The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-09-19
THE LUMBERNEN ORGANIZE
The Southern Lumber Exchange the
Outcome Of Existing Evils.

OAANUlul VI LAAJtAAh LN AA0t
Mayor MoDonouEh Elected President
of the New Company-Its Object to
Correct Existing Evils and to Devise
Means Whereby the Lumbermen
Can Get a Fair Return on Their
Product-It Is Not Trust, and Does
Not Propose to Do ANY Arbitrary
Debating.
The large manufacturers Of yellow pine
lumber in this section, and many of
whom have offices or connections in New
York, held practically an all-day session
at the De Soto hotel yesterday and organ
lied the Southern Lumber Exchange.
Among the large concerns represented
at the meeting were McDonough &, Co,
the Georgia Lumber Company, Cooney,
Eckstein & Co, Dixon, Mitchell 81 Co., B
B. Gray & Bro, r. M. Garbutt s. Co,
Lang & Stacer, E. B. Hunting & Co., E.
E. Foy Manufacturing Co, Perkins
& Co., Geo. NJ. Brinson, Stillwell, Millen
& Co., James Lumber Company and Fri
erson & Co.
The lumbermen met in the morning and
did not anjourn for dinner until 3 o'clock
They held another session in the after
noon, which lasted until about o'clock.
MAYOR M'DoNoUeH PRESIDENT.
Mayor J. J. McDonough presided at the
meeting. and permanent organization was
effected by his unanimous election as
president of the exchange. Mr.. T. J. Ag-
new, Of the firm of e B. Hunting & Co,
was elected vice president. Messrs.
Perkins, Gray, Dixon and Cooney were
elected directors. Mr.. T. S. Wylly, of
the Georgia Lumber Company, was
elected temporary secretary Of the ex-
change.
Representatives uof these firms have
been holding meetings here for the last
month, but they have kept the entire pro
ceedings secret, on account Of the fact
that il was desired to perfect the organi-
cation before it should become known
The exchange was then only temporarily
organized.
About year ago there was a movement
on foot TO organize an association or trust
among the lumbermen, and il was thought
by some that this was the object for
which this meeting was held. But such
was not the case. The association CON
templated at that time and which may
yet be organized was to take in all
the lumbermen Of the country, and was
in the nature of trust which il is said,
is not the case with the Southern Lum-
Der Exchange. That larger association,
however, is merely being kept in abey-
ance, and it is the object of those inter
ested TO perfect its organization at an OPP
perfume time.
OBJECTS OF THE EXCHANGE.
\ IN
that the whole object and purpose of this
exchange was simply to correct the evils
that now exist in the lumber trade, and
TO provide plan or means by which the
manufacturers of yellow pine lumber will
at least get fair return on their product
which, it Is said has not been the case in
the majority of instances in some time.
There has been more than one evil with
which the lum bermen have had to cope
Outside of business they were friendly
enough one with another, but an evil
which has done the trade as much or
more damage than anything else
has been the wholesale cutting of
prices. This has been largely
due to the lumbermen themselves,
but often as much as anything else to the
efforts of representatives of large cor
porations to get their supplies as cheaply
as possible by insisting that the lumber
man would have to beat a certain price
before he could get the order.
NOT A TRUST.
President McDouough said the South
ern Lumber Exchange was not a trust,
nor was it contemplated that it should be
a concern with arbitrary or fixed ideas
II was not formed he said for
the purpose of debating to the
people what they should pay for
lumber, nor did it propose to advance
prices beyond a point where the lumber
men would be fairly reimbursed for what
they expend. Its object, he said, was
simply to devise some means whereby a
fair return could be obtained and to cor
rect the evils complained Of
The last two seasons have been pretty
severe ones with the lumber trade. and
prices have been so low that there was
little money in the business. This
was perhaps the principal reason
which has led the southern lum-
bermen to devise some means
Tor their own protection. The organiza-
ton Of this exchange, it is believed, will
eventually mean the formation of scale
of prices, but its members say its purpose
is rather to stop the cutting of prices
than TO dictate what they shall be-