basis the Michigan faction would come in 

 with us. I believe, and thus we could form 

 a National Association of Handle Manufac- 

 turers. 



It was brought out that the three great 

 classes of the handle trade may be said to 

 consist, in a general way, of hickory handles. 



including picker slicks; broom handles, includ- 

 ing dowel rods; and ash handles. 



Committee on Permanent Organization, 



Mr. Clendinen: In appointing this commit- 

 tee a great deal of care should be used. There 

 is considerable responsibility devolving upon 

 it. and in fact the entire future of the asso- 

 ciation; not being verj- well acquainted with 

 handle people outside of the hickory business. 

 I do not feel that I am in a position to ap- 

 point that committee. However, from what 

 information I have secured, I have tried to 

 appoint a representative one, and will name 

 the following gentlemen to act as such com- 

 mittee: P. C. Scott of St. Louis. Wm. Cook 

 Rogers of Piqua, O.; H. R. Alexander of Huls- 

 boro, Ind.; A. W. Newark of Cadillac. Mich., 

 snd Chas. D. Gates of Louisville. Ky. 



Upon motion it was decided that the chair- 

 man should be considered an honorary and 

 advisory member of the above committee, and 

 that Henry H, Gibson should act as temporary 

 secretary. 



A vote of thanks was tendered the press for 

 their assistance in promoting the measure and 

 giving it publicity. 



The members of the committee and the sec- 

 retary voiced their willingness to bear the 

 expense involved by their respective duties 

 until such time as the organization was com- 

 pleted. 



Upon motion the convention adjourned, to 

 meet at Indianapolis, Nov. 2<i. 



Attendance, 



Clendinen, T. R., ,Tackson, W. W.. Company. 

 Atchinson. Kan. (hickory). 



Rugg, F. A., Rugg Manufacturing Company, 

 Greenfield, Mass. (ash and broom 1. 



Toner, A. D.. F. A. Hoffman. Ke wanna. Ind. 

 (hickorj- and ash). 



Gregory, T. J.. Gregory-Maxwell Handle 

 Company, Cooksville. Tenn. (hickory 1. 



Representative Frankfort Handle Manufac- 

 turing Company. Frankfort, Ind. (hickory). 



Scott. P. C, Keller & Tamm Manufacturing 

 Company. St. Louis. Mo. (hickory I. 



Hartweil, C. L., Hartwell Brothers. Chicago 

 Heights. III. (hickory). 



Peters, F. W.. I. F. Force Handle Company, 

 New Albany, Ind. (hickory). 



Arnett, R. F.. Hartwell Brothers. Chicago 

 Heights, 111. (hickory). 



Gates. Rotat. H., Turner, Day & Woolworth 

 Handle Company. Louisville, Ky. (hickory). 



Alexander, H. B.. Hillsboro Novelty Works, 

 Hillsboro. Ind. (broom). 



McLaughlin. John L.. J. L. McLaughlin & 

 Sons. Bedford. Pa. (hickory). 



Holsapple, T. W., Davis Handle Company, 

 La Fontaine, Ind. (ash). 



Gates, Chas. D.. Turner. Day & Woolworth 

 Handle Company. Louisville, Ky. (hickory). 



(iibson. Henry IL. Hardwood Recoed, Chi- 

 cago. 



Defebaugh. E. H., The Barrel AL- Box, Chi- 

 cago. 



Howe, W. C. American I^umherman. Chi- 

 cago. 



Smith, Franklin H.. Lumber World. Chicago. 



(Jordon. A. E., H.vrdwood Record. Chicago. 



M. a meeting of the Bpard of Directors of the 

 General Lumber Company of Columbus. 0., held 

 on Sept. 28. a semi-annual dividend of three and 

 one-half per cent was declared on the preferred 

 stock of the company, and five per cent on com- 

 mon. The company has been doing a good busi- 

 ness since its organization, and recently au- 

 thorized an increase in its capital st™k to pro- 

 vide for enlarged trade. 



