20 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



Tertium Quid 



Just at this time there has sprung into prominence in hardwood 

 grade malting problems "the third person" — the wholesale con- 

 sumer. Two decades ago when hardwood manufacturing first as- 

 sumed importance in lumber affairs of the country, the jobbing 

 element practically assumed control of inspection matters and for 

 nearly a decade thereafter dominated the classification of hardwood 

 lumber into grades. About ten 3'ears ago hardwood manufacturers 

 broke into the game and insisted that they have something to say 

 about inspection. Since that time the various grading rules of 

 hardwood lumber have been jointly handled by manufacturers and 

 merchants in the trade. 



Latterly, the remanufaeturers of hardwood lumber, people making 



furniture, wagons, automobile bodies, coi33ns and kindred lines con- 

 suming hardwood lumber, are insisting that the present and rather 

 conflicting inspection rules of hardwood lumber made by both the 

 leading and minor associations and exchanges do not provide for 

 grades that best suit their requirements. Some of these remanu- 

 faeturers, as represented by their associations, have formulated rules 

 of their own which in many cases have been made without suffi- 

 cient knowledge of the subject, but nearly all are asking that they 

 shall have a hand in basic grade making. In parallel columns sub- 

 joined are three expressed opinions on the subject of the rights of 

 the eventual buyers of lumber to have their say about inspection 

 matters: 



EARL TALMER, PADUCAH, KY. 



K. 11. VANSAiNT, ASHLAXD, KV. 



\V. A. BENNETT, CINCINNATI, O. 



The expressed opinion of Earl Palmer, 

 who has been the dominant factor in 

 National Hardwood Lumber Association 

 affairs for the past six years: 



Any attempt to draw the consumer into the 

 grade-making business, where hardwood lumlxn- 

 is concerned, will only muss things up. In the 

 consideration ot this question it is well to revert 

 to the primary purpose, or object, for classifying 

 lumber into various grades. It is obvious that 

 it is not in order that a certain grade may be 

 used in the manufacture ot furniture, another 

 grade for house trim, or another grade for some 

 other purpose, but log run lumber is classified 

 into different grades in order to arrive at stand- 

 ards ot value. This was necessary because of 

 the existence ot so great a difference between 

 the values ot different stocks of log run lumber. 

 If lumber all cut out clear, there would have 

 been but one grade. But owing to the fact that 

 all lumber is not clear, and the further fact of 

 the great diversity existing between the values 

 of different log run stocks, it was absolutely 

 necessary that standards be adopted for the 

 classification of lumber into various grades, in 

 order that the value of a given stock could be 

 correctly approximated. 



It is true that consumers have taken advan- 

 tage of this method of classification by using the 

 particular arade that they have believed to be 

 best adapted for their use; and the standard 

 grades of hardwood lumber as they exist today 

 are of sufficient variety to enable the intelligent 

 consumer to select Just the quality of lumber 

 that best suits his business. It is an error, how- 

 ever, to assume that grades were diversified in 

 order to afford the consumer an opportunity to 

 make these selections, and any scheme of grade- 

 making based upon such an assumption will re- 

 sult in confusion VA'orse confounded. 



Earl Palmer. 



The opinion of E. H. Vansant, chairman of 

 the Executive Grading Commission of the 

 Hardwood Manufacturers' Association and a 

 ruling spirit in unification of hardwood 

 grades of that organization. 



Dec. 14, 1909. 

 To Wholesale Consumers of Hardwoods : 



I take the liberty of addressing you upon a 

 matter that I regard as of paramount interest 

 to all consumers of lumber as well as to the 

 manufacturers. The Hardwood Manufacturers' 

 Association of the United States invites you to 

 attend its next annual meeting, which will be 

 held at the Sinton liotel. Cincinnati, O., on 

 February 1, 2 and 3. 



It is the purpose of our association to frame 

 hardwood inspection rules that will be just and 

 fair both to the consumers of lumber and the 

 manufacturers. To bring about this result we 

 have asked the consumers of lumber to become 

 members of our association, assuring them that 

 they will have a fair representation on the Ex- 

 ecutive Grading Commission. We now take a 

 step further and ask your organization to appoint 

 a competent person to meet with the Executive 

 Grading Commission a few days before our an- 

 nual meeting and go over the rules we now 

 have in force and suggest such changes, if any, 

 as we may all think necessary to make the 

 rules fair and Just to the coiisumer and the 

 manufacturer. I will call a meeting of the 

 Executive Grading Commission at Cincinnati on 

 Monday. January 31. to consider such changes as 

 may be proposed. This will give us three davs 

 in which to consider the matter, and by dividing 

 the work we will have ample time to accomplish 

 our purpose. I hope you will accept this invi- 

 tation. 



We will be very glad to meet the consumers 

 of lumber at our anmml meeting, especially the 

 authorized officers and committees that may be 

 appointed by the different organizations. 



Ifoping to hear from you favorably in regard 

 to tliis nintter. and with higliest respect, I am, 



R. H. Vansant 



The opinion of W. A. Bennett, a "middle 

 of the road" hardwood association man who 

 has achieved commercial success on the 

 slogan of a " square deal to both seller and 

 buyer. " 



In order to w'arrant the success of any organi- 

 zation for the making of lumber grades, the 

 wants of the consumer must be taken into con- 

 sideration, and his endorsement likewise. The 

 association that looks to the future in this re- 

 spect is up-to-date and will be the one that will 

 bring around the goal we have all worked and 

 looked for. The matter was proposed by me 

 years ago at our meeting and was voted down. 

 The opposition then and now comes from the 

 class of trade that buys on one grade and en- 

 deavors to sell on another. The success of this 

 class of dealers is of a character that the cus- 

 tomer gets the worst of it, and they are not the 

 best, because they must necessarily sell lower- 

 than those who make good and sell at higher 

 prices. The consumer should be taken into 

 lumber associations as an advisory member and 

 not as a legislative one. There should be, how- 

 ever, a deference shown their wishes, and as 

 there are enough of them to use all the log 

 product, thoy should be well and honestl.v ad- 

 vised with. The National association was first 

 in the field in this work and should have reaped 

 its advantages, but it is too late now, as the 

 Manufacturers' association, not only in this but 

 in many other ways, has the advantage and con- 

 fidence in the minds of the consumer and large 

 manufacturers of lumber, and deservedly so, be- 

 cause its line of progression has been of a kind 

 commending itself to men who use and consume 

 the woods that are sold by all of us in the 

 trade. 



In the line of advancement I cannot help but 

 admire them, and they must necessarily appeal 

 to all fair-minded people. They are on the right 

 road, and while we do not belong to their ranks, 

 we may some day. Bennett & Witte. 



Per W. A. Bennett. 



