Collection: 27:23 / Institution: Grand Rapids Public Library (Grand Rapids, Mich.) / Topic: Furniture Industry - Detroit Housewives League

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You searched for: Collection 27:23 Institution Grand Rapids Public Library (Grand Rapids, Mich.) Topic Furniture Industry

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1. Michigan Artisan; 1907-06-10

Notes:: Issue of a furniture trade magazine published in Grand Rapids, Mich. It was published twice monthly, beginning in 1880. and GKAND f ''In 'n, RAPIDS ! ., \. J I" I! {i J") l'i! ' 'I,:, r01f j d I Twenty-seventh Year-No. 23 JUNE 10, 1907 Semi-Monthly You Want the Best ~WE HAVE IT-----. g Greatestspeedand highestpolish, g Pays 200 % per annum on the amountinvested. g Will sand with the grain and requireno retouchingby hand. g No troubleto answerquestions. Write for Catalog E Wysong & Miles Co. Greensboro.N. C. No. 166 SAND BELT MACHINE CEDAR ST. AND so. R. R. The Best Truck==TheStrongest Truck This is the famousGillette Roller BearingFa~t;'~y Truck-the truck on which it is said. "One man can move a load of 3000 pounds while with the olher trucks It takes three men," This is the truck fhat is strong where others are weak-the truck that has an unbreakable' malleable iron fork. This is the truck YOU are lookingfor if youwish to invest in rather than waste money on factory , trucks. Gillette Roller Bearing CO. ORAND RAPIDS, MICHIOAN The Llghte.t Running, Longest Lasting Truck .,.---------------rg WHEN PROPERLY USED heeler's Patent Wood Filler i. c:heaper than any other wood flUe!' on the market. even if sold for only half ill tlI'ice per pound. q Thil fa.:! we etaDd teady to prove by actual teSts by Pf*dicalmen rillht in your own factory. fJ If inlerefted ill obtaining a superior finish at IlII economical COlI, write, Uld we will ao fully rolo tile matter. THE BRIDGEPORT WOOD FINISHING CO•• New MlllorG. Conn. New York; Chicago: Philadelphia: Boston. I, A Final Thought on 1fIII'IIIIII Application __ •__ ........ Finish, In this serieswe have discussedFinish--:'as a factor in furniture sales,from the standpoint of Elegance, of Tone, of Character, of Consistency, and last but not least-of Profit. And in each of these talks was a distinct suggestion of profit to the manu-facturer who was alert, progressive and sufficiently receptive to make the personal application. Of these there have been many. And thosewho have applied the suggestions and investigatedthe differences in polishing varnishesare now applying to their furniture output-greater varnish satisfactionthan they have ever before known-i. e.- Andrews' Polishing Varnishes These varnishesare the application of our more than half a century's experience in the mahing of fine Varnishes. There's pleasure in their application, to the workman, in the evenness and ease with which they .worh and rub-and in the dependable uniformity of results. He knows when he gets through with a piece that it is done-' a fin-ished finish. There's profit in their application (reduced factory cost in the finishing department), as they do not sweat, nor check, nor crack, nor cloud, nor bloom. They are completil3lypurified-thoroughly seasoned-rigidly tested-they are different-'-andyours is the profit-in I "The Polish That Holds'" Your inquiry~ill facilitate the direct application of these sound and profitable "ThoughtsonFinish;" Write uS;this time, if you did not before-and let our nearby representative.call soon' arid tell you all you want to know concerning Andrews' Polishing Varnishes. Pratt' <D.. Lambert Varnish Mahers NewYorh London Buffalo . Paris Chicago Hamburg -------------------- ~----- 1 EARLY ENGLISH ART NOUVEAU Our Early English Spartan Stain con-tinues to hold its popularity and has be-come a strong favorite with both manufact-urers and dealers in high grade furniture. In the peculiar beauty of shade is found one of the reasons for the great and increasing demand for this finish. If you have not tried these stains write at once for sample of our Early English Spartan Stain No. 830' This shade has been the choice of discriminating dealers and manufacturers. "A New Art" •••The very newest method in Mahogany Finishing. Art Nouveau will produce in one operation the same re-sults heretofore requiring four operations. It is a stain and liller combined; dries well and can be shellaced and varnished same day if desired. HAVE YOU EVER TRIED OUR SPARTAN TURPS A POST THE CARD Will bring you detailed information reprdiIUl allY wood liniih desired, or if \her~ is '" ftaill 01 filler yeU woo to try we shall take pleasure in IIelldinlll you a salllple with full imtruc!tion.s for usinll: 88tDe. MARlETT A PAINT and COLOR COMP'Y MARIETTA, OHIO Sparlan Turps i; one of our own products and j,:, undeni-ably one of th", besl thiOl;l5 l:nown to the finisher for reduciull' Varnishes. Stains Paints. elc. It is the mo!!: perfeCl: wtvent known. These Specialties are used all Over the World Hand Feed GlueJng Machlne (Pat. pending.) Eight lItyles and. sizes. Veneer :Presses, all kinds and sizes. Veneer Presses Glue Spreaders Glue Heaters Trucks, Elc" Efc. WnmI·Wnrking Machinery and Supplies .~ Power Feed Glue Spreading Machine, (Patent applied for.) Single, Double Rud Combination. LET US KNOW YOUR WANTS 419·421 E. Eighth St. C"AS. E. FRANCIS &. BRO.D CINCINN4TI. O. No. 6 Glue Heater. The Originality of our work is one of its chief characteristics. Do You Want Something Original? WE BUILD HIGH GRADE CATALOGS COMPLETE White Printing Co. 2 to 20 Lyon Street GRAND·RAPIDS. MICH. ENGRAVING PRINTING BINDING 2 Our No. 156 Cabinet Smoothing Planer is the acme of the planer idea. That IS not "Him flam" but it is founded on obvious fads. Let us enumerate the points in the coniltrudion of this planer upon which we base . our claim. 1st. The table is set on inclines operated by parallel screws mounted on ball bearings. These inclines have inde-pendent adjustment so that the surface of the table can be kept parallel with the knives. 2nd. The feed rolls are driven down and every gear is keyed to shahs·-· no Studs are used. 3rd. The cylinder runs between Sectional Clamp Bearings which never get out of order and which never have to be re-babbiued. Any looseness in the bear-ings from wear can be instantly taken up by simply loosening the clamp bolts and pressing down the plates with the hand. Get full descriptive circular. It will tell you all. When you know this machine fully you will have no other. I The King of Planers The H'orJd} Stazukrd for Woodwor:l<in!/lfaclainery. 27th Year-No. 23. GRAND RAPIDS, MICH., JUNE 10, 1907. $1.00 per Year. EFFECT OF UNTAXED ETHYL ALCOHOL. Methyl Prices Down Fifty Per cent and Many Manufacturers Using the Denatured Article. The law exempting alcohol from internal revenue tax. when withdrawn from bonded warehouses, denatured and used under rules and regulations prescribed by the govern-ment authorities, has now been in torce nearly six months-since January 1. That it has been of great advantage to those who use alcohol for other than medicinal or beverage purposes, is shown by the fact that the denatured article is no"", sold at about 37 cents per gallon, while: pure ethyl or grain alcohol of 180 degrees proof or strength costs $2.55, and methyl or wood alcohol, which formerly cost 80 or 85 cents, is no",; sold for 40 cents, the manufacturers having been ob-liged to meet the lower price of the denatured grain orvege-table product. \VhiJe manufacturers and people generally are pleased with the law 2nd its effects there is considerable criticism of the manner in ,,,,hieh it is enforced. The law of itself is brief, but the rules and regulations prescrib~d by the internal reve-nue offici[lls [lre so numerous, stringent, technical and compb-cated that it requires an expert on the subject of "law ;'l11d liquor" lo undcrst,and and comply with the requirements. They are even more elaborate and more difficult to interpret than are the 1a".·.5., rules and regulations relative to the manu-facture and sale of whiskey and tobacco. The red tape-bonding, gauging, marking, mixing, book-keeping, reporting, elc.-is annoying to distillers, owntrs of bonded v,rarchouses and dealers and equally or lIlore so to manufacturers who use tbe denatured article to the extent of more than 11fty gallons per month. The manufacturer ..v.ho uses less than fifty gallolls per rncnth is not bothered by the red tape. He lllay buy his supply from any licensed dealer or distiller anI does not have to secure license or give bonds, make reports nor provide and maintain a -"denatured alcohol store room." The manufacturer ".'·.h. o usues an aver-age of more than fifty gallons per mOll_th, must have a license and if he wishes to have hi;; alcohol d(>natured \vith any other formula than tllat prescribed for ge1leral use by the goverl1- ment-ten per cent alcohol and one per cent henzine-he must give a bond so conditioned that in case he fails to com-ply with all the requirements of the law, rules and regula-tions he must pay the full amount of the internal revenue tax on all alcohol that he uses during the year. The manufacturers who use more than fifty gallons per month of alcohol denatured by the general formula and those who use that denatured by a special formula must also pro-vide and maintain a "denatured alcohol stale room" and des-ignate som('body to act as custodian of the same. They must keep records showing the date when each order of alcohol is received, the number aud size of packages in the shipment, the name and numbc;r of the distiller, the name of the gauge:-, the serial numbers on the packages, the serial numbers on the dcnatured alcobol stamps, the number of wine gallons and the number of proof gallons. All these entries mllst be made wl1en the alcohol is received and deposited in the "denatured alcohol store room" at the factory. The st0re rooms in each revenue district must be numbered and each must have a sign above the door reading "Denatured AlcohOl Store Room No. On the other side of the record, under the head of "Dis-posed of --" the manufacturers must write the date when the packages are opened for use and repeat the entries, rela-tive to namcs of distillers, numbers on packages, stamps, etc, Before the tenth day of each month the manufacturers must take an inventory of their store rooms, and make a transcript of their records which must be sworn to by the custodian and forwarded as a report to the collector of inter-nal revenue for the district in which the factory is located, This report shows the numbers of packages received and the numbers of those opened for use during the previous month and also the number on hand at the end of the month. The manufacturers must not mix completely denatured al~ cohol with that which is specia.11y denatured, nor with wood alcohol. They are not allowed to dilute it, but as the rules 5ay, "it must go into manufacture or consumption exactly in the same condition as when it left the denaturer." All permits, bonds, etc., expire with the government's fis- (Continued on Page 6,) THE CORRECT Stains and fiUers. THE MOST SATISFACTORY first Coaters and Varnishes 4 ·"~MICHIG... .7I7-N - f Reprehensible Trade Journal Methods. 1\0 stronger evidence of the valuelessness of a trade paper as an advertising medium can be presented than tbat of soli-citing upon the strength of sales of machinery or other goods which may be brought about through the influence 0) of the paper's representative, says a writer in the Paper Trade J otlrn-al. It is at once a frank confession of the lack of the essential qualities upon which the advertising value of any publication must of necessity depend-a bona fide subscription list ~nd that influence which comes through prestige. Surprising as it appears, shrewd manufactur"ers have been beguiled into signing advertising contracts upon implied or expre;;,sed promises of desirable business to be secured only through the personal influenc-c of the advertising solicitors. Prospects of big orders are frequently held out as bait; dis-creet reference is made to mills in which the solicitor is or is to be, interested. The position of purchasing agent in'some prospective mill is hinted at, as well as various other seductive references to conditions through which the solicitor can make it worth while for the advertiser to "sign up." Back of every such proffer is always the reversal' of the proposition, im-plied or not, that if the advertisement is not placed the desir-able business will be received by a rival manufacturer. Stripped of all imputations of thJ;"eat against the prospec-tive advertiser, if he does not come in, there remains a mani-fest injustice to the manufacturer already advertising in the paper, for obviously if the solicitor of any publication can influence business of any kind, this influence should be thrown to the manufacturer who is spending his money with the pub-lication. The solicit01 who hawks around a prospective order as a bait for a new advertisement injures the present advertiser who might have secured the order had the solicitor kept hands off. Naturally, the representative who resorts to such CHOICE BIRD'S EYE I Veneers CUT RIGHT. DRIED RIGHT. WHITE WRITE us. FOR S.AMPl-ES. GRAND RAPIDS VENEER WORKS, ;,~t~'~A':.·P•.ID practices is not averse to "turning an honest penny," and sug-gestions of commissions on orders have frequently been made. "Part of traveling expenses" in return for good offices which the solicitor will exercise ""hen "among the mills" has been proposed, No publisher of legitimate trade papers sanctions or per-mits the practice of this buncombe and injustice, with which many advertisers in this field have become acquainted. Re-ferring to the matter some time ago a victim expressed dis-appointment over such a deal. "We cannot recall a prom-ise of any specific order, but running all through the conver-sation of the solicitor was certainly an implied promise for business that we should secure and which never materialized. Naturally we discontinued our advertisement at expiration of the contract." It goes without saying that any inquiry for goods or ma-chinery which comes into the office of a legitimate publica-tion, through the solicitor or otherwise, is referred to all ad-vertisers in those lines, thus giving the manufacturers who are spending their money with the publication the fullest measure of service. Advertisers who are approached with the bait o( "a pro-spective order!! in trade for an advertising contract will do well to remember that once their advertisement is secured, other orders which they might get in the natural course of business may be drawn away from them, to be traded for a new advertisement. The publication which cannot secure advertising patronage upon its merits is certainly not worth consideration. Prudential Club Members Fined_ On May 20 Judge Landis of the United State District COLlrtin Chicago, pronounced sentence upon members of the Prudential Club, composed of manufacturers of church and school furniture, who had pleaded guilty to the charge' of maintaining a combination in violation of the Sherman' anti-trust law. Before imposing sentence Judge Landis said: "Tn this matter the indictments contain each three counts, but there is only one offense charged. In a general w:!.~.- this offense is entering into a conspiracy in restraint of trade. The terms of the Sherman law, I had assumed the business men of the United States were familiar with. "They used the 'assist' or 'straw" bid, the object of which is to deceive a seller or a purchaser of property. In this case, when an assignment of a contract was made by Holbrook to a company in the combination, the intended purchaser of church or school furniture was made to believe that there was real competition, when in fact brother members of the combination received quiet tips to put in bids, but their bids were to exceed the one of the company to which the contract had been assigned by Holbrook. "To my mind this is the most contemptible feature of the whole transaction. I have seen that kind of trick in practi-cal operation, and it is very nasty. When I reflect upon the methods resorted to I wonder why it is men engage in such a business to get money." 1<1 find in this case that the real offenders are the big of-fenders. As for the small concerns, it becomes my duty to avoid closing up such institutions, and it seems that severe punishment would force some of them into bankruptcy. To keep them in independent operation is the only hope the consumers have against the big concerns." The court then ordered that the respondents be' required to pay fines as follows: A H. Andrews company, Chicago $5JOOO F. H. Holbrook, "managing director" of the Prudential Club , ".... 5,000 Superior Manufacturing Company, 1Iuskegon, Mich .... 1,000 Owensboro Seating & Cabinet Company, Owensboro, Ky .. .. Southern Seating & Cabinet Company, Jackson, Tenn _. Cincinnati Seating Company, Cincinnati- . Fridman Seating Company, New Richmond, Ohio : H. C. Vaught Sons & Co., Parker City, lnd _ Minneapolis Office & School Furniture Company, Minne-apolis, 1finn. _ , 2,250 Illinois Refrigerator Company, Morrison 111. 1,750 Peabody School Furniture Company, North Manchester, Iud , .. Haney School Furniture Company, Grand Rapids, Mich. Hudson School Furniture Company, Logan, W. Va ... Cotton Belting All Right in Its Place. "High speed wood working machines can be driven with cotton belting very satisfactorily "remarked John Waddell of the Waddell Manufacturing Company. "It does not run so well on cones, on account of the lack of the stiffness ne-c. essary in be.lting in changing the speed by shifting." --_._- 1,500 1,500 2,000 500 500 1,000 500 500 ---------------------------------- -- - The Pittsburg Plate Glass Company MA.NUFACTURERS AND JOBBER$; 01" Pla.in and Beveled Mirrors. Polished Plate. Bent Glass. Plate Glass for Desks and Table Tops. CARR.ARA GLASS a new product like poHshed white marble. Our facilities for supplying furniture manufacturers with everything in plate Glass, rough or poLished, large or small, will be understood when we state that we have eight glass factories, extending from Pennsylvania to Missouri, and fourt~n Mirror Plants located as follows: New YOl'K Boston Philadelphia &uffalQ Chicago Clnolnftatl St. Louts Minneapolis Atlanta. Kokomo. Ind. Davenport Crystal Ci~y.Mo. Ford CIf,.. Pa. Kansas CUy.Mo. High Point, N. C. Largest Jobbers of Wihdow Glass in the World Also, our 23 jobbing houses carry beavv stocks in aU lines of glass, paints, varnishes and brushes and are located in the cities named below. New York-Hud!!iou and Vandam 8t8. Baltimore--221-223 W. Pratt Street. B08t00-41.-49 !SudburY, 1-9 Bowker. St&. Bulralo-372-4-6-8 Pearl Street. Cbicago-142~452 '\"abtVJh Avenue. Brooklyn-63S and 6'31 Fulton Street. Cincinnati-Broadway Ilnd Court 8t8, Philadelphia-Pitcairn Building, Arch St. Loui-Cor. 7th Bnd Market Stij. Hnd Eleventh Still. Minneapolls-500-MO S. TWrd St, . J)avenport--UO~416 Scutt Street. J)(ltroit-53-fHi La:tned St., E, Cleveland-14S0-4 West Third Street. Grand Rapidll, Mlcb.-39-41 N. Divlshm Omaha-1608~10-12 lIarmlly Stl'eet. St. St. Paul-.'J49-lil MInnesota Street. l"itbibnrgb-lOl-103 Wood Street. Atlanta, Ga.-30, 82 and 84 S. Pryor St. J\)i)WHnkee, Wis-i92-494 Market St. Slniannah. Ga.-745-749 1Vbeaton Street. Rochester, N. Y.-Wilder Building, Main Kausa8 City-Fifth and Wyandotte 8ts. and Exchange Sts. Ril'minJ(hnm. AIR- 2nd Ave. Rnd 29th St. Sole distrlbutera of PATTON'S SUN PR.OOF PA[NTS Wire GIIU;5Best Protection Against Fire It needs no argument to show what advantages may be derived from dealing directly with us, AGENTS POR THE CQULSON PATENT CORNER. POSTS AND BARS. Wood Forming Cutters HOFFMAN BROTHERS COMPANY 804 W. Main Sf.. FORT WAYNE, INDIANA MANUFACTURERS OF HARDWOOD LUMBER &. VENEERS SPECIALTIES: ~t\\?iPE'5QUARO.AK VENEERS MAHOGANY VENEERS We offer exceptional value in Reversible and One-Way Cutters for Single and Double Spin-dle Shapers. Largest lists v,.ith lowest prices. Greatest variety to select from. Book free. Address SAMUEL J. SHIMER & SONS MIL TON. PENNSYLVANIA, U. S. A. IndianapoUa, In.diana Write for Information, Prices Etc. The Universal Automatic CARVING MACHINE ==== PERFORMS THE WORK OF 25 HAND CARVERS ~nd does the Work Batter than it can 11eDOJ'eb)l Hand MADE BY Ready for Delivery· ••The Classified White Directory of the Manutacturer:i of Furniture, Pianos, Organs, Bedding, Interior Finishes and kindred Trades. WHITE PRINTING CO., G..a.nd Rapid.. Mich. - - 5 (, -- ---- Power Saved Cut the Corners Labor Saved YOUR DRY KILN IS RESPONSIBLE FOR 20% OF YOUR WASTE. Our new drying process will cut this percentage in two. Swirls and knots dried as straight, and planed as smooth as clear lumber. Warping, Checking and honeycombing absolutely prevented. All this in half the time, with half the power and half the la,bor now required. Looks good, doesn't it. And we gua,ra,nteeto make it good, in a,n old kiln or a,new one. Write us, Your dull season is at ha,nd-just the time to remodel your old kiln or build a,new one with the least inconvenience. GRAND RAPIDS VENEER WORKS Dept.K Waste Grand Rapids,Michigan Saved Time Saved (Continued from Page 3.) cat year-June 3D-and must be renewed the same as liquor or tobacco dealers' licenses. Some of the Grand Rapids fur-niture manufacturers who filed their applications last winter did not receive their permits until after June i-just about when they should be applying for permits tor next year. The records in the office of the collector of internal revenue show that most of them have taken Qut permits, established their store rooms and otherwise com.plied with the require-. ments of the government rules and regulations. The fore-man of the finishing room is usually designated as the cus-todian of the store room. Heystek & Canfield of Grand Rapids, Mich, who have qualified as wholesale dealers in denatured alcohol, report that it is rapidly supplanting wood alcohol for use in the furniture factori{'s. Their sales for factory use are usually in five harrel lots and the pn.>.sentprice is 37 cents per gallon. They claim that the furniture makers prefer the denatured article because it "goes farther." It docs not evaporate so rapidly and therefore there is less waste. They concede that wood alcohol is the better drier, or, rather, that it dries more rapidly, but claim that rapid drying is not always desir-able- that it is 11(1t always conducive to durable finish. An-other point in favor of denatured alcohol is that it does not injure the eyes of the workmen who use it. Vi/ood alcohol is known to have nearly destroyed the sight of workmen who llsed it without proper care. W. P. Wllllams, who represents Berry Brothers in Grand Rapids, says that he cannot see that the introduction of de-natured alcohol has had alJ~' effect on his trade in wood al-cohol. ';V\Te are seHing just as much of it as we ever did." he saiJ. "That it is better than the denatured article is shown by the fact that \ve are ~ettitlg 40 cents a g-allon for it, white the other is sold at 37 cents. Grain ~lcohol is oily; the finishers do_not like it because it dries too slowly." H. B. Fairchild, manager of the ITazeltir:e & Perkins Drug Company, wholesalers, Grand Rapids, states very few retail druggists are handling denatured a1c0hol. "They ob-ject to the complicated rules -and regulations," he Ea.id, "and when we offer them wood alcohol at 40 cents or denatured at 37 cents they take the wood product, rather than be bothered with the permits, keeping records and making monthly re-ports." The manufacturers of and dealers in wood alcohol are said to be pushing their product more strenuously than ,ever. They have not only met the price of the competing article, but art' using every means available to convince conSumers that wood alcohol is more economical and gives better results than the grain or vegetable product, I1 Syndicates Are Not So Popular. Syndicates of late have been more or less exclusive in their make-ups, differing materially from two or three years ago, when brokerage house6, individuals, and all sorts of per-sons had a part in the formation of syndicates. Many men who were always on the list for syndicate participations have been missed from those lists for sor.e time. Certain brokerage houses were always offered a participation in syn~ di;:ates having their origin in certain banking houses, hut bad losses in one or two syndicate ventures discouraged them, ~l~dthey have ceased to be a factor in that particular branch of tre investmetlt or speculative markets. Not so long ago it was accepted as a certainty that membership in a syndi-cate meant big profits, somedmes without the necessity of putting up the full participation in actual cash. As a matter of fact. a majority of the syndicates in the last year or so have re~lized profits for their members, but a few spectacular installces on the other side have operated to elminate the popularity of the syndicate as a healthy investment.-Banker and Tradesman. EXPENSIVE ECONOMY. Experience of the Manufacturer Who Tried to Utilize Second- Hand Machinery. 1 have just !'icen the conclusion of a ca!:ie of "smat"tness" on an owner's part that is amusing, though it has a most serious side for one of the owners of the concern. Two southern factories were started within a stone's throw of each other. made the same class of goods, and llscd the same niachinery as far as possible. One mill, whose owner admitted that he did not know anything about the principle of machines, and only wanted results, took a salesman at his word. and, on a guarantee that his machine would do certain \\'ork at cer-tain feed, bought it and pt\t it in. By the way, it was a sur-facer, for two-side work. The other man laughed at him, and said be was the easiest thing- for a stick machinery sales-man that he had ever secn. So, he, the party of the second part, as it \"ere, invest<:;d in a second-hand machine, that was "as good as ne..v.," and had been run only eight or ten y<:;;usby every bum of a feeder in the tOWll. But he could make any machine eome up to the work of any of these new-fangled notions on surfacers. So, he got the second-hand machine. 1n the course of time, both hctorles were ready to run, and both of the planers had an even start. They have been running for a year, and here is the result: The first factory has had its surfacer running day in and day out and for the last five months it has heen making the regular three lJjghts a week with a half night extra on the surfacing for custom \'Vork. It 118s been running for the greater part of the time on a feed of 20 icet a minute, the fast feed of leO fec.t being so fast that the truckers could not keep it out of the way, nor could the two band saws furnish it with stock to keep up the feed. It t;.lkes two men to feed jt, and four to take care of the lumber on the i1nishing end, and it has co"t absolutely nothing but- the oil ~ince it started nearly a year ago. The same belts are on it, and, from their looks, it is fair to assume they arc good fOf' two years more. That is the simple tale of one of them. Then the other! "Listen to my talc of woe!" The first machine "va~ too light, it wa, conceded, but it was next to nothing in cost, and in dressing }i-inch and 9/s-inch stock, it was heavy enough. Perhaps. that \>,'as so, but \-vhen it is retnembered that much of this :hi-inch stock was from dog-boards and miscl1ts, and the machine frequently had to cut down I-inch or 1.'ih-inch to %-inch at one run, it wilt he seen that it took a pretty stout machine to stand up to the work. This machine stood for a time, but, one by onc, the litLk g"ean, \vore out, the teeth broke off, and, one evil day, with a heavy cut, one of the teeth on an upper gear broke off, dropped in between the next pair and the machine split in two clear across the frame, bent all the studs on the gears in the train and \'v"reeked the machine entirdy. (t is now in the scrap heap. Another old machine was substituted. and it did fairly well until the stlHls iri it gave way under the strain, and after two months of dubious service, it, too, went to the ll1-i1l bone yard. :Vleantin::e, the boss had c1iscovered a peach of a hJ.rgain ill a big surfacer way up in l\lichigan in one of the mills that had "cut out" and quit. I-Ie got it for ju~t half of what the JJew machine in the other mill had cost. and, as it was ex-acHy of the same size, it was just the thing. Big and heavy, it looked strong etlOugh to stand the gaff of such work, <ind it elme. Can you imagine what a machine would look like ami wbat condition it would be in if it had been "laid by" twenty years ago, -without anytlling having been dOlle to put it in repair? And it was pnt on skids and shipped just as it was. The machine and all its parts had been having a game of 7 hide and seek hy the tin-.e it got to the milL The counter-sbaft had gone through thc shaving hood and the box of kniv~s, and they had been gamc enough to hang Onto part of what w~~nt through them, as they held on to thl:_ rim of two of the pulleys and cracked thc others. The knives suf-fered a good deal in the encounter, as they had gaps in them 11ntil they resembled a reape.r blade. V..n,en they were ex-amined for w~ight, they were five ounces out on one set and nine ounces out on anothcr set. That was'on "dead weight" only \vhik tl/(cir differe1lce ill H,idth on the ends must have mnde them a good pound out. Can you imagine the condition of a machine laid by for "bout twenty years? \\,'ith a badly sprung journal on the top cylinder, the box on that end showing it by being worn down into the: casting, ridges fully le inch deep in the jour-nals, gear loo.'ic ill several places, the complicated wedge tog-gle of the enclosed bottom cylinder bent, and out of the little clamps holding it in pcsition, the feed rolls worn all out of line, boxes needing new metal, the whole machine had that indefinable air of being a "has-bcen." This was the condition of the machjne whell unloaded. Further examirJation bore out the \vorst fears for its condi-tion, the attempt to run it being but a story of trouble and wony, expense and no results. But the main mechanical Designed by Otto Jiranek, Grand Rapida, Miell. man of the factory was clearly "nutty" on the subject of second-hand machines. He would rather lose money on a :\ccond-hand machine than to make it on a ncw one if he could only break even sooner or later. Yow for results: A stl-aight year of a trial is enough to tell most any story. The one mill have run their modern machine. for \...h..ich they paid something like $1,400 before it was in Ttlnl1ing shape in the mill, getting a straight year's Ser-vice at a fast feed, :finc work, and no'~ a dollar of repairs. The second man has had a year of wony,vcxation, loss and 1,0 lumber drcssed. T",·,o machines ot a cost of $900 have been totally mined. Anolhcr machine at a cost of nearly $700 has taken their place, giving intermittent service, spend-ing a good part of the time between the mill and the shop. It has C01-1t over $100 to get it to its present conditiori, in ad-dition to its original pt-ice. And there is nothing to repre-sent it but a complicated pile of ",'(Jrn-out machine that had better he in the junk man's hands. To sum up, the Erst man paid ab6ut $1,400 for something that has p"id him well, because he wa" satisfied he did not kllo\- .... enough to tell an "ble me(:hanic what was best for a n".ill, and the second man lws nothing to show for it but a. pilt:' of scrap. One man has as smooth a running factory as you could find in the !;tate, though he seldom goes into it, while the other one has a junk shop, with an assortment of every conceivable sort of pulley, size of shafting and freak of drive that can be imag"ined or constructed. The first mill waf; put in from a well-defined plan, and is still running that \-V,ly, wbile the second has undergone its third complete trans-formation.-- Exchange. Vose & Everett haVE:closed out their furniture and carpet bttsi!H~sS at Compton, Cal. 8 Envelope Slip Is a Nuisance. "Advertising is good in its place, and a necessity in busi-ness all 'l"ight/' said the treasurer, " but there's such a thing as carrying it too far. "Look at this envelope. A few days ago I wrote this firm asking if they would not send us a check for the money due us. In reply I received this answer, There was two cents postage due on it. Opening the envelope I found six circu-lars about their different fans and ventilators, a slip advising us to hurry and place our order. and three copies of testi-monial letters from Users of their goods. I had to look over all this stuff to find a short note saying they would remit in a few days." "Now what do you suppose they sent all those circulars to me for? I don't know anything about fans and ventilators. My specialty is greenbacks and silver dollars, and how to get enough of them for the payrolls. We have a purchasing agent, and that firm knows it, yet every letter from them, no matter what department it is for, is filled with printed matter. Of course it goes into ·the waste hasket, and is just so much money wasted." The above is quoted to call attention to the fact that many firms are making a mistake in their method of sending out circulars. It is the rule in soIDe offices not to send out a letter unless some printed matter is enclosed. Usually a series of slips are printed in suc_h form as to just fit the en-velopes, and anywhere from one to a dozen are enclosed in each letter. Whether this kind of advertising has a value proportionate to its cost is a question. When a man receives a letter he wants to know what it is about, and whether it requires an answer. His mind is taken up with the subject matter of the letterj and unless the enclosed circulars are connected with that subject matter, they receive scant attention. In nine cases out of ten they are thrown into the waste basket without being read. 1t '\vould be well to look into this method care-fully, and fwd out if a large percentage could not be eli.minat-ed, saving money for the sender and time for the receiver.- C. C. Prescott, New York Leads in Bills of Lading Frauds. At a meeting of the national Commission on Uniform State laws, held in Philadelphia recently, a proposed act to provide for uniform bills of lading was considered, It was drafted by Professor Samuel Williston of the law school of Harvard University, It has the effect of placing bills of lad-ing, as negotiable instruments nearly all on a par with pro-missory notes. Discussion of the measure by representatives of railroad, banking, commercial and maritime interests showed that the consensuS of opinion was in favor of the principles of the bill. There were, however, differences of opinion regarding ..some of its provisions, especially in the matter of the definition of the word "value." F. D. Page and Abram 1. Elcus, represent-ting the Merchants! Association -of New York, suggested the substitution of New York's definition. Pointing out that 30 states of the union had accepted the definition set forth in the act, Francis B. James, chairman of the committee, said that the definition in the bills of lading act was the one used in the sales act, warehouse receipt act and other uniform enactments. In the state of Ohio, he said it had received the universal indorsement of the boards of trade and business organizations. "But," retorted Mr. Page," the merchants of Ohio are child-ren in the matter of frauds in connection with bills of lading and warehouse receipts. While such frauds may be rare in Ohio and other states, in New York the crime is very com-mon among the smaller merchants of foreign extraction. Those immigrants were brought up under laws which imbued th~m with the belief that they could only succeed by- beating the law, or, in other words, by fraud. It is remarkable the ingenuity they display, and the variety of frauds they commit in New York is greater than those committed in all of the other states together. Obedience to Law Good for the Railroads .. In an address recently delivered at a banquet of supply and machinery dealers' associations in Cincinnati Judson Harmon of Cincinnati said that the operation of railroads in strict conformity not only with the letter but with the spirit of the law is a benefit to the railroads as well as to the ship-pers and general public. Mr.Harmon declared that he spoke not as a theorist, but from actual experience, and told how he had taken hold as receiv('x of the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton and Pere Marquette systems, comprising 3,5QO miles of track, and em-ploying 17,000 men, and had made them pay where they had not paid before, simply by obeying the law while the officials of competing lines were evading it. Mr. Harmon urged upon .his auditors as extensive ship-pers to do their part to aid the railroads to serve the public properly, by loading and unloading cars promptly. He said the shippers were to blame, in a large measure, for the car shortage, and in this connection rapped the so-called recipro-cal demurrage plan. He said railroads would furnish cars promptly if they could get the cars! and that demurrage, to he really reciprocal, would tax shippers for failure to have anything to ship if it taxed the railroads for failure to ,furnish the cars they could not get. The Greenfield~Talbot-Finlley-Battle Company, furniture makers of Tullahoma, Tenn., have purchased 2000 acres of land near Altamont a'nd will build a saw mill "to cut the fin-est timber in the state." 9 I ~ Il Gran~ Da~i~sllDlowcPi~e an~Dust Arrester CompanJ THE LATEST device for handling-shavings and dust from all wood-working machines. OUf twenty years experience in this class of work has hrought it nearer perfection than 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. Onr Automatic Furnace Feed System, as shown in this cut, is the most perfect working device of anything in its line. Write for our prices for equipments. WE MAKE PLANS AND DO ALL DET AIL WORK WITHOUT EX-PENSE TO OUR CUSTOMERS EXHAUST FANS AND PRESSURE BLOWERS ALWAYS IN STOCK Office and Factory: 208-210 Canal Street G~AND RAPIDS, MICH. Citizen. Phone 1281 Bell. Aobfn J804 Qua AUTOMATIO FURNACE FEED SYSTEM 10 FURNITURE FOR SUMMER HOMES. Oriental Styles Three Hundred Years Old Are Now Popular With Rural New Yorkers. Rattail furniture has rapidly increased in popularity dur-ing the past two years according to a writer for the New York Sun, 1\'lallufaeturcrs are making extra efforts to adapt oriental styles to occidental tastes. The most· popular :styles are not new. 1n fact, those most popular in New York now were used by the .vealthier classes in India 300 years ago. In the year 1600 cane panels decorated the bedsteads used in high class houses of India, and yet they cattle in style over here only a couple of years ago. A salesman in a New York store is quoted as saying: "This year's dc.signs show a remarkable advance over any-thing yet ShO'l.V11, both in durability and artistic features, and as a result in city as well as in country houses rattan and wil-low pieces are popular. A specialty this season is the intro-duction of leaf and floral designs· into the rattan weaves, This is an entirely new feature, confmed principally to the best grade of goods. Another sl)ecialty is the many new tones of color shown in rattan furniture." He waved his hand toward a particular section of the de-partment where saine of the novelties were displayed in a suite of Oriental rooms, which in woodwork and wall cover-ings were a copy of those seen in the residence of a high class Chinaman. The furniture was not, of course, Chinese, but it gained by the Oriental setting. There was a set of pale blue rattan, the seats upholstered with cushions of white and blue cretonne, in one suite an oval shaped segment of upholstery decorating the centre of the back of each chair and settee. Tn another the backs had no t1pholstery at all. In either case all the rattan not covered was twisted into leaf designs combined ,vith scrolls, and the shape of the furniture included graceful curves. A cream white rattan drawing room suite was noticeable. In this the backs of chairs and settees were not upholstered. They were too handsome to cover up, the salesman said. In the back of the settee. which like that of the chairs, was high with rOllt1ded edg-es, the rattan, delicately fine, was woven to describe two large oval fans filled in with rattan lace work and separated with Chinese scrolls, The same idea ,vas carried out in the chairs. A movable cushion of tap-estry upholstered the seats. ){eaT that was a similar suite of bisctiit color rattan ",;oven in floral designs, the upper half of the high backs and the seats upholstered in cream and old rose tapestry. Biscuit color and dove gray arc the very newest colors. A dove gray suite of four pieces. Queen Anne style, attracted attention. There \vere nO angles in this suite. The sides and back of the settee and the two large chairs were of uni-form height, describing a semicircle, and were without uphol~ stering, the bamboo being interlaced to form a combination of conventional and leaf design. Many shades of green and of red never before seen in rat-tan and willow appear ill this season's output and the varie-ties of enamelled willow are as plentiful as those of natural finish. A shade between a turquoise blue and a green was used in one five-piece suite. Another was of tobacco brown and a third of canary yellow. In the latter the willow was braided after the fashion seen in a pony carriage and the cushions were of white and yellow cretonne. This suite in-cluded a modified ::I.10rrisrocker of beautiful workmanship. Odd chairs of various designs were noticed in stock, for in-stance a Sir \Valter Raleigh chair of tobacco brown willow, high in the back and roomy of seat and with or without mov-able cushions. The shape at once attracts seekers after nov-elties. Prairie grass furniture is in a class by itself and it shows, if anything, even more novelties than the other summer grades mentioned. It is used both inside and outside the house, its toughness making it suitable for verandas and to withstand climatic changes. Enameled wood beds arc very popular just now in white and in all sorts of colors: sometimes trimmed at the head and foot with panels of cretonne or of cane, but oftener plain. The dining room furniture most in vogue for country houses, is not unlike mission furniture in design and is of quartered natural oak, with cane or rush seated chairs. Rivals to this are Colonial dining room sets of white enameled wood, the chairs finished with rush seats and backs. Lumber Company to Operate in Mississippi. Congressman Fordlley of Saginaw, Frank W. Gilchrist and his three sons of Alpena, Mich., have organized the Gilchrist- Fordney Lumber Company, capitalized at $1,200,000. The company has purchased 50,000 acres of timber land near Laur-el, Miss., estimated to contain 400,000,000 feet of logs, mostly pine, with some hardwood. The company also has purchased the Kingston Lumber Company's plant at Laurel with a ca-pacity of 150;000 feet a day, A House Boat on the Lake. Charles S. Paine, of the C. S. Paine Furniture Company, has completed the erection of a commodious house boat on White Fish Lake, thirty miles north of Grand Rapids. Everything necessary for the comfort of Mr. Paine and fam~ iIy and their guests has been provided. Mr. Paine will en-tertain a number of friends in the furniture trade during the mid~summer season. FAULT.~:. point where other casters refuse to turn is ohe Point with The faultless Pivot Bearing Caster The FAULTLESS reoeived Ihe Hlghesl Award allhe World's Fair, 1904, over all olher oaslers. Hissupplied wit h Faultless Pat e n t Steel Spring Sockets. The Fanltless is interchangeahle; will fit six differ-ent sizesof IrO!.l bed sockets. :-: 'I'heFaultIess has no weak spots-n 0 mechanical flaws--il's Fault-lessin name-in action-and as a seller :-: ._. If you are after a money maker, write to 75he Faultless Caster Mfg.Co•• Nebraska City, Neb. They only manufaoture the M+I.C,,H. IGAN 7IRTI.5'7I.J"\I e &r'!' . $5+ TALK ON VENEERS AND CORES. Features of the Largest Plant in the World Re:m::ning Op~ erations at Marshfield, Wis. "There's little new in the veneer business," s,lid Fred K. :'inkharn, dealel" in furniture m,11:uf:teturers' 5u:)plies, Grand Rapids, )jich. "The demand for veneers is good," he COIl-tinued, "but 1 don't know that 1 C<-in tell you anything- of in-terest to yOur Haders, unless I tell YDU ::,.bout the new plaut of the Roddis Lumber & Veneer COHillary at l\larshfield, whith is to resume operations on June 10. That company's plant has been burned t\vice-the last tineC in February of this year. It has been completely rebuilL in it little over four months and is /lOIN ~he largest and best equipped veneer plant in the world-it is t,,\,o and one-half times larger than it .Va-S before the last fire. "The main building is 84 x 270 feet, three stories. There is an addition of 24 x 150 feet, in which they have installed a Philadelphia textile dryer that has a capacity of 120,000 feet b t'~n honrs. ;;'1'hen there is the power house furnished with boilers ag-gregating 600 horse power and a SOD horse pl)wer engjne. All the old machinery has been discarded and replaced by the best up~to-date eql1iprr:ent. They have tbree rotary veneer cutting machines, a new Linden-,an jointer and a Dennis tap-ing machint':o The latter, I think, is made, or sold at least, by the Royal Furniture Company of tbis city. "The plant i~ equipped with automatic sprinklers through-out so it is not likely to be destroyed by fire again." \\1\1('11 the subject of cores or backing fo,!" vencers was mentioned .:'If r. Tinkham said: "Lumber bas become so scarce and tlit;: cost is so hiRh that many manufacturers are experimenting with various kino:is of wnod for cores. Poplar and chestnut make the best cores. \Vorm boles ~re not objection;l1Jle if tlJe wood is otherwise sound-the glue fills them up. The 1>t1pply of pop-lar and chestnut is scarce, howe";'cr, and many have to nse other kinds of wood-ash, basswood or anything else that can be found. }'Iany have tried to usc gUlh, but their efforts are not 3l\.V:lys stlccessful. The troab!c with gum is its te1l-dency lo buckle-it warps and twists. There is so much oil or gum in the wood that it difficult to get it out. In order to get the gum out, the trees are girdled. That kills them and then tht;:y are allowed to stand a year or more. A por-tion of the gum dries out. TJ1Cll the logs an,~ steamed in vats and in that W<lY nearly all the gurn is drawn out, but it is an expensive process. Some of the best material for cores nmv comes from the veneer mills. The cylinders that are left after the veneer has been cut off-four, (\ve or six inches in diarneter-arc cut into hoards, stacked Out and allowed to dry in the air for several months or a year. Then they are put into the dry kilns am! they come out all rigllt. The supply of that k:nd of stock is exceQdingly limited, but it is good so far as it goes. In the early days of veneering the cylinders \verc considered waste or were cut up for stove wood." Southern Lumber Freight Trust "Busted." The supreme court of tlle United States has decided that the Interstate Commerce COll'triss;ot1 has a rigH to prevent an unreasonable advance in freight rates. Tl1e suit invoh'ed a recent raise of two cents pt;:r 100 pounds on lumber shipped from Georgia to Ohio river points and wa:;; made a test case. The advance in rates was made by aJl the southern roads and ol1e of the chargt;:s was thatche roads had acted in con-cert to raise prices contrary to the aoti-trust laws. It was shown that some of the roads had not complained of the old rate as unremunerative. but had explained the advance as in pursuance of a desire to share in the "phenomenal prosper-ity" of the country. 11 These saws are made from No. 1 Steel and we war-ra. nt every blade. We also carry a full stock of Bev-eled Back Scroll Saws, any length and gauge. \Vrtte us for Price List and dilWount 31-33 s. FRONT ST•• GRAND RAPIDS IMPROVED. EASY and QUICK RAISl:NG Belt, Electric and Hand Power. The Best Hand Power for Furniture Stores Send for Catalogue aud Prices. KIMBAll BROS. CO., 1067 N;,lh SI•• Counoil Bluffs, la. Kimball Elevator Co•• 3~ Prospect St., Cleveland,O. 108 11th St., Omaha, Neb.; 1~9Cedar St., New York City. ELEVATORS GLOBE VISE _AND _ TRUCK CO, Manufacturers of Strictly up-to-date quick-acting_ Wood WOTk~rs' Vis e s. They lire time savers and make II barrel of tnol1ev for those that use tllem. Our prices are the best. Write for them. We also make a complete line of factory aud warehouse trucks. Our circulars aTe cheerflllly mailed upon request. GLOBE VISEanG TRUCK CO. Grand Rapids. Mich. Slep~en50nnr~.(0. South Bend. Ind. Wood Turnings. T umed Moulding. Dowel. and Dowel Pins. Catalogue to Mallufac-turers au i\pplication. 12 Worktime and Playtime. The majority of boys and young men waste their off-times. They use them for mild forms of dissipation, and for a loafing sort of resting which contributes nothing to anything. On the other hand, many boys and young men, who work hard during the day, devote most of their spare time to study and to what they think will be of intellectual benefit to them, This shows proper spirit, and they a~e likely to succeed. But there is such a thing as carrying it too far. There are only 24 hams i.n a day, and a part of the day belongs to sleep another part to resting, another part to diversion, and another part to work. Noone can profitably work all the time any more than he can naturally sleep all the time. The boy or young man who spends all his evenings for study or for some other hard work would accomplish more if he gave a part of each evening or a part of his evenings to resting and to suitable diversion. One can accomplish more in an hour when he feels like working than he can in several hours when he is fatigued. Quality of work is worth more than quantity of work. l\'1any of us over-work and over-do, under the delusion that this over-work and over-doing will pile up greater accomplishments. As a matter of fact, the)' accomplish less. If the mind and body are not given the rest which belong to them, they will refuse to do their best work. The proper kind of rest and diversion restores energy. A period of rest and diversion with a period of work will ac-complish more than two periods of work without a period of rest. Ivlost of us work too many hours, and for many of us there seems to be no way out of it, and the great majority of us carry the strenuousness of the shop, the store, or the office into our evening life. The life of work should not be completely separated from the Hfe of home, nor should the . life of the home he entirely separated from the life of work. Each is but one branch of a common trunk. But the strenu-ousness of the shop should nnt be carried into the home. The time will come, and I hope it will arrive speedily, when there will be :five days of labor, one day for rest and diversion, and one day for the special worship of God and the up build-of man's inner qualities, but until that condition arrives, we must not ignore present conditions, and we must not forget that it is our duty to contribute our part toward forcing con-ditions to anive at a better and more civilized state. For the present, this over-work will continue, and the business in the near future is likely to be more strenuous and more trying to men's bodies and minds, There appears to be no relief in sight. The boy who enters any calling will fil"'d it l1ecc5sary to work hard, and often to over-work, if he would H:eet success. It is for him to regulate his 24 hours so that he may make the most of them under existing condi-tions. If his work is sedentary, he should take exercise in the. open air. He should not devote more than a part of his evenings to heavy reading 0'£. to hard and systematit: study, and part of his off-time should be used for restful di-version and ior those pleasures which are all the more plea-surable because they contribute to progress.-Kathaniel C. Fowler. Case Goods Manufacturers Annual Meeting. The a.nnual meeting of the National Case Goods Manu-facturers' Associa.tion of America was held at the Auditorium Hotel, Chicago, on lVlay 8. withh President George P. Hum-mer of Holland, Mich., in the chair. The method for figuring cost adopted at the last meeting, was reported as worki.ng quite satisfactorily and the secretary reported a considerable increase in the number of factories repres.ented in the associa-tion during the past six months. The constantly increasing cost of raw materials and re-cent advances in wages were discussed and many members favored an advance in prices of furniture for the summer selling season. The matter was left open however. to be considered by the members who are to report their views to the Secretary to be submitted to the executive committee, for definite action at a meeting to be held about the middle of June. Officers for the ensuing year were elected of follows: President-George H. Elwell of the Minneapolis Furni-tUfe Company and the Elwell Kitchen Cabinet Company. Vice-PresIdent-A. F. Karges of the Karges Furniture Company, Evansville, Ind. George G. Whitworth, of the Berkey & Gay Furniture Company, Grand Rapids, Mich. The Executive Committee consists of Geo. H. Elwell, Min-neapolis; M. W. Coolbaugh, Springfield, Mo.; Geo. P. Hum-mer, Holland, Mich.; E. H. Foote, Grand Rapids; John Emrich, Indianapolis; A. F, Karges, Evansville; John Scott, EauClaire, Wis.; John Horn, Chicago; P. A. Peterson, Rockford, Ill.; Chas. E. Rigley, Owosso, :"1ich.; A. G. Stein-man, Cincinnati; Frank Upham, Marshfie.ld, Wis.; Chas. H. Wolke, Louisville; W. B. Schobe.r, Gallipolis, 0.; J.A. Stein-meyer, St. Louis; Geo. G. Whitworth, Grand Rapids; E. V, Hawkins, Connersville, Ind.; R. G. Morrow Memphis, Teno; A. H. Hall, Leominster, Mass,; Clarence H. Burt, PhHa-delphia, and R. G. Homer, \Varreu, Pa. J. S. Linton of Grand Rapids, 1:1ich., WC\S re-ap-P0lnted Secretary by the Executive Committee. The Chehalis, (\Vasb.) Furniture & 1\lanufacturing Com-pany has just completed the instaltation of an important addi-tion to the plant in the shape of a sawmin and veneer cutting departme.nt. THIS IS THE CAN AND LABEL NEW YORK, 1iI0STON, PHILADILPHIA, IiIALTIMORE. VARNISH MANUFACTURERS (ESTABLISHED 185e) DETROIT CANAOIAN F'ACTOR'(, WALKERVILLE ONTARIO CHICAGO, CINCINNATI, ST. lOUIS, SAN FRANCISCO. I BERRY BROTHERS' II Rubbing and Polishing Varnishes I MUST BE USED IN FURNITURE WORK TO BE APPRECIATED THEY SETTLE THE VARNISH QUESTION WHEREVER TRIED WRITE FOR INFORMATION, FINISHED WOOD SAMPLES. AND LITERATURE'. BERRY BROTHERS, LIMITED 13 It's a Case of "NO CURE. NO PAY" with Us in the Matter of DRYING LUMBER This Cut Shows flow Lumber .6 Comes Out of Our nUns .6 No.1. An oak center showing that knots after be-ing dried bv our 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 12inch oak board and at the end. Note the straight edge, absence of checking and small waSite required to get into good lumber. Nos. 4 and 5. Emphasize the fact that knots do not by au r 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. Compare This to Your Own Output. OUR PROPOSITION vVewill furnish plans, specifications and instructions to build you a new kiln, or equip your old kiln with our process and guarantee to jncre.:lsethe capacity of your kiln from 50 to lQO per cent without warping, checking, honeycombing or case hardening your lumber, or refund' your tnoney. We can save SO per cent of your waste and one-third of the labor cutting up the lumber. Write for question blank-mention the rvIichigan Artisan. GRAND RAPIDS VENEER WORI1S GRAND RAPIDS. MICHIGAN Concrete Is Not Fireproof. "The term 'fireproof' is about as much misunderstood as 1S the term 'fire. prevention/ JJ says F. \TV.Fitzpatrick, exe-cutive otTlcer of the International Society at Building In-spectors, in Fire. He continues: "In the 6rst case, it is foolishly imagincd tbat the mere protection ot certain struc-tural parts of a building produces absolute: immunity to those and all other parts of that structure. This is as great a folly as that other that permits people to maintain a few empty buckets about their premises and hang up a half dozen glass bottles containing some mysterious liquid and then com-placently go about their busines~, satisfied that their building is fuJJy protected, and indeed the protection is so complete and perfect that they need carry no insurance! "A fireproof building is one in which the structural parts are absolutely incombustible, first and foremost, and then these are to he protected again with some material that in-sures that at no point can these structual parts be assailed by fire. Of course, the Jess damageable this protection is in it-self the less will it cost to repair in case it is assailed by fire or water. In this connection it may not be amiss to quote from the report of the Committee of the American Sodety of Civil Engineers, that has been at work for a year' collecting data anent the San Francisco earthquake and fire, and that, referring to the re-inforced concrete buildings so much dis-cussed, ~ldvises tha.t: 'As integral structural parts they (rein-forced concrete columns, girders, beams and floors) should be fireproof as well as similar members of a steel frame strtl-ture. For Concrete is Destroyed by Fire Nearly as Quickly as Steel.' "But to continue with our fi.reproof building, not only must the structure be protected as above described, but it 1111.1bset designed in a fireproof manner. Its units of space should be small; its stories absolutely cut off one from another by en-closjng stairnrays and elevators.; its roof should be as fire-proof as its floors or walls; its windows and doors should be wire glazed or otherwise safeguarded against external at-tack; t11erc should be ample water supply, hose and connec-tions; a sprinkling system il1 many cases is desirable; auto-matic fire alarms are not an extravagance, and everything should be done that intelligence and experience tell us is ne-cessary to flTst and foremost cut the possibility of fire do-..vn to the smallest space we can; have it so that only the contents of that area can be affected and th~t the structure can in no wise be harmed or used as a vehicle for carrying that incip-ient fire to the contents of other spaces, and then to have all the spaces or units of a building so provided and protected that fire in anyone of them can be quickly and, if possible, automatically extinguished. "There, and there only, have you a fireproof structure." Will Test That Anti_Blacklist Law. Tbe anti-blacklist la,v, passed by the Texas legislature at the recent session, is to be tested in the courts. The law is so stringent in its provisions against the discharging of em-ployes that many lawyers thjnk it is invalid. The test case was started by an employe of an oil company who claims to have been discharged "without good and suft"icient cause." Lumbermen's Combine "Busted." The Lurnbermell"S Bureau of Credit, of Toledo, Ohio, has sl1rn;ndered its charter to the Secretary of State and dis-c. ontinued business. It was compostd of fourteen retail lum-ber dealers and had a nominal capital of only $1,000. The dissolution was due to indir.tments by the Grand jury, for viol<].tingthe Valentine anti-trust law to which the members pleaded guilty and paid small fines. 14 .:f'~ JYLI9,.HIG ?IN TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING.' On Narrow Lumber a Cir~ular and Planer Beats a Band Saw and Sander for Re-Sawing. Don't we overdo the hand S;:lW business. some times? Is all this effort to\vard "band-s;nved" lumber well directed? Sometimes the writer thinks this can be pushed a little too far. Here is a case that has been under study ior three months. A concern 'which had been funning a circular resaw and a planer was "convinced" that they were lostng motley fooling with a circular. They were funning a 19-9l1agc saw, thick cen-ter and the kerI was but a little over rJ inch and the output was sleddy and about as fast as any hand the writer has ever seen. But good illustrations and some good talk got them interested in the band saw proposition. Added to the saw part of it the fact was developed that instead of a planer that took 50 much thickness to dress onj a double sander was "the thing," finishing stock right from the saw w1th both sides snl.Oother than any planer could make it. It looked good. There is no doubt that the prospect was alluring. But of the results. As a box maker ,,\'as a mill man~ the writer wanted to know how this was coming out. And the results up to date arc about as follows. The band saw was put in, and the two saws that came with the machine did good work for a while. But the circular filer was no band filer, and soon thc work was a sight to behold. The sander "vas a new thillg, and it took a skillft:l man to run it, and the work that came from this new outfit was not half as good in quality nor within two-thirds of the quantity, done by the old machines, and here was a situation worth studying. The machine makers sent a "skilled expert." For ten days that saw -and sander ,vent into all sorts of experiments. Nothin' doin'. The expert finally went home, and left the mill man up against this condition. The saw was not doing within half as good or as much work as the old circular, and the kerf was more than that of the circlllaI". Then, to keep from having the machines thrown out, two more experts came in from the factory, and at present they arc straining their ef-forts to see what they tun do to beat an old circular that runs with a 19-9uage sa,,, on stock ten inches and less. I believe this is all a mistake. The band has its uses, and it will stand quite a lot of work, but when it comes to resawing stock ten inches wide or less, and having it done Citizens' Telephone 1'702. 1Louis 1babn DESIGNS AND DETAILS OF FURNITURE 154 Livingston St. GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN smoothly, the mill or bOK man who thinks he can improve on the feed or finish of the old cirCUlar resaw is going up against something that it ,vill cost money to find out he cannot do. A circular won't cut wide. tumber as well as a band, and there is no !c)l1ger a question about that, but milts that have a good circular a11d a man at something like $2.50 a day that can file them to do good work, arc simply throwing money t:l the birds in trying this ne'w-fangled idea of resawing with a band and finishing with a sander. That work can be done, there is no doubt of that. But it cannot be done by the n"len who can run a circular and Ht~ tie planer successfully. And the difference between $2.50 and from $4 to $5 a day is a darn sight morc than this ma-chine combination call show in results. As soon as anyone has anything to say against a band saw, there is a suggestion of a "back number." But there is such a thing as too much oia good thing. There is no advantage over a circular in feed and not nearly as smooth a finish to the hand work as there is to the circular, so it takes more to dress off the saw marks from a banq than from a· circular and the band makes no more lum-ber in a given time, with the added expense of high-priced' filer!'- for the band, when we can get men at a good deal lower price who can beat the band work all day long.-Pa<:kages. Workmen's Compensation Laws. There has been considerable discuss10n in insurance circles recently of the general movement to secure the passage of workmen's compensation acts by state legislatures. The SOMETHING NEW WE.have perfected a new GOLDEN 04.K OIL STAIN without the use of asphaJtum OT acid. This stain is the strongest and most pene-trating stain on the market. It entirely pene· trates the wood, leaving no surplus on the sur-face to penetrate with the filler. Samples furnished on application. CRAND RAPIDS WOOD FINISHINC COMPANY 65~'il t:\..LS,WORTM AVE .. G'UIND RAPIDS, MICH. movement seems to be an effort to apply in the concrete the principle that society owes something to the operative who is injured in the course of his occupation irrespective of whether or not the employer was negligent. In fact, it is the same principle which to a greater or less degree has led the legislatures throughout the country to set aside ~ome of the old common law defenses to a claim of negligence, When this principle is embodied in statutory law, employers will pay a good deal morc for their liability insurance than they do today. Speaking generally, the premium rates (as under the workmen's Compensation Act no\-v operative in England) will approximate the sum of the current rate for employer's liability and workmen's collective insurance",. There arc many employers in the country who make it a practice to pay at least half wages to an injured employe~ when there is "no liability" indicated. The files of a large casualty insurance companies show many cases where the as-sured, under an employers' liability policy, has accepted a set-tlen:. ent of this kind without seeking reimbursement from the company. It seems that this furnishes the a.;rent with tbe best possible material with which to solicit l,vorkmen's col-lective insurance. The e,tr,ployer would then be enabled to establish this terr.porary "disability expense" upon a stable annual basis proportioned to his annual payroll for product-ive operation. Tn addition, it wotlhl enable him to secure in-surance to cover the death or permanent disability of an em-ploye due to an accident covered by the contract, The broker or agent contrOlling an employer's liability risk can double his commission by writing a "collective" pol-icy. It should be borne in mind that, while commission rates are lower on the Hcollective" line than on employers' liability, yet the premium rates, on an average, are much higher. John Wanamaker. Incorporated. A news dispatch from Harrisbmg, Pa., states that John \Vallamaker and his two sons-Thomas B. and John R-will form a corporation to manage the Wanamaker mercantile in-terests in New York and Philadelphia. The company is to be known as "John \Vanamaker, Incorporated." ----------------------------- -- / 10 Spindle Machine Aliso wade with 12, 15, 20 and 25 Spludlea. DODDS' NEW GE.AR DOVETAILING MACHINE. This little lU~bine has done more to perte<lt the drawer work of furniture manufacturers than anything else in the fll:rDi~ ture b'Ude. Fol' fifteen YCIUBit hUI!!made perfect-fittiug, vermin-proof, dove~tailed stock a t>ossibility. This has !men accomplis-hed at reduced cost, IUI the machine cutlll dllve-tuils in gangs of from 9 to 2-l at oDe oPeration. ALEXANDER DODDS. Grand Rapids. Mich. Repl'esented by SCHUCHARDT &: SCHUTTE at Berlin, Vienna, Stockholm and St. PetersbUl.'g. Represented by ALFRED H. SCHUT1.'E at C(liogne. Bms-sets, Liege, Paris, MUan and Bilbao. 15 USE A MORTON KILN IT WI~~ ENO YOUR DRY KILN TROUBLES Does not warp or check lumber. THE MOST PERF"ECT MOIST AIR KILN ON THE MARKET. \ TRUCKS, CANVAS DOORS, RECOR-ING THERMOMETERS and other snp-plies. Write for catalog H which tells HOW TO DRY LUMBER. MORTON DRY KILN co. 218 L" SALL& ST., CH'CACO. The "ABC" MOIST AIR fiILN Improves the "Worhing Quality" of Lumber Note the experience of the R.obbin. Table Co.• Owosso. Mich.: "Re-plviIlg- to yom favor of May 7th-are pleased to advise that th .. dry kilns whkh you built for us are perfectly satisfactory; in fact, we had no idea that there could be so much difference in the working quality of timber as we find in your moist air systetn over the old system we were using." Shall we send you our ca.talogue No. 166 MA? AMERICAN BLO\AlER COMPANY. Detroit. Mich. NE.W YORK CHICAGO ATLANTA LONDON Quantity and Quality SOME peopl. look to QUANTITY without regard to QUALITY Otb.et5want QUALITY. but can't get it and QUANTITY at the sante time. The factorY that is equipped with the Mattison No.5 Table Leg Machine get> hoth QUAUTY and QUANTITY. Both aro ",.ubalto proht-making these days. Let us send you our printed matter. It may open your eyes-may convince yOll lhat your present machines and methods are not up~t().odate; that is. un!e;s you already have Mattison machines. C. MATTISON MACHINE WORKS &63 FIFTH STREET. BELOIT I WISCONSIN, U. S. A. Asking Congress to Tackle the Timber Problem. Arthur M. \Vight, manager of the National Association of Box ~lanufadurers has issue.d a circular to the members of the organization, which will be of interest to furniture man-ufacturers, and all others who use wood as material. It reads as follows: "The census of I8BO-contained an estimate of the timber stumpage of the United States at 856,290,100 M. feet. Since 1880, the actual cut of timber, as shown by available stat~stics, has been over 700 billion feet. At that rate, the entire timber supply of the United States, which is being cut at the rate of more than 34,000,000 M feet per year, will be exhausted in five years! This 'we know is impossible. "The census of 1900 gave an estimate of the stumpage then standing at 1,390,000,000 M feet. Others estimates have also been made showing the standing timber at the present time to be about 2,000,000,000M feet. AU of them are guess work. "It is well known that there has been an advance in the price of lumber of about 100 per cent. in eight years, and this advance is hascd on the increased scarcity of lumber, and the increased cost of carrying' it to the central markets, be-cause the standing supply is now so far therefrom. " Our greatest source of supply is now 011 the Pacific Coast. An estimate of this supply made this year shows that there is 700,658,080 M feet. If the annual lumber cut of the United States should be taken from this supply exclusive~ ly, it would be depleted in twenty years, at the present rate of cutting. I'The National Bureau of Statistics says-'Practicatly the whole world is asking far American waod and its products." The United States Forest Service declares that the timber of the United States is being cut three times as fast as it is growing. "Is it not time something was done? Like all good busi~ ness men, should we not know first where we stand? Let us stop guessing and estimating and KNOW the exact amount of staqding forest timber i.n this country. The' time to do this is in 1910, when the next official census is taken. It is an immense piece of work, but perfectly practical. 'I The ma-chinery for it already exists in the Bureau of the a,ensus and in the Forest Service of the United States. To i authorize these bureaus to do the work is all that is necessi~ry. "Will you assist in this work by requesting you±- Member of Congress to vote for a resolution to authorize the Bureau of the Census and the Forest Service to incorporate!:this work in the census of 191O?JJ ' , . Crisis in Belgium Furniture Factories. I According ta a report from American Consul ~. P. At-well of Ghent, Belgium, some of the furniture makers of that country must emigrate or find other employment. IHe says: \ The furniture manufacturing industry of Malines is the most important in Belgium, and large quantities of American lumber are imported each year for use in the factories. This. industry is now nearing a very serious crisis, caused principal-ly by the high prices of lumber and other articles necessary in the making of furniture. The -prices of oak, walnut, and mahogany have increased from 30 to 40 per cent, according to species and quality, and the same may be said of supplies made of iron and copper, such as locks, hinges, and do'or knobs, all of -which have increased from 10 to 15 per cent; varnish, turpentine, and glue incrc<lsed from 5 to 8 per cent, while the price of glass of all kinds increased approximately 10 per cent. H is thus easily understood that the cost price of all ar-ticles of furniture has considerably increased. Manufac-turers, with few exceptions, are without stocks on hand, and it may be said that the prices have gone Ul} from 30 to 40 ?er cent. It is quite natuul that with the increased prices pre-vailing orders afe scarce, the retail dealers deliberately refUS-ing to purchase at the increased prices. The situation has a very serious effect on the manufacturers of less importance; these, fil1dingthemsclves without orders, will be obliged to close their workshops, and the result will be that nearly 3,000 furniture makers will find themselves without work. Slander on American Machinery, Here is someth-ing that will convey a new idea to most readers and it will not be endorsed by men who are well post-ed on the subject. The statements are certainly misleading when applied to wood working machinery: According to a report furnished to the British Government by Captain Kennedy, director of the public works department in Soudan, he finds that British firms are defectively repre-sented in that part of Egypt, and that all American machin-ery is "absolutely inferior." As regards the American ma-chinery, he says: "A certain amount of special plant has been received from America, and this, though excellent in design, has been in every single instance of an inferior quality structurally. For ex-ample, some well-boring plant-of the American oil-type-though admirably designed, was of the very worst descrip-tion, with bulty castings and beariilgs, and unfinished machine work. Some stearn TOad rollers also, designed for special work, were found to be manufactured and finished in a man-ner that certainly fell far short of the ordinary British stand-ard. Tn consequence of this, it has in some cases been found advisable in the case of special plant of American types, to obtain the detailed designs from America and have the manu-facture of the same carried out in England." The Kynder Manufacturing Company, capital $100,000,wm make furniture and fixtures in Chicago. ------- ---- ---- -- I , , ~ L.'. ,i INSIST ON HAVING Morris Wood ~ ~on5' ~olid ~teel Qlue JOint (uners for there are no other.r U ju.rt aJ" good." They cut a clean perfect joint always. Never burn owing to the GRADUAL CLEARANCE (made this way only by us). require little grinding, saving time and cutters, No time wasted setting up and cost no more than other makes. Try a pair and be convinced. Catalogue No. 10 and prices on application. MORRIS WOOD&. SONS Thlrt.,._two years at 31-33 S. Canal8treet. CHICAGO. ILL. Mr. Manufacturer-Do you ever consider what joint gluing eoSl:s? The sepan,lou and wooden wedges, if you use lhem and many do, are a large item of expense aCCQunt$; but lhis is small compared to wage ae-c. ounts of workmen who wear them Qut with a hammer, and then a large per 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~ pendent screw damps the result is beuer, but slower, altogether too slow. Let us tell you of something better, PALMER'S CLAMPS. AU tl:eeland iron. No wedges. no separators. adjust to any width. clamp instantly yet securely, releases even faster. Positively one~th.ird more work with ooethird Jess help. In seven .'!izes up to 60 illches, any thickness up to 2 inches. 200 laetories convinced in 1906. Why not you in 1907} Althongh sold by dealers everywhere let us send you p"ticul.". II. f. Palmer 8 Sons, 01'10550. MiGh. FOREIGN AGENTs: ProjeCtile Co., London, £ngla,nd. Schuchardt & Schutte, Berlin, Gennany. ---FOR:---- HARDWOOD LUMBER NOT LIKE OTHER TALLY ~HEETS. C. A. JOHNSON, Marshfield, Wis. "u.otary Style" for Drop Carvings, EmbosS6d Mouldings, Panels. EMBOSSING AND DROP CARVINQ MACHINES. ])[-achines tor all purposes, and at pl'lces within tbe reach of nil. Every nlucblne bas our guarantee lIgnlost breakage lor one year. "'.awral Style" for la:rge CBIl!wity beavy Canlngs aod Dee)) Eml:.Oss11lg8. We have the Macblne yl)U want at a 8nt18faetory price. Write for descriptive clnnlaJ:08. Alsl) make dies tor all makes 01 Ma~ chinel;. UNION EMBOSSINO MACIiINE CO., Indianapolis, Ind. 17 18 ESTABLISHED 1880 ,',' ~/~~~ ~ ~ - - PUBLISHED 1ST MICHIGAN ARTISAN CO. ON THE: 10TH ANC 28TH OF lEACH MONTH OFFICE-2-20 L.YON ST•• GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. ENTERED AS IIIATT!R OF THE IIfCOND CLAsa In the light of recent eV'¥lts, it does not require a sixth s~nse or anything like clairvoyancy to see that any organiza-tion of manufacturers or dealers is liable to get into trouble with the government authorities and those that are supposed to operate secretly are in greater danger than those that are conducted openly or publicly. The Sherman anti-trust law has been given a wide interpretation by the judicial authori-ties and under present conditions the members of any or-ganization that attempts to maintain unreasonable prices or places restrictions on sales are liable to find themselves in trouble. This does 11ot,or should not, mean that the organ-izations must be prohibited or abolished. In these days of intense competition they arc not only necessary, but, if fairly conducted, are beneficial to dealers and consumers as well as to manufacturers, To avoid trouble with the federal or state authorities all buyers must be treated fairly~all must be treated alike. It will not do to refuse to sell to certain deal-ers while others are allowed easy terms and reasonable prices. The right of organizations to fix rules and terms under which their members will do bu~iness has not yet been attacked. It is only arbitrary and unfair oppressive discrimination that the government is seeking to prohibit. The association or orgaulzation that fixes reasonable prices and terms and makes them available to all "vho may apply is not likely to be mo-lested. In short application of the open shop principle to t~e buying and selling of products as it is being applied to labor will place members of manufacturing and trade organizations out of danger and banish fear of grand juries. *1* *1* *;* "'1* Officials ·of the Cincinnati & Muskingum Valley railroad claim that the two-cent fare law has worked a serious loss to their road, which is entirely in the state of Ohio. They figure the loss for last year at 19.9 cents pcr train mile, but have to admit that the loss was 17.5 cents pcr train mile dur-ing the previous year, when they were 110t bothered by the two-cent law. Since the law went into effect the num-ber of passengers carried increased 3.4 per cent, while the passenger earnings decreased 3.9 per cent. *1* *1* 'I' 'r* The O'~eill-James Company of Chicago claim their estab~ lishment to be "the largest premium hOL\Sein the \vodd." The house makes it possible for retailers "to g-ive a $25.00 Busy Bee talking machine, free, to every home keeper" with out cost to the- merchant handling the. same. Every home contains Ol1e or more talking machines, and the cost of main-taining the same is sometimes quite appalling. But no one of sense would live without one, and the castles5 ta\k1ng machine offered by the firm mentioned would not be con-sidered a satisfactory substitute. *1* *1* *1'" *)* One of the strongest snpporteTs of the exposltion plan for selling furniture, recently stated that he sold ninety-five per cent of his output, (which amounts to several hundred thousands of dollars in value annually) during the exposition seasons in Grand Rapids. He needs no argument to prove the practicability of the plan. The man who invented discounts evidently did it with th~ laudable intention of encouraging prompt payment by mak-ing it worth while. It has served its purpose very well, too, but, likemal1ygoodthings.itis frequently put to unwise Use, and, as a result of this abuse, discounts are somewhat akin to the dog that kept had company till it lost a certain measure of respect. *1* *1' *1* *1* A "reasonable" advance has been made by the manufactur-ers of furniture for all purposes. An t1nreasonable advance at this time might impel the retailers to write to the manu-facturers of Canada for catalogues and price lists. The Ca-nadians have cheap lumber. *1* *1* *1* *'1* That New York insurance agent is probably right in his opinion that some day we will have unbtirnable cities, but when his prophecy is fulfilled what wlll become of the insur-ance agents? Will they take up the ft1rniture business? *1* *1* *1* *1* Many of the manufacturers of Grand Rapids are spending a con·siderable part of the current month in the taking of the semi-annual accounts of stock Not always a pleasing diversion. But the "Kicks Coming" are soft and low. "'j* *1* *1* ""1* Wonder just what the real, simon pure, genuine exper-ienced salesmen think of all the different ideas that have been evolved during the past two years for' doing away with the middleman or salesmanship in various industrial lines? "'1* *1* *1* "'1* Large- nttmbeTs of jobs have been thrown on the markets during the past sixty days. To what extent these sales will affect the July season is a matter only tJ-.~ near future can solve. "'1* *!* *t* "'1* Let's see. Howald will you be when the Pennsylvania Railroad Company begins to cut ties from the trees that are being planted on the Allegheny mountains. this. year? *1* *1* *1'" *1* The lumber users of today owe a duty to the future that should inspire them to co· operate in every ra.tional movement for the conservation of our forest resources. *)* *1* *1* *1* Any fool can find fault and create discouragement, but it takes a wise man to eliminate faults by recognizing and cultivating the good traits in others. 1111* *1* *1$ *!* Exhibitors in the exposition towns are putting their lines in readiness and calmly await the opening of the season. *1* *1* *1* *'1* Call the "left over" a sticker no more, It is 110W called a "spiff" by the high grade merchant. *1* *1* *!'" *1* The better the cOf!ditiolls of your plant the better class of men will find their way to it. *1* *1* *1* *1· The "periods" will be strong features of the new fall lines of furniture. *1* *1* *1* *1* The check book is the best guide book for the traveling sales.man. *1* *1* *1* *1* The ollly undignified job is loafing. Enla.rging Their Plant. The Valley City Desk Company have had a very success-ful year, and have commenced the erection of a large addi-tion to their plant, in anticipation of a much larger business during the year commencing with July 1. A large line of office desks is manufactured. -SEE~~~ West Michigan Machine & Tool CO" ltd. GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. fo .. UIGU GRaDE PUNCUES and DIES. SYDNEY oJ. OSGOOD S. EUGE.NE' OSGOOD OSGOOD & OSGOOD, Architects. FACTORY CONSTRUCTION AND DESIQN'NC A SPEC IA L T Y. GRANO RAPIDS, MICHIGAN. lr YOUfDfSIGNS arc right. people want the Good •• That makes PRICES right. <tlarence 1R. 1bfUs DOES IT 163 Madison Avenue-eitizens Photle1983. GRAND RAPIDS. MICH. A. L. HOLCOMB ~ CO. Manufacturers of HIGH GRADE OROOVINO SAWS up to 5-16 thick. - _ Repairfng- •• Sa.tisfaefion gu iIoran(eed. Citizens" Phone 1239. 21 N. Market St .• Grand Rapids. Mlch. WHITE PRINTING CO., GRAND RAPIDS. MICH. PRINTERS OF CATALOGUES and everything needed by business men R. H. RUPPER /;.\?t~I~1~ ManuElI.d.urerof Machine and Carving Tool8. All kind~of Woodworking Tools ta ordeI-ShaperHeadr;. Jointet" Heads, Spindle Carver Cutters and <':Verythinll in took Hard Work, Responsibility and Low Wages. Probably the poorest job i5 that of shipping clerk, write5 Robert Blair in the Chicago Tribune. The men ''''ark hard and there is EttIe variety to make their day interesting, While the work seems to be v.nied with the nailing of crates and loading of ';\.:agans, receiving goods and keeping an account of the day's shipments, it is a dun grind, the same thing every day; and the pOor salaries paid make the job undesirable to those who have push and energy_ 110st of the positions are filled by men ..v.ho have 105t all ambition for anything higher and who plod along daily like machines, hopi]]g ior the end of the week and pay day, ,~..-hel1they may have a Ijttle enjoy-ment for a time with the small s;tlarjes they earn. Handling heavy boxes and creates is no easy thing and-the shipping clerk must be strong and healthy. It happens fre-quently that telegrams are received by firms from· out-of-town (:ustomers who order goods and ,"'ant them shipped the same day. It may be after 3 o'clock in the afternoon that SUch an order is received and the shipping clerk must halt"" the goods ready for dclivery in time to get to the freight house before dosing time. I Nearly every large concern has a head shipping clerk and f some as~istants and the bosses get the most money and do L~__ 19 We can help you. Time saved and when done leavesare bound (by your:- ",If) and indexed by Roo" or departments. BARLOW BROS., Grand Rapids, MiClb. WRITE RIGHT NOW_ Michigan Art Carving CO. -----IFOR WOOD CARVING of all kinds. Mention Michigan Arti~an_ GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. WRITE M. P. TmfLf &. CO., 242 S. Front St., GR4NOR4PIOS.MICII. IF YOU WANT THE BEST FURNITURE PHOTOGRAPHS West Side 36 Inch Band Saw Machine, Gleason Palent Sectional Feed Roll, WEST SIDE IRON WORKS, CRAND RAPIDS, MICH., U. s. A. MICHtaAN ENORAVINO CO. Grand Rapids, Micb. EN(JI{A.VBI{S BV A.ll PI{OCBSSES. the lea5t work. The assistants do the heavy work., but they have little worry. The head of the department must keep his eyes and ear5 open at all times, tr-usting no one. If anything is wrong in the department he is held responsible by the firm. Such a little matter as pasting the wrong label on height is a mistake tllat means considerable trouble to him. The wrong customer gets the goods, and in nine cases out of ten will open the box or crate and examine the contents merely Ollt of curiosity_ The goods are damaged when they finally arE'.returned to the shipping clerk, and extra freight charges help to pDt the firm in anything but good humor. It j~ said that anyone who is physically able to stand the hard work can get a position as shipping clerk with any of the large [inns. Experience is not necessary, and this alone is what cheapens the job and keeps the ranks of the shipping clerks :fined with undesirable men. The good man who hap-pens into the position soon learns that there is 110 advance-ment for him and gets out. The Southland Turpentine Company, with headquarters in New Orlean5, will build a branch plant at Lake Charles, La., ,:osting ~15,OOO, 20 OPPORTUNITIES ARE NOT LIMITED. Effects of Trusts and Department Stores on Retailers and Those Who Would Be Merchants. (From an article written by James H. Collins for the Saturday Evening Post, Philadelphia.) Kow, how abotlt the young man starting in life to-day; who fee~....that he has within himself the making of a prosperoltS merchant? What changes have been wrought in retail con-ditions since Wanamaker and Marshall Field began? How large ,,,ill the trusts loom on his horizon? Fifty years ago it made little odds where the path of glory led. \iVhere it began was ill a country store, and the neophyte matriculated by_ sweeping out the place and wash-ing the windows. Mr. Rogers started there to be an oil king. Rockefeller started in a commission store. 1Ien like vVan-amaker and Field became clerks and stayed in the retail line, and even General Grant's real career dates baek to his clerkship in Galena. It seems rather curious to find so much ability coming up from the retail store, until one goes back and looks carefully. Then it becomes apparent that, at that time, there wasn't any other place to start, unless one wanted to be a farmer. To-day the young man who is not especially attracted by the retail career can find a number of other cntrance-points to Life. How about the youngster who really wants to be a merchant-who is willing to begin by sweeping out, if necessary-who would kecp his shop in the hope that it will keep him? In previous papers it was shown that the trusts have, if anything, immeasurably increased the nt1.mber of salaried places and amount of salary. It was showing too, that perhaps, the independent manufacturer has fair opportunities to hold his own, even against a trust. In the retail trade of this country there have undoubtedly been more radical changes brought about the past quarter-century than in either of these other fields. The trusts them-selves, as manufacturers or controllers of manufactured goods, may not bear so heavily upon the retailer as has been asserted. Many of them need him in their plans, just as they need the able salaried man. Other forces, however, are revolutioniz-ing retail conditions, If one applies this Jnose word "trust" to everything that makes for concentration, large-scale dis-tribution, narrowing of profits, etc., then some of these forces may be classed as trust activities. But other conditions are far outside, even, of this wide classification. The retail merchant is certainly facing some ugly facts. FiTSt, there are pseudo-trust influences, three in number: the department, store, the mail-order house, and the chain of stores operated by one management. The latter is eithe.r a department store spread out over a whole city, with its econom-ies in buying, or system of shops scattered ovcr the whole country that carries one line of goods direct from manufac-ttner to consumer, also with resutant economics A. T. Stew-art did a gross business of sixty~.five million dollars a year, but a large portion of this was wholesale. In Chicago to-day are two mail-order concerns, whose business is of a retail natllre, competing with retail merchants, and each of them does nearly as mt1c.h business as did Stewa.rt both his whole-sale and retail establishments. All these changes in retail trade are based on natural conditions-the growth of popu-lation in cities, the perfection of mail and freight service, the increase in publications, the nationalization of demand. The retailcr is also a buffer between manufacturer and consumer. One tri.ms his profit to meet competition in pro-duction, while the other trims it because the -cost of living has -.advanced. He is even tip against what some believe to be the greatest American problem-the servant question. Thousands of small shops ill the large cItIes would have no clerks at all did not the proprietors rear their own. Small shopkeeping has drifted largely into the hands of the thrifty German and Jew, who put t.heir wives, sons and daughters behind the counter. The old-type retailer, too, works harder for his money than allY- '1ody else nowadays. Whether there is as much profit to-day in a modest retail business as a gencration ago is rather a complex questiOll. Thousa11ds of small merchants still amass comfortable com-petences in trade. They may not make as much proportionate to the increase in eost of living. Their rewards appear small beside those of n,anu{acturcrs, and even of salaried meu. But they are often men who have risen from the ranks of wage-camers, and might not have done ~s well in other fields. For the young feltowwho b.:ls,gennine retail ability there are unqt1.cs,tionably larger opportUl:1ties ,than ever before. He must look for them in new places, hpwever. Under some (":ircumstal1ces his most attractive field may lie in a salary with a great merchandising organizatifl1l. Under others he mny build up a far-reaching organization of his own. As tlte pTO-prietor of a single retail business he may, by unusual ability, earn a satisfactory profit. And lt is held by most persons in the wholesale al1d manufacturing' trades that there is still room for a moderate success where a man of only average ability cnters retailing. Perhaps the best way to crystallize this matter is to draw pictures of two typical retailers-the man of average ability and the man of unusual ability, There are abollt two thousand retail druggists in Greater New York. Their average profit must be very low-five thousand dollars a year would doubtless be too liberal a BENNETT& WITTE MANUFACTURERS OF ==LUMBER== For Furniture Mfrs•• Car Builders and Carriage Trade. P)ainallli I Whl'te and Red O..L..- J Plain and Quartered)" 19l~ I Quarteroed RED and SAP GUM Poplar. Cottonwood. A$h. Elm and Chestnut, A Full Line of Southi!lrD Hardwoods., E2lPori and Domestic. WRITE E.ITHER OFFICE.. Branch: Mempbis, Tenn. Main Office; Cincinnati. O. We sell on Natinnal Hardwood Lumber A9~ociation inspection only. l11a:-.::ilrcUiU for all of them, or for any retail line. }';!uch of the retail trade of every city is mere pushcart traffic. Yet some of these dealers, by only fair ability, managc to clear from five thousand dollars to eight thousand dolJars a year, and a few of the exceptionally able ones from ten thousand dollars up-ward. Our typical druggist of average ability was an elderly German, who had kept a' shop in the lower part of Man-hattan Island for forty years and more. We have figures of his gross turnover lor a period about twenty years ago, before the department store became a force. He was back in what is now assumed to have been a goldel1 era of retailing. of textiles, and had but two busy seasolls-spring and fan. In between times there was stagnation, reduction of expenses, dismissal of clerks, It was the need for keeping busy every month in the year, and the ne\=cssity for keeping a clerical force intact- that led to the addition of other departments. New lines were superimposed on the dry-goods trade, and a cycle of business built up, by advertising and special sales, that keeps a great store active the whole year. * * * * The best season is that around the Chrlstmas holidays. Jannary i5 made a good month by extraordinary bargains in housefurnishings and staple white goods. There is no reason 21 Grand Rapids Office, 412-413 Houseman Bldg. GEO. E. GRAVES, M.anager CLAPPERTON & OWEN, Counsel The TlfE CREDIT BUREAU OF THE FURNITURE TRADE LYON Furniture Agency ROBERT P. LYON, General Manager CREDITS and COLLECTIONS THE STANDARD REFERENCE BOOK CAPITAL. CREDIT AND PAY RATINGS CLEARING HOUSE OF TRADE EXPERIENCE THE MOST RELIABLE CREDIT REPORTS COLLECTIONS MADE EVERYWHERE PROMPTLY - REUABLY all earth why people should buy such goods in January, but department-store activity has made it a great mercantile event of the year. February, dullest of all months except August in the old days, is a time for pushing goods that lie dormant at other seasons-silverware, leather goods, floor coverings. Then the spring trade comes along, rLlllning until J UIlC, and another season of forced selling occurs in the dog-days. August is the month of relaxation, when employes take vacations. Then follows the fall trade, and this leads again into holiday business. This cycle of selling keeps busy at all times a force of trained clerks. Clerks are shifted from section to section for special sales, and made a charge On the buyer who needs them, perhaps for only one day. Based on such economic principles, the department store has grown until there are now many establishments that do a gross business of ten million dollars to fifteen million dollars yearly. Cities of 40,000 population support such stores. There arc five hundred with capital of fifty thousand dollars to two million dollars each, one thousand more dry-goods stores \'\1ith thirty thousand dollars to five hundred thousand dollars capital, and ten thousand others, smaller still, \'\1ith ten thousand dollars average capital. Their yearly gross turn-over is estimated at five times their capital. Old trade has been diverted, but the chid effect has been stimulation of new business. They influence manufacturing, mercbandising a.nd all activity. One remarkable effect is shown in our newspaper. Yet his daily sales did not greatly excc,ed twenty dollars gross. counting Sundays, and thirty dollars was an uncommon day's business. The gross annual turnover did not reach ten thou-sand dollars, and profits \,\7ere not much over thirty-five hun-dred dollars. This drug·g·ist did a trade that is still done to-day in every city, and which will probably continue to be practicable for many years to come-a small neighborhood trade. Prescrip-tions, medicines and toilet goods made up the bulk of it. His shop had become a land mark and gossiping place. He was content, did not think of advertising, bad not kept abreast of demand, \"iaS not a shrewd buyer. Part of his profits each year were on the shelves in stock, some of it unsalable. He took what trade gravitated to him, and had fallen into com-fortable h8bits of building a fire each morning, taking an ob-servation on the weather, and wondering 110W tIle next elec-tion would go. About twenty years ago this old-time druggist hired a boy. He was rather an extraordillary boy for three dollars 1 week-quick, observant, interested. He saw a customer be-fore the customer saw him, and waited on him in a W8Y that made friends. He took pride itl the appearance of stock, and put circul<lrs in packages, and brought so much initiative into this passive business that eventually the old druggist sent him to take a course in pharmacy. The boy won highest honors in a class of seventy-one. and came back, not a pbar-macist, but a chemist. Then the proprietor took him in as junior partner, and by and by, when he died, the business pass-ed to the younger mall. The latter has since developed this neighborhood store in a \-vay that makes it unique. First, on the mercantile side, he has put in a fine stock of druggists' sundries and knicknacks-goods upon which the druggist of ullusltal ability, with a central location, often builds an enormous trade, his prescription department becoming a mere accessory. * * * * * * * * * One of the large Sixtb Avenue department stores in New York was built up On its millinery department-as a good many similiar stores have been built in other cities. Taste and reasonable prices in millinery make a magnet that draws trade to fifty other departments. The millinery buyer in this store receives a salary of twenty thousand dollars a year, it is said-not an unusual one for a department-store buyer of exceptional ability, for a few well-known buyers receive thirty tllOusand dollars. This man runs a department that does a gross business of one million dollars a year-the larg-est in the country, perhaps. He pays no rent, no taxes, no insurance, takes no risk. An error of a few thousand dollars in buying might put our energetic druggist into bankruptcy. An error of fifty thousand dollars with the millinery man would mean nothing serious, for the store would move the goods by a little activity and price-cutting, and make good any loss a few months later. There are bundreds of buyers for the great depJrtment stores who receive salaries of ten thousand dollars to fifteen thousand dollars, and from that on downward the positions illcrease in number, until we find many paying twenty-fl\'e dollars a week into which exception-ally bright clerks are stepping evet·y day. Here is one great channel for the young man with retail ability'. As the youngster who seeks a salaried place in a manu-facturing company, Or means to be a manufacturer himself must learn to sell goods, so the neophyte who is possessed with the ambition to become a merchant must learn to buy. Let us look at this department~store business a moment, and find out where it began, and how it is conducted to-day, and what jt seems destined to become in the future. The department store grew out of the old dry-goods store. It is very new as yet. Tbe greatest growth has come in the past decade. Ten years ago the department business of New York was perhaps not one-quarter that of to-day. The old-time dry goods store of thirty years ago handled a few lines. Growth of afternoon and Sunday papers is based upon their advertising patronage. A conservative estimate gives thirty-five thousand dollars as the annual advertising expenditure of department stores in New York and Brooklyn. The news-paper publisher now delivers his,afternoon and Sunday paper to readers belmv cost, taking bis,profit from department-store advertising. The all~important man in these hUge retail or-ganizations is the buyer. He it 'is who ransacks the world's markets for attractive goods, and who studies demand, the weather, the changing seasons and flitting fashions, the needs and whims of the purchasing pUblic. A small retailer often buys several different lines of goods. He must usually buy at home, He has smal capital, ,a small margin for errOrS, a (Continued on Page 24.) 22 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 operator 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 market. That's why i\'s a money maker. It imitates perfectly PLAIN or QUARTERED OAK, MAHOGANY, WALNUT, ELM, ASH or any other wood with open grain. WRiTE THE ---------------- Posselius Bros. Furniture Manufacturing Co., Detroit, Mich. MENTION THE: MICHIGAN ARTISAN. FOR PRICES AND FULL PARTICULARS. I 1 ----------------------------- - FOX SAW SMOOTHEST GROOVES FASTEST CUT DADO HEADS GI\EATEST RANGE QUICKEST ADJUSTMENT GLASS KNOBS This pattern made in THREE SJZES. We will make yOIl inltruting pria, f Q r quanli/;es. JOHN DUER & SONS, Baltimore, Md. CABINET HARDWARE, TOOLS, Eh::. LEAST POWER LEAST TROUBLE;, read this, Why Worry with the Roll Question =?= Leave that to us. \Ve are prepared to solve it quicker and bEtter be-cause we have the knowledge and equip_ ment. We use nothillg but ~he.blut itl 0Ill' cores. WrHe!01'prices. The f~llwock Auto.. mobill!; &, Mfg CO £VAN5VILLE. IND. Nothin,l!; changed Manufacturers of FURNITURE, PIANOS, ORGANS, REFRIGERA-TORS, CHAIRS, and INTERIOR FINISHES, LONGEST LIFE PERFECT SAFETY We'lI gladly tell yOU all about It. Also Machine Knlve..,.. Mher Machines. Etc. PERMANENT ECONOMY FOX MACHINE. CO. 185 N. Front Street. Grand Rapids. Mlch FOLDING BED FIXTURES Profitable fixtures 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, etc. New ideas and inventions constantly being added to the line. F. B. WILLIAMS 3812. VINCENNES AVE.] CHICAGO ManufactllfcT of Hardware Specialties for the Furniture Trade. Established H178. The Factory Ed~tion VENEERED ROLLS Tbe "Reliable" Kind Fonnerl)' the Fellwock Roll & Panel Co. but the !lame. OF THE ARTISAN It is Not Mailed to Dealers. Our Merchants Edition is Mailed to Dealers Only. 24 (Continued from Page 21.) small outlet The department-store buyer, however, special-izes on a single line, and can go abroad if necessary_ He has enormous purchasing power, and an outlet that permits him to take reasonable risks. Buying goods is. as much a mattcr of human nature as sell-ing, but, instead of studying a few customers, the buyer· studies people in the mass. It has been said that a knowledge of retail human nature is the key to business success in any line where public taste must regulate one's operations. T}-oe failure of almost any unsuccessful retail business is frequently traced to poor judgement in buying, while shrewd gauging of the public taste often carries a business into success de-spite lack of capital. Many elements enter into the equipment of the buyer who rises to a position at twenty thousand doJ~ lars-the output of merchandise is to~day so vast and varied that even a little news instinct is needed. But the careers of most buyers, traced back to beginnings, are found to be laid on a knowledge of goods and the public gained in selling be-hind the counter. The logical place to begin in this field is as a clerk. There is a wide spread notion that department store clerks are a poorly paid! sapless species of humanity. But it is not borne out by fact. Under conditions in the old dry-goods stores, promotion often went by favoritism, as it does still in the English "living in" system, But few classes of workers in any field are to-day more inde,pendent or better paid than efficient department store clerks. * * * * * With knowledge gained as a clerk, many a bright young man and woman has become a department store buyer on large salary. Entering a store as wrapping boy or cash girl then going behind the counter, there acting as assistant to one of the buyers, then intrusted with the purchasing for a minor department, and so on upward-these are the successive steps of advancement. A buyer's promotion is in large degree based on actual showing of results. As the clerk asks for more salary on his sales record, so the buyer is advanced and given wider scope according to the grass business of his section.- Some of the shrewdest men turn stock in a single department a dozen times a year, and on ca-pital of five thousand dollars will swing a gross business of fifty tbousand dollars. The ob-ject in typical bargain stores is to turn stock quickly, and buyers do so by finding opportunities to purchase stock cheap-ly. In stores that deal in luxuries, on the contrary, the world is scoured for novelties, regardless of price. The s;;Lmeabilities that would make a merchant successful in his own establishment will, when directed into this new field, give him a larger money return. He needs no capital, and takes practically no risk. His independence, too, will be ample. Anything notable in achievement gets about, not only in a buyer's own organization, but among other stores, where keen eyes are open for exceptional purchasing talent. In fact, the department stores of every large city now employ "shoppers" who go daily to rival establishments, note the quality of advertised offerings, the interest aroused among pa-trons, the new goods on sale, etc. These spies work under instructions, and their reports shape the policy of the store that employs them. E...e.r.y little triumph of the buyer is known in e...e..ry other store before night, and he gets into the mercantile "Who's Who" very quickly when- his work war· rants a place there. * * * * * * * The largest percentage of commercial disaster falls on the independent retail trade. But statistics show that incompe-tence, neglect, inexperience and extravagance are responsible for nearly twice as many retail failures as .1<ickof capital or unfavorable trade conditions. \i\Then a retail merchant prov£;s that he has genuine mercantile ability these days, it is much easier for him to obtain credit from wholesalers than a gener-ation ago. A surprisingly large proporation of the retail trade of this country 1S carried on the capital and credit of whole-sales, jobbers and manufacturers. The outcry of retailers against department stores and mail-order houses has been very bitter. Yet, despite the enor-mous volume of goods sold through these establishments, the neighborhood retailer can hold his own up to the natural limitations of his business. Department stores and mail-order concerns sell pianos by the thousand, yet the retail piano trade is growing, too, and it is so in practically all lines. Price competition may be reduced largely to clever offerings of spec-ial articles when keenly analyzed. For instance, a ma.n went into a large New York department store's jewelry department to have his watch repaired. The price asked was three dollars It seemed excessive, so he went to a small jeweler a block away and had it done for (l dollar and a half. This jeweler told him that much of the big store's repair work came into his own little shop. Country merchants have repeatedly fought mail-order houses by quoting comparative prices from catalogues against their own regular prices. * * * In some W<l.ys mail-order houses press country merchants closely. Yet they draw only a portion of the cash business from a community. The local merchant can have the credit business, and much of the best trade, sneh as that in pianos, stoves, farm implements and otber lines of considerable pro-fit per sale, gravitates to him. Instances might be multiplied. But it is sufficient to say that, while retail conditions have been wonderfully altered in a generation, yet the small merchant who has ability, prudence and industry in his make~up, can still live, and live well, up to th~ natural limitations of his business. His field has not nar-rowed, either, but is unquestionably wider than a generation ago. The youngster with retail virus in his blood may earn more on salary. Yet, if he wishes to keep his own shop, he witt have no caUse to quarrel with the world on the score of opportunities. Cabinet Hardware --AND-- Factory Supplies Wood Screws. Coach Screws. Liquid Glue, Ca.ters. Upholsterer's Tack •. Large Head Bu.lap Tack •• Wire B.acls. Staudard Nails. Cemeut Coateel Nails. Elhow Catches. Door Catcl.es, etc., etc. New Euglaud Fliut Pape•• Barton Garnet Papel". Douhte Faceel Fliut aud Gamet Fiuishiug Pape•. Bra.. Bott•. WroUllht Steel Buus. Cahinet Locks and Keys. Gold Plateel and Gilt Cah. inet Keys. Bench Vises. Bolts, Washe..., Zincs. Our large and complete assortment of general hard ware 15at your service. Correspondence solicited. Inquiries for prices will receive careful and immediate at'entioo. FOSTER, STEVENS & CO. GRANDRAPIDS.MICH. -- -- ----~-~--------- ~-------- -- - - WEATUERED OAK O!!: STAINS·\ Just the thing. Will not wipe up under either Shellac Wax or Lacquer. Popular Shades, No. 1207, No. 1253, No. 1255 EARLY ENGLISU Oil STAIN No. 1244 Penetrating and Strong. filled with our No. 1620 filler Will not wash up when being filled. SEE OUR MISSION flA TAll which is positively flat. Send fot 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 26 A HUMMER FROM STRUmS Characteristic Features Massive from with wide and deep base. Long and large· bearings for cylinder. An necessary adjustments. Different combinations of tables from 3 to 4 feet. Rack frame divided for making "spring" ioints. Want more information? Write STURGIS MACHINE COMPANY STURGIS MICH. I Bill of Lading Controversy Still Unsettled. As heretofore stated an agreement was reached between the eastern railroads and the shippers whereby the latter men would petition the Interstate Commerce Commission to dis-miss the famous bin of lading cas.e which has been bdore that body since December, 1905. On the other hand, the rail~ roads agreed to present to the commission a new uniform bill of lading which contains provisions for only one rate and, therefore, accepts without question 'the common law liability for loss and damage which attaches to the carriers. In view of this agreement, both the railroads find the shippers in the west will be surprised to Ir am that the com-mission has set June 15 for the reopening of the bill of lading case, with a view to making a complete investigation. Both sides believe this to be a mistake, and declare that the agree-ment reached will mark one of the most bitter contests ever waged between shippers and railroads. The entire question was one of liability on the part of the carrier ior loss and damage shipments. Twice have the eastern railroads attempted to rid themselves of such liabil-ity. In order to do so they put a note in the official clas&i-fixation, which provides that where the shipper does not elect to ship at his Own risk he will be charged 20 per cent in ex~ cess of the classiftcation rates. The hill of lading contained a similar provlsion. The railroads first attellTpted to enforce this rule in 1889, whereupon the board of trade prevented it. Again in 1905 an attempt was made and was met by the filing of a petition by the Hlinois. Manufa,turers' Association before the Interstate Commerce Commission. Then the railroad officials and the Illinois Manufacturers.' Association sign ell a stipulation asking the commission to postpone judgment until negotiations for a settlement l.:ould be had. These negotiations have been going on periodically ever since and were recently successfully completed at a final meeting in this city. It may be that the commission reopens the matter to receive the new bill of lading and hear the ap-plication for dismissal of the old complaint. That any arbi-trary move is contemplated does not seem reasonable. Co-Insurance Riders UnhoTF't-d. The supreme court of Michigan in a test case sent up from Detroit, has decided that the so-called "co-insurance riders' used on policies covering large risks in that state, are an evasion Ot" violation of the state statutes and must not be used as a basis in the settlement of losses. The "rider" is simply an agreement by which the -policy holder is granted a rate lower than ~he regular percentage if he carries insur-ance. aggregating a certain per cent of the value of his prop-erty- usuaHy 80 per cent. Formerly the companies im-posed this condition 3rbitrarily, but in 1895 the legislature passed a law making such requirement illegal. Then the "riders" were introduced,. by which the policy holder agreed to the special pro ...i.sion. This arrangement was supposed to be perfectly legal and legitimate as it was in the nature of a contract and the "riders" were attached to nearly all pol-icies on manufacturing plants and other large risks. They read as follows: "Percentage Clause-In consideration of a reduced rate of premium, it is hereby agreed, that in case of loss, this com-pany will pay only such proportion of the loss, as the sum hereby insured bears to per cent of the valUe of the property insured. Whenever this clause is made part of a policy covering two or more specifications, it shall be consid~ ered as applying separately to each of said specifications. But in no case shall this comapny be liable for a greater pro~ portion of any loss, than the a.mount hereby insured shall bear to the whole insurance, whether valid or not." The decision of the supreme court was a surprise to the insurance agents and also to policy holders, most of whom were pleased with the arrangement because it gave them low-er rates and did not require them to carry more insurance than they desired. As a result of the decision a stiffening of rates is expected. It does not invalidate any of the policies now in force. It simply deprives the companies of the ad-vantage they would have in settling losses on the terms stated in the "riders." Pennsylvania Lines to be Consolidated. The Pennsylvania Railroad Company owns about thirty roads west of Pittsburg that are now operated by separate companies, some of which use methods and regulations quite at variance with those used on the main lines of the system. According to a report sent out from Pittsburg, these lines are to be taken over and the entire system placed under one general management. This move will be of particular in-terest to the officers of the subordinate companies as some of them will lose their positions, but it is of importance to shippers who have been annoyed by the lack of uniformity in methods and management. The consolidation is expected to facilitate shipments and in some instances it may bring about a reduction in rates. It is stated that it will take two years to make the changes necessary to put the consolidation plan into operation. The legislature of Wisconsin has passed a joint resolu'- don asking Congress to abolish the tariff duty on lumber. New Process of Drying by the Morton Dry Kiln Co. The Morton Dry Kiln Company, Chicago, Ill. have per-fected and are placing on the market a new process of sea-soning lumber for use ill connection with their Morton 1Ioist Air Kiln. This system is so arrangcd that it is equally as well adapted to other makes of lI.'foist/\ir Kilns with a few ehang"es in the constrl1ctioll and the proper a111nunt of heating surface, and from results reported on the new system, it is calculated to revoluti()11ize and replace present methods of drying. Es-pecially is this true for factories drying oak and other hard-wood lumber ullder conditions such as they are today, when thc lumber that has been air-dried only a short time must be used on account of the scarcity of well air-dried stock. \\lith the new process the Morton Dry Kiln Company claims to be able to take any kind of commercial lumber and dry it quickly and without injury in any \vay. They further claim that the system will reduce the time of drying from om'.-third to one-half in drying oak Olndother hardwoods over any other ordi-nary method now in use and that further, 1t win leave the lumber in excellent condition without honeycombing. warping or checking", and that it will be softer and work better in ma-chines and show no perceptible shri~"kage in drying; and fur-ther, that practically all the acid is removed from the lumber, therby insuring that glued joints \vill 110t open. The Morton Dry Kiln Company have expended consider~ able money and time in perfecting this system and thoroughly testing it before offering it to the trade. They already have se\'eral installed alid in operation, upon which they base their claim for results obtained. The equipn~el1t consists of a splendid sheet iron tank or hood, counter balanced with weights and having guides so that it may be raised or lowered onto a concrete base, making an absolutely tight chamber, in \vhich the lumber is given a preliminary treatment or sweating process of from two to four hours duration before being run into the kiln, where -it is dried in the ordillary manner under a high temperature. The drying chamber also has a special equipment to obtain a proper amount of humidity, which they claim is absolutely necessary in order to obtain the high temperature in the dry-ing room. Another feature of the special equipment offered, is that it can be arranged for use in conection with the hattery of kilns, as well as one room and thus reducing to a minimum cost of installing the system in one or more rooms. They .7'IR.T I ..5' Al"J" 1 $ eri 27 also advise firms that have not the s'pace or room to install one of these special chambers in connectioo\vith the kiln, that they have arranged the system so that it can be put in-side of any kiln \vith equally as good results, with a fcw·,inex-pensive constructive changes. The ~lorton Dry Kiln Company will be pleased to give further information regardiflg this new process either to firms that are desirous of increasing the capacity of their present kilns, or firms that are contemplating the erection of a new kiln. \Vrite them at 218 La Salle street, Chicago; Ill., and get their new catalogue "0" just issued, containing valuable information with respect to kiln drying lumber, which they v\-,il\.be pleased to mail upon request. Must Adv&Uce Prices. The vVestern Brass and Iron Bed Association and the ,\r estern Spring Bed Association held meetings at the Annex and Auditorium, Chicago, respectively, Thursday, May 16. The meeting of the former association was called to discuss mat4 ters of great importance to all manufacturers of brass and iron beds. A recommendation was made to advance prices five per cent all all beds, but no definite action was taken. The increase of [lve per cent is based on the increased east of raw material entering into the "construction of both brass and iron beds, the latter having from thirty to sixty pounds of pig iron castings to a bed, an increase of fifty per cent lately being made on this iron. Manufacturers have also been not-ified that an advance on tubing will soon. be made. Thus it is plainly seen that in order for manufacturers to realize any profits prices must advance. Fox Trimmers in Demand. The Fox 11achine Company of Grand Rapids, Mich., have just received an order for two No.8 Fox trimmers, the larg-est si.:ed trimmers manufactured and twenty of the small No. 4A Fox trimmers, for installation at the Pennsylvania Gen-eral E1ecrtic Company's Stearns plant, Erie, Pa. The demand for Fox trimmers is so heavy that whereas it is customary to carry several hundred of these machines in stock for immediate delivery, at the present time orders are being received for the machines faster than they can be Designed by Otto Jiranek, Grand Rapids, Mich. crowded through the works. The redesign of these ma-chines a short time ago has apparently added very materially to the sale and aU possible trimmer users, both large and small, are showing a disposition to give this class of equip-ment the attention, which it has always deserved, but often failed to receive. Alexander H. Revell & Co., Chicago, have increased their capital stock from $240,GOO to $500,000. 28 .7'IR.T 1.5'JI.l'1 , 7$. D-EI.rIT I TRACE MARK REGISTERED 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 dependable goods of established favor. Popnlar taste demands the use of the old, dull, velvety Mission 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. STA.E -I CHICAGO Manufacturers Favor Tariff Revision. The Kational Association of Manufacturers, at the An-nual meeting held in New Yark during the third week in May, adopted a report favoring a revision -of the tariff laws "at the earliest opportunity" and the negotiation of more re-ciprocity treaties. The report as presented by the committee, appointed at a previous meeting to consider the subject, was based on a poll of 3,000members of the association. Of the total number replying, 55 per cent declared for immediate re-vision, while 20 per cent expressed a "hands off" sentiment. Eight per cent believed that the time for revision had not ar-rived and the other 17 per cent expressed indifference or made noncommittal answers. The association also adopted resolutions favoring the "open shop" and industrial education and opposing illegal combinations of either capital or labor. A committee was appointed to raise a fund of $1,500,000 to be used in carry-ing on a campaign of education against "dictatorial combina. tions." James W. Van Cleave of St. Louis, Mo., was re-elected president and F. H. Stillman, New York, treasurer. Looking Forty Years Ahead. Alarmed over the failure of the steel manufacturers to . produce suitable steel cross ties at practical cost the Pennsylvania Railroad Company will go into the tie-pro-ducing business on the largest scale ever attempted in the world. The plans include the planting of 20,000 acres of land in the Allegheny ~vIountains with timber. Assistant United States Forrester E. A. Sterling ha!'i been pl~ced in charge of the new forestry bureau 0'£ the railroad. More than a million trees will be planted this year in the 20,000 acre tract which lies between Altoona and Hollidays-burg on the eastern slope of the Allegheny Mountains. It will be 40 years before the trees now to be planted wilt be available for the first crop of ties, but the" railroad has decided that it must look that far ahead. The Pennsylvania annually uses more than 5,500,000 wooden ties. At the present time ties command an average price of 95 cents each. After the first 40 years it is expected the forest will produce 4,328,000 ties annually. No Postponement This Year. A meeting of the Grand Rapids F~rniture Manufacturers' Association W<lS held on May 15, to consider a proposition to postpone the opening of the summer sales season for a week or more, some of the members, apparently, having become convinced that June 17 is too early. After thorough discus-sion it was decided to allow the date to stand, as a postpone-ment would cause inconvenience and annoyance to those who have sent out notices to customers and made other arrange-ments for opening their exhibits on June 17. It was generally considered, however, that the third ·week in June is too early for the opening and it is probable that it will be fixed at least a week later next year. The matter of advancing prices on case goods was also brought up but no definite action was taken, further than to abide by the result of tbe referendum ordered by the National Case Goods Manufacturers' Association at the meeting held in Chicago recently. The Ou:1ook is Good in the East. David E. Uhl, manager of the Grand Rapids Fancy Furni-ture company, returned from a tour of the eastern cities, recently and reports a decided improvement in the Outlook for business. He anticipates a lively season of trade during the remainder of the year. Mr. Vhl was appointed a member of the police and ·"fire·commission of Grand Rapids early in May. Ca~inet Makers In these days of close competition, need the best pOSliible equipment, and this they can have in . • • . BARNES' Hand and Foot POWER Machinery Our New "and and foot Power Circular Saw No.4 The strongest, most powerful, and in every way the best machine of its kind ever made, for ripping, cross-cutting, boring and grooving. Se
Date Created:: 1907-06-10T00:00:00Z
Data Provider:: Grand Rapids Public Library (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
Collection:: 27:23

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