Hardwood Reservoirs

Bv J. Jackson Kidd,Jr.

President of the National \Tholesale Hardwood Distribution Yard Association

Address deltvered at the annual convention of the National Hardwood Lumber Association, Chicago, lll., Sept em6er 19, 1947

I was verv happy '*'hen John McClure asked me to address this Convention, because, in a general industry discussion such as this, I also had something that I wanted to say. Although my particular efforts have always been in the interest of the Hardwood Distributidn Yard, and it w'as about them that I was thinking when I approached this platform, I do want to observe that I have never failed to be impressed at these meetings with the magnitude of this great Hardwood Industry, and tl-re enthusiastic support of this Association.

No contribution by the Hard',n'ood Distribution Yards to this industry can, in my opinion, be of more importance than the fact that these yards have become through normal distribution and custom, the Hardwood Reservoirs of this Iumber business. In this capacity, these yards, located at strategic points throughout the United States, as well as Canada, have a duty and a responsibility that to the best of my knowledge and belief, thev have discharged with all their energy in the sincere interest of the entire industry. I l-rave referred to these operations as the "Hardwood Reservoirs." A reservoir has a dual function. It absorbs, or reserves a part of the florv of water or lumber or goods in normal times, at a locality r,vhere it is most needed, and also when the demand becomes greater than the flow, it serves 1o supplement this florv to those rvho need it most. In this Hardwood Lumber Industry, the Distributing Yard performs just that function primarily, but the attendant responsibilities and operating mechanics are a little more complicated.

These yards, scarcely more than a hundred in number at the end of the war, have been in existence for many, many years. The first was established in 1798. Nearly 40/c ol them are members of the National Hardrvood Lum- ber Association's 30 year honor roll. They annually move approximately 250 million feet of high grade hardwoods to industrial users in lots of generally 5 thousand feet or less, and have many millions of dollars invested in lumber and in their sheds and other properties.

Many industrial plants and factories do not have the facilities for handling carload lots of lumber or cannot anticipate their needs to that extent. These yards store diversified sto,cks for the industry close to the consuming industrial markets. When demand is not as great as supply, when competition for existing markets is keen with those who would substitute other materials for hardwoods, the men who operate these yards are lumber's champions. They have nothing to sell but lumber. Their yards are the "show windows" of the industry. Their very existence is predicated on the use of lumber, and they daily exert their efiorts and ability by instructing potential customers, not only on merits of lumber, but more particularly on the kind and grade of lumber that will best suit the purpose for which it is to be used. The material is there, at hand, for their inspection and comparison, and for immediate delivery even though such a sale may frequently develop a carload buyer for direct mills shipments' The salesmen of the Wholesale Distribution Yard are specialists, trained and experienced in the utility of the various species for particular purposes.

In addition they perform a unique service, in that a single customer may secure from their supply several items of hardrvoods originating in widely separated geographical localities or "special rvidths or lengths" rvhich, while needed in limited cluantities only, may be essential from the standpoint of consumer satisfaction and therefore ber-reficial from an industrv standpoint. I should like to read

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