that descriptions of the different species of lumber as 

 to grade and quality should be made as uniform as pos- 

 sible throughout the country; that the inspection ser- 

 vice should be open to consumers in settlement of all 

 disputes ; and that, in order to better establish the rep- 

 utation of American lumber products abroad, this sys- 

 tem of inspection and certification should be extended 

 to foreign countries." 



In the early sitting of this Conference at Washington, 

 sitting on the Committee on Names of Grades, I had the 

 honor and it was my pleasure to introduce the following 

 which was embodied in the Committee's report: 



"Realizing the great field for thought in developing an 

 equality of grades in all woods and appreciating the possi- 

 bility of such accomplishment, we recommend that the Na- 

 tional Lumber Manufacturers' Association set up a compet- 

 ent committee with efficient engineering service, seeking in 

 so far as possible to equalize grades in all woods and that 

 said committee confer with representatives of the consum- 

 ing public, the Departments of Commerce and Agriculture 

 and other agencies of the Government in their efforts as 

 the occasion may demand." 



The Committee on Guarantees of Quantity and Quality 

 passed the following resolution: 



Resolved : That the formulation of rules for the grad- 

 ing and inspection of lumber is a function of the man- 

 ufacturers and that grade rules should be based on the 

 needs of consumption and the ability of the producers 

 with the timber available to satisfy those needs, and 

 that grades should be so made as to allocate the avail- 

 able supply to the various consuming industries in pro- 

 portion to their needs and demands so that the products 

 of the manufacturers may be utilized with the least 

 waste and, therefore, at the lowest cost to the ultimate 

 consumer. 



But concretely speaking, this whole program is only a 

 furtherance of the great thought expressed by the Declara- 

 tion of Independence handed to us generations and genera- 

 tions ago, growing sweeter and dearer to us as the days 

 come and go, and I repeat a statement I made a moment ago, 



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