- Home
- Michigan Artisan; 1907-05-10
Michigan Artisan; 1907-05-10
- Notes:
- Issue of a furniture trade magazine published in Grand Rapids, Mich. It was published twice monthly, beginning in 1880. and Twenty-seventh Year-No. 21 MAY 10. 1907
100 % to 200 % PRO FIT PER YEA R
on this SAND BELT. The investment is a small one. The few months you are
getting along without it is losing you the entire price of it.
HUNDREDS OF THE MOST PROMINENT
FURNITURE MANUFACTURERS
using: this Sand Belt state that these claims fall short of the real merits of the
machine.
NO. 164 SAND BELT MACHINE.
IT HAS THE
DESIRED ADJUSTMENTS
QUIOKLY MADE
()UR CLAIMS ARE that It will sand
WITH THE GRAIN and require no re-touching
by hand the following": Mirror
frames. mund, oval, any shape; drawer
rails; drawer fronts, base rails. etc., ser-pentine,
agee, round or swell; straight
veneered or cross veneered; ogee, round,
bevel or straight edges of dresser or
tabJe tops, of round, square or scrolled
patterns; table rims, dresser po s t s;
veneered roUsor columns; strah~ht; agee,
or rounded mouldings; raised surfaces
of panels; spirals of table legs; curtain
slats for roll·top desks; ~pindJe carvings;
French table legs; plumbers' wood work;
etc., etc.
WYSONG &. MILES
LEE AND JACKSON 81"8.
CREENSBORO, N. C.
The Best Truck==The StronJrest Truck
This is the famousGillette Roller Bearing Factory
Truck-the truck on which it is said. "One man
can move a load of 3000 pounds while with
the other trucks it takes three men/'
This is the truck that is strong where others are·
weak-the truck that has an unbreakable
malleable iron fork.
This is the truck YOU are looking for if youwish
to invest in rather than waste money on factory
trucks.
Gillette Roller Bearing CO.
ORAND RAPIDS, MICHIOAN
The l..ightest RUBDlng,
Longest Lasting Truck
By Using Wheeler's Patent Wood Filler
It#:!' ,
you caD lot only greatly imp"'V<e your fuzirb. but _ Nye
money. 4.lI1f interested in obwnma- Ihete IWlka, write to-day,
and we.will ga fully ioto the matter. THE BRIDGEPORT
WOOD FINISHING CO•• New Milford, Conn. New York:
Chicago; Philadelphia; Boston.
_ ,,;,r
'1 _..
A Vital Thought
on Finish
.
Profit:
Buyers who waut thiugs just a little better--furniture
with character -individuality-are willing to pay a little more
for it. The long profits are in the higher grades.
Many makers put both material and workmanship "just a
little better" into their furniture--and so far are entitled to
extra returns in profit--but the buyer does not Know it.
The buyer really sees only the finish, and if it is common-place,
he does not respond with that extra price which he is
willing to pay for the indi viduality which he seeks.
Finishing your goods with
Andrews'
Polishing Varnishes
is justlikelayingon an extra layer of profit. Theiruniformlyrich,
full lustre gives that extra touch of character which distinguishes refined
elegance from the bizarre, the cheap and the mediocre.
Their'sis"The Polish that Holds." Theiruniform evenness
-their dependability at all times and under all conditions- and the ease
with which they work and rub makes their use a plea$ure with the workmen.
And they make for manufacturing economy- by saving the time and
expense of rejected pieces-whichmeatis increased output. -
Moisture-proof, check-proof,-crack-proof, c1oud-and-bloom-proof, be-causethey
are completely purifie4,thoroughly seasoued,rigidly
tested. We have been making fine varnishes for over half a century-our
success is founded on experience.
There'sextra profit to you in these "Thoughtson Finish."Give
our nearby representative opportunity to call and explain how to get it.
Write us.
'....-- \
Pratt & Lambert
Varnish Makers
New York
London
Buffalo
Paris
Chicago
Hamburg
.
1
THE
MARIETTA
PAINT & COLOR COMP'Y
ART
NOUVEAU
Our New Cement Combination Stain.F!lIer
Art Nouveau is !he very neweSt discovery in wood
I1nWUl18. II is put up (eady for !me aml it alrea<b'
being used by a large Dumber of malllufadQIel'l who
haV<l become eatbusidtic over ih 8Ueeef;!\ ·and the
enotJnOUI saving of lime. labor and moneY it means
to them. With Ad Nouveau you can produce in
erne operation what it fotmerly required four to oom-
Il1ete, viz: iltainini, sheIlacinl' Baoding and Jillinl .
. ihis new liUer-$laio dries hud in live houn and can
he shellaced and varnished the &aIDe day if deeired,
Made in mahogany and mire:- shab,.
Manufacturers a grade of WOOD FINISHING MA TER-IALS
that are today recognized as possessing the reputation
not only for the ~hest staudard of excellence and perfection,
but for their absolutely practical qualities. The reason for this
is that before a Stain or filler is offered to the trade it is put
through a· series of practical tests both in the laboratory and the
company's own finishing deparlment. where it is applied. and
worked out iust as it is intended it should be by the furniture
manufacturer or the customer \Xho uses them.
SPARTAN TURPS
SPARTAN TURPS is one of our our 0'W11 pro'
ducb and it undemably one e5 the bdt thi. Ir.oown
10 the 6nishet for reducing varnidles, ftai1l>l. paints.
It hi not in any rel1&eII substitute for turpentine, bav~
ina: properties exclusively and peculiarly its own. It
ill better than turpentine for lllany reasons., one of the
moStimportant being that it is the moat petted
aolvent known, while it is an eOOmlOlla mooey
.. ver
The Marietta Paint 8 Color Co.
MARIETTA, OHIO
These Specia.lties a.re used all
Over the World
Hand Feed Gllletng Machine (Pat.
pending.) Eight styles and sizes.
"'e-neer Presses, all kinds and sizes.
Veneer Presses
Glue Spreaders
Glue Heatersl
Trucks, Etc.. Etc.
Wood·Working
Machinery
,---.~ and Supplies
Power Feed Glue Spreading Ms.cbIne,
(Pateut applied for.) Single, Donble and
CombinaUun.
LET US KNOW
YOUR. WANTS
419-421 E. Eighth St.
CHAS. . fRANCIS &. BRO.D CINCINNATI, O. No. 6 Glue Heater.
The Originality of our work is one of its chief characteristics. Do You Want
WE BUILD HIGH GRADE
Something CATALOGS COMPLETE
Original? White Printing Co.
2 to 20 Lyon Street GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.
ENGRAVING
PRINTING
BINDING
I
LONG WANTED
A BAND SAW THAT WILL DO EDGING HAS BEEN A LONG
FELT NEED. WE HAVE ONE
See that revolving chain in the table directly underneath the feed rolls?
That is the principal feature in the edging device on this machine.
It moves by power and drops below the surface of the table when not in use.
Then this machine has that Patent finiCe Edge Balance for the upper
whee1---the only perfect straining device known.
Get circular describing this splendid tool.
Write today.
505.525 W. Front St.
====C:=incinnati.Oh.io. U.S.A.
The H'or/(Ij Stantbud.for H'oodwor1J:ingNaclt.ineQ<
-- -- ------ ------ -----
2 7th Year-No. 21. GRAND RAPIDS, MICH .. MAY 10, 1907. $1.00 per Year.
WILL HUNT THE MOOSE.
John Waddell, Roy S. Barnhart, B. F. Hall, W. H. Muir, and
Others of the Furniture Trade Preparing for a Great
Campaign.
Although the sep..sOI1 during v,'hich moose may be legally
killed in the wilds of Canada, docs not open until November,
the mighty moose hunters of the furniture trade are organiz-ing
parties and making preliminary preparations for a cam-paign
of royal sport. A number of gentlemen who have ac-companied
Messrs. v\laddell, Bamhart and Hall will be unable
to go this year, but their places will be taken by several
sport men who have never enjoyed the, thrilling adventures
incident to the pursuit of the monarch of the forests.
The average reader of the Artisan is not possessed of
much knowledge in regard to the moose, his history and as-pirations.
He is an unusually interesting ;{nim~d, as W.
Howie lI,fulr of the Jenks & 1·1uir Manufacturing company,
Detroit, learned during his stay in the woods upwards of
one hundred miles north of Sault Ste. J\larie, l\lich., during
the hunting seaSO\l last year. The reader is advised to loosen
his "bustibles" before proceeding to the enjoyment of Mr.
Muir's contribution which [ollcnvs;
THE MOOSE.
(By \V. Howie l\fuir.)
The 1100se is a species of '\vild animal found in inaccess-ible
countries, taxidermists' shops, over fire-places in. large
front halls, but more often in dreamland, being much sought
after on account of the horns that some of them wear, to be
used as hat racks and for other decorative and utilitarian pur-poses.
The hide is t1s1Jally sent to Aberc-rombie & Fitch, to
be made into mot'.casins at five per pair. One can buy them
in any drug store at a quarter the price. The hoofs, are
often mounted to serve as ink-stands; and lastly the meat,
which, if properly hung and well cooked, reminds one of
home, it 50 closely resembles hamburger .steak witbout the
ham. The meat is mo"t expel1sive, figuring in the outfit, in-cluding
ammunition, the license tags a great many of which
are never tlsed--and time, which is the essence of all cou-tracts.
In appearance, the moos<:: is a conglomerate of a great
many animals having a leg in each corner. In fact it is a
cross between a man from IvIassachusetts and Isse Cohen;
with a lip like a rolled up drop cnrtain and nostrils like the op-ening
of a coal mille; horns like two inverted family umbrel-las,
and ears resembli11g a pair of gold seal shoe packs.
Over the withers it puts the faithful camel to blush, and
from tllere to the tail it drops clown hill like rln old time to-boggan
slide. The tail is like grandma's fur tippet, and hangs
down like the Plymouth Rock rooster's tail in a rainstorm.
The bell fastened lInder its chin won't bring you a high-ball,
unless yoU bring the bell hack to camp, and then you're li-able
to get two high-balls, a whi;<;key sour and a nne
young jag. The bell the Holstein family wears will only
bring you a milk-shake.
The si7.c of tbe moose ranges necorrllng to the views of
the hunter. Uncle John has watched a she cow moose, with-out
horus, that he claimed '\vould weigh an even ton, net,
and was ten feet eight at the Shoulder, measured alongside
a rose bush, by the aid of a tape li11e,he uses to tie his specs
on with. Nobody dse except Johnny or Jack ever failed to
get the male moose when shot at, so that all of this sex of
over twenty hundred weight are still in the bush. The fe-male
cows have all the v·...ay from one to one and a half and
two calves each year, which, if caught young, make the best
kino of house pets, and can be taught to bring your slippers
and shut the door.
In color they are of a rusty stone-grey in summer, but
when the chilling blasts of '\vinter commence to brush the
stately pines and sway the fragant balsams, the color changes
to a deep sea black, full of lustre, but 'without ur:ider-coat or
vest on the head and body, and the legs turn to the color of
your seven-year-old corduroys.
Their senses of hearing and sight are magnificently devel-oped
during the calling season, which lasts from the first of
Septen1.her to the middle of October. They can hear the
"steamboat whistle going round the bend," the hunter be~
fore he shoots, and the owl after he hoots-hence the s.imilar-
THE CORRECT
Stains and fillers.
THE MOST
.SATISFACTORY
first Coaters and
Varnishes
.A"'U'-~U;TIJ.ICO .", ....... y CHICAGO WOOD FINISHING CD.
Z59·63 ELSTONAVEmZ'16 SLOAN ST.
CH I CACO.
r
4
ity. The eyes are so situated in his head that he can see as
well lying down as sitting up_ The sense of taste is just
barely'apparcnt, as it seldom drinks, chews or swears. The
olfactory nerve is of extremely delicate' COl1st'rtlCtiOll, re-sembling
the mechanism of watches offered as premiums by
patent drug houses, The sens'e of touch is only nottceable
when he has been fairly hit in or about the vitals by a 50ft-nosed
steel clad bullet. ~'11;. y,l)artSgone by the moose were
often found in kitchen-g~{{d'en:",country fairs and engaged
driving motor cars, but of late years they have taken to the
less thickly populated districts of both the United States and
Canada, so that anyone, or a party of hunters, going out after
Moose should take at least enough provisions for over-night,
and a pack ot' cards to skin the "angel" out of enough to pay
the expenses of the trip.
Some people go "down wlnd" when hunting moose, think-ing
that the liberal use of perfumes, colognes, hair tonics,
cheap tobacco and bad whiskey will so overcome the sensi-tive
a.nimal that he will be hypnotized and remain standing
can, and reasonably low if within two hundred yards. Then
get ready to shoot again and" again-if the animal gives you
a chance. The skinning and packing in is a drudgery, and
should not be mentioned in so important a scientific article,
Only one more thing to be mentioned: Don't think you're
the only man in the bush, going back to' camp like a Fourth
of July procession, and "when you get to camp don't lie about
how many thousand miles you covered, how many hundred
yards the animal was from you, and that you practically got
him with the first shot, when about the time you were filling
the woods 'with lead and noise from your fifth cartridge your
Indian had plunked him twite just after you shot your first,
and he was disappearing over the ridge about as fast as your
money did when you backed "Molasses" to win the Spring
handicClp stakes at odds of 40 to 1.
Moving Into Larger Quarters.
The Grand Rapids Hand Screw Company, as heretofore
noted in the Artisan, will soon move into the large, commod-
••
MOOSE HUNTERS
•
John \Vaddell
Brinton F. Hall
broadside long enough for one to shoot him in the neck, at
the angular point 01 llle ja"v, while others approach "up winrl,"
vvith <dmost noiseless tread, taking every precaution to hI' '11
readiness to shoot, after Grst making sure that. the moose
is not another hunter or the stump of a piece of down timber.
The only way to get a moose is to go to it; it is just like
taking salts or the fifth frapped martini, never giving up till
you're down and out. If you are on a hardwood ridge go
quietly and m?ve slowly, especially if you are not Dn a track,
-don't go like a runaway ice wagon with the yoke strap
of one of the horses busted. If you are working in spruce or
low land, don't flop around like a mullet out of water, but
take time to stop and listen every once in a 'Il,'hile. and' if
you art on a fresh track, keep your eyes peeled for the el-evations
on each side. Now, when you are so fortunate as
to get sight of your game, make a quick calculation of your
distance, take a careful aim, being cautions to get as dear a
sight as possible, and shoot- shoot for the shoulder if you
Roy S. Ba.rnhart
ous building which it bas erected on South Division street.
opposite the Maeey plant. The old quarters at the corner
of South Ionia and Bartlett streets, ,,,,ill be occupied by the
John D. Raab Chair Company as soon as the bUilding can
be overhauled and equipped with the best of modern machin-ery.
This company has been organized only about a year,
but it has been so prosperous that it has already been obliged
to move twice and I1mv a third move into larger quarters is
absolutely necessary.
Enlarging Their Capacity.
Another of the concerns whose business has outgrO\\rn the
capacity of their plants is the Grand Rapids Wood Finisl1ing
Company, who are just completing an addition to their fac-tory
on Ellsworth avenue. The addition is of red brk1~ to
match the main structme. The offices wiHbe moved :nto
this, giving much needed space in the main building.
5
A HUMMER FROM STURGIS
CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES
Massive frame with wide and
deep base.
LooJ;r and large bearings for
cylinder.
All necessary adjustmenls.
Different combinations of tables
from 3 to 4 feet.
Back frame divided for making
"spring" joints.
\Vant more information? Write,
STURGIS MACHINE COMPANY
STURGIS. MICH.
Prefers Commission to Salary.
}f neb has been said on the question of salary versus com-mission
for salesmen. As a mlc it is the inexperienced sales-man
or the man who lacks confidence in h::5 own ability "\1,'ho
prefers to work for a salary. He feels that having a salary,
he has a sure thing,
There are n~any points in favor of straight commission for
the salesman as ',yeH as the: company. First, the man work-ing
for commission is independent. His time is his money.
He depends entirely upon his own efforts and if he v.'orks
overtime he is paid for it. There is greater incentive for
the man working on commission to devote his entire time to
his \vork. He is like a pruspector-always all the lookout for
more business with the hope that he ·will make a strike.
Prom the company's point of ·view there are many reasons
why a connnission basis is preferable.
The saLesm'\11is IHorc w-iH-ing to take <.ulvantage of the
help givell him by the home office in the ,vay of trying out
new methods, using ~ldvertisillg matter to better advantage,
etc., fOI"the reason that he reali7.es that the company is not
spending large sums of money each year to increase the busi-ness
simply for the sake of spending money. If he does
not take advantage of it he is tbe loser.
It also puts the salesman on a co-operative basis with the
the firm or part1H:rship, therefore it ,yorks out more satisfac-torily.
The salesman thus has more than a working interest
ill the concern because his income depends solely upon his
0\'\'11 efforts and he is ll0t apt to limit himself to hours or
shirk allY of the hardships or obstacles that come i11to his
path, He realizes that the more business he secures not only
increases his income but also illsures his security of retaining
the territory.
The longer he stays in a territory, if he properly handles
it, the more productive it. becomes, because the customers
re<'.Hy hecome :1 clientage n{ his. They all work for him and
Citizens' Telepho'ne 170::;:.
1Loufs 1)abn
DESIGNS AND DETAILS
OF FURNITURE
154 Livingston St.
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN
assist him in closing sales. He also finds out one thing that
few salaried men ever learn, and that is, that he is working a
smaller territory with greater profit and keeping out compe-tition.
/\. man .vorking on commission will cater to a higher
grade of business and take particular interest to see that there
are no strings to the order, thus avoiding possibility of its
being cancelled, lor, as a rule, he does not receive any com-mission
until the goods are delivered and settled for.
Cornmission develops confidence in one's own ability and
strengthens one's character, inasmuch as on a commission
basis a man feels he is working entirely upon his own re-sources
rather than being employed to work under the direc-tion
of others.-C. A. Forster.
Long Leaf Pine Doomed to Extinction.
It has heen estimated that if present eonditions are per-mitted
to continue, the extinction of' the long leaf pine will
be eompletee within the next forty or fifty years. The Unit-ed
States government is fully alive to the situation, but it il;
diffJcult to see in what way they can remedy it, further than
by giving advice to the owners. It is customary to lease
tracts of timber for short terms of years to turpentine oper-ators.
The lessee naturally endeavors to obtain the largest
quantity of products he can during the term of lease. As
there is practically no supervi,;ion, he bleeds the trees to such
an extent as to damage them. The timber speculator and
the turpentine operators appear to be in control and .are in
different. as to whether the country is depleted of the long
leaf pine. \Vith this condition of affairs existing it is per-tincnt
to ask where will the furniture manufacturers obtain
their supply of turpentine in 1950? And what will they have
to pay for it? Perhaps they may find a substitute.
Another Man Who Burns Ashes.
Since the discovery by "the Altoona cobbler" that coal
ashes may be burned if mixed with a little coal, salt and oxa-lic
acid, several others have claimed the honor of having made
the discovery. Among them is James W. Geyer, president
of a mining company. 'who gave a demonstration of his
claim in the boiler room of the Park Avenue Hotel, New
York, recently, and is said to have convinced the witness¢s
that there are millions in his invention. He mixes the coal
and ashes in the same proportion used by the "Altoona cob-bler,"
but does not divulge the other ingredients of the mix-ture.
He states, however, that the "incidentals" are inex-pensive.
Mr. Geyer has applied for a patent on his "inven-tion"
and proposes to organize a company to exploit it.
6 ·:f'~MICHI.1G7AN i
The LION VARNISH and SHELLAC WORKS
KAREL DE LEEUW, Manager.
1475 State St., CHICAGO, ILL.
Lustreless Special Finish for Mission and Fumed
Oak Furniture. Does not retain wax. A quick
dryer and does not stick.
Samples Furnished on Request.
ONE OF OUR
SPECIALTIES
HOW FEATHERS ARE MANIPULATED.
Cleaned, Sterilized, Deodorized and Sorted by Machiner)--
The Mixer's Trade.
Feather tnlxmg is one of the hardest trades to learn, but
'when mastered is also one of the best paying methods of
earning a living. The worker, who interidstci make this trade
his life work must start when he is young, for it ·takes
on an average thirteen years for a man to work up from pil-low
filler to feather mixer. Feathers that have been plucked
from hens, duc-ks, turkeys and geese are the cinly kind of
feathers that are used, says .the Chicago Tribune. One
kind of feathers at a time is .placed in the drum, to be beaten
and to be sterilized by hot air process. The drum is a large
machine, not unlike the washing· machines used in laundries.
In the center of each machine is an axle with eight beaters
attached. The beaters 'ma·ke.over 200 revolutions per minute
beating the dust out of the feathers and cleaning them thor-oughly.
A thin screen on the front and back of the machine
lets the dust out.
This part of the work is the most unhealthy, for the win-dows
of the dust room are not allowed to be opened and the
dust that comes from the feathers is inhaled by the worker.
Many of the drum men contract consumption in a year or
mOre dojng this work, and are compelled to give up and seek
other employment. The work is not so unhealthy as it was
in former years, for the men are now allowed to leave the
room while the machine is in operation.
After the feathers have been beaten and sterilized in the
drum they are placed in the blowing machine to be sorted
and to be deodorized by the cold blast. As in the drum the
kind of feathers are put in the blower separately. The blow-er
is the most simple and yet the most powerful machine that
is used in the feather business. The machine is built with a
large funnel shaped mouth on top, and always placed at one
end of a large room.
The feathers are placed in the funnel, through which they
fait down into the center of the machine. The cold air blow-ing
from the fan deodorizes them, and they leave the machine
in a steady stream, flying all over the room. 'fhe worker
finds himself in what looks like a miniature storm, for the
feathers fly around the room as high as the ceiling. An
onlooker might well wonder where the s'orting comes in of
the maze of feathers.
It is here that the wonderful part of the machine lies, for
the air pressure is so arranged that the heaviest feathers,
which are also the cheapest, will fall precisely into a bin about
five feet away from the machine. The next heaviest will
fall into a bin fifteen feet away from the machine, and the
rest of the seven different grades of feathers will fall accurate-ly
in bins that have been provided for them. The down,
which is the most expensive, flies around in the air the longest
but when it comes down it faits into a bin that is placed over
seventy-fi\'e feet away from the blower. Thus the seven dif-ferent
grades of feathers have been sorted, each kind in a bin
and without having been touched since leaving the blower.
The drum and blower man, after putting in five years at
this kind of work and also learning the different grades of
feathers, takes another step upward in the business and be-comes
an assistant to the mixer. His work consists of
weighing feathers and learning the different combinations that
are used in stuffing pillows. In a few years- he probably will
know how to mix some of the combinations, but usually it
takes five years of experience before an assistant can become
a mixer.
The combination used in the cheapest pillows is hen and
turkey feathers. Duck and turkey combination is used in
a little better grade of pillows, and the best combination of all
is duck and goose feathers. The most expensive filling is
CHOICE BIRD'S EYE
Veneers
CUT RIGHT. DRIED RIGHT.
WHITE
WRITE US FOR SAMPL.e:S.
GRAND RAPIDS VENEER WORKS, ~~~~A':.APIO••
made of downy feathers from geese. These combinations
have different prices and the mixer must know these prices,
and, when he can, experiment with the various kinds of
fcathers to try and get a cheaper combination that will last
as long as the dearer kind.
Colonial Dressers With Paneled Ends.
"Manufacturers make a mistake when they construct Col~
onial dressers with paneled ends, in the belief that a saving
in cost is gained thereby," remarked Arthur Kirkpatrick, a
practical designer and cabinet maker. The regular Colonial
end is cheaper to construct than the paneled end. Besides,
it presenres the harmony of the design and furnishes an ar-tistic
effect that is impossible to gain by the' employment of
the paneled form of construction."
7
Turtle Green Oil Stain
No. 1239
--- filled with ---
Ethiopian filler No. 1620
a rich very dark green background
with a light flake.
finished in varnish and polished.
ALSO Black Onyx Oil Stain
filled with
Ethiopian filler No. 1620
a jet black background
with a white flake
by far the two most attractive shades yet offered.
Send for samples of all of the above to
The Barrett -Lindeman Co. Wood Finishing
Supplies
FILLERS
STAINS
In consolidation with
The lawrence--Mcfadden Co.
PHILADELPHIA and CHICAGO
8
WOOD FOR WALL FINISH.
New Style of Interior Decoration Is Now Very Popular in
the East.
Consult a high classs interior decorator nowadays and he
is likely to be enthusiastic on the subject of woodwork. Not
at the very start, maybe. Until satisfied of the size and
elasticity of a customer's purse he throws out suggestions
tentatively. Discovering that the purse will not stand for
elaborate wood decorations, he generally confines himself to
a consideration of materials costing less than wood, kalso-mine
and wallpaper, for instance. But if the purse is all
right, then a customer is bound to hear more about wood in-teriors
than perhaps he ever heard before, and further, he
will get an object lesson of what is in the decorator's mind.
The objeet lesson. by the way. is a novelty, comparatively
speaking. Heretofore only a very few of the highest priced
house decorators included in their establishments rooms or
sections of rooms illustrating special designs" In most cases
persons up against the always puzzling task of selecting wall
decorations for a particular style of house arrived at a de-cision
chiefly by the aid of photographs and sample::>of wood,
paper and brocade.
It is not like that now. In this city there are establish-ments
easily got at and not at all exclusive where rooms of
all characters-dining rooms, drawing rooms, sleeping room
libraries, foyer halls-~fresh from the decorator's hands and
exhibiting many grades of cost and the materials and designs
now most in fashion are offered for inspection as freely as
a furniture dealer displays his newest models of tables and
:chairs.
In most cases the quantity of wood bears out the state-ment
of a well known decorator that the present demand for
wood fittings and trimmings in private dwellings exceeds any-thing
he has encountered in a business experience of two
decades, and that the varieties of wood in Use are even more
surprising than the quantity demanded.
"Dull finished woods," he continued, "have gone ahead of
polished woods in most cases. Everybody is clamoring for
natural oak, chestnut, mahogany, walnut, etc., and there are
a dozen different ways of treating these woods.
"For the time bein/t few persons who come here will look
at polished walnut or mahogany or rosewood for wall pan-
,ding. Everything and anything of dull finiSh, with the grain
~of the wood much in evidence, leads in popularity, and the
brighter browns have given place to ash browns and grays.
Let me illustrate:'
The decorator led the way to one of the show rooms, a
library, whose walls to a height of nearly six feet from the
floor were covered with wood divided into panels 2% feet
wide. Both panels and dividing strips were perfectly flat
one-half feet wide by strips of the same wood four inches
and plain without carrying mouldings of any description.
The decorator said the wood was oak. To a novice it
looked quite unlike oak. In color it suggested a two toned,
mottled arrangement of dull gray and grayish green, and the
natural grain of the wood, every appearance of grain at all in
fact, had been obliterated.
The oak, it was explained, had been treated with a solu-tion
of lead rUbbed well into the pores and then finished with
a dull stain only. It is conceivable that an old fashioned
woman might prefer the natural oak. New fashioned house-keepers,
though, rave over the oak in its new dress and will
have no other.
In another room, a dining room, the walts to a height of
seven and a half feet were lined" with oak of a dull gray
showing little or no grain' and as~ smooth as wall paper.
Across the bottom was a seven inch baseboard and a few
inches from "the top the surface was ornamented with medal-lions
perhaps a little more than three inches in diameter,
placed about a foot apart. These were carved in the wood.
It was the color, though, which most attracted.
A second· dining room was wainscoted to within three feet
of the ceiling with chestnut wood of a drab or putty color,
the conspicuous black brown large grain of the wood showing
up in a moire antique effect describing an inverted V. This
was done by piecing the panels down the center and cutting
the wood on the bias, matching the grain as perfectly where
the halves join as a dressmaker would match the stripes in
a silk gown. In this room the same effect was carried out
in the heavy mantel, the door and the window panels.
Red mahogany, treated to accentuate the warmer tints,
was the feature in a· third dining room. There was no wain-scoting
here. All the wood work in the room, including the
mantel was of red mahogany, and the novel features were the
tint of the wood and the cornice.
In a Colonial dining room designed for the country house
of a New Yorker a cornice and freize fifteen inches wide of
white enamelled wood topped a plain delft blue burlap cov-ered
space, which in turn topped a seven foot high wainscot-
Dining Room in the Country Home of Geo. Westinghouse,
Near Pittsburg;
iog of white enamelled wood. There may be a question as
to the gracefulness of the wooden cornice, but no difference
of opinion, the decorator thought, as to its good style for the
time being.
Dull finished walnut, quite unlike the walnut of our grand-mother's
day, is in great demand for lofty foyer halls where
dark effects are desired, its gloom being relieved with touches
of gold leaf on capitals and columns.
But it is in the drawing room perhaps that the growing
popularity of wood and vagaries 'of color are most noticeable.
Interiors solely of wood, excepting the ceiling, are more and
more asked, and enamelled woods, cream, pure white and of
many tones of color, are the favorites.
White mahogany, really a pale ecru in color, is much ad-mired
for the same purpose, but because of its higher cost
is less frequently ordered. By way of illustration the spec-ialist
cited the drawing room of an uptown New York dwell-ing
just completed.
The color scheme is French gray and white, done in en-amelled
wood panels of varying widths and carved in a leaf
and vine Lou;s XV. design. The wider gray panels are bor-dered
with carving, the six inch wide white panels are al-most
covered with the same decoration, and the windows,
doors and mantel, -in which gray and white wood are com-bined,
are similarly treated.
There is no gold ornamentation to detract from the simple
effect, the ceiling of the room, too, being of cream white
plaster, delicately frescoed where it joins the wood work
---- ----- ---~----------------
9
It's a Case of "NO CURE. NO PAY" with Us in the Matter of
DRVING LUMBER
This Cut Shows How Lumber
8 Comes Out of Our I'\.ilns8
No. 1. An oak center sbowing that knots after be·
ing dried bv Ollr process, plane as smooth as straight-grained
lumber.
No.2. A big oak knot center of board and near the
end. Note that board is not checked either side of
knot or on ends and board is as flat as though there
were no knot in it.
No.3. Three knots in a 12 inch oak board and at
the end. Note the straight edge, absence of checking
and small wa~te required to get into good lumber.
Nos. 4 and .J, Emphasize the fact that knots do not
by our process warp the wood or check beyond the
knot.
No.6. A piece of oak dried in ten days, green from
the saw, one~half a swirl, Note that it planes just as
smooth as balance of piece.
Comp.re "l'hls to Your Own Output.
OUR PROPOSITION ""e will furnish plans, specificatlonsand instructions to build you a new kiln, or equip
your old kiln with our process and guarantee to increase the capacity of your kiln front
50to 100per cent without warping, checkingJ honeycombing at case hardening your lumber, or refund your money. We
can !iave 50 per cent of your waste and one ..third of the labor cutting up the lumber. Write for question
blank-me.otion the Michigan Artisan.
GRAND RAPIDS VE.NEER WORfiS
GRAND RAPIDS, MICtilGAN
which entirely covers the walls. Rose color portieres and
furniture give the touch of brightness needed to offset the
prevailing gray tones.
A second drawing room just finished is lined from ceiling
to floor with paneled p8lest green enamelled wood combined
with white enamelled wood touchcd up with traceries of fine
gold leaf and has doors, windows anq. mantel to match.
In a third drawing room the walls are almost covered
with ivory enamelled wood, relieved here and there with a
panel of rose silk broca.de beginning about three feet from the
floor and reaching to within two and one-half feet of the ceil·
jng and about thirty inches wide. There is no gold on the
wood panels, which afe ornamented in the corners with a
Louis XVI. pattern.
In sleeping rooms, too, even in the nursery, there is an
increased partiality for wood-sycamore, birdseye maple and
birch alternating with enamelled woods, the former all in a
new dress, and French gray and ~i1e green are favorites in
the newer color schemes. The former, in one case instanced,
is used with convincing effect as a hackground for a Marie
Antoinette room. Panels of gray enamelled wood reach
from floor to ceiling, alternated with panels of gray and
white wall paper patterned in small 'wreaths of gray on a
'white ground.
In a sleeping room finished in birdseye maple there was a
baseboard or wainscoting about 27 inches wide, and a cor-nice
and frieze 18 inches deep of the wood.
One of the new style nurseries was wainscoted 'with syc-amore
of yellowish tint to a depth of three feet, the space be-tWeen
the wainscoting and ceiling being broken half way with
a wide moulding of wood.
"There is a belief that wood is more hygienic than paper
or other upholstering fabrics which may account for the in-creased
demand for wood fittings," said the decorator, "but
I am inclined to think that the main reason is a love of
change, a liking for something new,"-New York Sun.
Gave Salesmen Full Credit.
Above all thiug·s else, every cent's worth of business that
comes from a salesman's territory should belong absolutely
and l,,,,holly to him and to no one else, and there never should
be any discussion about it at all, no matter who sells the
bill, and the salesman whose tcrritory the business originates
in should receive full credit "whether he is on hand to claim it
or not, says S. 'Iv'. 1\Jlen in "Office Appliances." If a buyer
comes into the office or store and pla.ces an order, that order
should at once go to the credit of the salesman in whose ter-ritory
the buyer IS located and the salesman should be noti-fied
of the sale.
Drawing the Lines Closely.
Recently a manufacturer operating several factories, en-tered
into an agreement to furnish a mail order house goods
of a special pattern amounting to $250,000. The retail fur~
nitme dealers' association of several states were informed in
regard to the contract and have declared war On the sale of
his regular line of goods. - Ready for Delivery---The Classified White Directory
of the Manufacturers of Furniture, Pianos, Organs, Bedding. Interior Finishes and
kindred Trades. WHIT£ PRINTING CO., Grand Rapids. Mich. -
10
CAR SERVICE REGULATIONS.
Rules That Are Expected to Expedite the Movement of
Loaded and Emptied Cars.
The new per diem ru.les to govern the movement of loaded
and empty freight cars proposed by the executive committee
and adopted by the American Railway Association at its
meeting in Chicago recently, are as follows:
Cars may be loaded for any point (via any route) so that
the home road will participate in the freight rate.
b.-Loaded to the road from which originally received, if
such loading is in the direction of the home road, but not
otherwise.
c.-Loaded to an intermediate road in the direction of
the home road.
Note-A road or a combination of roads competing with
the road owning the car from point of delivery to destina-tion
shall not be considered as an intermediate road or roads.
d.-Loaded in local service in the direction of any junction
point with the home road.
e.-Cars may be loaded locally in an opposite direction
from the home road or home route if it be loaded according
to a, b, or c.
f.-Empty cars belonging to a system havlllg a direct con-nection
must unless the owner objects, be returned to such
connection regardless of whence they came. ,
g.-The car owner shall have the right to demand the re~)
turn of his cars at the junction point where they were deliv,
ered loaded.
h.-Empty cars may be sent in an opposite direction from'
the home road or home ronte, if to be loaded according to
section a, b or c_
i.-Empty cars may be delivered to connecting roads;
switching or otherwise, to be loaded in accordance with see...
tion a, b or c, but not otherwise.
j.-When necessary to return cars empty belonging tel
roads other than direct connections, they may be delivered
to ,the road from which received.
k.-Cars received loaded in switching service must be con-£
fined to switching territory and whcn made empty must ~~
returned to the owner if a direct connection within that ter-ritory
Qr otherwise to the toad from which received.
The penalty for each active or constructive violation of
these rules is $5.00. They have yet to be submitted to a
referendum vote by letter ballot before May 15, and, if this is
favorable, will become effective on September 1. As each
road is entitled to as many rates as it owns cars, it is not
doubted that the majority wlU endorse the propositi6n.
The Pennsylvania is committed to the adpotion. of the
measure and with its aBies will be able to carry it. There
is a confident feeling that the proper handling -at foreign
equipment the·n will be assured and less trouble occasioned by
car shortage. The basis of the rules was a voluminous re-port
made by the committee on car efficiency.
In addition to the $5 penalty, and effective Sept. 1, as just
shown, all roads are to be included in the agreement fixing a
per diem charge of 50 cents for the use of a car when on for-eign
rails in excess of the free time allowance.
The association has been advised by W. J. Calhoun. of
Chicago, that a railroad refusing to allow its cars to go upon
the tracks of another that refused to become a party to the
per diem agreement is entirely within its legal rights. It is
expected, therefore, that all roads will be forced to join if
they want the use of cars loaded with frieght consigned to
points on their lines.
Japanese Contracts are not Sacred.
Curious ways the Japanese merchant has of doing busi-ness.
A special agent of the United States government who
is now in Japan gives some illustrations. The buyer, he
says, makes no payment until the arrival of the goods.
If in the meantime the· market has dropped the Japanese
will often go to the American and intimate that he is not pre-pared
to stand all the loss and that the American should di-vide
the loss with him, though to do so might wipe out the
profit on the transaction.
As a merchant explained, the Japanese sees nothing wrong
in evading the letter of the contract, because when they make
a contract they don't-at least in their minds-absolutely
agree to do a certain thing or to make a certain payment, but
simply to undertake to try to do it. _ If there appear certain
obstacles in the way of their doing so, they· do, not consider
themselves bound to proceed with it.
To Simplify Freight Classification.
It is expected that before the end of Mayan freight traffic
associations will have named committees to act in conjunc-tion
with a committee appointed by the Central Freight As-sociation
in the work of undertaking to formulate a uniform
classification that all the'associations will be willing to adopt.
This movement is in response to notice from the Interstate
Commerce Commission that if they did not accomplish some-thing
looking to the adopt.ion of a uniform classification the
commission would do it· for them. The initiative was taken
recently by the Central Freight Association.
When uniformity in this regard is est~blished it will be
easier for the uniform bill of lading committee to complete
its enormous task.
ESTABLISHED 1858 BERRY· BROTHERS'
Rubbing and Polishing Varnishes MUST BE USED IN FURNITURE WORK TO BE APPRECIATED
THEY SETTLE THE VARNISH QUESTION WHEREVER TRIED
WRITE FOR INF'ORMATION,
FINISHED WOOD SAMPL~S. AND LITERATURE.
BERRY BROTHERS. LIMITED
VARNISH MANUFACTURERS
DETROIT
NEW 'tOAK,
BOSTON,
PHU ..AD6:LPlilA.,
B/ilLTIMORE. CANADIAN FACTORY, WALKERVILLE ONTARIO
CHICAGO,
CiNCINNATI,
ST. LOUIS,
SAN I"AANCISCO.
THIS IS THE CAN
AND LABEL
II
- _. - - -- ----------------------
/ 10 Spindle Machine
Allill made with 12, 16, 20 and 25 Splndle8.
DODDS'NEW GEAR
DOVETAILING MACHINE
11
This little machine has (1flDemore to perfect the drawer wOl'k
of Inl'oiture manuladul'ers than anything else in the furni-ture
trode, For fifteen years it bas made verf6Ct-fitting,
",'ermin-proof, dove-tailed l;Itock a· possibility. Tbls bas
been accomplished at reduced cost, all tbe machine cuts
dove-taUs in gangs of from 9 to 24 ut one operatiOD.
ALEXANDER DODDS. GranO Rapids. Mich.
~presented by SCHUCHARDT " SCHUTTE at BerUn,
Vienna, Stockholm Rnd St. Petersburg.
Represented by ALFRED H. SCHUTTE at Cologne, Brus~
MJ!s, Liege, Paris, Mil:llll and Bilbao.
50 PERCENT
OF THE CIRCULA TlON OF TRADE
PAPERS. EXCEPTING THE
Michigan Artisan
IS mailed to manufacturers.
designers, shop hands, com=
mission men, jobbers of fac-tory
supplies and others who
do not sell furniture and kin-dred
goods. To reach the
largest number of retailers use
the Michigan Artisan's
Mercantile Editions
Mailed to Retailers Only
THE KNOB THAT WONT COME OFF
NO-KUM-LOOSE WOOD KNOBS
CU1' shows the construction of our line of Wood Knobs.
The metal nut is clinched into the wood at ils front end, pre-venting
turning or pulling- out. to the back end of the nut
is riveted a steel base, having projecting spurs which enter
the drawer front. The knobs are held in place by a screw and corru-gated
spur washer, which avoids any possi-
, in'h "A" bility of unscrewing .. All goods are smooth-ly
sandpapered, and shipped only in the
white. Regular screws furnished will take drawer fronts ti to 1}1lthick,
longer screws to order. Stock knobs will be kept in mabogany only. Other
woods to order.
The face of knob "A" is veneered with specially selected fancy stock, same
as used in making crossband veneers, presen ting a beautiful and attracti ve
appearance when finished.
TOILET SCREWS: 1}4 to 4 inch knobs can be furnished as toilet
screws to order only with standard bolt 3;0 inches long and patent nut and
washer.
Section of "A"
GRAND RAPIDS BRASS CO., Grand Rapids, Mich.
)
12 ·"~tvLIFjIIG7f-N 3 7'IR.T 1.5'JL1\I
e $ S.
WRITE US PRICES ON
WALTER CLARK 535 Michigan Trust Building
- Citizen. Phone ,933
MAPLE DRAWER BOTTOMS
I Machine Dried and Flat as a Pancake. I
PFlOMPT DEL.IVEAIE-S.
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN
AMUSING EXPERIENCES.
Traveling salesmen derive one half of the compensation
they enjoy from the amusing experiences that follow the pur-suit
of their occupation.
"While visiting a buyer in Omaha last year," one of the
travelers remarked, "I was asked if our house had any 'close-outs'
in stock. I told him we might have a few rockers and
perhaps, a desk chair or two. I would write the house and
ascertain. 'Oh, don't take that trouble,' the buyer remarked
'vVrite the house to ship a few desirable patterns, 'twill
be all right: I forwarded the order, which was fined as
directed, and in a short time the house received a telegram
reading: "Why did you ship so many chairs?, 1 supposed
you were having a clearing out, not a closing out, sale.' The
amusing feature of the transaction lies in the fact that the
house had shipped three rockers and two desk chairs. A
closing out sale, indeed."
Another salesman mentioned the fact that he had sold the
line of a company that was noted for the very bad finish of
their goods. The line was placed on exhibition in Grand
Rapids and in the hurry of its preparation several pieces
were shipped after the filler, stain and shellac coats had been
applied. The goods looked so much better
than the completely finished samples as to
cause surprise. The president of the company spent a few
days in the market and in conducting a customer through the
line one day, pointing to the partly finished samples, re-marked,
"These pieces do not represent our regular finish.
Our completely finished samples are back -of us." Turning
to look at the regularly finished work, the buyer remarked.
"How did you manage to finish them so badly? Give me
the half finished goods when you fill my order."
Another manufacturer engaged in pushing the merits of
his goods upon a group of buyers, remarked, "\Vhy, gentle-men,
we sell many of these goods in Porto Rico. In Porto
Rico, gentlemen 1" The remark was repeated several times,
at intervals, when one of the buyers remarked, "1\0 doubt
these faulty designs and miserable constructions sell well in
Porto Rico, where the peopLe are poor and uneducated, but
why don't you try to make a line of goods suitable for trade
in the United States?"
Another salesman was reminded of an incident when he
represented a chair company engaged in business in the state
of New York. Much attention was given to period work at
that time and the salesman had been rcquested to purchase
any noted reproductions he might find in t):le stocks of the re~
tailers and ship the same to the factory. In Buffalo he
found a ge-m of the Em?ire period, and speedily forwarded it
to the manufacturer. In a short time a letter came to the
hands of the salesman complaining that the seat was too
narrow; the legs too light and that some of the parts were of
birch, stained, instead of mahogany. The salesman replied
as follows: "The Empire chair forwarded to you was made
by the Chair Company, who make the best selling
line manufactured in the United States,"
They Ask for a Square Deal.
The Yawman & Erbe :Manufacturing Company of Roches-tcr
and Barber & S..v..artout of Geneva, N. Y., have filed com-plaints
with the Interstate Commerce Commission against
various railroad companies, charging tbem with unlawful dis-crimination
in the classification of freight. The former COI1-
cern makes general office furniture. It alleges that fifteen
western railroads have disctill.1inatedagainst its business by
placing too high <l rate upon roller copiers made by the Yaw-man
& Erbe Company and that, as a result, the concern can-not
compete with rivals who are given a lower classification.
The railroads complained of are the following;
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe; Wabash; Chicago & North-western;
Chic;ago, Burlington & Quincy; Chicago & Great
Western; Chicago, Milwaukee & St, Paul; Rock Island; Great
Northern; Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe; Missouri Pacific; Nor_
thern Pacific; Oregon Railroad & Navigation Company; Ore-gon
Short Line; Southern Pacific and Union Pacific.
Barber & Swartout of Geneva claim that the Lehigh Val-ley
railroad has refused to assist them in shipping freight
from their factory by declining to put irl a siding on the pro-perty.
The company asks for $5,000 damages, and that they
be paid $125 for preliminary work done on the proposed sid-ing.
Martin S. Decker, assistant secretary of the commission,
went to Rochester and gave the complainants a hearing. He
is said to have discovered that the case of Yawman & Erbe
is of more importance than was supposed and it is expected
that members of the commission will go there and take evi-dence
in the near future.
Prosperous Carving Company.
The Knoxville Carving & Moulding Company, establishel
three years ago in Knoxville, Tenn., have made a good repu-tation
for the quality of their work. They have been very
successful in their business and. recently have incorporated
with an authorized capital stoc.k of $25,()OOto take care of in-creasing
business. The officers are: C. Evan Johnson,
president and manager; William Wolford, vice presi<Jent and
superintendent; and Edward Arning, who has recently en-tered
the firm, treasurer.
Death of "Joe" Sextro.
Former Senator Joseph G. Sextro, for many years promi-nent
in the furniture manufacturing business of Cincinnati,
and a gentleman highly esteemed in the social and political
circles of that city, died recently.
13
Additional Exhibition Space
at Grand Rapids
The re-modeling of the entire north half of the first and
intermediate floors of the big KLINGMAN BUILDING
places on the market 30,000 square feet of very desirable
space available for the June-July exhibition.
Get your application in promptly to
secure the choicest location. Write
today for detailed information. rates,
plans, etc., to
Furniture E.xhibition Building CO.
GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.
Daily Labor Reports and Time Sheets.
A lumber manufacturing corporation loeated in the state
of Texas employs the system described below to ascertain
the labor cost of their product:
"The forerun in charge numbers each man when he be-
J-::ill:i 'work {or the first time in that certain department, and
should he at any time work for another foreman, his number
i, retained in order that only one account may be kept with
him OIl the time book. 'This makes the time book very neat
,Hit! compact. \";hen the day's work has begun, the number
of each 11,;\11 employed is taken, and should he drop out at
any titre during the day, the exact number of hours are re-corded,
whid leaves no opportunity for incorrectly keeping
time. The o:iginal of each foreman's daily time sheet is
turned in to the time keeper, and the carbon copy is posted
in a most convenient place for observation. In this way, if
there has for any reason, been any omiSS10J1S from tllC time
the day prcv:ous, it can be rectified the following day. If
the foreman's attention is not called to the matter immediate-ly,
there will be no change made, as this provides ample op-portunity
for such corrections.
"Our daily labor report has so many advantages, that,
without consuming a great deal of space, it would be impos-sible
to call special attention to each feature. It embraces
every department from stump to cars; sho\vs the· exact num-ber
of men employed in each; number of hours worked; num-ber
of feet of lumber handled per man; cost of lumber per
thousand for each day, and also the cost to date.
';\Vhile it is advantageous to know the number of feet of
lumber handled in each department. it is of more material
advantage, in regard to trucking and stacking lumber, a::,
each day we know the exact number of feet handled by our
stackers and truckers. Of course, a certain amount of lum-ber
has to be trucked and stacked each day, but by knowing
.Just what each man should do, it does away with the necessity
of employing extra men to handle the mill cut.
"Even with capable, intelligent men employed as foremen
of the different departments there. is always room for leak-age,
and without these daily reports, it is very easy to employ
more men than are absolutely necessary to handle the lumber
in the various departments.
"These matters are small when viewed individually-just
one man here and there, but in the course of a year, or even
one month, it will make quite an additional cost.
"All lumber manufacturers know how much more careful
employes arc in the management of big things as com-pared
with the small, and it is realty the small things that
count.
"The foreman in charge will take care of the big things,
but the mill man must take care of the small. Many a ship
has been scuttled by a small leakage.
"Under our system of daily reports there is absolutely no
chance for any leakage. Just as a train dispatcher knows the
exact location of each train under his supervision, we can, at
any time during the month, know the exact cost of OUf manu-facture
to datc; the amount of labor performed by each em-ploye,
and just where conditions could be improved.
"It is needless to say that the daily labor report has every
advantage over the monthly."
Will Make Substitute for Turpentine.
EpJHaim Machet, Samuel Wierenberg and John Welch of
Baltimore, Md., have incorporated the Southern Substitute
Turpentine Company with a paid-up capital of $.,00,000. The
articles of association state that the purpose of the company
is to manufacture and sell oils, varnishes, etc., and "also a
substitute for turpentine," but the nature of the substitute
has not been divulged.
14
FURNITURE MEN'S REMINISCENCES,
How a Young Manufacturer Was Surprised and Worried by
His -First Success.
Most of the Grand Rapids furniture manufacturers are men
who have worked up in the business from small beginnings.
Many of them began without money and with little credit and
went through strenuous financial struggles before 3chiev-mg
success. Such men like to talk of their early experiences
and sometimes they relate anecdotes atid reminiscences that
they would not wish to see in print. They are proud of their
achievements, however, and many of their stories are in-structive
and amusing.
Two of the most successful manufacturers in the city be-gan
their career together making chairs in a small town near
the city. They were young men then, and' are not old now.
They understood their business all right, but iackedcapital
and as the furniture business was not so buoyant as it is
today they had great difficulty in com·peting with the older,
well-established concerns. One of them tells the following
at the expense of the other-and it rarely fails to involve a
li~tle expense:
They heard that a new hotel in Cleveland, 0., was in the
market for an outfit of chairs, The contract would amount
to only a few hundred or perhaps a thousand dollars, but it
looked big to them, and they decided to try for it. The
hotel man asked that samples be s.uhmitted with the bids and
it required about all the capital at their command to get them
out and send them down to Cleveland.
They had confidence in their work and really expected to
land the contract, so one of the partners followed the samples
prepared to explain their merits and show them to the best
advantage. He was successful. He got the contract with-out
question, closed the details and was thinking of starting
for home, congratulating himself on his good fortune, when
he received a surprise that was almost a shock. To use his
own words, it nearly knocked him out.
After arranging as to when the goods were to be finished
and giving shipping directions, the ho.tel man said, ""VeIl, I
suppose I might as well pay you something on this." and pull-ing
out a fat wallet counted out $450. That was a surprise
to the young furniture manufacturer. He had not thought of
asking for anything. They had figured that if they secured
the contract they could borrow money to keep the factory
running, and that was the greatest incentive for their trying to
get it.
The shock caused by the receipt of the unexpected money
was followed by worry over the danger of being robbed.
The young man was 250 miles from home with $450 in his
pocket. He had never had such a pile of money in his pos-session
before and his only thought was of what a predica-ment
the facto:-y would be in if he should lose that money.
He decided to start for hom,~ at once and with visions of
robbers, thugs, hold-Ups confidence men, etc., in his mind
made his way to the depot, only to learn that he was too late
for the early cvening train and could not get out until 10
o'clock. He was afraid to rOdm about town-he did not
dare to go Qut for supper. However, he managed to slip up
to the lunch counter, where he ate a sandwich and drank a
cup of coffee with one hand on the pocket that contained
his treasure. Then, selecting a well-lighted corner of the
waiting room he sat down and from 6 until 10 o'clock watched
every man and woman who entered the room, expecting every
minute that someone would attempt to rob him.
Going out to the train, he was car:eful not to get into a
crowd, and to avoid close contact with anybody, and after
he was seated in the car he looked for suspicious characters
in front and behind him. The car was crowded and he
wished he could' have secured the rear seat with his back to
the waiL He did not smoke. Keither did he cat, drink or
sleep that night. He kept his eyes and ears wide open and
did 110trelax his vigilance until he had reached home and de-posited
that pile in the hank. His associates scoffed at his
fear and anxiety, but he insisted that there was cause for it,
and even now when reminded of that experience declares his
action was justified. "That money meant everything to us,';
he says. "Had I lost it- that would have been the last of
our factory."
Then his associates usually congratule him on the fact
that his career as a furniture manufacturer was not "nipped
in the bud"-was not "ended before it began," as one of them
puts it."
Another Upholstering Factory.
The Criswell-Kepler Company, composed of James Cris-well
and Fred Kepler, and capitalized at $10,000, are to estab-lish
a factory for the manufacture of high grade upholstered
mahogany furniture at the corner of North Front and Wcst
Leonard streets, Grand Rapids, Mich. Mr. Criswell has rep-resented
the Dexter Chair Company in this section for some
time. Mr. Kepler will have charge of the upholstering de-partment.
This will make eight upholstering institutions in Grand
Rapids, where there were none ten years ago. Now those
who make upholstery a prominent feature of their factories
are the Retting Furniture Company, Mueller & Slack, Grand
Rapids Upholstering Company, the C. S. Paine Company,
the Century Furniture Company, Sweet & Biggs and the
Michigan Chair Company, and there are several others who
do more or less upholstering.
FAULT~:': point where:;other casters
refuse to turn is G'he Po:lnt with
The Faultless Pivot Bearing Caster
The FAULTLESS
received the
Highest Award
at the
World's Fair,
1904, over all
other casters.
Itissupplled
wit h Faultless
Patent Steel
Spring Sockets.
The Faultless is
interchangeable;
will fit six differ-ent
sizes of IrOll.
bed sockets, :-:
TheFaultless has
no weak spots-n
0 mechanical
flaws··it's Fault-less
in name-in
action-and as a
seller :_: '_0
If you are after a money maker,write to
TShe Faultless Caster Mfg. Co.,
Nebraska City, Neb.
They only manufacture
15
STA.E CHICAGO
TRACE MARK REGISTe:RED
FILLERS AND STAINS AND
MISSION FINISHES
You want to make all the profit you can, don't yOU? You wish the best results with the least
outlay in time and money. Ad-el-ite Paint Specialties will accomplish this for you. Our Fillers and
Stains are .uniform in quality, correct in shade and nonfading, they are dependahle goods of established
favor.
Popular taste demands the use of the old, dull, velvety Missiou effect in finishing woodwork and
furniture in halls, libraries, dens, dining-rooms, etc., and you can secure this with a single application of
anyone of the many shades of our One-Coat Dull Finish. A test will convince you of its worth.
SEND FOR BOOKLET AND SAMPLES FREE TO YOU.
Employers' Organizations Absolutely Necessary.
All Souls' church (Universalist) Grand Rapids, Mich., has
a class in Religion and Life which meets Sunday afternoons
for the discussion of religious, economic, social and
political subjects. George A. Davis, of the Stow & Davis
Furniture Company and president of the Board of Education,
addressed the dass recently on "The Organization of E111~
player." He gave a general review of the growth of labor
unions in America and a brief history of the employers' as-sociations,
declaring that the former made the latter absolute-ly
necessary. He said that some In1l1dred years ago when
the apprentice sy:,;tem was in vogue ill this country the cabi-netmaker,
wheelwright and shoemaker made the completed
article, and that then competition ,,,'as only betweell the work-ers
themselves. After the pre5ent factory system was in-stalled
each worker only made a part of the whole article,
which condition brought about a three-corpered competition,
namely the competition behvccn employers, that between em-ployes
for the highest wage, alld the agitation and strife be-tween
employer and employe resulti.ng -in the organization of
unions.
The speaker declared that siilce the disappearailce of the
apprentice system in America, thfTc has ,uisen a grcat strife
between the skilled and the unskilled workman while this is
not the conultion in Europe. Organized labor, he said, is
recognized by the English and German governments because
skilled workmen arc not subjected to the same competition by
unskilled labor as in this country. He believed that this con-dition
",;as due to the fact tInt in those COUll tries the parent
of the student i!'>compelled to choose one of three courses
of practical and manual training, which ,,,,ill fit the boy begin-ning
at an early age, for a defmite trade or profession,
During the past eight years, declared the speaker, the em-ployers
have been awakened by the <J-ggressio!1of the unions,
by their attempts to dictate wages and hours, and to limit the
output of factories and plants. As evidence proving that
they really try to control the output, he read a section from
the by-laws of the Upholsterers' union,
Mr. Davis declared that the employers hold nO ill-feeling
against union men except those who are arbitrary and unrea-sonably
aggressive. "Vle belie~'c," he said, "that the true
open shop, where the true spirit of brotherhood exists, is the
solution for all difficulties between employer and employed.
and furthermore that the closed shop is un-American in prin-ciple."
.Retailing in an Exposition Building.
Quite a sensation was caused in ChicaQ;"orecently by the
local furniture dealers' association. An agent was employed
to ascertain whether goods were sold at retail in the exposi-tion
buildings. Several "offenders" were located and posi-tive
proof of their indulgence in the retail business obtained.
Singularly it appears that none of the occupants of the Man-ufactnre,
Ts Exhibition building were among those spotted,
and the local association has given the management of that
enterprise their approval. "Vhat course the association shall
take in regard to the offenders remains to be seen. The
employment of spotters is unusual in the business of retailing
furnitme. Perhaps the conditions of the trade in Chicago
justify the service rendered.
They Promise to be Good.
The retailers of Chicago banquetted and talked a few
nights ago. Quite a number of commission men and manu-facturers
'were guests of the association. All made speeches
and promised to be good. George Ctingman referred to the
fact that the salc of goods by retail in the exposition build-ings
of Grand Rapids had been discontinued.
16 ·~r;..IP ..HIG~ $ 71R TIS' A.l'l
e . ? re ~ ....11..
A "REGULAR FURNITURE DEALER."
His Requirements "Officially" Defined by President Rosen_
bury.
A short time ago the Michigan Artisan received a letter
from a gentleman about to engage in the business of selling
furniture by retail and incidentally by mail, by means of cata-logues,
.enquiring as to what plan of conducting sales it is
necessary to pursue in order to obtain recognition as a legit-imate
dealer by the state and national associations of retail-ers.
The matter is of such importance that the Artisan felt
it incumbent upon itself to submit the question to the high-est
recognized at!-thority in the retail trade, C. C. Rosenbury,
the president of the National Retail Dealers' Association, for
an official defmition. Under date of April 29 President Ros-en
bury replied as follows:
Editor Michigan Artisan:- Yours of April 27 to hand. A
regular furniture dealer is generally considered to be an in-dividual
or firm who carries a stock of furniture adequate to
the community in which he is doing business, e,,'en thougb
this individual or firm should issue a catalog in connection
with this business. But would add, further, that the sales
from stores should comprise the bulk of such business, and
not where some concern doing practically a mail order busi-ness
stocks a limited amount of furniture, merely to enable
them to be classed amOng the regular retail furniture deal~
ers. Curb-stone dealers or curb-stone brokers, as termed,
refers to parties selling furniture from catalogs, \vithout car-rying
a stock. Yours truly,
C. C. ROSENBURY.
If the National Retail Dealers' Association shall under-take
to compel its members and the thousands of dealers who
are not members, to observe the definition supplied by Presi-dent
Rosenbury as to a legitimate dealer in furniture it will
find the task a formidable one. The reduction of Port Ar~
thur would be but a small affair in comparison with, an at-tempt
to compel retailers of merchandise to conduct tlleir
business on the basis laid down.by President Rosenbury. It
is not necessary to seek far for i~pregnable trade 'barriers
which the National Retail Dealers' Association would have to
overcome before it could put its. policy into effect. Spiegel,
a retailer of Chicago, is credited with having sold through
the mails outside of Chicago, last year, furniture and kindred
goods valued at over $3,000,000. Hartman of the same city
is credited with installment sales through the postal service,
amounting to $5,000,000. Winegar Brothers of Grand Rap-ids,
it is claimed authentically, s~ll $50,000 and upward an-nally
outside of Grand Rapi.ds as the result of their enter-prise
in distributing catalogues through the mails, and the
Bishop Furniture Company by the same means a considerable
larger amounts. Bishop mails 200,000 catalogues annually.
Another installment house sells less than $25,000 from its
store in Chicago, but its mail order business amounts to
$2,500,000 annually, These enterprises, and there are many
others, are destructive of the interests ,of the legitimate re-tailer,
as defined by Mr. Rosenbury. But what is the legiti-mate
retailer going to do about it? In business, only the fit-test
sunrive. Many will cease to be "legitimate" retailers
and thereby prolong their existence.
Testing the Erdman Law.
A case of much interest to both employers and employes
was recently tried in the federal court at Nashville, Tenn.,
and has been carried to the court of appea·ls with a view of
testing the validity of the act of 1898, generaly known as the
Erdman law. The act grew out of the great Chicago railroad
strike of 1894. It provides that any person discharging a man
from the service ofa railroad company because of member-ship
in a labor organization shall be deemed guilty of a misde-meanor
and shall be liable to a fine not exceeding $1,000.
Master Mechanic Adair of the Louisville & )Jashv1lle road
was found guilty of having violated the law by discharging
a fireman and was tined $100. He admitted the facts alleged
in the indictment, but claimed that the law was unconstitu-tional.
In the appeal his lawyers attack the validity of the
act on the ground that the regulation of the relations between
the railroad and its employes is beyond the power of con-gress,
under its regUlation of interstate commerce; that it
embraces employers engaged in domestic as well as inter-state
commerc.c, the former being within the sale regulation
of the state, and that it was class legislation because it con-ferred
on union labor engaged in interstate commerce privi-leges
not conferred on non-union labor so employed.
Unless special arrangements can be made to expedite the
case, the court of appeals will not give it· a hearing until ne~t
winter. The importance of the case lies in the fact that sev-eral
states have enacted similar laws applying to all clas'ses ()f
employers and the legislatures of others have such bills under
consideration.
DeGroot Will Sen Veneers.
Edward DeGroot, recently resigned his position as mana~
ger of the Battle Creek (Mich.) Table Company and entered
into an engagement with the Talge Mahogany Company of
Indianapolis, as sales agent. His territory is the states of
Michigan, [ndiana and parts of the states of Ohio and Ken-tucky.
Through his long connection with the furniture
trade, Mr. DeGroot has acquired an expert's knowledge of
timber of every variety ~nd the uses to which the same may
be put. He will enter upon the discharge of his duties dur-ing
the current month,
To Our Western Patrons
NOTE:
There has been no change in the management
of our CHICAGO FACTORY. the
same practical men who have brought it to its
present high standard continue in our employ.
BE NOT DECEIVED.
WE CAN MATCH ANYTHING
FILLER BONE HARD OVER THAT WILL DRY N I G H T
f ' The great majority--in fact just about all ot the manufacturing trade ask
for a filler to be hard dry the day after filling. We can do better than that.
USE OUR FILLER AND YOU
CANNOT DIG IT OUT OF THE PORES THE
==== NEXT DAY====
IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR VARNISH TO PENETRATE THE SURFACE
IT SANDS OFF IN A POWDER THAT WILL LEAVE YOUR
SAND PAPER CLEAN AFTER THE WORK IS DONE.
The Barrett-Lindeman Company
IN CONSOLIDATION WITH
The l.Jawrence-McFadden Co., Ltd.
61-63-65-6No7. Ashland Ave., CHICAGO. 1400·2-F4rankford Ave" PHILADELPHIA.
17
18
l!STABLlSHIlED 1880
PU.LISHED BY
MICHIGAN ARTISAN CO.
ON THE 10TH ANI;) 25TH OP' lEACH MONTH
OFFICE-Z-20 LYON ST., GRANO RAPIDS, MICH.
ENTERED .lIB MATT!R OF THE SECOND etA'S
Chicago manufacturers-some of them; not all of them-are
said to be opposing a bilI now pehding in the Illinois leg-islature
which requires that machinery in factories, shall be
so constructed, located arranged and protected as to lessen
the danger of injury to the operators. The opposition is said
to be based on the grounds of expense, the manufacturers
claiming that the proposed law would require extensive
changes in nearly all factories. The objection may be well-founded
but a reading of the bill does not seem to suggest
the necessity of any extensive changes, in modern factory
equipment. The most prominent provision is that which
requir~s exposed set· screws to be counter-sunk into the
shaft, instead of being allowed to protrude. To comply with
that provision of the law might cost some factory owners
$50 or more, but when it is known that protruding, unpro-tected
set-s!!rews caused more than 100 deaths in Illinois
factories in the year 1906, the expense, even if increased ten-fold,
should not be considered. It will not be considered by
any manufacture who has had a man mangled or killed in
his factory, and remembers how much he would have given
to have avoided the accident. Others should not consider
the expense nor oppose the bill. If they succeed in defeat-ing
the measUre they may save the expense, but they are like-ly
to invite the enactment of laws much more expensive,
such as a bill now pending in Pennsylvania, which is intended
to bar the plea of "contributory negligence" in sUits for dam-ages
for injury or death.
'I' '\' 'I' 'I'·
The learned lawyers who represent the New York Central
Railroad Company do not lack ingenuity. They make the
point that the Elkins law is void because it exempts water
transportation lines but the main feature of their plea, on
which they expect to save the road from paying fines aggre-gating
$136,141 is based On rea.soning something like this:
Corporations have no consciences, therefore they have not
the faculty of reasoning. Without consdence and the ability
to reason there can be no intent to do a wrong. As the in~
tent is the essence of the crime there can be no crime without
intent. As there was no intent there was no crime,
'I' *1' 'I' '1'
Arthur Hale, manager of the Chicago Car Clearing House
in an address before the Transportation Association of Mi1~
waukee expressed the opinion that discussion of the car fa-mine,
during the past year, has done a great deal of good, by
bringing the public and the railroads closer together and es~
tablishing a better understanding of the situation all round.
He stated that a year ago the average distance covered by a
freight car in a day was 24.8 miles. Now it is 25.7-a gain
of almost a mile. The gain does not indicate much in the
way of' reform but it must be conceded that "every little bit
helps."
*'* *r* *r* *r'
Wall street is stifl "in the dumps" but general financial,
commercial and industrial conditions do not point to anything
like depression, reaction or even a halt in the prosperity of
the country. The railroads continue to report ·'traffic that
taxes their facilities" and the iron market presents signifi-cant
features, notably a scarcity of crune steel and an ad-vance
of $1 per ton in the price of pig iron at Pittsburg.
From the present outlook it appears that nothing except a
failure of crops can prevent a continuance of "good times"
during the coming year.
'!' '1* 'I' *1'
The American Cotton manufacturers' Association has en-dorsed
a proposition to improve the telegraph service' by
requiring messages to show the time they were filed for
transmission. It is urged that the time of receipt at destina-tion
as now marked on messages is rarely of much conse-quence
to either sender or receiver, but the time at which the
message was filed is frequently of great significance and im-portance
to the receiver. The proposed reform would un-doubtedly
tend to prevent delays in transmission.
'I' 'I' 'r* '1*
In the little town of Litchfield, IlL, a liye merchant named
E. M. Austin carries a stock of furniture not only sufficient
for the needs of his town, but for many towns in the sur-rounding
country. He advertises extensively and sells many
orders by mail. The National Retail Furniture Dealers'
Association is antagoinzing the mail order business, and if it
is consistent it will employ its powers to put Austin out of
"btBiness, if Austin will allow it.
*1' *1' "I' 'I' At the annual meeting of the United Journeymen Plum-bers,
Gas and Steam Fitters Association of New England,
held at New Haven, Conn., recently, resolutions were adopted
opposing legislation to give cities and towns the power to
establish and maintain trade schools. They object to schools
"which will pretend to give a mere boy instructions in the
fundamentals of a craft which at present a man must spend
five years in learning."
'I' 'I' *1' '1'
Smith, Adams & Gibbs of Boston, have been troubling
their local and the New England association of retail furnitUre
dealers. They have been allowing country dealers· to bring
their customers into the store and sell goods to them at the
retail prices as 'marked on the tags. The fact that the
prices are sometimes lower than the figures of other Uregular"
dealers in probably the real cause of the trouble.
'1* 'I' 'I' 'I'
Some of the railroads are trying to retaliate for the pass-age
of two-cent fare laws in western states, by discontinuing
the sale of interchangeable mileage books except for use in
states that have not passed Jaws reducing fares. That" poHcy "
is not likely to prove beneficial to the roads. It will prob-ably
be upset by the Interstate Commerce Commission.
*1* *1* *1* *1*
The annual congress of manufacturers of the United States
will be held in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York on
May 20 to 22. Among the guests will be Secretary Oscar
S. Straus, Speaker Cannon, Senatdr Doliver, Admiral Sigsbee,
General Bell and former Judge Prouty. The furniture in-dustry,.
it is expected, will be well represented.
*1' *j* *J* *j'
One half of the total national income goes to one tenth of
the people; the remainder is clhrided among the nine-tenths,
composing the well-to-do and poor classes. How many man-ufacturers
of furniture are there grouped in the one-tenth
class, with the publishers of the trade papers, Carnegie,
Rockfeller and Harriman?
*1* *\* *1* *1*
New York has a new Jaw-to take effect January 1. 1908-
whichprobibits the employment of minors under 16 years 0f
age in factories for more than eight hours per day-they
must not work before 8 o'clock "a. m., or after 5 p. m. The
necessity and advantages of· the latter feature of the law are
not clearly apparent.
The Universal Automatic
CARVINO MACHINE
==== PERFORMS THE WORK OF ====
25 HAND
CARVERS
And does the Work Better I:han it can be Done by Hand
-------MADE BY--'-------
UnIOn [nOOSSInQ MUUlnr (0.
Indianapolis, Indi.n.
Write for Information, Price. Eto.
The Pittsburg Plate Gla~s Company
MANUFACTURERS AND JOBBERS 01'
Pla.in and Beveled Mirrors. Polished Plate. Bent Glass. Plate Glass
for Desks and Table Tops.
CARRARA GLASS El new pl'od\lct Uke po1ts.hed white m.&l'ble.
Our facilities for supplying furniture manufacturers with everything in Plate Glass, rough or polished, large or small, will be· understood when we srate
that we have eight glass factories, extending from PennsyLvania to MillSouri, and fourteen Mirror Plants located as follows:
New York Boston Philadelphia. Buffalo Cbicago Cincinnati 8t. L(lule. MlnnelllJlolfs AUalltll Kokomo. Ind.
Da.venport Crysta.l City, Mo. Ford City. Pa. ](ansa.e City, Mo. High Point, N. C.
Largest Jobbers of Window Glass
in the World
Also, our 23 jobbing houses carry heavy stocks in all tines of glass. paints, varnishes and 'brushes
and are located in the cities named below:
New York-Hudson and Vandam Sts. Baltlmo..-221~228 W. Pratt Street.
Boston-U~49 Sudbury, 1-9 Bowker. sts. Buffal()--372-4.-f:l-S read Street.
Chicago-l4-2-452 Wa.bash Avenue. BrookIyp--685 and 687 Fulton Street.
Cincinnati-Broadway and Court Sts. Philadelphla--l"itcairn BuUdJng, Arcb
St. Louls-Cor. 7tb and Ma:rket Sts. and Elevent,h Sts.
:a.linnea-poli-uOO-IHO S. Tbird St. Uavenpa.rt--nO-416 SCutt stftet.
Detroit-58-55 Lamed St., E. Cleveland-1430-4 West Third Street.
Gmnd Rapids,Mlch.-39-41 Y. Division Omaba-1608-10-12 Harney Street.
St. St. Paul-349-0l M:iDnesota.Street.
Plttl!burgh-lOl-lOS Wood Street. Atlanta, Ga.-~O, ~2 and M S. 1."17o'rst.
Milwaukee, l\'i8-4-92-494 Market St. Snvsnnah, Ga.-745-749 Wheaton Street.
Rocbeste:r, N. Y.-Wilder Building, Main Kansas City-Fifth a.nd Wyandotte 8t8.
and Exchange sts. BiI'Dlingham, Ala.-2nd Ave. and 29th St.
Sole dlstrlbuters of
PATTON·S SUN PROOF PAINTS
Wire Glass Best Protection Altalnst Fire
It needs no argument to show what
advantages may be derived from dealing
directly with us.
AGEN"tS FOR THE COULSON PATE-NT CORNER POSTS A~D BARS.
We have over 12;different styles of factory and warehouse trucks to offer,
also a complete lh.e of woodworking vises and bencbes.
WABASH
INDIANA
GLOBE VISE AND TRUCK CO.
Office 321 South Divi.ion St., GRAND RAPIDS. M1CH.
Mfrs. of High Grade
Wood Workers Vises
AND
Fantory Trunks
Quality and Price
taLk in factory trucks
and we can interest
you. Will you setld us
your addreSS and let us
write you about them?
Writ~fllT PriCtl$
B. WALTER & CO.
Mon.f.,,",," of T ABLE SLIDES Exclusively
WRITE FOR PRICES AND DISCOUNT
SOM.ETHING NEW
WE have perfected a new GOLDEN OAK OIL
STAIN without the use of asphaltum or
acid.
This stain is the strongest and most pene-tratjng
stain on the market. It entirely pene-trates
the WQod, leaving no surplus on the sur-face
to penetrate with the filler.
Samples furnished on application.
CRAND RAPIDS WOOD FINISHINC COMPANY
5Ei-Ei!l E:LLS.WQ~TH AIlE:., G,P;AI'ID RAPIDS, MICH·
19
21l ~MlfplGJjIN , 7IR.T I.s' ..7U'l
? 2m·
"No-Kum-loose" Mission Knob
(PATENT APPI.IED FOR)
This is the latest style in Mission Knobs. It is
made in plain and quartered oak, and takes the same
finish as the drawers it.is designed to go on. We
make a toilet screw to match. We also make the
"No·Kum·Loose"' Knobs in birch, maple, walnut and
mahogany in many sizes and styles, and carry in stock
a ful1line of Quartered Oak, Walnut and Mahogany.
WADDELL MANUFACTURING CO., GRANDRAPIDS,MICH.
SAY YOU SAW THiS AD IN THt. MICHIGAN ARTISA.N, APRIL 10TH EDITION.
Our Clamps received GOLD MEDAL at World'. Fat ... St. Louis.
Write fOT pri~s and particulars.
Black Bros. Machinery CO.
MENDOTA, 11..1..
VItNEER PRESS (Patented June 30, 1900.) CHAIN CLAMP (Patented June 30,1903.)
CASINET CLAMP.
Agency
_C- OFFlCES, _
Boston New York Jasnest(t'Wn High Pomt Cincinnati Detroit Grand Rapids Chlca'o St. Louts Minneapolis
A.ssoclate Offloes and Boooded AttorneJ'1Io frllaU Pt'frllcipaJ cftl ..
The Furnitur
REPORTING FURNITURE, UND RTAKERS, CARPET
HARDWARE AND KINDRED TAVES, COLLEC·
TION$ MADE BY AN UNRIV LLED SYSTEM
THR01!l,;H OUR COLLECTION 0 PARTMENT ••
WE PRODVCH RBstJl,.TS ..WHERE OTHE FAIL WRITK FOR
PARTICULARS AND YOU WILL SBND U YOUR BUStNESS.
Our Complalrllt and A Justment
Department Red Dra te Collect
Bolton Band Saw Filer lor Saws %. inch up. B. T. & B, Style D.'Knile Grinder. F II Automatic. Wet or dry
Saw and Knife Fitting Machinery and Tools iJ'n"/i.g~~a~~~'~:t
Baldwin. Tuthill ®. Bolton
Grand Rapids. Mich.
Filers. Setters.
Sharpeners.
Grinders.
Swages.
stretchers,
Brazing and
Filing Clamps.
Knife Balances,
Hammering
Tool8.
lnves£r::~OIlT
New 200 page:
Catalogue for
1907Free.
This Machine Makes the Money
BY SAVING IT=========== It makes a perfect imitation of any open grain because it uses the wood itself to print from. and one opemtor and a couple of
boys can do more work with it than a dozen men with any other so-called machine or pads on the marke.t.
That"s whyJit's a money makere It imitates perfectly
PLAIN or QUARTERED OAK,'lMAHOGANY, WALNUT, ELM. ASH or any other wood with open grain
WRITB TilE
Posselius Bros. Furniture Manufacturing Co., Detroit, Mich.
FOR PRICES AND FULL PARTICULARS. MENTION THE MICHICAN ARTISAN.
21
22 ·-:f~MICH·I.G77IN. a
MIRROR PLATE CONDITIONS.
Vice President Hart Talks of the Action Taken at the Pitts ..
burg Meeting.
"The mirror plate business is in bad shape," said Joseph
S. Hart of the Hart Mirror Plate Company, Grand Rapids,
Mich., when asked as to the condition of the trade recently,
"It is not discouraging," he continued, "but it has been bad
for the past year, especially during the past six months. The
price of plate glass has been so high that there has been little
or no margin for the mirror makers except those who 'were
Joseph B. Hart.
able to pick up bargains in what we call our raw materiaL It
has been easy to obtain inferior plates, but the price on first
class, perfect stock, such as is used by the Grand Rapids
manufacturers and is known as the 'Grand Rapids Quality,'
has been so high and so firm that there was little profit for
the bevelers and silverers. The prices have not only been
high, but they are still firm and nobody can see any sign of
a decline in the near future."
Mr. Hart had just returned from the East, where he had
remained a week or two after attending the meeting of the
mirror plate manufacturers at Pittsburg. Speaking of the
action taken at the meeting, Mr. Hart said:
"That meeting was not called for the purpose of forming
a combine to raise and maintain prices. Our purpose was
to consider the advisability of forming a defensive organiza-tion-
there are no trust features in the movement.
"Whether the movement will be successful or not re-mains
to be seen, but I assure you that it is not the purpose
of the organizatfon to boost prices unless compelled to do so
on the account of the firm prices of raw materials. The
mirror plate makers have been considerably encouraged by
the action of the meeting."
The organization referred to by Mr. Hart is called the
Mirror Manufacturers' Association of the United States. The
officers, who also constitute the board of directors, are as fol-lows:
President-Robert A. Schlegel, Williamsport, Pa.
Vice Presidents-Jacques Kahn of New York and Joseph
S. Hart of Grand Rapids, Mich.
Treasurer-Enos P,orter, Shelbyville, Ind.
Secretary-F.Wineski of High Point, N. C.
Before the interview with Mr. Hart-during his absence
-a representative of the Artisan talked with several Grand
Rapids furniture manufacturers about the condition of the
mirror plate business and the probable purpose and effect of
the new organization. Neatly all of them entertained the
opinion that the movement would' result in an advance in
prices in the near future-that such was the purpose-but niost
of them were liberal in their views, adm tting that the mirror
makers had been badly pushed and decl ring that the organi~
zation was necessary. One expressed he opinion that the
new organization might help to raise and maintain prices,
an<1another-James G. McBride of the Nelson-Matter Com-pany-
said the mirror plate makers wo Id be justified in ad-vancing
prices. "I believe they have een selling goods at
figures which left them very little if an profit," he declared.
Architects Are, Not Good Furni p.re Designers.
Several af the large furniture inanufftcturing corporations
of Grand Rapids are full of orders for hotels, the contracts
for which were secured through retail ~ealers. In discuss-ing
this branch of the furniture manu acturing busittess re-cently,
the superintendent of one of the large plants re-ferred
.to remarked that much illy desi ned furniture is used
in the equipment of hotels, because pr prietors of the same
have employed architects to prepare s ecia1 designs. The
average architect is not conscientious n the drafting of de-signs
and aims to please his employe rather than to give
truthful expression of the art he undert kes to portray. He
is usually successful in fitting the furniture to the wall and
floor spaces it is intended to occupy, bu beyond that require-ment
· he is seldom successful. While t e conscientious man~
ufacturer endeavors to carry out the pI rpose of the architect
many instances arise in which changes re necessary in order
that strength and utility shall not be acrificed. The av-erage
hotel keeper, owing to his lack 0 experience, does not
inspect the furniture purchased on his ccount as closely and
as intelligently as the regular trade buy T, and when he places
an order directly with the manufacture , the opportunity pre-sents
itself for the manufacturer to sight the construction
and finish of the goods ordered. No uanufacturer of estab-lished
reputation, however; will take dvantage of such op-portunities.
Cabinet Hardware
--AND--
Factory Supplies
Wood Screw••
CooeI. Serew••
Liqoid moe, Caster ••
UpI.olaterer'. Taek••
Large Head Burlap Taek••
Wire Brads.
Staodard Nail••
Cement Coated Nail••
Elbow Catehe••
Door Gat.ches, etc., etc.
New England flint Paper.
Barton Gamet Paper.
Dooble faeed fliot aod
Garnet fiui.hi"l! Paper.
Brass Butts.
WroOllht Steel Botts.'
eabillet Loeks and Key•.
Gold Plated and Gilt Cab-inet
Keys.
Beneh Vises.
Bolts, Washers, Zioes.
Our large and complete assortment of general hard
ware is at your service;
Correspondence solicited.
Inquiries for prices will receive careful and immediate
atlention.
FOSTER, STEVENS & CO.
GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.
Mt". Manufacturer-Uo you ever consider what joint gluing colli?
The separators and wooden wedges, if you use them and many do, are a
large item of expense accounts; but this is small compared to wage ac~
counts of workmen who wear them out willi. a hammer I and then a
lar~e y_~ cent of the joints are failures by the insecurity of this means.
RESULT, has to be done over again, if possible .. If you use inde~
pendenl screw damps the result is better, but slower. altogether too slow.
Let us tell you of something better. PALMER'S CLAMPS. All
steel and iron. NQ wedges. no sepacaton, ad}llst to any width, clamp
instantly yet securely, releases even faster. Positively one_third more
work with one-third leas help. In seven sizes up to 60 inches. any
thickness up to 2 inches. 200 factories convinced in 1906. Why nol
you in 1907 t Althongh sold by dealers e'l'erywhere \el us send you
p".cul.,. 1\. E. Palmer 8. Sons. Owosso, MiGh.
FOREIGN AGENTS: Proiedile Co.• London. England.
Schul:hardt & Sl:hulle. Berlin, Germany.
The White Directory
CONTAINS A CAREF'ULLV COMPILED LIST
OF MANUF'ACTVRERS OF'
FURNITURE, PIANOS, ORGANS,
INTERIOR FINISHES
AND KINDRED INDUSTRIES
Now Ready. Send in your order.
WHITE PRINTING COMPANY
PRINTERS. ENGR~VERS. PUBLISHERS, BINDERS
2-20 LYON ST., GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.
GLASS KNOBS
This Pallern Made in Three Sizes
We will make you
INTERESTING PRICES
FOR QUANTITIES
JOHN DUER &. SONS,
BALTIMORE, MD.
Cabinet Hardware, Tools, Etc.
Ste~~ensonmf. (0.1
South Bend, Ind.
Wood Turnings.
T umed Moulding,
Dowel, and Dowel
Pins.
Clltlllogue to Manufac-turers
on APplication.
VENEERED
ROLLS
The
"Reliable"
Kind
Why Worry with
the Roll Question
===1=
Leave that to us. We
are prepared to solve it
quicker and better be-cause
we bave the
knowledge and equip-ment.
We use notbing
but t:.b~'&tn\lt in 0 u r
cores. Writeforpriclis.
The Fellwock Auto-mobile
& Mfg. CO.
EVANSVILLE, IND.
Formerly the FeHwock Roll & Panel Co. Nothing cbanged
but the name,
Morton House American
......Plan
Rates $2.50 and Up
Hotel Pantlind European
......Plan
Rates $1.00 and Up
GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.
The Noon Dinner Served at the Pantlind
for 500 is the fiNEST IN THE WORLD
J. BOYD PANTLIND. P....p.
23
24
FOLDING BED FIXTURES
Protitabte)ixtures to use are those which"give the
least trouble. They are made by Folding Bed
Williams in many styles and designs, suitable for
every folding bed manufactured. Furniture Cast-ings,
Panel Holders, Corner Irons, elc. New ideas
and inventions constantly being added to the line.
F. B. WILLIAMS
3812 VINCENNES AVE., CHICACO
Mallufacturerof J1ardwareSpedaltiesfortbe Furniture"J rarle.
Establish~d It\';8.
BOYNTON eX CO.
Manufacturers of
Embot;&ed and
Turned Mouldinas.
Embo •• ed al:lld
Spindle Carvinas.
and Automatic::
Turnings.
We also manu-facture
a large line
of Embouec:t Orna-menta
for Coueh
Work.
SEND FOR
CATALOGUE
419-421 W. Fifteenth St., C"IC4GO, Ill.
We offer exceptional value in Reversible and
One-Way Cutters for Single and Double Spin-dle
Shapers. Largest lists with lowest prices..
Greatest variety to select from. Book free.
Address
Wood
Forming
Cutters
SAMUEL J. SHIMER & SONS
MILTON. PENNSYLVANIA, U. S. A.
MACHINE. fiNIVES
PERFECT QUALITY PROMPT SERVICE
RIGHT PRICES ABSOLUTE GUARANTEE
Dado or Grooving Heade. Miler Machines.
Uo'Y.real WQ(IIdTrlnuners.
Boring Machines. Etc.
FOX MACHINE CO '8SN,FrontSt.
• Grand R.apld_. Mich.
====MANUFACTURERSOF====
Furniture, Pianos, Organs, Refrigera-tors,
Chairs, and Interior Finishes, read
this, the Factory Edition, of the Artisan.
IT IS NOT MAILED TO DEALERS
OUR EDI'IION OF THE 25th OF EACH MONTH
IS MAILED TO DEALERS ONLr.
USE A
MORTON KILN
IT WILL END YOUR
DRY KILN TROUBLES
Does not warp or check lumber.
THE MOST PERFECT MOIST AIR
KILN ON THE MARKET.
TRUCKS, CANVAS DOORS, RECORD-ING
THERMOMETERS and other sup-plies,
Write for catalog H which tells HOW
TO DRY LUMBER.
MORTON DRY KILN CO.
218 LA SA.LLE.ST., CHICACO.
25
PALMER'S
Patent Gluing Clamps
Are the IDO.t sucees.sful PilingCl.m~ Made
For the foliowiD.i reason.
They clamp instantlly aDywidth of dimension' 'SOOck,no ad~
Justipg clamps to fit the work, they hook at (tHee to tile desired
wldtb.
Released fnl!ltautly-throw out tbJ..>, lever and take th6DI oft".
The work can be removed as fast as it can be handled.
As tbe tllamp is placed over the work· and locks Into the oDe
below it, the dmw is alike on both sldes, prevent!! all springing
PO matter how wide the stock may be.
Impossible for tbem to sUP; the wedge has 8errated edge and
eannot be moved when clamp' is' closed, hammer all you .Ilke.
Unlindt0d POWf!il';great l!Itrengtb and durabllity; malleable trOD
llud steel; the knuckle joints are socket ~oiotl\ not rivets.
Although the best they ~08t you les8.
For furiher information ask tor catalogue No. 4,
A. E. Palmer, Owosso, Mich.
DURABLE AND EFFICIENT
Although an essential 10 mill equipment, the ex-haust
fan is usually located 10 an out-of-the-way place
and greatly neglected.
This fact was borne in mind in the designing of the
"ABC" Exhaust Fan
and is constantly kept in view in its manufacture, the reo
suit being a Fan of exceptional strength and rigidity,
coupled with high efficiency,
FURNISHED WITH SPE.CIAL WHE.ELS FOR
LONG, STRINGY SHAVINGS.
ASK FOR BULLETIN No. 2I1MA.
AMERICAN BLOWER CO., Detroit, Mich.
NEW YORK CHICAGO ATLANTA LONDON
26
Commercial Graft.
Too often the house is bled by those within its trust. Too.
often the man for whose services adequate payment is made,
and who is supposed at every turn to be watchful of his em-ployer's
good, is reaping ill-gotten gains by receiving whai.
he terms his legitimate "commission" on the side.
"A men versed jn all the arts and requirements of'a red,lm
line of business bought out a house which had enjoyeJ a
large business for years, but which had netted small profib
indeed.
From all outward appearances the business was a pay··
ing one. Auditors who examined the books spoke highly 0;"
its promised future. Yet there- seemed to be a leak some-where.
The new proprietor, by close c:omparison, found that
supplies in certain departments were costing far too much.
He went to the seat of the trouble and to his own satisfaction
determined that the trusted buyer was receiving rebates from
a firm selling thousands of dollars worth of supplies to the
concern annually.
He immediately relieved the buyer of his job and put a man
in his place in whom he. had implicit conftdence. The new
man was instructed to ascertain the truth of the head's sus-picions
if possible.
An agent of a manufacturing firm shortly came around and
the new buyer was given a proposition similar to the one the
former man had been working under. He turned the offer
down and acquainted his employer with the entire facts.
The employer then communicated with the house to the
effect that he refused to deal with a firm exercising such
methods. He told them tersely that he was paying the men
who worked under him what was agreed between them as
man amI marl as sufficient salaries for their services, and as
they could rebate the buyer, he was plainly paying too much
for what he was getting from them.
He closed with the statement that if there were any rebate
it should go to the house and not personally to an employe of
the house. But as he could not trust them to treat him hon-estly
after his experience he cancelled all orders and abso-lutely
refrained from ever giving them another.
His word has conscientiously been kept. The wholesalers
have lost thousands of dollars in trade, and he has set a pre~
cedent which if followed by other firms throughout the coun-try.
·will go far toward the stamping out of commercial graft
so prevalent in all Jines of trade at the present time.-J. B.
Colby.
Al Adams Furniture House Bankrupt.
A petition in bankruptcy has been filed by creditor; against
Lawrence P. Adams and George C. Walker, doing retail fur·
niture business under the firm name of MrOain, Simpson &
Co., at 539 Eighth avenue, New YOt·k. The petition alleges
that Adams and \Valker are insolvent and that they have com-mitted
acts of insolvency by making preferential payments
to the amount of $5,000 amI transferring property worth about
the same amount.
The business was started in March. 1890, by D. W. Mc-
Clain, Thomas SjmpSOJl alJd George C. Walker, as 11cClain,
Simpson & Co.. who continued together until November 1,
1891, when they dissolved and Ai Adams. the "policy king,"
who owned the building, took the business and turned it over
to his son, Lawrence P. Adams, who took Me Walker into
partnership. They have continued the business since under
the old firm style.
Hugh Blackburn Tours Michigan.
Hugh Blackburn,of the Blackburn-Nolan Varnish Com~
pany. Cincinnati, makes oceasional tOtlrs of the wood working
plants operated in the state of Michigan, accompanied by the
company's representative, George A. Findlater. A fine busi-ness
has been established.
GLOBE VISE _N_ TRUCK CO,
Manl.lfactl.lNlrs or
Strictly up-to-date
qUick-acting Wood
Workers' Vises.
Thev are time
savers and make a ~:~~\~~tr::~h~~ Our prices are the
best. Write for
them. We also
make a complete
line of iact<>ry atld
warehouse trucks.
Our circulars are
cheerfully mailed
upon reques;t.
GLOBE VISEand
TRUCK CO.
Grall" Rapids, Mich,
IMPROVED,EASY", ELEVATORS QUICK RAISI·NG
Belt, Electric and Hand Power.
The Best "Hand Power for Furniture Stores
Send for Catalogue and Prices.
KIMBAll BROS. CO., 1067 Ninlh 61.. Council Bluffs, la.
Kimball Elevator Co •• 3:0 PrO$pect St., Cleveland, O.
10811thSt., Omaha, Neb.; 129Cedar St., New York City.
MANUFACTURERS OF
HARDWOOD LUMBER &.
VENEERS
SPECIALTIES:
~'L~Efe~QUAORA. K VENEERS
MAHOGANY VENEERS
HOFFMAN
BROTHERS COMPANY
804 W. Main St., FORT WAYNE, INDIANA
GRAND RAPIOS· .. ·....·...MICHIGAN
These saws are
made from No. 1
Steel and we war~
rant every blade.
We also carry a
full stock of Bev-eled
Back Scroll
Saws. any length
and gauge.
Write us for
PJ1.ce LIst
and discount
31-33 S. FRONT ST., QRAND RAPIDS
27
KNOXVILLE CARVING
AND MOULDING CO.
KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE
Manufacturers of SPINDLE and
HAND CARVINGS, ROPE,
!lEAD and EMBOSSED
MOULDINGS, HANDLES, Etc.
Write Jar Illustrated Circulars and Prices.
Ready for the "Long Pull."
Editorial in New York COl11mercial of )i1ay 4-lt is really
remarkable .with what ease this cOl1lltry!--or, let us call it, the
financial world here in the United States, because the country
as a whole refused to be pertllrbcd-has recovered from the
severe :flurry of a few week ago. It senns almost like a bad
dream to look back at it; and there is 110 doubt that for a
\vhile the skies were 10'.vering. That, 1n the end, nothing
happened once morc demonstrates of what flimsy stuff panics
aTe made.
It is (rue that somebody was wounded. There cannot be
a drop in the market price of stocks, as sudden as a drop in
the barometer when a stOrm approaches, without knocking
some "marketeers" off their legs. '\That really happened was
a change of fortune among those who best could afford it.
The country went right along about its business, and 'Vv'all
Street was left to adjust itself as best it c0111d-..v..hich it is
always certain to do in the course of time. The tremble has
subsided, and prices are again going through the process of
being fixed on a sensible basis. 1den are looking to the coun-try
and to the crops, whence comes variable news. These
crops may suffer some from the altogether unseasonable
'weather; they may yet expand to the full volume of product.
There is no good reason, however, to believe that t~cie will
be anything like: a "crop failure." \Ve have had ~l1ring the
week now ending all sorts of reports from "intere-,ted" per-sons;
and finally we have had a re.port from a hidy trust-worthy
source-the Kansas State Board of Agriculture-on
the condition of the crops in that Statc, whence news of the
greatest damage had come. vVhat injury has been done to
wheat, this report says, is more than counterbalanced by the
increased acreage. And there you are! Kansas promises,
a one-bl1ndred-million-bl1shel crop. We canlt ask anythtng
better than that, ,,~/jthall tbe other districts Jet to hear from.
The report of the United States Steel Curporation for the
quarter was excellent. Conditions in that branch of industry
\'v'ere all that could be desired" and they were on a par with
expectations. The railroads some weeks ago showed a tend-ency.
to curtail. That disposition exists in a meaSLlte still;
but they are not guided by any fear or a slump in their busi-ness.
Money is their paramount ques-.ion. If they can get it
easily-and perhaps they can-their extensions will not be
curtailed. New roads of great mileage are now building, too,
or are contemplated, if] many sections of the country. To
these are added the ever-increasing interurban trolley lines.
Steel and t::opper are required for these. In addition, the
cities are expanding at a rate that can be expressed only as
wonderful. Hardly any section of the country is passed in
this enthusiasm of building. Atlantic and Pacile-coast cities
particularly are employing mechanics, in large numbers.
Looking over the situation as it stands, then, need anyone
be pessimistic over the long pul! through the Summer and
Autumn months?
Furniture Fires.
1.farion (lnel.) mattress factory. Loss, $8,500.
P. "V, }\IadSeJl, Salt Lake City. Loss, $6,500.
F. Oborndocrfor, Frederick, 1'1d. Loss, $8,000.
n. Deutser Furniture Company, Beaumont, Tex.
l\lontgomery & Co., KashvilJe, Tenn. Loss, $42,000.
J. Vi. \\iatts & Co., Stony Point, )4. C. Loss, $2,500.
Keystone Cabinet vVorks, Chester, Pa. Loss, $90,000.
Story & Clark,Piano Company, Chicago. Loss, $38,000.
James M. McDonough, Baltimore, .l\ld. Factory; loss
$14,OU{).
Keystone Cabinet \Vorks, Chester, Fa. Loss, lumber,
$12,000.
John M. Dean Company, Providence, R. 1. Storehouse.
Loss, $12,000.
11atthews Bros., Manufacturing COmpa1l.1Y, Milwaukee,
''''Tis. Factory. Loss, $3,000.
III I
ALHOlCOM5&COs
MANUFACTURERS ..r.lll DEALERS
IN HIGH GRADE BAND AND SCROLL
SA"IVS
REFAIRING-5ATI5FACTION GUARANTEED
~ CIT1Z~N5 PHONE 1239 27 N MARKET 5T
~ -G.....RANDRAFIDS,MICH.
Caf>inetMakers
In these days .of close competition,
need the best poslilible equipment,
and this they can have in . • • •
BARNES'
Hand and Foot
POWER
Machinery
OUf New"and and foot Power Circular Saw No.4
The strongest, most powerful, and in every way the best
macbine of ita kind ever made, for ripping,
cross-cutting, boring and grooving.
Send for our New Catalogue.
"W. F. ®. JOHN BARNES CO.
654 Ruby Street. Rochford. Ill.
ANOTHER POINT TO REMEMBER
IF YOU PLACE YOUR 'ANNOUNCEMENTS
------ IN THE -------
Mercantile Editions of the Artisan
THEY WILL BE READ BY DEALERS IN
FURNITURE AND KINDRED GOODS ONLY
29
Qrau~Da~i~sDlow Pi~e
an~Dust Arrester (ompauJ
THE LATEST device for bandIin~
shavings and dust from all wood·
working machines. OUf nineteen yf"ars
experience in this class of work has
brought it nearer perfection tban any
other system on the market today. It
is no experiment, but a demonstrated
scientific fact, as we have several
hundred of these systems in use, and
not a poor one among them. OUf
Automatic Furnace Feed System, as
shown in this cut, is tbe most perfect
working device of anything in its line.
Write for our prices for equipment •.
WE MAKE PLANS AND DO ALL
DET AIL WORK WITHOUT EX·
PENSE TO OUR CUSTOMERS
EXHA UST FANS AND PRESSURE
BLOWERS ALWAYS IN STOCK
aCtie. and Fa.ctory:
205-210 Canal Street
GRAND RAPIDS. MICH.
Cttl.2:.... Phone 1282 &"n, II( ..10 1804
OUR AUTOMATIO FURNACE FEED SYSTEM:
~---------- --------------------- -- -- --
30 -"''''MICHIG.7lN •• E a 7IR-TIS'~ \~.
¥ sr- ~
Chair
1daDufa .. tu1"Ct'.r
WARNING TO ALL FURNITURE MANUFACTURERS!
If you want to get on the inside track of some pretty good machinery, glance over this list of
second hand machines we have for sale. If interested, write us for further particulars. We can quote
you prices that will be perfectly satisfactory. These machines were included in the purchase of our
new plant and we have absolutely no use for them. They are all in good condition.
Spiral Table Leg Turner Tenoning Machine 4 WoodTop Saw Tables
WoodTop Edge Jointer Benedict Case Clamp Larae 72 Inch &and keaaw
Table Leaf Jointer ar.d Ripper .f Spindle Table Leaf Roring Boult~.Stroke .Jointer
14 Spindle DoveTailer Machine 24 Inch Joiner
6 Spindle DoveTailer au .... Stroke Jointer
LANGSLOW, FOWLER CO., ROCHESTER., N. Y.
WHY APPRENTICES ARE SCARCE.
Present Conditions Are Not Encouragingto Boys Who Wish
to Learn a Trade.
Why do the boys of today entertain such a dislike for ap-prenticeship?
At no other period in the industrial history of
this country has the lack of apprentices been felt to such an
extent as at the present time. Many of the most skilled
trades are in danger of eHmination through this condition
of affairs_ There are many causes, says Geo. A. Russ. The
usual term of apprenticeship in this country is from three to
four years, though some trades require a training of five and
even six years_ Yau can hardly blame a boy for not devoting
this number of years in learning a trade, when he will receive
no ~ore for his knowledge than will another boy who has
merely "picked up," his trade who perhaps is only proficient
in one branch of the trade. The world now is moving too
rapidly for anyone to take four, five, or six years to learn
a trade.
After a hoy has served four or five years in learning a
trade there is a chance that some one will jnvent an automatic
machine which will do away with his skillfulness entirely.
This is not a theory but a fact such as has been demonstrated
in numerous trades during the last several years.
Low wages is another cause which is damaging to appren-ticeship.
In many trades the reason for the low rate of wages
paid apprentices is that" the great profit derived from appren-tices
is a matter which is given close attention by the em-ployer.
A good example of the foregoing is the rate of pay
laid down for apprentices in the plumbing trades:
First six months _ , , .. $ .50
Second six months, ,... .75
Second year . _ _ _ , .. 1.00
Third year " ....•................. _.. _. .. 1.25
Fourth year _ ,. _ , 1.50
First six months fifth year " 2.50
Last six months fifth year , _.. , , .. 3.00
It will be seen that after an apprentice has begun his
fourth year he receives only $1.50 a day. Just think how un-reasonable
it is to ask a person, who has served four years at
his trade, to work for $1.50 a day. How many practical men
will admit that a man will work for $1.50 a day when he has
been at the trade four years? Imagine a skilled mechanic
with fOUf years' experience working at a job at $1.50 a day,
and his digger receiving $1.75 or $2.'00 sometimes more.
How many young men of 18 to 20 years of age would
work as a mechanic for anything less than $2 a day? Not
many, I dare say.
Another example of the extremely low wages paid appren-tices
is furnished by the printing trade.
Their scale as fixed by some of the larger firms, allows for
the first year one-fourth journeymen's wa~es; second year,
one-third; third year, onc-half; fourth year, two-thirds.
It will be seen by this scale that the earnings of an appren-tice
are so low that it discourages intelligent and ambitious
boys from becoming skilled workers.
Under the apprenticeship system of the earlier days it was
the custom for boys to begin the learning of a trade when
quite young, as a rule 14 years was the usual age at which a
boy was apprenticed. But in recent years the miinmum age
of an apprentice has been raised to from 16 to 18 years. Com-pulsory
school attendance laws and child labor laws have
been leading factors in raising the age at which a boy may
be apprenticed. In the earlier days a boy starting in when
14 years of age would have his trade learned by the time he
was 18 or 19 years of age, Today a boy could not possibly
finish his apprenticeship before he reached the age of 20 or
21 years.
Still another cause for the present dislike ·of apprentice-ship
can be traced to the disintegration of the different trades.
At the present time there is a constant tendency eoward
specialization and simplification of the ,processes within a
trade.
A boy who has served his time as an apprentice and is
qualified as a first class mechanic usually is put at one branch
of his trade and remains there. Along comes another boyar
an ordinary laborer without any training whatever; he is put
alongside of the boy who has served four long years as an
apprentice and is jnstructed in that same branch of the trade.
In a month or so he is earning just as much money as the
other boy_ Under these modern conditions is no wonder then
that a dislike has arisen for apprenticeship.
With, all of these reasons existing against apprenticeship
there still is a good reason for undergoing a period of train-ing
in order to master a trade. A mechanic who has acquir-ed
his craft knowledge by a process of difficult training
possesses a pride of workmanship which cannot be possessed
by the mechanic who has only "picked up" his trade. Then,
again, the mechanic who receives an all iround training is en-abled
to work in all branches of bis craft and thereby is en~
abled to change e.mployments to much ~etter advantage than
the man who knows but one branch of bis trade.
The mechanic who ha"s passed thr~ugh a period of ap~
prentice ship also is more independent, :"nd is better equipped
to combat with the world for existence! than is the man who
who knows only a small part of his trade.
Willard Barnhart Returns.
Willard Barnhart, the president of the Nelson-Matter
Furniture Company, who is also interested in a number of
manufacturing, merchandizing and banking institutions of
Grand Rapids, returned recently with his family from Cali-fornia.
.7IR.-T I.s.7Il"l
@ 7$. 31
CREDITS and
COLLECTIONS
Grand Rapids Office, 412-413 Houseman Bldg.
GEO. E. GRAVES, Manager
CLAPPERTON &. OWEN, Counsel The
THE CREDIT BUREAU OF TilE FURNITURE TRADE
LYON
Furniture Agency
ROBERT P. LYON, General Manager
THE STANDARD REFERENCE BOOK
CAPITAL, CREDIT AND PAY RATINGS
CLEARING HOUSE OF TRADE EXPERIENCE
THE MOST RELIABLE CREDIT REPORTS
SAVING MAY BE A VICE.
COLLECTIONS MADE EVERYWHERE
PROMPTLY-REUABLY
The Man Who Is Unnecessarily Economical Is An "Under-sirable
Citizen."
Can the average man save money? Certainly he can! In
this sentence is embodied one of the greatest sociological
questions of the time-a question that ever is riSillg for an
answer and which ever is as· unsettled as before. Yet the
plain affirmative is not to be challellged in its direct truth.
Then, yoU will say, somethirig must he wrong with the whole
proposition. To which I give another as emphatic affirma-tive:
"\\thy, of course there is-that is the whole trouble."
Like many another twisted great problem, this problem of
money saving has been bandied about by the unthinking
until half its garrulous advocates do not know the first ele-ments
of true saying. As a first proposition they cannot tell
you wlyat money is 1 Yet, arguing from a plane of lofty
ethics, we hear them preaching the: doctrine: of saviug to all
men in a~l conditions of life, as if in the mere spending of
less than one earns, a man is showing his highest duty to
society.
An ethical treatise on the saving of money! One might
as well preach a virtuous sermon on the individual preserva-t.
ions of original sin. If ethics are to figure at all in the sel-fish
proposition, let the question be not: "Can the averagc
man save money?" Put it on the truly ethical basis, "Can
the average man afford to ,save money?" Kat for a moment
would society permit a man to save money at the cost of
ragged, dirty clothing; be becomes a miser-meanest of hu-man
kind--vI7hen he hoards money at :~uch price, says Henry
C. Howland.
Society will not countenance his saving if the means to it
be the pinchillg" of his family's stom.acb. At the moment a
man is known to have a hank account while in studied ways
he is denying himself any of the necessities and many of the
common luxuries of his position, society declares him an Oltt~
law citizen.
Vlilt the conventional preacber of frugality, then, explain
just what he rneallS when he urges the ethics of saving upon
all men? For, manifestly, there are men in tens of thousands
,...h.ose incomes from year to year barely suffice them in liv-ing
decently from hand to mouth.
11y O\vn practical experience of the "\vorid in its fixed ways
would prevent my preaching against saving. But I maintain
broadly that no other oue material doctrine is more lJ]imical
to true ethics than is this civilized and enforced necessity for
saving. Simplicity ;11]d frugality always ",,'ill be virtues; sav-ing
as certainly always will be one of the vices of communtiy
life.
But what is saving in its conventional acceptance? It is
the having of stored wcalth in excess of one's probable needs.
It is perversion of a natural disposition in one to live well
for himself and his family according to his means, and sub-stituting
for this sane materialism a fetich \vorship of money.
For a man merely to put aside money of the present in antlei·
pat ion of a future necessity cannot be called «saving" in its
acceptcd sense; this is a duty which he owes to himself and
to his family. It is when saving becomes hoarding that vic-iousness
enters into the equation.
T"vo friends ate dinner with me a few months ago, Ea·ch
of them was neatly dressed, and noticeably the trousers
worn by each of them had been newly pressed. One of these
men, whom I kn?w to be in poor circumstances, spoke jest-ingly
of what a good job of pressing he had done the night
before. I was expressing admiration of his economy and of
his work ·when my other guest in bantering tones insisted
that he, too, had one just" as well by his O"\vn garment. But
this I disputed "'.·.a. rmly. 'Vhy?
For the rea50n that this second friend wprth several hun-dred
thousand dollars .. always has been a diisciple of saving.
He has narrowed under the influences of saving. This one
blot of "closeness," in his nature is the thing that has es-tranged
many from him while 1, knowing the many sterling
BENNETT& W~TTE
MA~UFACnJRB:RS OF
==LUMBER==
For Furniture Mfrs.• Car Suilders and Carriage Trade.
SJ:~~r :~W~hite and Red Oak 1J~~~e~~ RED and SAP GUM
Poplar. Cottonwood. A$h. Elm
and Chestnut.
A Full Line of Southern Hardwoods, Expod and Domestlo.
WRITE EITHER OFFICE.
Branch: Memphis, Tenn. Main Office: Cincinnati, O.
We sell on National Hardwood Lumber Association
inspection only.
qualities that enter into his manhood, often regret its pre-sence.
Tn the case in point it was meanness only -..vhich
prompted him to save a quarter which in community fairness
should have been paid to some tailor striving to make a liv-ing.
Here is that ever present menace of the spirit of saving.
It requires more character, more judgment, more sense of
proportion, and more of the saving graces of life to determine
just where and when and how much shall be hoarded in fair-
11('.S5 and decency than are involved of these graces in al-most
any other relation in life. "Can the:' avcrage man save
money?" Any man who will be·mean enough, selfish enough,
bard enough, can save money. Can you doubt that state-ment
for a moment? Haven't you seen ::l.; hundred examples
of 1tS truth? But whether or not every, decent, honorable,
manly man can afford to try to save money-that is some-thing
for the individual only to decide.
32
".Rotary style" tor Drop Can'ingll, Embossed. Mouldings, Panel!!.
EMSOSSINQ AND DROP CARVINC MACHINES.
Machines tor all purpolles. and at prices. within the reach of
all. Every machine bas our guarantee a.galost breakage fOr one
year.
"Litteral Style" for Ial"ge capacIty heavy Carvings and Deep
Eml;.ossmgll.
We have tlw Machine you want a.ta -.tbltactory price. Write
for descriptive c1l'culars. Also make dies lor all makes of Ma-cblnell.
UNION EIIlBOSSINO 1Il4CnlNE CO., Indianapolis. Ind.
Johnson's Tally Sheet ~---IFOR---
HARDWOOD LUMBER
NOT LIKE OTHER TALLY SHEETS.
C. A. JO"NSON, Marshfield, Wis.
P. H. :Reddinger Carving WorKs
(Formnly Cincinnati Oarving WOl'k8" Of Cincinnati, 0.)
CARVINGS and FURNITURE ORN AMBNTS
of all kinds.
EV A.NSVILLE. IND.
By sending me a small order I will convince you
that I am the man who can make your carvings.
ONE TRIAL WILL DO THE BUSINESS.
INSIST ON HAVING
norris Wood I Sons' Solid Sttd Olut Joint (uffers
for there are no otberor U ju.rt aJ" good."
They cut a clean perfect joint always. Never burn owing
to the GRADUAL CLEARANCE (made this way only
by us), require little grinding, saving time and cutters.
No time wasted setting up and cost no more than other
makes.
Try a pair and be convinced. Catalogue No. 10 and
prices on application.
MORRIS WOOD'" SONS
Tblr17-two .,.eare at 31-33 S. Caua! Stntet, CflICAGO. ILL.
33
Lignine Carvings Unbreakable
flI PerfeCt reprodudions of. hand calvi~. Full depth of grain. Will. not CHIP, CHECK, CRACK nor
SHRINK. t;lI Stronger Ihan wood, 'lI No wafte in your fadory. CJI Are applied the same as·wood carvings, by
nailing or gluing. f1i' No healing nor steaming. FiMh with nJler oT &:ain. Write for sample and catalogue
showing Capitals, Heads, Shields, Scrolls, Claws, etc. Consider UCNINE carvinga on your new
creations.
ORNAMENTAL PRODUCTS CO., 551 We.t Fort St., Detro;" Mieh.
Fighting the Anti-Rebate Law.
The New York Central Railroad Compal1y has filed two
appeals in the United States supreme court from the decisions
of lower courts in which it was convicted of having violated
the Elkins law by allowing rebates to the American Sugar
Refining Company. The first appeal was filed in April from
!'\ix convictions, for .vhich fines of $108,000 were imposed. In
101 assignments of error made in the case the legality of the
Elkins act is assailed on the grounds, among others, that it
exceeded the power of congress by imputing to a corporation
power to commit an act with criminal intt::nt and to subjE',ct
it to punishment therefor.
In the second C:ise most of the same assignments of error
are reported and an additional claim is made that the act is
void because it imposes unequal and unjust regulations upon
railways engaged in interstate commerce whicb are not im-posed
on interstate carriers by water.
The latest appeal, filed on May 2, is based on a ease in
which the railroad company was convicted and fined $18,000
for paying rebates amounting to $26,141 to LOl,vcll 1\-1. }ialmer,
agent of the American Sugar Refming Company on shipments
of sugar to Detroit, Mich.
New Book "Opportunities."
\Ve ha"'e recently received from the Indu~trial Depart-ment
of the Rock Island-Frisco Lines, a one hundred and
sixty page hook called "Opportunities" which is calculated
to be of great service to any manufacturer or business man
in search of another location, This book cont::Lins a concise
write-up of each town and city along the 13,500 miles of rail-road
embraced in the Rock Island, Frisco and Chicago &
Eastern Illinois Lines, and in parallel columns on the same
page with the description of the community, is given a list
of the existing openings for business houses, factories, mills
and industries of all kinds. Many new towns and cities have
sprung into life along tbe large number at newly constructcd
lines of the Rack Island-Frisco, and partiCUlarly in these com-munities
numerolls fine openings exist. Any furniture, desk
or interior woodwork manufacturer interested in changing
his loca6on can secure a copy by addressing M. Schulter,
Industrial Commissioner, St. Louis, Mo.
Jamestown at Jamestown.
The Jamestown (N. Y.) Lonnge Company will contribute
to the success of the Jamestmvn, (Va.) Exposition by making
a display of their famous "Simplicity" sofa bed and other
pieces in mahogany with "Reliance;' leather. The display
will consist entirely of Colonial patterns.
Car Famine Slightly Relieved.
Lake navigation having opened at Chicago, the railroads
have been relieved of large amount of grain and package
freight and are able to provide a greater number of can; for
other kinds of traffic. "Much embarrassment stilI prevails in
the vVest owing to the shortage.
First class labor i.s salable at full value no\vadays and
there is a good demand for other kinds.
Wood Rapidly Disappearing.
Every person in the lTr.;ied States is using over si:-;:tilll('s
as much wood as he would use if he were in Europc. Thc
country as a whole consumes every year between three and
four times more wood than .all of the forests of the United
States grow in the meantime. The average acre of forest
lays up a store of only 10 cubic feet annually, whereas it
Made by Ma.nuaI Training Depa.rtment, Grand
Rapids Public Schoole.
ought to be laying up at lea.st 30 cubic feet .in order to furn-ish
the products taken out of it. Since 1880, more than
700,000,000,000 feet of timbcr have been cut lor lumber alone,
including 80,000,000,000 feet of coniferous timber in excess of
the tota.l coniferous stumpage estimate of the census in 1890.
34
Miscellaneous Notes.
The Sowell Furniture Company of Columbia, S. C. has
been declared bankrupt.
H. C. Warsh of Rockford, Tll. has sold bis picture frame
and rritre b~x plant to A. S. RubI. .
The Graham & Davis Manufacturing Company, vVindfic1d,
Ind. 15 in the hands of a receiver.
The Roos Fuurniture COm\lany of Mishaw::.ka, Ind. has
changed the name to the Beiger Furniture Con pany.
The Dentser furniture factory, Beaumont, Tex. recently
destroyed by fire will be rebuilt on an enlarged scale.
P. K. Sapanoff and others have incorporated the Royal
Stair Cushion Company of Brooklyn, N: Y. Capital, $50,000.
Abraham Hartman furniture dealer, Columbia street New
York has made an assignment.. ,Liabilities, $4,200; asse.ts,
$1,2\)0.
Chittenden & Eastman of Burlington, la., are preparing to
construct a five or six story building to be used as a chair
factory.
Strauss & Son:~ furniture dealers 01 Jackson, Miss, have
been adjudged.hankrupt. Assets, about '$10,000; liabilities,
$17,000.
The Rockford, Ill. exposition project is not making rapid
progress. The promoters, however deClare that it has not
heen abandoned.
The Turnbull, Cameron, Degler Company, furniture deal-ers,
of Superior, Wis. have increased their' capital stock from
$18,CCQ to $30,OCO.
O.L. Knox who recently retired from the Knox-\Valker
Furniture Company of Pine Bluff, Ark. has resumed the
management of the business.
The upholsters strike in St. Patti, l\tlinn. has been scttled
on the open shop basis. The men tetun~cd to work on April
15 at an increase of ten per cent in wages.
Alex. H. Revell of Chicago is chairman of a special com-mittee
that is to solicit the offering of special premiums at the
National Corn Exposition to be held in that city in October.
Those Georgia furniture manufacturers who were charged
with peonage for importing Germans to work in the fac-tories
at Newniil.t1,have been acquitted -hy a jury in the feder-al
court.
Citiiens of Fond du Lac, ·Wi"., having ralsed a bonus of
$32,OCO for the Wisconsin Art Cabinet Company, the mana-gers
. have discarded the ideabf tnoviilg the factory to
Plymouth.
The AssI'H.>.\ation of Extension Table Manufacturers will
hold a meeting in New York Oil :.\hy 30.-31. After the meet-ing
the members will-take arLocean trip to the Jamestow:l
ExpositiO'l':
Creditor's bf the Chicago Case and Cabinet Company, in-stigated
it is said, by ;dissatisfied stockholders and officials,
have filed a petition asking that the' ci)n~ern be thrown into
bankruptcy.
The Kuehner Br6thers 01 Freeport, IlL recently celebrated
the fiftieth anniversary of their factory, which is the SltC-
~essor of a little cabinet shop established by their father,
Darius Kuehner in 1857.
The J. H. Crane Furniture Company of St. Louis, Mo. has
executed a de.ed of trust to H. S, Tuttle, for the benefit of
creditors. The assets and liabilities are supposed to about
equal-estimated at $100,000.
ehas. -V.l. Luce-firm name C. W. Luce & Co.-furniture
dealer of Gloucester, Mass. has made-an assignment, As;:;ets,
$200,O(lO; liabilities, $130,000. Arthur Long, of Heywood Bros.
& Wakefield, Boston, is the assignee.
The buildings formerly occupied by the Grand Rapids,
Cv1ich.) Brass and Iron bed Company have been leased, for
three years to A. C. Terrell and C. V.' Klassen, who,
will install new machinery ar.d manufacture sheet metal
products. '
Get, Next to the Real Boss.
If the man you work for did.not have some'worthy char-acter
the chances are he would not be your boss. Study him.
Find out what it is has made him a success. Get "next" to
his peculiarities. Every successful COl~cern has a personality
behind it which is different. Sometimes the leading spirit is
not the proprietor. It 111aybe an employe, or a wife, or a
sister says Seth 'Brown in the New York Commercial.
r knew a firm 0 brothers who astonished every- one by
their b·old strokes, a1 d almost everything they touched turned
out to t~e good. 1 ey took first place, and the magnitude
of their enterprise u1tipli"ed until every ot"'.estood up and
took notice. Natur lly there was a good many people who
\vanted to get into he good graces of this successful :l1r01,
and the number of p opositions presented to them was large.
\Vhich one of the brothers had the "say" was the ques-tion.
The older brother was a pleasant chap and would
listen patiently and-"take the matter under consideration."
I was one who had a proposition. The brother seemed to
like my plan, ar:u he seemed to like me, but was'always unde-cided
and 1 could not close with him. He talked as if he
"vas the OllC to decide, but it all cnded in talk
- Date Created:
- 1907-05-10T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Rapids Public Library (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
- Collection:
- 27:21
- Subject Topic:
- Periodicals and Furniture Industry
- Language:
- English
- Rights:
- © Grand Rapids Public Library. All Rights Reserved.
- URL:
- http://cdm16055.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p16055coll20/id/123