30 



HARuWOOD RECORD 



Annual National Lumber Exporters* Association 



The tenth aumial iiicetiiig of the National 

 Lumber Exporters' Association was held at 

 the Hotel Eennert, Baltimore. Md., January 

 19 and 20, with about twenty-five members 

 from various parts of the country present. 

 The association was organized in Baltimore in 

 January, 1900, so that it was particularly ap- 

 propriate that the tenth annual should also 

 have been held in that city. 



The deliberations of the meeting were not 

 open to the public, as was decided some time 

 ago by the association in view of the delicate 

 nature of some of the matters discussed, it 

 being thought wiser to admit only those di- 

 rectly interested. 



President Harvey M. Dickson of the Dick- 

 son Lumber Company, Norfolk, Va., occupied 

 the chair and Secretary E. M. Terry recorded. 



In his annual address to the association Presi- 

 dent Dickson spoke of the depression which has 

 existed in the exporting business during the past 

 two years, saying that this is nearly at an end 

 and predicting improvement tor 1910 : in faci, 

 he declared tbat improvement was already in 

 evidence. He pointed out that shipbuilding on 

 the Clyde, and wagon building throughout Great 

 Britain are gradually reviving, and that members 

 o( the association may look for improved trade 

 as the result of this condition. 



Mr. Dickson stated that the association has 

 had .T very successful year, that the membership 

 has increased and it is now larger than at any 

 time since the organization of the association. 

 Finances are in excellent condition and the 

 agreements with the steamship lines have worked 

 satisfactorily. 



Mr. Dickson also reported that an excellent 

 insurance policy had been arranged with a prom- 

 inent company and that a majority of the mem- 

 bers have availed themselves of it. thereby get- 

 ting the benefit of especially favorable rates. 

 The question of measurements has been taken up 

 with the foreign markets and satisfactory prog- 

 ress, Mr. Dickson said, has been made "in this 

 direction. He also said that the association is 

 taking aggressive action In regard to the Italian 

 government's classification of gum as a cabinet 

 wood, and said that the State Department at 

 Washington has promised to make renewed repre- 

 sentations to the Italian government in this 

 matter. 



Continuing, Jlr. Dickson said that the asiree- 

 nifnt wlii.h the New Orleans transportation lines 

 lia<l luoposed would he taken up at the next 

 (lav's session. This relates to the counting of 

 lumber and to clean bills of lading, in order 

 that the liability of the common carrier for 

 shortages, etc., may l)e determined. In lonchid- 

 ing Mr. Dickson referred to the appropriateness 

 of holding the meeting at Baltimore this year, 

 and stated that the original .promoters of the 

 organization, with one exception, are all living. 



Secretary B. M. Terry in his annual report 

 set forth in detail the work of the year in se- 

 curing agreements with the railroad "and steam- 

 ship companies for handling the product of the 

 member's of the organization. He also referred 

 to the tiook of rules for all ports with which 

 Imsiness is being done. This book was compiled 

 from very complete data and is a vahuilile fea- 

 ture of the association's work. It was distrib- 

 uted a week or two ago. Mr. Terry stated that 

 there are now sixty-nine members of the asso- 

 ciation. 



Treasurer rjchard W. Price of Price & Heald. 

 Baltimore, reported a sulistantial balance in the 

 hank, and stated that this amount is about 

 doable that on hand last year. 



Ij. Palmer, assistant secretary of the associa- 

 tion, who is stationed at New Orleans, La,, re- 

 ported on the work that is being done in his 

 tiM-ritory. 



Next in the order of business was the 

 presentation of committee reports covering 

 details of the various departments of associa- 

 tion work during the year. The reports were 

 received with enthusiasm and showed that the 

 organization is in good condition and is serv- 

 ing the trade well. 



A committee was appointed to consider a 

 form of contract for use in governing sales 

 with the T'nitoii Kingdom. This committee 



was instructed to learn tlie sentiment of tlie 

 members on the subject and to report any 

 suggestions received to the Board of Direc- 

 tors. The committee consists of Eichard W. 

 Price, chairman; F. F. Fee, George D. 

 Burgess, C. F. Korn, John L. Alcock, S. 

 Menzies, George M. Spiegle and D. T. Eees. 



.4. resolution was presented and' adopted 

 urging upon the members the necessity of 

 curtailing promiscuous consignments of hard- 

 woods to foreign markets as much as possi- 

 ble. 



After luncheon the time was taken up 

 largely with_ the most important business 

 which came before the meeting, that of re- 

 vising the constitution and by-laws. .4. com- 

 mittee consisting of 'W. H. Russe, Memphis, 

 Tenn.; John L. Alcock, Baltimore, and E. E. 

 Taenzer, Memphis, had been appointed to 

 draw up a new draft of the by-laws for ap- 

 liroval by the aesoeiatiou. The new- constitu- 

 tion and by-laws were sulimitted section by 



HARVEY .M. DICK.SON, NOKFOLK, VA., 

 ELECTED PRESIDENT. 



RE- 



sectiou and brought forth much interesting 

 discussion. Excellent progress was made, 

 however, and by 6:30 in the evening the work 

 had been completed. Two of the important 

 changes made are the charge of an initiation 

 fee of $50 from new members and the inser- 

 tion of a new by-law to cover the diificulty 

 which has been experienced in the past by 

 reason of some members using the brands 

 of others. This law reads as follows: "Any 

 member using the brand of another member 

 knowingly, wliether the brand be registered 

 or not, shall be subject to expulsion. ' ' 

 SECOND DAY'S SESSIONS 

 Sefsions were held in tlic morning and 

 afternoon of the second day. At the morning 

 session a resolution urging President Taft to 

 send a message to Congress in favor of the 

 repeal of the publicity clause in the new Cor- 

 jionition Tax Law in so far as it applies to 

 small corjiorations was aihipteil. 



The question of admitting foreign firms to 

 membership was brought up and was finally 

 referred to a committee which will report at 

 a special meeting of the association at a fu- 

 ture date to be fixed. 



The agreement submitted by the transpor- 

 tation lines at New Orleans for adoption by 

 the association, which provides for the count- 

 ing of lumber put on ships and for fixing 

 the responsibility for loss or damage touched 

 on in President Dickson's address, was re- 

 ferred to the Committee on Transportation. 



It was decided to take up with the Kansas 

 City Southern and the Iron Mountain rail- 

 roads the complaint that they are discriminat- 

 ing against the hardwood exporters by the 

 imposition of a higher rate on lumber, from 

 producing points in the state of Louisiana to 

 New Orleans, when intended for domestic use 

 than when designed for export. 



Election of officers resulted as follows: 

 President, Harvey M. Dickson, Dickson Lum- 

 ber Company, Norfolk, Va.; first vice-presi- 

 dent. Fred Arm, J. M. Card Lumber Com- 

 pany, Chattanooga, Tenn.; second vice-presi- 

 dent, Edward Barber, Illingw-orth, Ingham & 

 Co., Ltd., Cincinnati, Ohio; treasurer, Eichard 

 W. Price, Price & Heald, Baltimore; secre- 

 tary, E. M. Terry, Baltimore; assistant seere- 

 t;,ry, L, Palmer, New Orleans. 



The directors elected were: D. T. Eees, 

 Eees-Scott Lumber Company, New Orleans; 

 Ludwig Haymann, Hugo Forchheimer, New 

 Orleans; Eichard P. Baer, E. P. Baer & Co., 

 Baltimore; John L. Alcock, John L. Alcock & 

 Co., Baltimore; George M. Spiegle, George M. 

 Spiegle & Co., Philadelphia; Gustav A. Far- 

 ver, Russe & Burgess, Memphis; W. M. Bit- 

 ter, W. M. Bitter Lumber Company, Columbus, 

 Ohio ; W. H. Eusse, Eusse & Burgess, Mem- 

 phis; Chester F. Korn, Farrin-Korn Lumber 

 Company, Cincinnati; F. F. Fee, Fee-Crayton 

 Hardwood Company, Little Bock; Walter T. 

 Hart, Price & Hart, New York, and T. B. 

 Alien, T. B, Allen & Co., Galveston, Tex. The 

 last four are new members, the others having 

 been re-elected. 



Social features 



The social features dniing the convention w-ere 

 all most enjoyable. The principal event was the 

 banquet given on the evening of the first day 

 at the Merchants' Club. The dining hall was 

 decorated with palms, evergreens and flowers 

 and an orchestra rendered delightful music during 

 the evening. The members and guests assembled 

 in a lower room and proceeded in a body to the 

 banquet hall, where covers were laid at smiill 

 tables seating four. This gave a homelike and 

 congenial aspect to the occasion, which wns par- 

 ticularly enjoyable because of its informality. 

 .\fter a most delightful repast, embodying a num- 

 l>er of characteristic Baltimore delicacies, Rich- 

 ard W. Price, who acted as toastmaster, in a 

 very happy fashion welcomed the members in 

 place of the mayor of Baltimore, whom he had 

 expected to perform this pleasant duty. Among 

 the speakers of the evening were Lewis Dill 

 and E. F. Perry of the National Wholesale Lum- 

 ber Dealers' Association, and W. D. Gill, W. M. 

 Burgan and Henry D. Duker, ex-presidents of the 

 Baltimore Lumber Exchange. There were a num- 

 Ix^r of invited guests presr>nt and the affair was 

 voted most delightful. 



