20 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



The hardwood interior finish people are fairly busy and the same 

 fan be said of the oak and maple flooring trade. 



The business in veneers shows no notable change either in quan- 

 tity or in price being obtained. The capacity of the veneer plants 

 still seems to be in excess of demand, which results in a slight over- 

 production, and in consequence prices are lower than profitable 

 manufacture would warrant. 



Two Notable Conventions 



The meeting of the National Association of Bo.v; Manufacturers 

 held at French Lick Springs the latter part of February was not 

 particularly notable for the legislation ensuing but for the excep- 

 tional quality of sundry papers read. While a good many of these 

 documents were not germane to the box making business per se 

 they were extremely interesting and instructive. The Record 

 regrets that want of sjjace prevents the publishing of all the papers, 

 but if space permits several of them will eventually be printed in 

 these columns. 



The other notable meeting referred to was that of the National 

 Wholesale Lumber Dealers ' Association, which convened in Cin- 

 cinnati on March 2 and 3, and of which a full report is printed in 

 this issue. 



This association is celebrated chiefly for the harmony that exists 

 between the individual members of the association itself and the 

 sundry lumber associations the country over. It has scarcely ever 

 befallen that an association made up as this one is has had so 

 many problems to work out as has the National Wholesale Lumber 

 Dealers' Association. Its trade relation matters have been most 

 serious, for arrayed against it has been a score of retail organiza- 

 tions, which to draw it mildly, have exercised a good deal of selfish- 

 ness in their demands in what constituted good trade ethics in t\-.e 

 distribution of lumber. These retail associations, including the 

 strong New York Lumber Trade Association, has for years insisted 

 upon having about all the milk there was in the cocoanut. and it 

 redounds to the credit of the wholesalers ' organization that it has 

 maintained almost without interruption peace and harmony with the 

 \'arious branches of the trade. 



The association, literally speaking, has stayed in the middle of 

 the road, attending strictly to its own business, and has achieved 

 the respect of not only manufacturers within and without its mem- 

 bership but of the retail organizations as well. 



This organization has also taken up, usually with success, a good 

 many important matters of legislation, insurance, arbitration, com- 

 mercial reports, etc., with distinction to itself. 



It is purely a business organization and goes in for but few of 

 the "frills" that are concomitant with many other organizations. 

 Its business is discharged promptly and practically, and every com- 

 mitteeman does an immense amount of work to further the work of 

 the organization. 



The recent meeting held at Cincinnati was largely for the purpose 

 of educating the western lumber manufacturer and merchant up to 

 the value of membership in this association. Undeniably it has 

 admirably succeeded as already there is a manifest interest shown 

 by the western contingent to join hands with this great organiza- 

 tion, whose headquarters are located in New York city. Any one of 

 a dozen features which stand out prominently in this association 's 

 work would well repay the western man to join hands with it. 



Information Service 



Tlie Recokd has contended for years that the trade newspaper, to 

 be of maximum value to its clients, should not only be conducted on 

 the lines of a newspaper but its columns should carry such general 

 information as is of value to those employed in the line of trade it 

 represents. This service it has consistently attempted. 



The Record further insists that a trade paper to achieve the 

 maximum of usefulness should be prepared to collect and collate all 

 information germane to the industry to which it caters and prac- 

 tically on call to be able to deliver this information to its patrons. 



The system of the Record office is such that if the information 

 asked for is not "on tap" steps must be taken immediately to 

 secure it and deliver it to the inquirer. It is a rare case, indeed, 

 wlieu an intelligent answer to queries pertaining to any feature of 

 the trade is not handled out by mail either on receipt or with 

 reasonable promptness. 



The Record office contains more than 100,000 cards, each one car- 

 rying a specific piece of information, and this is at all times at the 

 disposal of its patrons. 



Unfortunately a great many readers are either not posted on the 

 quality and voluminous character of this Information Service or 

 are indifferent about its employment. However, there are hundreds 

 of 2>atrons who are regular applicants for some portion of this 

 information. 



Primarily, this service was instituted for the purpose of col- 

 lecting and collating information about the distribution and sale of 

 hardwood lumber, and today a very comprehensive list is involved 

 in forty-two pamphlets supplied to advertisers, reciting the names 

 of hardwood consuming concerns, their addresses, name of their 

 lumber buj'er, and the quantity, kinds, thicknesses and grades of 

 lumber employed by them annually. While this service is by no 

 means complete it forms a basis for an admirable reference system 

 for those having hardwood lumber to sell, and is the means of 

 intelligently communicating with prospective or possible buyers. 



This service is kept corrected up to date, and the Record has just 

 issued an eighty-page pamphlet showing the numerous changes 

 which have taken place in hardwood requirements among wholesale 

 consumers during the last six months. The composition bill on this 

 single document is more than one hundred dollars, and the cost of 

 collating the information was fully a thousand dollars additional. 



This publication has now well under way a series of index cards 

 showing the annual output of various kinds of woods by hardwood 

 producers throughout the country. This list is classified by woods, 

 and the Record is able to supply to its clients the names and 

 addresses of many producers of any kind of wood its patrons may 

 ask for. Beyond this the information files in this office contain 

 lists of manufacturers in all leading lines of hardwood utilization, 

 and there is not a day that it does not supply sundiy information 

 of this sort pertaining to the hundreds or more trades that employ 

 hardwoods as a chief element of their purchases. 



All the clients of the Record are requested to employ this service 

 whenever they need it as the publishers regard the supplying of 

 information to its patrons as a necessary part of their obligations in 

 accepting advertising contracts from them. It is the desire to not 

 only exploit the advertiser and the goods he has to sell but to tell 

 him where he can either buy or market any variety of forest 

 )>roiUict. 



Delays of Conservation Progress 



The magazine, The World's Work, aptly epitomizes the situa- 

 tiou in the gi-eat conservation movement which is so necessary to 

 the commercial progress of this nation. This publication states 

 that the National Conservation Commission appointed by Pi'esident 

 Roosevelt for the first conference of governors prepared a compre- 

 hensive report on the resources of the country as a basis for a 

 broad plan for their proper utilization. This plan never developed. 

 Chairman Tawney of the Committee on Appropriations in the 

 house introduced an amendment to the appropriation bill cutting 

 off all funds which the commission might need, and making it 

 illegal for any government employee to help it in his official 

 capacity. Without money and with important sources of its 

 knowledge thus withdrawn, the commission has continued to exist 

 but it has not done the definite work laid out at the historic and 

 important meeting. It is at a standstill because of the hostility 

 of Congress. 



Two years ago the report of the Inland Waterways Commission 

 was transmitted to Congress by President Roosevelt with an urgent 

 message for action. Everybody believes in waterways. Railroad 

 men themselves say that they will soon be necessary for traffic. 



