22 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



ing at Memphis. Tenn.. May 3, 1906 : — It is 

 an exceedingly pleasant duty that I find im- 

 posed upon me as presiding ofRcer to welcome 

 this notable gathering of lumbermen to this, the 

 ninth annual meeting of the National Hardwood 

 Lumber Association. The increased attendance 



GEORGE E. IIlKBAKli. ST. I.OUIS. MO., DI- 

 RECTOR. 



from year to year at the meetings of this asso- 

 ciation affords eloquent testimony to the inter- 

 est that has been developed in the work being 

 prosecuted by this organization, as well as to 

 the good that results from the intermingling in 

 a spirit of good fellowship of many engaged in 

 the same line of trade, which concourse is ren- 

 dered possible by meetings of this nature. I 

 am therefore able to greet you with the complete 

 assurance that, notwithstanding the sacrifices 

 of time and money which all have been called 

 upon to make in order to be present upon this 

 occasion, each will return to his home entirely 

 satisfied that he has been repaid many time's 

 for these sacrifices in the profit derived from 

 participating in the deliberations of the various 

 business sessions of this meeting and in the 

 pleasure resulting from the generous hospitality 

 that will be dispen.sed while we are guests 

 of the Memphis lumbermen. I am glad that 

 so many are here today, and I believe that each 

 one shares in my pleasure. Under this condition 

 it requires no Delphic oracle to forecast that 

 this will be one of the best meetings ever held 

 by the National Hardwood Lumber Association. 



In accordance with a custom oljserved at for- 

 mer annual meetings of this association, the 

 president is expected to prepare and submit, as 

 a preface to the work of the meeting, an ad- 

 dress in manuscript. In making such prepara- 

 tion I endeavored to produce an address that 

 would be worthy of this occasion, but after a 

 final revision of the manuscript, I realize that 

 I have fallen far short of the mark at which 

 I aimed. In olfering my apologies for the de- 

 flciencies contained herein, which will be only 

 too evident as I proceed, I can but urge, in ex- 

 tenuation, that I did my best, and remind mv 

 friendly critics that "angels could do no more." 



From a personal viewpoint, this meeting has 

 meant much to me, for here I expect to realize 

 the climax as well as the finality of my oflicial 

 career in this association. This address, while 

 primarily one of welcome, must also be accepted 

 as a message of farewell from the honorable of- 

 fice to which I was called two years ago It is 

 my purpose in its contents to touch only upon 

 the mountain tops of events, leaving to the offi- 

 cers and chairmen of the several standing com- 

 mittees who are to follow me the privilege of ex- 

 ploring, in their carefully prepared reports tlie 

 valleys of details that lie between. 



A proper understanding and conception of re- 

 sults is not possible at all times without taking 

 Into consideration, in the same cnnnectibn the 

 causes to which they are due. Therefore, it is 

 Impossible to separate entirely the events of the 

 year Just ended from those belonging to the 

 preceding twelve months, because the work of 

 the first year of my administration was largely 

 devoted to paving the way for the accomplish- 

 ments of the year now ending. 



It is my belief that these two years, taken 

 as a whole, have been epochal in the history of 

 this association. Within that period volunteer 

 effort has been replaced by regular service: ab- 

 stract conceptions have cr.ystallized into concrete 

 realities : provincial measures have yielded to 

 definite methods. 



It is not my purpose to speak slightingly of 

 the volunteers who devoted so much time, 

 thought and effort to the work of establishing 

 this association and but for wliom no such or- 

 ganization would be in existence today. But, 

 while it is the province of volunteer effort to 

 achieve, it inevitably remains for regular ser- 

 vice to. maintain. So today the best guarantee 

 that this association offers for its permanence 

 rests in the fact that it now has established a 

 complete regular service, represented by its 

 si'cictary installed in a well-equipped office and 

 supplied with competent help, to properly care 

 lor the details of the work : a surveyor general 

 and a corps of salaried inspectors, widely dis- 

 tributed among the leading producing and con- 

 suming hardwood markets of the tTnited States. 



In the genesis of the National Hardwood 

 Lumber Association the cherished dream of its 

 founders was that a uniform system of hard- 

 wood inspection be established throughout the 

 entire country. Today I am able to make the 

 statement that that dream has been realized ; 

 that national inspection is no longer a dream, 

 but an accomplished fact : that in the term na- 

 tional inspection a definite standard finds expres- 

 sion — a standard common to and thoroughly 

 understood in every market in this country 

 where hardwood lumber is bought or sold. _^ 



Today the National Hardwood Lumber Asso- 

 tiation stands for a square deal. Its position 

 is well defined. It obligates to absolutely pro- 

 tect the buyer and seller of hardwood lumber 

 who relies upon the efficacy of its bonded cer- 

 tificates to accomplish that end. If, upon in- 

 vestigation, the fact is developed that an error 

 exists in any of the certificates issued by a 

 regularly authorized inspector of the association, 

 this association, without delay or circumlocution, 

 renders payment in full for the difference exist- 

 ing between what is right and what was wrong 

 to the party suffering from the error. No indi- 

 vidual, no corporation, no association can do 



CARROLL V. SWEET. i.U.V.Mi KAPIDS, MICH., 

 DIRECTOR. 



more. To do less is to invite disgrace and t" 

 welcome ultimate disintegration. This associa 

 tion keeps the faith and discharges its obliga 

 tions, thereby deserving and compelling the re 

 spect and confidence of the entire hardwood 

 trade. 



In the accomplishment of this work there was 

 no precedent for guidance, and to obtain the enil 

 desired it was necessary to blaze a new trail. 

 But, with the foundations of this organization 

 firmly planted upon the bedrock of truth, hon- 

 esty and square dealing, the only problem that 

 now confronts this membership is that of ad- 

 ministration. The wise and proper solution of 

 that problem, however, is surrounded by a suffi- 

 cient amount of difficulty to demand the exer- 

 cise of much wisdom on the part of those to 

 whom the destiny of the association is commit- 

 ted. But few appreciate to the fullest extent 

 what is implied by the responsibility for the 

 proper administration of the hardwood inspec- 

 tion of this country. To accomplish this work 

 in a creditable manner and to the satisfaction 

 of all concerned demands that the executive 

 positions in the association be filled by men pos- 

 sessing a comprehensive grasp of the importance 

 and immensity of the task before them, as well 

 as a due regard for the details by which their 

 efforts become effective. Therefore, great care 

 should be exercised In filling positions of trust 



in this association, to the end that men pecu- 

 liarly fitted to the discharge of the duties per- 

 taining thereto are secured. 



The results obtained from the inspection de- 

 partment during the past year have been ex- 

 tremely gratifying to me, as I am certain they 

 will he to this membership, when the details are 

 submitted by the chairman of the Inspection 

 Committee, to whom great credit is due for the 

 manner in which the aft'airs of that important 

 department have been administered. 



It is also proper for me to commend the effi- 

 cient services rendered b.y tlie surveyor general. 

 His industry, faithfulness and absolute honesty 

 of purpose, coupled with his unquestioned abil- 

 ity as a thorough judge of lumber, have enabled 

 him to discharge the trying duties imposed upon 

 him in a manner that has given general satis- 

 faction to those with whom he has come in 

 contact, and won for him the tlianks and con- 

 gratulations of every member of this associa- 

 tion. 



Now, in this connection, should the men be- 

 hind the guns be overlooked? I refer to those 

 upon whom the association relies for the proper 

 application of its rules of inspection — the bonded 

 inspectors of the association. With few excep- 

 tions these inspectors have absolutely justified 

 the trust imposed in them, and by the conscien- 

 tious discharge of their duties have accomp- 

 lished much in inspiring confidence in the meth- 

 ods and satisfaction with the results derived 

 from the use of National inspection. It is, 

 therefore, my belief that to them, in as great 

 a degree as "to any other agency of this associa- 

 tion, is due tlie gratitude of this membership 

 for the high repute in whicli National inspec- 

 tion is now held by the trade at large. 



The success that has attended the system 

 adopted two years ago of maintaining salaried 

 inspectors has been such as to encourage me to 

 urge the expediency of increasing that particu- 

 lar branch of the service as rapidly as men of 

 the proper qualifications can be obtained. There 

 are urgent demands from various, sections of 

 the country yet unsupplied by that class of in- 

 spectors. The board of managers has recognized 

 the necessities of the situation and has directed 

 the inspection department to take prompt action 

 in the premises. I trust that these pressing re- 

 quirements for an addition to the number of 

 salaried inspectors will receive the attention 

 lliat its importance merits. The most gratifying 

 feature of the situation is that the greatest 

 jiressure for National inspectiou now comes from 

 localities where, but a few years ago, that sys- 

 tem of inspection was either unknown or totally 

 ignored. 



On account of the fact that the functions 

 performed by National inspectors partake largely 

 of a judicial nature, it is absolutely necessary 

 that these positions be filled by men in whom 

 the judicial faculty is developed in a high de- 

 gree, and who possess a thorough understanding 

 of the process of properly grading hardwood 

 lumber. In order to obtain men of the proper 

 caliber for the work in hand, it may he neces- 

 sary to pay a higher rate fur the services re- 

 quired Ihan is usually accorded to inspectors 



ORSON E. YEAGER, BUFFALO, DIRECTOR. 



employed by private concerns. But In this con- 

 nection the truth comes with redoubled force 

 that good men will be cheap at any reasonable 

 price, while the services of poor men would be 

 exceedingly expensive even though they were do- 

 nated. 



