HARDWOOD RECORD 



and compiled, showing actual business expe- 

 rience witli tlie buyer in question. These 

 reports are collected and sent to all members, 

 whether they have asked for them or not, and 

 by being filed become a valuable asset for 

 future reference. This information is held 

 absolutely confidential and never given to 

 any but members of the association, at the 

 same time the name of everyone reporting on 

 this as well as on all statistical work is 

 confidential with the secretary. 



In the development of all organization work 

 the question of supply and demand is one of 

 vital importance, and therefore various statis- 

 tical matter is gathered for the purpose of 

 determining further legislation, and with the 

 support of e\-ery member of the association it 

 will always result in something beneficial; for 

 when money is expended for the purpose of a 

 systematic research it is done for the purpose 

 of benefitting the producer, as it is of vast 

 importance to the industry. 



In a former part of my talk I referred to 

 the' methods by which the different kinds of 

 wood are classed and represented by the dif- 

 ferent states on committees, both as to grades 

 .and values. These committees are canvassed 

 trom time to time to discover the true market 

 conditions. In my travels about the country 

 I study the conditions among the mill men. 

 The consuming markets are algo canvassed as 

 to the true conditions existing therein, with 

 the result that any publication of values is 

 based on the true state of the market — what 

 the people are paying and what the manufac- 

 turers are obtaining for the same items. No 

 secret methods are employed in the develop- 

 ment of this plan; in fact, I have been asked 

 by a great many people after submitting 

 reports of conditions to all members of the 

 association what recourse we have in case of 

 price lists not being maintained. Gentlemen, 

 we never have made any binding price agree- 

 ment, nor do we think in our association work 

 that it is necessary to do so. but our en- 

 deavor is to place before the manufacturer 

 and producer statements of true conditions 

 and we find a great many firms study the 

 markets in advance of others, and they natu- 

 rally obtain higher prices than other oper- 

 ators. Such market conditions are naturally 

 based on values obtained by hustling ability, 

 and are therefore a target for the industry, 

 and it is our endeavor at all times to assist 

 those who cannot obtain the prices, to market 

 their stocks and obtain as good a value as 

 the market can afford to pay. 



The good results obtained through our asso- 

 ciation work, and the money expended for the 

 development of them, makes them permanent, 

 due largely to the frank and earnest manner 

 in which the manufacturer takes hold of 

 association work. Every member realizes that 

 he is a part of that body and the more 

 actively he is engaged in the work, the more 

 successful it becomes. The office of the secre- 

 tary is nothing but a machine, which is at 

 the call of the various committees, appointed 

 to legislate plans for the secretary's office to 

 I'Ut into effect. 



One point I might make is that the forma- 

 tion of the association and of the current 

 rules has been greatly assisted by the secre- 

 tary's traveling over the various states where 

 production is represented and holding district 

 meetings for the purpose of assisting in the 

 legislation of matters vital to the interests of 

 those districts. They outline the policies to 

 pursue and give to the secretary their orders 

 as to what to carry out, providing, naturally, 

 that it does not conflict with the rules of tlie 

 National body as a whole. The large pro- 

 ducer and the small producer are shoulder to 

 shoulder in carrying out this system and it 

 has uplifted the trade. 



Good results are obtained by watching the 

 manufacture, and the economy of properly 

 manufacturing stock is being appreciated bv 

 the consumer. This assists the manufacturer 

 to put his lumber upon the market and find a 

 ready sale for it, owing to its being in such 

 condition. From the good results we have 

 obtained it has been felt that the money 

 expended has been returned a thousand fold, 

 and every department of our association is 

 watched closely by members and used at all 

 times for the betterment and development of 

 their business conditions. 



Gentlemen. I thank you for this oppor- 

 tunity to meet with you today and fully 

 appreciate it. and hope that my invitation to 

 anyone visiting Chicago to see our office and 

 the manner in which its detail systems are 

 worked out will be accepted, when we can 

 explain more fully any matters conducive to 

 the good of the shipper and to the benefit of 

 your industry, and the plan of organization 

 which has been carried out. We will be 

 pleased to outline to you men of intelligence, 

 who are thoroughly familiar with your in- 

 dustry and who are the men to frame the 

 policy of such an organization, the advantage 

 of a machine such as we have to extend the 

 plans you have adopted at your meetings. 

 I trust that your deliberations will result in 



the establishment of methods conducive to the 

 good of the business, individually and as a 

 whole. 



The secretarj' then commented on the value 

 of local meetings and of district organiza- 

 tions in connection with the work of securing 

 new members. He stated that at the present 

 time the membership of the association num- 

 bered fifty-five out of a possible two hundred 

 and twenty-five engaged in the pursuit, and 

 that before the year was over it should have 

 at least a hundred members, which would 

 represent fully seventy-five per cent of the 

 total veneer production of the United States. 

 A member inquired concerning other allied 

 associations in the veneer business, and Presi- 

 dent Kline replied that there was an associa- 

 tion known as the Sawed Veneer Association, 

 with headquarters at Indianapolis, but which 

 apparently had fallen into desuetude. 



Mr. Groffmann complimented Mr. Doster on 

 the address he had delivered, and observed 

 that the members of the National Veneer & 

 Panel Manufacturers' Association must now 

 begin to realize the work they had ahead of 

 them. As for association work, he said tliat 



J. A. rXIlKKWOOL). VICE PRESIDENT, V>'AV- 

 SAU, WIS. 



any man must be blind who does not regard 

 it as extremely beneficial to his pursuit. 



On n^otion, the president was instructed to 

 appoint a committee to audit the accounts of 

 the treasurer. He appointed as such Messrs. 

 Walker. Dow and Munyan. 



Adjournment was taken until 2:30 p. m. 



ATTEBNOOIT SESSIOIT. 



Although the association was scheduled to 

 hav« a meeting during the afternoon, many 

 of the members interested in the production 

 of made-up veneer work gathered for con- 

 ference, and deemed it expedient, inasmuch 

 as for the most part they were buyers of 

 veneers and therefore more interested in panel 

 production than in the manufacture of the 

 veneer itself, to organize separately, at least 

 temporarily. Originally offered as a sugges- 

 tion, this idea prevailed, and under the title 

 of The Panel Club, a tentative organization 

 was effected with W. S. Walker of the Ports- 

 mouth Veneer & Panel Company. Portsmouth, 

 O., as chairman, and E. H. Defebaugh. secre- 

 tary. The session of those interested in panel 

 production, which comprised fully half of 

 those present, continued all the afternoon, and 

 therefore the continuation of the work of the 

 association proper was postponed until 7:30 

 in the evening. 



The Panel Club appointed a Committee on 

 Grades and Prices, consisting of Messrs. Kline. 



Willson. Richardson. Calhoun and Steiner. . 

 and appointed a second committee on perma- 

 nent organization, consisting of Messrs. Dow. 

 Groffmann and Phillips. 



It was resolved to hold an exclusive meeting 

 of The Panel Club at the Cadillac Hotel, 

 Detroit, on Tuesday and Wednesday, Aug. 14 

 and 15. At this time it is expected that the 

 committees will be able to report the details 

 and complete plans for the establishment of 

 uniformity in sizes, grades and values on all 

 classes of made-up stock. 



EVEHINO SESSIOIT. 

 The auditing committee reported that it had 

 examined the accounts of the treasurer, found 

 them correct and recommended that they be 

 approved, which recommendation prevailed. 



Chairman Roberts of the committee ap- 

 r)ointed to re\'ise the rules governing rotary 

 out drawer bottom and glass back stock re- 

 ported as follows: 



"Your Committee on Grades and Rules 

 governing drawer bottom and glass back 

 stock of rotary cut oak veneers recommend 

 that they shall be manufactured and sold 

 under the following grades and rules; 

 No. 1 Faces. 

 No. 2 Faces. 

 Backs. 



No. 1 Faces shall consist of veneers 6 to '^4 

 inches wide, not to contain more than ten per 

 cent of 6 inch; in 6 to 13 inch widths, to be 

 free from all defects; veneers 13 to IS inches 

 will admit of one standard defect; veneers IS 

 to 21 inches, two standard defects; veneers 21 

 to 25 inches, one small knot and three stand- 

 ard defects. This grade will admit of one inch 

 sap on the edges on all veneers IS inches and 

 over in width. 



No. 2 Faces shall be 6 to 24 inches wide, to 

 contain not more than ten per cent of 6 inch 

 widths, and will admit of all standard de- 

 fects, but not more than one pin-worm hole 

 to the square foot. Clear sap admitted to this 

 grade, and not to be considered a defect. 



Backs to be 6 to 24 inches in width, but to 

 contain not more than ten per cent of 6 inch 

 widths; will admit of .sap and all standard 

 defects, sound knots and holes not over one- 

 half inch in diameter and splits not to exceed 

 one-half inch in width. 



What is understood by standard defects 

 shall consist of streaks not over three inches' 

 long; brown spots; spot- worms; closed checks 

 not over 6 inches long, and open checks not 

 over 3 inches long, open not to exceed one- 

 fourth inch. 



Considerable discussion ensued over the 

 lecommendations of this committee, some 

 thinking that buyers would object to the 

 establishment of the grades as outlined. 

 President Kline observed that the sooner buy- 

 ers are educated to take the full product of 

 the log. so much better will it be for the 

 m.anutacturers of veneers. 



On motion the above rules as applied to oak 

 drawer bottoms and glass back stock in log 

 run were approved. These rules will there- 

 fore alter those adopted at the Chicago meet- 

 ing early in the year, which divided rotary 

 cut stock into the two grades of faces and 

 backs — and the three grades will be substi- 

 tuted. 



In reply to a query as to how hardwood 

 lumber organizations establish a mutually 

 satisfactory system of inspection, Henry H. 

 Gibson, editor of the Hakdwood Recokd. stated 

 that this result is reached by the appointment 

 of a small committee well versed in each par- 

 ticular wood, who formulate a set of inspec- 

 tion rules and then submit these rules to 

 every member of the association interested in 

 the product. On the return of these sugges- 

 tions they revise the rules to meet the opinion 

 of the majority, and then submit them in 

 open convention for approval. He further 

 stated that this is the only logical way to 



