34 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



tell them some things because we were invited 

 there and it was their business to listen, and 

 we converted them. A little more than a year 

 ago I went to one of the large publishers of plate 

 matter, who distributed printed matter to about 

 3.000 newspapers scattered all over the country, 

 printed sheets on which the local publisher 

 would print his home news, and I presented to 

 them a statement of facts, based on government 

 figures, as to sturapage values and their rela- 

 tions to farm values and similar things collected 

 from figures furnished by the government; I put 

 it in as readable, condensed form as I could. 

 The manager of that concern said : '"That is 

 splendid stuff. I would like to print that, but 

 I don't know. I don't think I dare do so. You 

 will have to see the proprietor." So I waited a 

 day or two and saw the proprietor. He looked 

 at it. and he said the same thing : "I don't dare 

 print it." I said: "Isn't it true?" "It seems 

 to be." he said. I said : "It is true. You know 

 me personally, and I tell you it is true." He 

 said : "I don't dare print it." I said : "Why 

 not? There is no politics in this, nothing con- 

 cerning Republicans or Democrats." And they 

 printed Republican, Democratic. Socialist and 

 Prohibition papers. Pie said : "No. I don't dare 

 do it." I said : "How much will it cost to 

 print this as an advertisement''" He thought 

 about it over night, and returned the matter to 

 me and said: "I can't print it." We were abso- 

 lutely refused a hearing before the tribunal of 

 the American people. 



There are some gentlemen here who know how 

 ditficult it has been, and that it has been prac- 

 tically impossible to get a hearing before the 

 American people. I have made some little in- 

 roads, but it is a slow process. I have gotten 

 articles in the New York Evening Post, one of 

 the conservative high-class papers, and in some 

 others in the East. I have tried to get them in 

 Kansas City and have by the help of members 

 had them printed on the Pacific coast and the 

 Central South, and have accomplished something, 

 and now I am working along other lines which 

 will, I think, bring results. That is one of my 

 chief duties. It is a matter that cannot be ac- 

 complished by one man. nor by one writer. I 

 must bring to my aid other writers and all sorts 

 of influences. We must get the truth before the 

 people and have our hearing before the people. 

 and with your assistance and active support I 

 believe we can do it. 



The president referred to a report from me 

 ahout the car stake matter. That will be cov- 

 ered by a special report sent here by Mr. V. R. 

 Babcock. which will come up at the proper time 

 this aftf'rnoon. The president also referred to 

 the timber taxation matter. I do not know what 

 is the wisest thing to do and Mr. Hines con- 

 fessed he does not know what is the wisest 

 course to follow, because there are great in- 

 terests at stake, financially and industrially, 

 affecting our welfare and the welfare nt the 

 country at the present time. So I was instructed 

 yesterday by the Board of Governors to make an 

 inquiry in regard to the mattt-r. which will be 

 absolutely confidential. I want all of the facts 

 and absolute facts, and I will ask every one of 

 you and several hundred others in various parts 

 of the country to give us the facts. No one but 



myself will know who makes the answers to the 

 inquiry and no one will know what the returns 

 are, even in the aggregate, until we find out the 

 situation. That wfil not be under my control, 

 but I will turn over to the Board of Governors 

 the results of the work, and it will be thrashed 

 out in the interest of the lumber industry and 

 timber owners. 



I wish to thank you for the friendship you 

 have shown me and the cordial support you have 

 shown me during the brief time I have* been in 

 the manager's office, and I hope your confidence 

 in me will not be misplaced. 



The following wise and practical resolution on 

 the important subject of forest conservation was 

 adopted by the organization : 



Resolution on Forest Conservation 



Whereas. There is a great and growing need 

 for uniform laws among the states, in the in- 

 terest of forest growth, conservation and protec- 

 tion from forest fires, and for an equitable and 

 helpful system of taxation which will make pos- 

 sible the conservative handling of standing tim- 

 ber : therefore be it 



Resolved. That the United States Forest Ser- 

 vice of the Department of Agriculture be asked 

 to recommend a practical working plan, adapted 

 to the forest growth of the various timber re- 

 gions, and that their legal department be asked 

 to formulate suitable uniform bills, that when 

 enacted into law by the different state legisla- 

 tures, shall give to the country the relief and 

 protection necessary ; and 



Whereas. It is definitely known that the forests 

 are being cut much more rapidly than they are 

 being reproduced ; therefore be it further 



Resolved, That we pledge our support to any 

 fair and just plan for conserving the forests, and 

 will welcome and cooperate in carrying out any 

 feasible suggestions from the Forest Service or 

 other government officials, looking to any prac- 

 tical solution of the problem, urging that these 

 suggestions be made in the near future, thereby 

 making possible the betterment of conditions 

 which are known to be detrimental to one of the 

 greatest natural resources of the United States. 



We pledge ourselves to adopt those methods of 

 handling timber lands which shall tend to per- 

 petuate the forests as rapidly as the development 

 of economic conditions make it possible to do so 

 without financial loss. And we further urge 

 upon the national and state governments the con- 

 sideration of plans for the taking over and re- 

 fo:estation of land not suitable for agriculture, 

 which is impossible through private agencies, and 

 thus produce a resource of growing value to pos- 

 terity and lay the foundation of a state or na- 

 tional revenue for the future. 



And. further, since the elimination of waste is 

 as truly conservation as the growing of trees, 

 we heartily approve the efforts of the government, 

 through the Forest Service, to develop methods 

 whereby material now wasted may be put to use. 

 or for prolonging the life of forest products, and 

 urge a continuation of such reserch and a liberal 

 appropriation by the government for their sup- 

 port. 



Spring Meeting Michigan Ass'n. 



The regular spring meeting of the Michigan 

 Hardwood Manufacturers' Association, which 

 took place at the Ponchartrain Hotel, Detroit, 

 on Thursday, May 5, resulted in numerous in- 

 teresting and highly valuable discussions and re- 

 ports by the various members and committee 

 chairmen. Arrangements were made by Secre- 

 tary Knox whereby the business of the meet- 

 ing could be completed in the forenoon, thereby 

 allowing the afternoon and evening for any busi- 

 ness which the attending members might wish to 

 transact. The fact that there was an American 

 League ball game on the calendar for 3 '.30 in the 

 afternoon, might also have had some bearing 

 upon this arrangement. In any event, the meet- 

 ing came to order very nearly at the appointed 

 time, 10 a. m., President C. A. Bigelow presid- 

 ing. 



In his opening address, President Bigelow par- 

 ticularly recommended that all members give 

 considerable time and thought to the many prof- 

 itable papers read at the recent New Orleans 

 convention, stating that therein are to be found 

 many statements and discussions of vital inter- 

 est to lumbermen throughout the country. The 

 subject of odd lengths, brought up by a west- 

 ern manufacturer at that meeting, was particu- 

 larly endorsed by the speaker, who claimed in 



behalf of conservation, that all manufacturers 

 interested in the future welfare of tie lumber 

 business and in the national resources embodied 

 in the forests, should resort to this method of 

 minimizing liardwood waste. In addition he 

 stated that the utilization of odd lengths is a 

 money-making proposition, and further said that 

 the concern of which he is a member has for 

 some time cut odd lengths up to eleven feet, and 

 recently started cutting thirteen and fifteen feet. 

 The president's recommendation was voiced with 

 considerable emphasis on the question as a 

 money-making proposition, and he contended 

 that there was no reason for not trimming hard- 

 woods to every foot. 



Another item of interest he brought out in the 

 address was the proposition of selling on grades, 

 which was heartily recommended. An instance 

 cited to prove the soundness of this contention 

 wherein a shipment of good basswood, six-quar- 

 ter and eight-quarter thick was quoted on the 

 basis of No. 2 Common and better at $30 a thou- 

 sand, and when sold on grade the six-quarter 

 stock was worth $35 and the eight-quarter $36, 

 showed that a considerable loss would have been 

 experienced by not selling on the grade basis. 

 President Bigelow appealed to the members to 

 avail themselves of the stock reports which the 



secretary keeps constantly on hand. The re- 

 ports are revised three times a year and kept 

 complete and authoritative. 



The first regular business was the roll call, 

 which showed a rather poor attendance of the 

 members, there being a total of twenty-eight 

 present, including members and outsiders. Sec- 

 retary J. C. Knox then read the minutes of the 

 preceding meeting and followed by presenting 

 the report of the treasurer, which showed the 

 following statement of cash : 



Cash on hand Jan. 1, 1910 $4,070.91 



Received from various assessments.... 606.73 



Total $4,677.64 



Disbursements 1.153.93 



Balance on hand $3,523.71 



Koceived on account Pacific coast rate 



case fund $1,195.00 



Disbursed 848.64 



Balance on hand $ 346.36 



Secretary Knox then read his report as fol- 

 lows : 



Secretary's Report 



Your secretary has s. brief report to present at 

 this meeting. 



After our return from the .January meeting we 

 mailed you copy of the market conditions com- 

 mittee's report, and also ten copies each of the 

 hemlock grading rules. We have had a number 

 of requests for extra copies of these rules ; the 

 manulacturers mailing them to the trade gen- 

 erally. \A'e even have had requests from par- 

 ties outside of the association for copies. 



We mailed from this office copies of a circular 

 sent us by the National Lumber Manufacturers' 

 Association, giving information relative to the 

 Yale Forestry School, and we would advise that 

 some of our members have made donations to that 

 worthy object. 



The case of the Michigan Hardwood Manu- 

 facturers' Association and interested manufac- 

 turers vs. the Transcontinental Freight Bureau, 

 et al, entered by the Interstate Commerce Com- 

 mission under docket 2713 was heard before Ex- 

 aminer MoCornack in Cadillac, March 27. 



It was decided by the interested manufacturers 

 that this case was important to them in that it 

 either opened or shut them out of a profitable 

 market and that it justified them in having the 

 case handled by the best legal talent that could 

 be procured : accordingly William A. Percy, Mem- 

 phis. Tennessee, the attorney who handled the 

 original Burgess case was asked to take the case 

 which he did, and represented us at the hearing. 



We have received 100 copies of the brief as 

 presented by our attorney and have mailed to you 

 copies of same. 



The railroads defendant to this suit have until 

 May 17 to file a rebuttal, after whicli oral argu- 

 ment will be made before the entire Interstate 

 Commerce Commission, probably some time in 

 .June, after this the commission will take the 

 case under advisement and it is hardly expected 

 a decision will be rendered before late in the fall 

 on account of many cases being ahead of it. 



We mailed from our otfice copy of letter in- 

 dicating the strong position taken by dry maple 

 and birch, and our Market Conditions Committee 

 will touch on that point today. 



There has been a lack of uniformity in the 

 "terms of sale" of lumber by our manufacturers 

 and we have gathered information from most of 

 our manufacturers as to what they are doing to- 

 day, and as to what their desires are towards this 

 subject which will also he presented through the 

 Market Conditions Committee. 



Chairman Day of the Grading Rules Committee 

 has asked our members in regard to the working 

 of the new grading rules which were adopted at 

 our .January meeting, and which have been given 

 a trial of three months. This committee will 

 also report progress the rules have made. 



One of the most important reports that will 

 be presented today will be that of the present 

 stumpage in Michigan. We have procured in- 

 formation from a large majority of our members 

 and also from large manufacturers outside of our 

 membership and the report made by the Market 

 Conditions Committee on this question will have 

 an important bearing upon our work and should 

 tend to force the manufacturers to conserve their 

 holdings as much as possible. This information 

 will also be given you through the Market Com- 

 ditions Committee. 



This association has been invited to send dele- 

 gates to the opening of the new Forest Products 

 Laboratory, Madison, Wis.. .June 4. and we be- 

 lieve that many of our manufacturers will be 

 interested in this proposition. A delegation of 

 not less than foifr. I believe, should he sent to 

 represent this association. 



Circulars were sent from this office calling your 

 attention to the proposed change in demurrage 

 rules by many of the Michigan Railroads to take 

 effect May 1, but an injunction was issued by 



