"National Lumber Meetings in Chicago Vote New Set-up

Chicago, June 16,-The lumber gatherings here the past week mark a new departure in the national set-up of industry organization. The National Lumber Manufacturers Association is to be established in a federation form of organization. Representatives of all the principal associations pledge their cordial co-operation in an effort to bring into the National activity all divisions of the lumber industry. At present the National Lumber Manufacturers Association in addition to association memberships in some regions has individual company membership in others.

It is planned to bring into the National all regional and species groups of lumber manufacturers and timber owners, such as the Northeast Association, the National Oak Flooring Association, the North Central Hardwood Association, the Northern Pine and the Appalachian Hardwood; as well as the West Coast Lumbermen's Association, the Southern Pine .Association and the Hardwood Manufacturers Institute, which are now well represented in the National through individual memberships. All told there will be a dozen associations, covering all species and all regions, constituting the National. In the meantime the National will continue its individual membership in all regions not covered bv Assbciation membership. At present the lumber groups represented in the National by their Associations are Western Pine, Redwood, Cypress, Northern lfemlock and Hardwood, Maple Flooring and walnut.

It is also planned by the Directors of the N. L. M. A, and the American Forest Products Industries to conduct all general industry protective work through the former.

The A. F. P. I. will handle such particular promotion enterprises as the Timber Fngineening Company, with its modern timber connectord$bnd"it's plans for further commercial extension of its Seratioriq; pending cooperation and likd action. i:

The Directors of the two national lumber groups came to the conclusion that the first thing to be done is to improve the financial and membership strength of the National Association; and that when that his been accomplished the American Forest Products Industries can become more active in its particular field of specialized trade promotion endeavor, with the emphasis on self-supporting activities. Those problems and those bearing on the relations between the National and Regional associations were carefully analyzed..

President Sheppard made a strong plea for all the reg- ional associations not now affiliated *ith the National Io affiliate and financially participate, pointing out that the National industry problems are of such magnitude that the industry should not longer delay in providing united effort through the National l-urmber Manufactureri Association. In particLr-lar he urged prompt affirmative action by the Southern Pine Association, West Coast Lumbermenis Association and the Hardwood Manufacturers Institute. After thorough discussion and assurances by the directors of the several regional associations of prompt action in affirmatively seeking such action by their respective associations, upon motion by Mr. Eames, seconded by Mr. Watzek, a resolution was unanimously adopted.

Presenting his report "The Road to Recovery" at the general meeting of the N. L. M. A. and the A. F. P. I. Tuesdav afternoon, Wilson Compton, Secretary and Manager of the National, and member of the Code Authority, clearly defined the activities of those two groups and of the Lumber Code Authority.

Success of Code

In his annual report Dr. Compton expressed astonishment and gratification at the extent to which "this difficult code, for a difficult industry, under exceedingly difficult circumstances, has stood the test of its first year."

"Recovery of lumber markets", continued Dr. Compton, "and revival of lumber consumption will not happen accidentally. Other competing industries are seeing to that. It seems to me that an industry so obviously and so desperately in need of greater volume, and which can afiord to pay annually over $3,000,000 for the administration of a Code which at best can control onlv whatever business there is, can afford to invest something in an efiort to increase the volume of business to be controlled. Especially so when the United States Government undertakes, as under the pending National Housing Act it proposes to undertake, to make available at low cost, billions of dollars for modernizing and for the construction of low cost small homes. There is no industry which, if it does its part, stands to gain more than the lumber and timber products industries from this promised new national recovery enterprise of the Government."

Geo. W. Dulany, Jr., Chairman of the Board of Directors of American Forest Products Industries, analyzed. the relationship existing between N. L. M. A. and'A. F. P. I. and the Timber Engineering Company, which is the particular corporate instrumentality used at present by A. F. P. I. in its research and commercial work.

Arthur

Upson Reports

on Trade Promotion

President Sheppard introduced Arthur T. Upson, acting manager of Lumber Promotion, in a highly complimentary manner, and Mr. Upson's report entitled "Just a Year' Not a Century, of Progress in Organized Lumber Industry", was received with intense interest and appreciative applause by the large audience.

It covered fully the opportunties for lumber in the colossal building activities of the Federal Government, not only in the PWA and the other emergency fields, but in ordinary public building by the Post Office and other Federal Government departments. Particular attention was given

(Continued on Page 24)