26 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



with 1905 National rules which are obsolete; that attempting to 

 do business under rules of that date meant serious and useless 

 confusion in hardwood inspection matters. 



The correspondent came back with this letter: "We agree with 

 vou that we are making a mistake in 'monkeying' with 1905 rules, 

 but please tell us how we can operate without 'monkeying' with 

 iLese rules. Some of our best shippers insist upon using 1905 

 rules in loading; some of our best customers insist on buying 

 according to same, and some of our hottest competitors talk these 

 rules in making sales, so it is a case where we are forced to 

 follow those rules occasionally or pass up good business. 



"Furtlier, on this subject, we beg to advise that there is a big 

 rer cent of mills using and talking 1905 rules. Others are using 

 the old New York rules; other prominent mills are shipping under 

 1892 Poplar Association rules; still others are shipping under 

 N'ashville 1888 rules, and another bunch is shipping under Hard- 

 wood Manufacturers' Associa- 

 tion rules, while others are ship- 

 ping under the current National 

 Hardwood Lumber Association 

 rules. 



' ' Each fellow has a very posi- 

 tive notion in his head that the 

 certain one of the aforesaid 

 rules as applied by him is the 

 only correct method of grading 

 hardwoods. 



"One of our competitors 

 makes, as he says, all his grades 

 after the 'export standard.' He 

 is out with a line of grades such 

 as 'selected selects,' 'firsts and 

 seconds medium,' 'shop com- 

 mon,' 'crosscut common,' 'rip 

 common,' and other things too 

 numerous to mention. 



"We are here to tell you, and 

 substantiate the telling, that 

 there is more confusion and 

 mix-up in hardwood grades 

 right this minute on account of 

 the differences in standards and 

 careless inspectors than there 

 ever was in the history of the 

 business. We don't call lumber 

 inspectors pickpockets, but we 

 do say that their carelessness 

 and incompetency compounds 

 confusion and complaints. Cur- 

 rent methods of shipping hard- 



(Toods as applied by most inspectors is the biggest farce that ever 

 was pulled off in any line of trade, and when you question them 

 they will largely take it as an insult of the highest order. The 

 trouble is that the proprietors don't know that the aforesaid 

 inspectors don't know their business, and if you tell them so they 

 forthwith want to hit you with a club." 



The above letter is not an exceptional instance of reports that 

 reach this office in regard to confusion and dissatisfaction in 

 hardwood inspection matters. It all points to the proposition that 

 has been urged by this publication for years that the true solu- 

 tion of this subject is that hardwood men in all branches of the 

 trade get together and fix up their differences and compromise on 

 a basis of joint hardwood inspection, and place inspection matters 

 in the hands of a competent, impartial and honest board that shall 

 have authority to see that the rules are properly interpreted and 

 enforced. It is singular that in this great hardwood business 

 there are not enough strong and enterprising men who will cease 

 to take a narrow view of this big subject, and work out a uni- 

 versal and harmonious standard of inspection for the hardwood 

 industry. As matters now stand every man insists that his pet 



system is the only one, and if his neighbor can not agree with 

 his ideas on the subject he i)roposes to keep up the turmoil. 



This is a question that can not be settled by lumber newspapers 

 or lumber newspaper discussion. It is a matter that is absolutely 

 "up to" the parties in interest, and it is a shame that they are 

 not big enough and broad enough to work it out. 



WISDOM 



The only customers worth hav= 

 Ing: are those who are secured and 

 held on a basis of quality, service 

 and fair dealings. 



You will recall Gladys Snod- 

 grass, who had a mole on her nose 

 and three layers of chin. In an= 

 swering a matrimonial advertise= 

 ment she mailed a portrait of her= 

 self from which all the wrinkles 

 were erased and the mole painted 

 out. She is still on the market. 

 She submitted a sample of goods 

 which she could not deliver. 



Too many business men fall 

 down because they fail to deliver 

 the goods they advertise. 



Upsetting of Trade Conditions 



Space is given in this issue of Hakdwood Eecobd to an ex- 

 haustive analytical article by Leonard Bronson, manager of the 

 National Lumber Manufacturers' Association, which is really a 

 prophecy of a general upsetting of lumber distribution and mar- 

 keting conditions as a result of the opening of the Panama Canal. 

 There surely is a good deal of food for thought in Mr. Bronson 's 

 admirable analysis of the threatened conditions which very likely 



will obtain with the opening of 

 the great waterway. The sug- 

 gestion concerning early and 

 conservative action on the part 

 of lumbermen is well taken, and 

 should be embraced by lumber 

 manufacturers in both the east- 

 ern and western producing sec- 

 tions of the country. 



It must be considered that 

 the lumber consuming markets 

 of both the Atlantic and Pacific 

 seaports are fully taken care of 

 at the present time. There is 

 more than sufficient lumber now 

 produced within reach of both 

 coasts to fully take care of the 

 requirements of each individual 

 section. 



The lumber producers east of 

 the Mississippi Eiver can expect 

 no demand for their product on 

 the Pacific Coast save in hard- 

 , woods and cypress. It is very 

 probable that the new route of 

 transportation will enable lower 

 Mississippi Valley producers to 

 market a considerable additiou- 

 al quantity of hardwoods in the 

 Pacific Coast cities, and possibly 

 eliminate the competition from 

 .lapan, Australia and the Orient. 

 Doubtless with the decreased 

 transportation cost which will 

 accrue with the opening of the canal there will be a marked effort 

 on the part of the Pacific Coast producers to put a large quantity 

 of their building woods on the eastern market, notably, of course, 

 at points that can be reached by vessel. 



It would seem that the only menace to increased competition 

 in the lumber consuming m-arkets of the world encompass yellow 

 pine. The opening of the canal will help hardwoods; will help 

 cypress and very likely will add to the breadth of distribution of 

 the building woods of the Pacific coast. 



Utilization of Compound Wood Sections 



The Record of September 10 contained an article on the new 

 compound wood hub manufactured by the Compound Wood Com- 

 pany of Batavia, 111., and in this issue is printed another article 

 involving the details of the production of axles by the compound 

 process as elaborated and perfected by this company. This will 

 prove interesting to every student of lumber economics. 



There is nothing particularly new in the value and economy of 

 compound wood for a variety of purposes. The builder knows 



