HARDWOOD RECORD 



25 



being held back until the manufacturer be- 

 comes thoroughly acquainted with tlie condi- 

 tions surrounding it. This association woriv 

 lielps him to do. 



We have a system of statistics which we 

 send out to members, and I want to say tliat 

 the way to mnlie such information valuable is 

 for ever.vone to reply to all inquiries from 

 the secretary's ofBce promptly and fully. I 

 have been closely connected witli Mr. Odell 

 while lie has been taking up this new work, 

 and I say to you that 1 have seldom if ever 

 found a man so thoroughly adapted to do 

 association work. You have certainly placed 

 the right man in the right place. A point 

 in our association similar to yours is that 

 manufacturers of a certain class of lumber 

 are the only people who can legislate on the 

 rules covering that commodity. Manufactur- 

 ers of poplar lumber have nothing to say 

 about rules for other woods, with the result 

 that we divide all our interests into separate 

 departments. We have no conflict in our 

 association at all. for we simply adopt the 

 recommendations of the principal manufac- 

 turers of each wood. Our members never 

 adopt measures that arc going to harm them- 

 seh'es. Our work is endeavoring to develop 

 along the best possible lines. We have 

 never adopted specific grading rules on the 

 woods of Michigan and Wisconsin, for the 

 simple reason that we have never been organ- 

 ized in those sections, and as we do not make 

 rales on what we do not manufacture, we 

 are ready to practically adopt .vour ideas on 

 those things. Our association was formed 

 because grading rules had bten established 

 wherein the manufacturer graded his lumber 

 on one side and it was re-sold on the other, 

 ma.vbe being turned over in the car in transit. 

 These conditions the sawmill man in the 

 South confronted, and he was forced to or- 

 ganize. \^'e believe that there is a place for 

 the middleman. We believe that he is neces- 

 sary for a larger element of our people than 

 he is for your people here. We have more 

 small producers to the square mile than you 

 have. The small man must sell through 

 somebody as he cannot afford to establish a 

 selling agency of his own. ^Ve like to take 

 the middleman and consumer into considera- 

 tion and try to work in close touch with 

 everybody connected with the trade. We 

 have spent over $150,000 since 190J tor the 

 purpose of establishing the principle that a 

 man shall not ""monkey with grades." We 

 find that mixed grades will cause competitors 

 to constantly lower their prices to meet this 

 mixed grade competition. We adopt plans to 

 protect our members. We adopted a plan of 

 measuring on the lialf foot, and we have no 

 trouble on this score with consumers. We 

 never have an.v trouble with them or they 

 with us. A]l the difficulty comes from the 

 middleman who is endeavoring to either find 

 something easy to sell or wants to make an 

 unfair profit. 



We also have a credit rating department 

 which is nothing more than individual busi- 

 ness methods thoroughly recorded, especially 

 those which are unjust. We have market 

 conditions and price committees which study 

 grades, stocks on hand, consuming market 

 conditions, values of different commodities, 

 and act in accordance with what is found. 

 Twice a month we issue a stock sheet show- 

 ing items of surplus stock by thicknesses and 

 grades. In the last two or three years it has not 

 been used very much because there have been 

 no surplus stocks. The result is that manu- 

 facturers are always working on thicknesses 

 which are short. Thus we are covering in 

 a businesslike way the entire United States. 

 You have conditions existing here in Michigan 

 and Wisconsin which are very closely united, 

 and I know the results you will achieve will 

 be satisfactory. I have had the honor of 

 being present here and I appreciate it. 



Mr. White: I appreciate very much the 

 seriousness with which Mr. Day takes the 

 membership business of this association and 

 the necessary work to be done, and I think 

 everyone here who is a member should go 

 home with the understanding that he will do 

 everything possible to get members for the 

 next meeting. We must fight our matters 

 out on our own lines and put our plans into 

 shape, and when we have done this we can 

 piesent tht'm to any other association which 

 we want to join, but we can't do it now for 

 we are in our infancy. Mr. \"on Platen 

 touched the vital point on this rule matter 

 when he said we must make a set of rules 

 which the middleman cannot manipulate. 

 That is what we should do. Make a set of 

 rules for the manufacturer and consumer of 

 the product. I hope you will all go home to 

 work with us in every way possible, and we 

 want to beat every association in our work 

 and enthusiasm — even the Wisconsin men. 



President White announced that the execu- 

 tive committ-ee had appointed B. H. Cook on 

 the market conditions committee in place of 



E. C. Bust who was unable to serve; also 

 that the correct initials of Mr. Hull of the 

 same committee are " W. C. " 



On motion the meeting adjourned, after 

 deciding to hold the next gathering at Trav- 

 erse City, the time to be decided upon and 

 announced litter. 



Those Present. 



A. F. Anderson, Cadillac. 



K. P. Arpin, president Wisconsin Hardwood 

 Lumbermen's Association, Grand Rapids, Wis. 



Chas. A. Bigelow, Kneeland-Bigclow Co.. 

 Bay City. 



Henry Ballou, Cobbs & Mitchell, Inc., Cadil- 

 lac. 



W^. E. Barns, St. Louis Lumberman, St. 

 Louis, Mo. 



John W. Blodgett, Grand Rapids. 



K. J. Clark, Peninsular Bark & Lumber 

 Co., Sault Ste Marie. 



1'. Collier, Boyne City. 



M. E. Collins, Engadine Lumber Co., Enga- 

 dine. 



E. G. Carey, Harbor Springs Lumber Co., 

 Hiirbor Springs, 



B. H. Cook. Cook, Curtis & Miller, Petoskey 

 and (jrand Marais. 



Rush Culver, Northern Lumber Co.. Birch 

 and Marquette. 



W. ■ T. Christine. American Lumberman, 

 (-'hicago. 



J. E. Defebaugb, American Lumberman. 

 Chicago. 



Lewis Doster, secretary Hardwood Manu- 

 facturers' Association, Chicago, 



F. A, Dig:gins, Murphy & Diggins, Cadillac, 

 D. F. Diggins, Cummer, Diggins & Co., 



Cadillac. 



C. B. Drake, Michelson Lumber Co., Lewis- 

 ton, 



G. B. Dunton, MacBride Lumber Co.. Buck- 

 ley. 



John Dalton, Dalton Lumber Co. (Skandia 

 P. O.), New Dalton. 



James Danaher, Jr., Danaher Uardwoud Lum- 

 ber Co., Dollarville. 



D. H. Day. Glen Haven. 



G. B. Daniels, Grand Rapids. 

 W. L. DeWitt, Kelley Lumber iV: Shingle 

 Co., Traverse City. 



C, R. Duggan, Tindle & Jackson, Pellston. 



Edward Fitzgerald, Mitch;ll Bros. Co.. 

 Cadillac. 



F. H. Freeman. Engadine Lumber Co,, En- 

 gadine. 



Chas. W. Fish, Hackley-Phelps-Bonnell Co., 

 Grand Rapids. 



F. W. Gilchrist, Alpena. 



Henry H. Gibson, Hardwood Record, Chi- 

 cago. 



Bruce Green, Williams Bros. Co., Cadillac. 



A. E. Gordon, Hardwood Record, Chicago. 



E. S. Harris, Dalton Lumber Co., Skandia. 

 C. E. Haak, Haak Lumber Co., Haakwood. 

 J. A. Hynes. Sault Ste Marie. 



H. S. Hull, The Oval Wood Dish Co., Trav- 

 erse City. 



W. W. Johnson, Johnson & Crowl, Petoskey. 



J. A. Jamicson, St. Ignaee. 



A. B. Klise, A. B. Klise Lumber Co., Stur- 

 geon Bay. 



F. A. Kimball, Churchill Luinber t^o., Al- 

 pena. 



W. N. Kelley, Kelley Lumber & Shingle Co., 

 Traverse City. 



W. W. Mitchell, Mitchell Bros. Co. and 

 Cobbs & Mitchell, Inc., Cadillac. 



W. L. Martin, Boyne City Lumber Co.. 

 Boyne City. 



Wm. F. McKnight, The Northern Lumber 

 Co., Birch. 



Joseph Murphy, Murphy & Diggins, Cadillac. 



S. G. McClellan, Simmons Lumber Co., Sim- 

 mons. 



W. L. Martin, Embury-Martin Co., Che- 

 boygan. 



H. Nichols, Charlevoix Lumber Co., Char- 

 levoix. 



A. W. Newark, The Cadillac Handle Co., 

 Cadillac. 



Bruce Odell, Cummer, Diggins & Co., Cadil- 

 lac. 



W. P. Porter, East Jordan Lumber Co., 

 East Jordan, 



C. A. Phelps, Hackley-Phelps-Bonnell Co., 

 Grand Rapids. 



Robert H. Rayburn, Kimball Lumber Co., 

 Alpena. 



E. C. Rust, Elk Rapids Iron Co., Elk Rapids. 



F. L. Richardson, Richardson Lumber Co.. 

 Alpena. 



H. P. Sutton, Worcester Lumber Co., Ltd.. 

 Chassell. 



G. von Platen, Bovne City. 



W. H. White, W. H. White Co., Boyne City. 

 Thos. White, W. H. WTiite Co., Boyne City. 

 P. B. Wachtell, Petoskey. 



NeWs Miscellany. 



Big West Virginia Deal. 



The largest limber deal made in West \'irginia 

 in some time was consummated a few days ago 

 when C. Crane & Co. of Cincinnati, O., paid 

 over half a million dollars for a tract of 00,000 

 acres of the best hardwood timber land in that 

 state. This latest purchase gives C. Crane & 

 Co. domain over about 400,000 acres of the 

 richest timber land in West Virginia. 



The property just acquired lies in Wyoming 

 and Raleigh counties and is at the headquarters 

 of Coal creek, the (iuyandotte and Buffalo riv- 

 ers, all of which flow into the Kanawa, and the 

 timber w"ill be easily gotten out by this means. 



It is estimated that C. (.'rane & Co. have suffi- 

 cient timber land to last twenty-five years, e^sti- 

 inating their aggregate annual cut at 100,000,000 

 feet. 



Foremost In Its I>ine. 



To cater to the whims of those idols of the 

 public, baseball players, taxes the resources of 

 the oldest and most experienced workers in wood 

 to furnish a bat which will meet the approval 

 of these critical professionals. At rontiac, 

 Mich,, the Pontiac Turning Company operates 

 a bat factory which is probably the largest in- 

 stitution of the kind in the world. This com- 

 pany's produ<"ts have a reputation which extends 

 the cotmtry over and has even penetrated into 

 the rhillppines. 



The wood from which these sticks are made 

 is of the finest growth white hickory and ash, 

 straight grained and absolutely free from knots. 

 It comes mostly from Michigan and Ohio, though 

 every part of the United States where desirable 

 trees are grown contributes more or less. Each 

 year finds the acreage of hickory and ash dimin- 

 ishing, making the task of the buyer more diffi- 

 cult. 



The logs employed in the manufacture of bats 

 are from six to twent.v-eight inches thick. They 

 are cut lengthwise in multiples of thirty-eight 

 inches, called bolts. Besides what are sawed 

 in this factory many squares are bought from 

 other factories, ready fur the lathe. During the 

 busy season bats are turned out at the rate of 

 over a thousand a day. 



Such parts of the bolt as are left over are 

 usually large enough ii.i use for handles, of 

 which the factory makes even more than it does 

 of bats. Handles for pickaxes, hammers, sledges, 

 lioes, forks and in fact all kinds of tools are 

 turned out, making a separate business in itself. 



The lathe which takes the squares and shapes 

 them into the rough semblance of the finished 

 product consists of a number of chisel-like 

 knives, which in an incredibly short time give 

 the ungainly billet the lines of the finished bat. 

 A turn on the sand belts makes the bats smooth 

 as satin. They are then taken to another room 

 where they are given a coat of lining — green, 

 black, brown or antique, according to specifica- 

 tions. Some of them are burned in the flame 

 of a torch while at the same time the brand is 

 burned in. Then they are carefully shellacked. 

 Finally they are put in individual paper bags 

 and packed in crates, a dozen to the crate. 



The factory turns out three standard styles 

 of bats. There are as many odd notions In the 

 bat business as can be found in almost any line 

 that we might mention. 



Many famous ball players visit this factory 

 annually for the purpose of selecting a bat from 

 the large stock or suggesting some improvement 

 upon the present models. 



It takes from one to three years from the 

 l"!me the logs are br<iugbt in to season them and 

 get them ready for the lathe. 



