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HARDWOOD RECORD 



and that in future any concern which attributes to the Forest Service 

 unauthorized statements may expect the statements to be publicly 

 disavowed. 



The Record is pleased to note that Secretary Wilson has taken 

 cognizance of the misuse of Forest Service literature on the subject 

 of eucalyptus and has scored the eucalyptus 'promotion crowd in the 

 way he has. 



The Big Hardwood Meeting 



'Die most notable happening in hardwood affairs of late was the 

 great and enthusiastic meeting of the Hardwood Manufacturers' 

 Association of the United States which commenced January 31 and 

 continued through February 1, 2 and 3, at Cincinnati, O. The attend- 

 ance was approximately seven hundred, making this not only the 

 largest gathering of hardwood people ever assembled in the history 

 of the trade, but also the largest assemblage of lumbermen of any 

 sort that has ever gathered together at any one conference. 



At the preliminary day's session a conference was held between 

 the Executive Grading Commission of the association and leaders of 

 :ill lines of hardwood utilization; i. e., the wholesale hardwood con- 

 sumers. This conference was entirely harmonious and resulted, by 

 means of mutual concessions, very slight in character, in an agreement 

 upon a standard basis of grading rules for all varieties of hardwoods. 



President Carrier in his address, which was concurred in by a sub- 

 sequent meeting, laid down certain basic principles without eqiiivo- 

 cation. Among other things he said: 



No honest man can sucessfully defend the existence of 

 more than one standard of grading, nor can any reason- 

 able man deny the fact that the producer and consumer- 

 are the only parties concerned in the making of grades. 

 Why should this not be brought about? The time for 

 action is now, as too much has already been lost. Further- 

 delay will work great harm to the industry. 

 * * * * 

 The Hardwood Manufacturers' Association has always 

 recognized the value of the co-operation and support of 

 the legitimate hardwood merchant, and it is my wish that 

 amiable relations shall be continued and encouraged with 

 that branch of the industry, but I am equally opposed to 

 supporting any continued existence of the part of the 

 trade whose functions lead to irregular practices and 

 demoralization of grades, prices and good trade ethics. 

 Furllu'V .ui in Ijis address tlic j)ri'sidcnt saiil: 



We do not advocate combinations or agreements in 

 restraint of trade, nor action of any kind which is ooposed 

 to the public welfare. We do not expect the survival in 

 business of any one who by reason of incompetence, dis- 

 honesty, or fault, is unable to cope with his competitors 

 in an open market and a fair field. What we do advocate, 

 is fairness and friendship in business, cordial intercourse, 

 confidence in each other and frankness in disclosure when 

 information is properly requested. 

 There was certainly no dodging of issues on these propositions. 

 Secretary Doster also made a very elaborate and comprehensive 

 report of the "doings" of the association during the past year. 



The president's address and secretary's report and other impor- 

 tant matters that occupied the attention of the sundry meetings will 

 be found printed in full in this issue of the Record. 



Among other important things handled at this meeting was a 

 logical Code of Ethics that was adopted. 



It certainly was a great meeting, the like of which was never before 

 known in lumber history. 



In the face of the excellent work done by the officers of the asso- 

 ciation during the last year, their reijlection and that of the Executive 

 Board en masse was the part of wisdom. They are to be congratu- 

 lated on the contidence they have inspired both in brother members 

 and in the trade at large. 



The Impending Railroad Strike 



To be consistent, the Record had to prophesy as long as two mouths 

 ago that there probably would be trouble between the railroads and 

 their employees over -n'age scales, -n-hich might result in strikes and a 

 lieup of freight tran.5portation. 



The crisis is due today in the wage negotiations of the Chicago 

 switchmen affiliated with the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen. An 

 ultimatum from the switchmen to the effect that unless the railroads 

 grant an increase in wages there will be a strike will be delivered this 

 morning to the railroad general managers. 



By a referendum vote in eighteen switching yards the men over- 

 whelmingly decided for a strike and against submitting the question of 



wages to arbitration. The result of the complete returns was an- 

 nounced yesterday at the meeting of the chairmen and secretaries of 

 the general grievance committee and the members of the Chicago 

 Yardmen's Association held at the Great Northern Hotel. 



The vote showed 3,007 in favor of a strike and only ninety-one in 

 favor of arbitration. Nearly 4,000 men are engaged in yard service 

 in Chicago. The entire force, including members of the Switchmen's 

 Union, will go out should a strike order be issued. 



This local situation is duplicated in nearly all railroad centers the 

 country over. Railroad employees are simply demanding more wages 

 and railroads are not in a situation to consistently abide by this 

 demand. "What 1hc outcome will be remains to be seen. 



Cincinnati Hardwood Record Daily 



Agreeable to promise, Hardavood Record issued at Cincinnati three 

 fifty-tw-o-page dailies during the big convention of the Hardwood 

 Manufacturers' Association, February 1, 2 and 3. Three thousand 

 copies were printed each day; through distribution by mail and those 

 taken up by members at the meetiug, which number was larger than 

 expected, the three issues were exhausted up to less than one hundred 

 copies of each day. These extras are held at this office and will be 

 forwarded to anyone -n'ho desires copies, on receipt of five two-cent 

 stamps to cover the postage. 



The papers contained a complete report of each day's proceedings 

 and a daily roster of attendance, besides a large quantity of miscella- 

 neous matter, caricatures of individuals present at the meeting, etc. 



The association manifested its appreciation of the Record's enter- 

 prise by tendering it an enthusiastic resolution of approval, and this 

 office is deluged with letters of encomium over this innovation at 

 functions of this sort. 



Annual National Wholesalers 



Active and enthusiastic preparations are being made for the 

 eighteenth annual of the National Wholesale Lund^er Dealers' Asso- 

 ciation, to take place March '2 and 3 at the Hotel Sinton, Cincin- 

 nati, O. Questions of importance and interest to the trade will come 

 up for consideration at this time, and a large attendance is expected. 



At a recent meeting of the executive and arrangement committees 

 definite plans were foruuilated for business procedure and for the 

 banquet to take jilace on the evening of March 2. During the regular 

 sessions reports will be submitted by committees on Trade Relations, 

 Trade Ethics, Transportation, Fire and Marine Insurance, Credits, 

 and Forestry. These committees are composed of men who are con- 

 sidered authorities on the subjects with which they treat, and their 

 reports should be of profound importance to the trade in general. 



A large attendance of members and guests is anticipated at the 

 banquet. Men of national reputation will speak on this occasion. 



The second evening will be taken care of by the Lumbermen's Club 

 of Cincinnati, which at a recent meeting appointed the following 

 committee to make suitable arrangements: Joseph Bolser, chairman; 

 Fred Mowbray, W. E. Delaney, Chester F. Korn, B. F. Duhvcber. 

 It is needless to say that they will provide an affair which -n-ill make 

 it welt worth while for those who are pdanning to attend the con- 

 vention to make arrangements to stay over the second evening. 



Restricted Building Operations 



In the news columns of this issue of the Record will be tuund a 

 report of the J.-muary Iruilding operations the country over. From 

 this it will be seen that there is a slight falling off of structural work 

 for .Tanuary of this year as compared with the same month of last 

 year. The only surprising feature of the falling off in this line of 

 work is that it is not greater. The building of flats, houses, ware- 

 houses, factories, etc., always reaches its highest notch in times of 

 business depression. This is the time w-hen owners of real estate take 

 advantage of low values of material and labor cost and make perma- 

 nent improvements. Just as soon as business again becomes active 

 the factory owner has no time for overhauling or building new struc- 

 tures, and the loose money that previously has gone into the erection 

 of flats and kindred structures is put into active business pursuits. 



TTndeniably the ye.ir 191(1 will show a falling off of fifteen to 

 twenty five per cent, in gi'ncral rruistruction as compared with 19(1!'. 



