G:i|!ArR.i^W o A:Pr^ r E:c.Q,f^D 



.;3i 



■dill 



.. j,j;^e greater portion doing business ^putli o^ the 

 ;,(-Phio river, altiiougli tlie organization lias a good 

 .,ymany juembers nortli a£ tliat stream. Members 

 .-of ,tljiis,. associaliou in good commercial times 

 i,i(«pei?5ite as lugli as, seven hundred, mills iyit,U a 

 ..,iRifl¥imum outpu,tj;<;ijEiabont; a billion leet a, year. 

 .,;,i;iie Jst'ger, portiop; of itjiis lumber comes from 

 K#U the sotitliern hardwood area. The work of the 

 ,iHardwood Manufacturers' lAssociafion, is divided 

 i J iijtp, bureaus and depai'tment.'i, and the bureau 

 .. I en. which the most money is expendeid is the one 

 u «;£•; grades.,,,; The .association publishes., a gpading 

 ;.;l'ule book.:whicb is written in special considera- 

 tion of ; the. .\>'ajit3 of , consumers as the assoqia- 

 tion undei-sti|Lnds themi and the grade* are ex- 

 .;Eressed in such clear and concise Kp^lish that 

 „;;hey can Ipe intej.-preted by % .lumber inspector of 

 ,,,p)ien ordinary intelligence. It. is the endeavor of 

 the, organization to place these rules in the 

 ■' hands of not only all inspectors, hut of every 

 lumber' buyer in the land. '■'■'•' >■''■■■■-'■ ^ 



,1 have been asked to explain our' methods of 

 tandling clisputbd shipments, which is a very 

 ' impot'tanf'subject. Vie have locar iispectors at 

 '■''tie chief' con'suming centers of the country for 

 ■''prompt 'ser\-ic6, whei'e inspection may be ques- 

 tioned. These inspectors on request reinspect 

 shipments, separating grades if so desired, and 

 instructed to explain carefully to the-bmyer his. 

 reason for the interpre!^t|p^'^o|''jtke*-^ad^pa 

 every piece of lumber. This inspection" is in- 

 variably carried on open and above board. These 

 inspectors are men who have had long training 

 and are selected for their intelligence, courtesy 

 aud speciiie linowledge of hardwood gro,wth, 

 manufacture and seasoning. The association is 

 very proud of its corps of inspectors and it is 

 "'ft'very' rare ijirchmstance that there' is ever any 

 I. 'J fault found with the work done by -them either 

 by seller or. buyer. After the work of reinspec- 

 Uonis accomplished a copy of thecertiflcate is 

 iven to the purchaser, a duplicate is "mailed to 

 the shipper and- the third copy forwarded to the 

 '/iimaln olfice ^ot. the association for record. In 

 (_•( the, event- fhat tj^e in^peetion proves lUnsatisf ac- 

 .,i,torj, to ■ either, buj-er or seller, the association 

 'insures to' both a fair deal by making a second 

 '■ revieW'of arij- shipment, and a thorough reinspec- 

 '.. tloni of It'. for the pnl-pose of checking up the 

 .>f>iy<;i6ina.l; inspeefiou. This reinspection has the 

 . mpst , careful aftentipn of .one of the associa- 

 ' tioh's chief arid most trusted inspectors. 



The «-ork of these inspectors is not confined 

 entirely to the Consuming markets,' but they in- 

 struct the shippers' gradets how to fairly 

 nnd intelligently interpret the inspection rules 

 i.r' . the organisation. They also advise^. as, to 

 matter's of sawing, edging, trimming, stacking, 

 elc;'-''l'he association attempts to secure not 

 -r.ooly ■ onitormity, but a high standard of i . uni- 

 i, fformitj', in lumber production and grading.. This 

 I is the. bugaboo of the lumber business, and year 

 'by year we find that we are decreasing the num- 

 ''•her of complaints through this system. It makes 

 "'4jetteii' customers for "the" manufacturer ; it makes 

 ,,ifor;the easief selling ^pf- lumber; it makes, for , 

 . ccQijoniyi and it minimizes, to a great extent a 

 sudden iri'c'rease of price. The system Steadies 

 '"■''ftie 'todrkel: Ut'all times. 'Uriliornlity' btought 

 DiiabbM . by- these methods is beuBficial to, hoth 

 .z-Jnauufacturei's and wholesale, consumej;*,,, , It . 

 ., flertainly is an aid to the remanufact.urei; f.o have 

 • 'lumber and grades' made as lie wants"fnem.' The 

 ■'^'cifthsumer is buueUted in the eiose harnioriy'wiiich 

 iT.ls'-.giradualiy ' 'growing between the hard-Wood 

 v»d^anufaftturer , pod himself,, -and it is '^especially 

 Vi(luable to the reraaftutac^urer located three ^hun 

 ared to one'th'ousaifd miles away froin his sourct 

 '"Ws^vVJy- '" '-" --"i^ --'^^ ■•%-'■ 

 ■laii' The Haldwbod - Manufacture's' n Association 

 .jjfyprkp -under uo iron-clad price a^c^cment, ^Every 

 q. -member is at Jiberiy 'to' make any price on his 

 'product tliat he chooses, and' there Is' ndthtfi'g in 

 '■-■tile ^rtWic"of'-th(/'as'soeiatiori that is 'nof'dp^ij to 

 'CTthe entire {tvioltisale consuming industry of the 

 ( ,. eoiHitrv; 



The next annuf^l meeting of thi^, organization 



will take place at ths,Sinton hotel, Cincinnati, 



-Q., on E"cbruary 1, 2. and 3, 1910, and on behalf 



Vf the organization I .wish to invite, every, mem- 



ibef of you\\,^ssoci^ti,on. to.,. be present;, .ai;: that 



; <-'onTeu,t.ion.,,. - .., „ .it-i<.fi- : i,!' : 



Thehandling o£ bardsyood manufacturing prob- 

 lems is no simple matter for the niembers of our 

 asso,ciation. and 1 believe it is to your interest 

 tQi, thoroughly, cooperatei or, better still, affiliate 

 with the Hardwood Manufacturers' Association. 

 ,1 yilltassu^'e you that tl)i% organizal,i9n will meet 

 :yoa ,half yfaS'On any proposil;ion that tends to 

 , jjom; matcirial advantage,^ and especially .on all 

 : matters. , thfit mean uniformity of manufa.cture 

 :and inspection. We,: waflt iSPu ta,,c9me,, tp <»"■ 

 metetings and we want you, ,(p, ^prk. .with , us. 



We want you to, help, us ..with ruigs and regula- 

 tions that, i|ViJl bepeiit'yp'urselyes, a's.jv;^ll as.our- 

 ,,t*ives. We, want; yoii.to assist, lis in. suppressing 

 , the un^'iist practices pf any.',memb.er of the hard- 

 .,,\ypod frade. ...y.pu are ..all' eligible' tc| inemb?.rship 

 in our, association and. we, w.ouIc( like to.hav'eyou 

 . ,atte;id| opr meet,in'gs,j aii_d ,.aftcr , ^tudying ^ our 

 methods, use yopi;. best judgmen,t about joining 

 ,, us,.. .If, you \vill fiiorougbly study your own lum- 

 ,, ,be.r requiij-pments.. and, make purchases, in aqcord- 

 .^ncp vyith.the present or jfny'ititufc.agree^ rules 

 ihe association ha^ ,in force, tlje Hjiji-dvyppd Manu- 

 , facturers',,,^sp<;i?^j;ion,,,^'il^ gij'iriintee.. yp^,'. just 

 ,..|tfpAtB)ent -i^nii. , Insiir^e ,to.^ y,oi) a. pleasant inter- 

 , .(.-liange of b.i^^inj?^,^ ,'):pi|^tioij^,,befw^en members 

 .■^ y^jur, ,-as^Q9iaii<)n^„,^n(J,. ii^^,^.f)f [ fi\ff y.pv/n 

 prganizatippr:,,.: „,. ,-:.!:'., /c,..:',-. t.aoba.'. 



The Sins of Hardwood Sellets 

 aitdf Buyers 



■ ■ : : 1- • .!<■ .i-'l.;-M;it-i-i-) :;... , . 



.:r, ;-)t ai .''"I'>ei.li;!s -liSr l:i'> 



■'■■: ■ -)rir I.-, r^iitnr! ■."( -■ ■ ,■- • ..: 



The iollowing address, entitled "The Sins 

 of Hardwood Sellers and Buyers, ' ' was deliv- 

 ered before the National Furniture , Manu- 

 facturers ' Association at a meeting held at 

 the Auditorium Annex, jSIovember 10, 1909, by 

 iFf- lir^/:^iib.sMi^ ei^tor-HARawoOD .EEQpfie. 

 itf-tfoirtains cmisi'd6,rabre>nikft;er<of fntel-elt 

 to both hardwood lumbermen and fummire 

 manufacturers it '1^ reproduce herewith for 

 the benefit of Record readers:. 

 ' i understand that 1 am indebted to the sug- 

 • ^estioJi'of P. D. Francis' of the Furniture Journal 

 ,,:of this -city for the pleasure of appearing before 

 ;,.ypu; today. It may. happen. t|jat, Mr.. Francis' 

 "inspiration" reflects more credit 'on his friend- 



■ ship than oh his discretion;' '''"■' "' ' ''■ ' 



' 1 atn aTWays' Interested in association work, 



t,jid. especially in any- associatioa , work that 

 , ■ deals with hardwoods or hardwpod utilization. 



As.spciatiop work is a good tfiing because it 



assis'Vs in the general good of the entire manu- 

 ■faCturing contingent involved and indirectly ben- 



eftts the- individuals engaged in .that . calling. 

 , Primarily, associatiop worlc is based on mutual 



cpnfldence and respect, on a belief of every man 



ill his fellows.' ' " '" - 



Speaking of luniber association ^Ofk, I' am 



reminded, of an interview that I, had spme years 

 , ago, with the. late John Branning, a prominent 

 . lumber operator of Edenton, N. C. It was at 



a tlride when his lumbei- ■product was selling at 



very low prices,' and there was an abeotute cut- 

 - throat-.game twing played by manufacturers, so 



that the eptire market was demoralized., 



. I^aid tp him ; ."Mr. Branning, .why don't you 



operators dowii here get together and figure out 



''\vith each other matters of cost 'arid see if you 



can't Secure a price for yoiii'- product that wi 



aosWU,' -ji/; .u.ri.ril: I c. 

 1 r>dfn:;I L">*)-//f>iii(( i^LitCn,! 

 Si Tifi iaOa'is 'iaoii-r/ 7-:iarn.>') 

 these people' have-'catisea''t(J''l!rtir'ioftst iWk' is 

 fully as serious as all the timber that his ever 

 been cut in "thfr'saine region. They graze their 

 cattle' in the foi-est ;"they' statt leaf flreswhich 

 often develop into fire "scalds," very seriously 

 damaging.the tfip%y area and letting in borers 

 tlJVlr^tt^^Jj S^^^|J_The result is that a large 

 portion of our timber, especially in oak and 

 chestnut, is wormy, and in some cases the worm 

 defect appears in fully 90 per cent of the total 

 output: ' . • ' I --'■' ' ' -i:.';; '-- , ; , 



A competent huyer of furniture lumber, must 

 needs. know; where the best sources of supply ob- 

 tain, w-here the best types of timber grow. He 

 must kitow his' iso'it-rces of supply and know' that 

 the' lunlberi-tS'itorcetftly'-manufaefured and care- 

 fully seasoned. lOtt the other ; hand, hardwood 

 fjlierators are very.. ill^^ informed .on the subject 

 of hardwood -utilization. They know it is cut-up 

 material,' hut -that is about alVthey do'' know. 

 They are not -thoro'ngllly posted' on the 'exact 

 uses for which the lumber: is xeq.uired ; th^y nee(i 

 iducafipn |lp .opjei; to, i^.^ke it, ,P9s^iJ>Ie for them 

 to make grades exactly" suitai6ie ' fdi* furriiture 

 purposes. ■' ""■■ 



•'• Righf^Uere- 1 'Mould- like to: ta'keia ^momfent on 

 the sitb-ject,,p| hardwood gradjng.i 'I'hp har«lwood 

 manufacturer. se«li^ , to get a profit lrpm..,h.is mill- 

 run product. 'Ihat is all fie asks! ' wTi'en he 

 'T.akes a score' of^grade^hS mikes thtee grades 

 to accommotlats 'tJY* spesiflcirSquii'ements of -the 

 wholesale censu/pfi;,. , lie makes these- grades for 

 the accommodation of the i»uyer, and not for 

 himself. He would niuch prefer to sell his lum- 

 ber from'thc tail'i^td'of his 'iniU' 'as' a inilUrun 

 ptoducr. It would slfupUfy-jinattcrSi very much 



.i*'pr-hin}. if tjhis wa;y possible.. ,i, ,{;i .Tjr\. 

 ,, jJVIr. Gihson^then, on. tiie. subject, :pf the s.5eciflc 



.give you a little profit in mmher manufacture?" .- '^'^t'-of, !v's ."y^A 7 v-^°'-? tla'rdWood Sellers 



,Mr. , Branning >vas a yery. , distinguished, south- 

 ern, gentleman (of Pennsylvania birth), and said 

 to irie : "'^i'te a very peculiar pebple here in 

 the South, sub. The fact'of the matted is that 

 me can'.t believe aach .'Other, and,, do:you: know. 



nnd BuyBrS|''^Wcited'tises'-in -w'hicn' futoiture 

 jtien were: Supposedly buying, firsts and. seconds 

 and ..were jrefleiying ,:but ar epijiiii^'atively, small 

 pprtion, of that .gr.ade in. their shipments, but 

 were apparently satisfied with the grade be- 

 siih,.thatrl,tave fi^d liar^ w,rk in , beUeying ^^u^e- th'ey Wr,r not InfeMlgeh'tJ bl.^ers.' He cited 

 ' s if'' ■" ' .'^7.!' nmi . ^^ii.-.ur ■; . -'1 the 'exampU af an ensftera-ijobbpr-iivhotpurohased 



, .,^ ,-.,i, .„:,., ,. ,„:.,-,-,. - »,,-, . . • :CroM;.a mannfactwei- ai.car-jpf, Ippiber o^i^t^jning 



,tftt^.a, small propprtjpp.pf firsts and seconds, 'and 

 .i-li.p remainder bf'the'stbck was No'.' 1 common, 

 which ■M^"inv'oidcij' td"& furniture"'hlan'ufatturer 



. :..) ..I . .ij, ,1 1 . 7 - , ; -I - . 1 .1 J -J 'i ,- • Hi; I -.11 . : 



, ,,When this condition obtains it, is pretty diffi- 



'cult to 'do e'flicient association te'brk. I' think that 



''■'the'sihs 61' lumber -se-llers and ImyprsiaTe -based 



very largely: on a deficient knowledge on: the part 



of bujiej-s ,of .(i?),'^|vop,d, gjflwth and ^anuf,acturc, 



and p^ the paj"t of sellers very largely on' their 



' 'paucity of "khiWiKlge'iif 'litfrdwood uttfizattdn: 



- «s 'firsts^nd'se^oDdti. <trhe[ffetnrn3;fix>mithb^[car 

 :..*.howed that •the;;fuc[n.i;tuca. buygr, ^^ccjpfe^ -fthe 

 ,-[?bipm,ent,. with the exyeptipn of fourte.^n bun 

 di-ed feet! .as' straight firstS and^'seconds! '"Ht 



He 



ce ■ '" It mtis't be''teal!zed that 'the vfrgin'hatujwood "- 'Vofff 'bj & eiiVtietli bnyerTor'a JaTi'f wobdWorking 



forests of the United States are at an end^.'that 

 evprJT'hardwooilTtegpiopyiiw fthia opiuntfiy. (tOiday is 



; , ,i^ the,.hqn^s of .gp^r^i's., , ,'^'he .la,^;; s^_ap^ of 

 virgin fpfesti is the southern Appalachian, and 



"''eveil''m thiS"i'e|lojf 'ar^'smairfai^in'ers and ^quat- 



t=;ri(ft.sO,t»iit 4J(#ve ox1«*d:fhef8'tor,ltlio last Wntftry. 



■u Ai tr(!«!;is!3ike:ftn :l.ndjaB— iti will -nat:St?nd,c.iyili- 



house that insisted: u^on bujing ;quart«ifi&awed 

 n iy:tiite-«ak:at.,SB;les3;th|^n the-,cm-ffnt;,pyg_e. and 

 ^ ,ya.s^wiilln,g to, a(;f<yit- aggrade with a mixture of 



-No. 1 .comriion In if, so that''i]c' cOfiia s'l^ttey his 

 "'\i,'tikid'-'ik.' Aii^i-lm -iA 'flie JtHfe *»•' "waa ■' paying 

 : 'f!rt".thai'lhmljerI>'.i!Th6^ewexam!ple«iiwere gj-ven to 



:illUE.tl>ate',tlift§inSiSn(J,w,e,glinasses,,oj5jUu)jber buy- 



■::'f==#Wr-:?P;^ 'fe:''S'Bt'='^?!'?°TWti.;'?9inaFo*''^' n-fPx flft yi*=tf"^^TnS?<?'^%lBat"^7Tiafl)To''°.^' °^ 



