HARDWOOD RECORD 



23 



year and the initiation of 1,455 regular members and 11 life 

 members. He reports the death of 9S members during the year 

 and resignations of 68. 



In the address of Snark Hadley, he commended the efficient 

 work of Scrivenoter Baird and referred particularly to delibera- 

 tions, enactments and recommendations 'that jirevailed at the 

 three joint meetings of the House of Ancients and Supreme Nine 

 that have been held during the last year. These included speci- 

 fically defining the clause of eligibility, clearly enumerating who 

 could and who could not be admitted to membership; the method 

 of electing or rejecting applicants and the eligibility of an elec- 

 tion of a member as a supreme officer; the appointment of the 

 Supreme Nine as a committee to confer with delegates from 

 cities desiring annual meetings; a resolution regarding the issu- 

 ance of the handbook; rescinding the authorized change of the 

 HooHoo button, leaving it in its original size; the endorsement 

 of the proposed establishment of the death emergency fund; the 

 regulation of formal and informal "on the roof" functions; a 

 resolution looking to the employment of a supreme representa- 

 tive; records to be kejjt of positions to be filled for worthy mem- 

 bers; co-operation of Hoo-Hoo and forest conservation; regulation 

 of spring and autumn concatenations; resolution regarding the 

 return to the order of those who have resigned; resolution pro- 

 scribing a regulation hall for concatenations; and a resolution 

 authorizing the Snark at each annual meeting to appoint a jiomi- 

 nating committee of nine members, one from each jurisdiction. 



The Snark regards as the greatest achievement of the last year 

 the final launching of the plan for the death emergency fund. 



The Famous Sprinkler Case 



It wil! be recalled that some time ago the I'ort Blakely Mill 

 Company of Port Blakely, Wash., suffered a heavy loss by fire 

 on a sprinkled sawmill risk. The sprinkler equipment was in good 

 order at the time of fire, but previous to the conflagration had 

 been out of order. The Springfield Fire & Marine Insurance Com- 

 pany refused to pay the loss on this ground. The mill company 

 took the matter into court and won its ease. The insurance com- 

 pany appealed and secured a reversal of the decision, but now 

 the supreme court of the state has leversed the lower court and 

 has decided in favor of the mill company. 



It is very pleasing to both owners of sprinkling equipments 

 and to the concerns installing this class of fire protection that the 

 ultimate decision in this case has been decided in the way that 

 it has. 



Since the above case has been in the courts one large Pacific 

 coast lumber company has insisted upon the insertion in itSi poli- 

 cies of a special clause to the effect that if the sprinkler sys- 

 tem is proven to be in good working order at the time of a fire 

 that the insurance company is liable, even though at some time 

 prior the equipment had been disabled. 



Lumber Fire Losses 



The fire loss in the United States and Canada during the month 

 of July amounted to nearly $27,000,000 and is the heaviest re- 

 ported for any single month during the last eighteen months. 

 This does not include the enormous timber fire loss, which is also 

 heavier than any previous period for many years. The natural 

 susceptibility to ignition was greatly aggravated during the sum- 

 mer by an almost unprecedented absence of rain and the conse- 

 quent reduction of water supply and the thorough drying out 

 of buildings and lumber stock exposed for months to the intense 

 heat of the sun. The loss ratio continued very heavy through- 

 out August, but rains and greatly lowered temperature brought 

 about at least a temporary check. The fire losses covered a wide 

 range of territory, but the heaviest ones were in the South and 

 in the British Northwest, save one heavy Pennsylvania fire. 



An analysis of the cause of the majority of these fires indi- 

 cates in most instances that something was out of order with 

 the fire apparatus; the hose has been borrowed or misplaced; 



in one instance a very much needed reel of hose had been bor- 

 rowed and not returned; in other cases buckets were not in their 

 rightful places; in another it was found that the hose had not 

 been tested and it had become rotten and valueless. In another 

 case it was found that the ground pipe from the water tank 

 had become filled with mud and choked, and afterwards the tank 

 was found to contain three and one-half feet of mud. However 

 man}' eases of fire loss are attributable to bad housekeeping, the 

 accumulation of debris and a constant recurrence of fire traps 

 in out-of-the-way places where sparks smolder undiscovered and 

 breed the blaze that eventually burns the mill or lumber yard. 

 The miscellaneous disposition of waste is another fertile source 

 of fires. Insurance man insists that galvanized iron cans should 

 be provided in which to place waste, and waste when not in actual 

 use should be placed in these cans and never left lying loose 

 around the plant. During the fall months dry grass and weeds 

 are another source of fires, which should be watched closely. It 

 will not eliminate a fire hazard to cut the weeds, they must be 

 removed. The organization of workmen into fire squads for thi» 

 purpose of training in the use of hydrants, hose and other ap- 

 pliances is a very valuable adjunct to fire prevention. Many 

 of the larger plants now organize their forces into fire fighting 

 squads and have regular days for experimental practice. 



A Gratuitous Insult 



Following a stormv session of the Illinois delegation to the 

 National Conservation Congress at St. Paul this week, President 

 Baker was asked by this delegation in a resolution to rescind 

 his aijpointnient of Edward Hines as chairman of the committee 

 on credentials of the congress. No reason save that of its being 

 "inopportune" was given, but as a matter of fact the resolu- 

 tion was promulgated owing to Mr. Hines' alleged connection 

 with the election of William- Lorimer as United States senator. 

 Very sensibly Mr. Hines refused to withdraw from this commit- 

 tee, declaring that the move was a political one, and that inas- 

 much as there had not been one word of proof of the charge so 

 freely made against iiim, he intended to defend himself. 



The action of the Illinois delegation was certainly a gratuitous 

 insult to a man who is heart and soul in the conservation meas- 

 ures proposed at the National Conservation Congress. To no right- 

 thinking man has there ever been a suspicion against the integ- 

 rity or singleness of purpose of Mr. Hines, and it is exceedingly 

 unfortunate that narrow-minded politicians should have injected 

 this action into a conference fraught with so much prospective 

 good to the country at large. 



Generally Optimistic 



From the individual e.xpres-sion of opinion about current and pros- 

 pective market conditions as recited in numerous letters to H.iRDWoOD 

 Eecord from leading producers and jobbers throughout the country, it 

 will be noted that the general tone of all these communications is 

 optimistic. 



The hardwood trade situation is generally well in hand. This 

 opinion is based on the fact that there is a comparatively small 

 quantity of No. 2 common and better lumber in first hands or in the 

 control of jobbers throughout the United States. Stocks are low 

 everywhere, as output has been curtailed for months, either by reason 

 of bad weather conditions or from consen-atism on the part of opera- 

 tors. There is no incentive at the present time to increase the hard- 

 woocl output in any part of the country. The tightness of the money 

 market will prevent any plunging on output by the less conservative. 

 Hence it is that even a moderate demand for hardwoods during the 

 fall will result in a general way in strengthening of hardwood values. 

 On the basis of a most liberal prophecy, there can by no possible 

 chance be a diminution in prices. Of course, volume of trade is 

 somewhat conjectural. It will not be remarkably large, because there 

 is not enough stock in sight to involve large transactions. 



As before noted, the hardwood situation is generally well in hand, 

 and the fall business should result in a fair profit on at least a 

 moderate trade to all concerned in the industry. 



