Document DGzQOqMXwX3ZzzOr3v83oEZ55

The Lead Industries Association was organized in the Fall of 19C3 and, unlike other metal associations, comprises lead ninine, smelting, refining and manufacturing companies, all under one Associa tion. Mr. Crane, -the President of the largest cininr company, the St. Joseph Lead Company, Ur. Brownell, President of the Ancricen Smelting and Refining Company, the largest smelting and refining company, and Ur. Cornish, then chairman of the largest lead consumer, the Rational Lead Company, were the three men most res pons i tie for establishing the Association. Their belief was that the component parts of the lead industry were ell vitally interested in many prob lems relating to the welfere of the lead industry as a whole and that, with combined efforts greater and more economic progress could be made in solving them than through individual assocletions represent ing miners, smelters, refiners and manufacturers respectively. How well their plan has succeeded I an content to leave to the record. The work of the Association concerns itself with the following main sub-divislonss 1. Statistical - Statistics of both raw materials and finished products are gathered by the Association end distributed promptly to all members of the Association. This enables them to obtain a broad perspective of various related sections and oroducts of the lead Industry. * Legislative - The Lead Industries Association has acted promptly on federal and other legislative matters effecting its welfare saving much duplication of effort. It succeeded early in its career in procuring a chance in the drawback laws permitting substitution for drawback purposes, o change th*-t had been attempted Individually for 40 years prior to its organization, but without success. This change In the law saves our.members thousands of dollars annually. The Association has helped to protect the lead Industry In tariff matters. It has been successful so far in preventing a breach In the lead tariff structure threatened repeatedly by the reciprocal trade treaty negotiations of the present administration. In K*R*A* days the Association was instrumental In pro tecting the Shite lead industry from discrimination in W.F.A. codes by successfully resisting an effort of the paint Industry to in corporate white lead in Its own oode. 3. Lead Poisoning - The Association has supported medical, research on lead poisoning at Harvard University ever since its inception* Zt has devoted and is giving a large amount of time and attention to lead poisoning problems arising in the use of a--rrma lead products, which cause the industry a large amount of trouble and unfavorable publicity* Through its efforts a better appreciation of the medical poaltibh of lead is being witnessed in the United 6tates, but progress is necessarily alow* 4 L* - The Association publishes six tines a year a igssine, "Lead* , having a circulation of 3f000 going to people in a position to specify various lead products* A greet many unsolicited comalinent*' ry letters from readers sake us believe that this project is well worth its cost, 5. LitharEe Pesearch - The Association is investirrtin? the threatened displacement of the use of litherre in the petroleum industry for the refining of gasoline, *. PrgagUgp.1 / start Us* (a) Plumbing ProaotlorTProgram - The Association, primarily at the suggestion of Kr, Beschorean of the Rational Lord Company, several years ago undertook to see what could be done to save and increase the use of lead in the plumbing and water works field. Starting modestly, the Association now has three field representatives, spends a s-rll amount on advertising in the trade magazines, publishes o plumbing magazine, ^lumbers' Forur", copy of which Is attached, and has been successful in definitely restor ing lead to the plumbing codes of dozens of cities, and has been directly responsible for the use of hundreds of tons of lead blunt ing goods where they ordinarily would not have beer considered. Considering the xodest expenditure for this work, averaging about f33,033 per year, ?nd the results obtained, I thin* it is a good illustration of what the Association can Jointly do on a oroblea affecting its industry, without duplicating any of the individual member's activities, without the assistance of th^ Lead Industries Association's campaign, the National Ler- Company md other r.eaber coopanies would have had to devote their own energies and funds to preventing changes in niu^Mn- codes disadvantageous to le^d, and working ';ith the mister and Journeymen plumbers' associations, work of an indispensable nature, I leave it to your om lata gins tior as to what the cost would be to individual coopanies if left to them for action. (b) Lumber Products-Fetter Paint Carnaim - This program was suggested by Sr, r, Carter and the lrte V.illard F* Veston of the Fagle-Picher Lead Company, and was designed to arouse the lumber industry to the common problem it b.Bd, together ~lth the paint industry, of making certain that only quality lumber and paint are used in hone construction. Here again a program was tackled which individual member companies could not have undertaken* At an expenditure of ebout $5,300 per year, two rr.d three men have been kept in the field continuously and an extraordinary amount of rood- will has been cultivated among the important lumber associations such as, the Western Pine, Fed Cedar Shingle Bureau, Southern Cypress, Fedwood and Others, which I am sure our paint competitors would pay handsomely to have for themselves* Z am sure this brought white lead to the attention of the lumber industry in a manner which, as the years go by, should help the. national Lead Co,, and other white lead producers greatly* The cost to us of the campaign has been watched. In great part, by expenditures of lumber companies for folders, leaf lets and other literature on the seme objectives* (e) Ihltf hii Pwm. - Thl pjorr*j w tpMord by the lead mining companies who have watched with dismay a steady decline In the use of white lead over the pest few years despite its wonder ful paint qualities* They were willing and anxious to do what they could to correct this situation* 0000-NLI-000020444 The Fhite Lead Promotion Program is a national advertising caspalgn, not quite a year old. The largest part of our funds *re invested in advertising to consunere, A snail o^rt of the budget pemits collateral activities such as work anon? the agricultural leaders of sn educational nature; field work nsonr the journeyman painters, ?lso among municipalities, countries and other ?ov rnrsent users of white lead; publication of auxiliary pamphlets, booklets, broadsides, etc,,; and enlargin' our "Lead" aagcrine to include white lead articles. The campaign is too young yet to demonstrate its value to the industry but there are straws in the wind which indicate already that white lead will be given more retention in many directions than it has heretofore, Competitive attacks on white lead, adJusta^nt of which so frequently occupied the time of the Secretary, have been conspicuous by their absence since the Canpaim started, (d) Cheet Lead Program - The Association hes fathered a vast amount of accurate end authoritative information on the proper appllc tion of sheet lead to building construction end is prepared to*publish a book riving fundamental details when, as end if the interested members desire to proceed with this program# 7, Conclusion - In all of its activities the Lend Industries Association has only nttenpted to enm? in work which would not duplicate any activity of an individual member company. Promotional activities, which nom comprise a large onrt of its budget, are based upon the assumption that the lead mining industry should be prepared to shoulder the burden of the fundamental promotional work necessary to insure the continued use of the various lead products, and to offset the competition of other metal orociucts serving the sane markets. The lead mining companies have always been keenly Interested in the neny u3es to which lead is put and the fact that they >*re now so closely allied with the manufacturers in one association has gives then information and a noint of view that they ordinarily would not have oossessed. Indeed, there is no other r.etrl industry, outside of the monopolies, or near-monbpolies, aluminum and nickel, where one will find the cooperation and solidarity of thinking that now exists in the lead industry, I think it speaks well for the future of lead. 0000-NLI-000020445