Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1917-02-08
LUMBER DEALERS
FLOCK TO THE CITY
Secretary Urges Legal Depart
ment and Traffic Bureau in
His Annual Report,
URGE MORE USE OF LUMBER

A legal department and a traffic
bureau for the Lumber Dealers as
sociation are among the innovations
suggested by Secretary +. +, Hall in
his ANIMAL report made at the opening
session of the annual convention at
the Hotel Rome this afternoon.
These departments might. ] think.
be organized at a minimum expense"
he said. and add a direct value to
membership in the association, and |
would suggest that a committee be
appointed to look into the ACCESSIBILITY
of adding these service helps, if it
can be done. and with the authority
to establish these departments it in
vestigation should show that they
are feasible"
Follow Other Organizations.
Regarding what other state associa-
tons have already done i'll this re-
spect Secretary Hall said
Many of our neighboring associs-
tons have organized traffic bureaus
through which the members may
make claims and adjustments for
overchargcs, and through which all
expense bills may be checked as to
rate and amount, and cars may be
traced in transit and speeded up.
This service is given to members
only and these dealers who make
use of this bureau find that it pays
them in many instances many times
the amount OF their dues.
Another feature OF association
work is legal department to which
each member is permitted to present
such legal problems as may con-
front him in his business, and this
legal advice alone is in many cases
more than equivalent TO several years
dues"
Campaign for Members.
President S. w. Lightner of St.
Edward, in his opening address, urged
stronger campaign for membership
in the association There have been
so many of the dealers throughout the
state who have been getting the bene-
fit of the associations work without
paying their dues and becoming ac-
tual members" he said, that we feel
it is time for them all to come in and
cooperate with US"
He called attention to the fact that
special membership committee is
to work hard during this year to in
crease the membership very ma
terially
President Lightner pointed out to
the members that lumber has not
kept pace with other commodities and
especially not with other building ma
terials in the advance in prices in
years past. He declared that lumber
has made no appreciate advance in
price in twenty years, and that even
during the last year when everything
else was rising, lumber increased a
mere 10 per cent This is looked upon
by the lumber dealers as good talk
ing point for wider use of lumber in
construction work, since other build
ing materials have advanced so radi-
cally. President Lightner congratu-
lated the dealers on prosperous year
of business Just closed, and on pros
poets for another prosperous year
ahead.
Lunch at Club.
AT noon the delegates took lunch
at the Commercial club rooms, then
took an automobile trip for tour of
inspection of the Item Biscuit COM
pany plant and the Brandeis stores.
John N. Jewett or Chicago, adver-
Using manager of the Cornell Wood
Product company, has handsome
exhibit of the company products in
the lobby of the Hotel Rome. Mr.
Jewett is very enthusiastic about the
future of wood products. He pre-
diets that suits, overcoats and cloth
ing of all kinds will eventually be
made of wood fiber, if the cost OF
woolens, silks and other cloth con-
tinues to soar. He has hose and other
garments made of wood fiber to sub
stantiate his claim