48 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



January 



future, therefore, it will be necessary for exporters of lumber and logs 

 to get licenses from the British Board of Trade for anything that they 

 may want to send out, the reservation serving to exclude every item of 

 export which, in the opinion of the British Board of Trade, is not abso- 

 lutely required for the conduct of the war and the maintenance of the 

 population. It nmounts practically to the taking over of the entire 

 British ;in'rcl);uit ninriiio. Previ'ius to this notice eighty-five per cmt 

 of the cargo space had been thus reserved. The raids by ships and sub- 

 marines on the vessels of the Allies are thus evidently making the prob- 

 lems of tbese countries in getting supplies increasingly difficult. 



Building Operations for December and for 1916 



DecembiT comi)b'tos a remarkalile year in building construction. For 

 each month of i;>m there was an increase over the corresponding month 

 (pf 1915. The activity reached its maximum last July, when tbo gain was 

 83 per ecu!.. For several mouths the 

 increase was slight but 1916 was al- 

 ways on the upgrade side. The clos- 

 ing month is modest in its compara- 

 tive showing. 



The official reports of building per- 

 mits issued in 104 principal cities 

 of the country, as received by the 

 Amcricaii Contractor, Chicago, total 

 fur December $69,509,206, as com- 

 pared with ¥66,508,718 for December, 

 1915. an increase of 5 per cent. The 

 total is almost identical with that of 

 November and the shrinkage with the 

 approach of winter is somewhat less 

 than normal. It was a successful 

 closing of a most successful year. 



The showing for the year 1916 is 

 altogether satisfactory. The com- 

 plete returns received from 94 of the 

 principal cities of the country yield 

 an aggregate of $904,071,701. as com- 

 pared with $737,989,170 for 1915, an 

 increase of 22 per cent. Of the 94 

 cities 74 show gains and only 20 show 

 losses, the latter, in most instances, 

 being moderate. The totiil of build- 

 ing permits as issued for the entire 

 year came to $904,071,701 in 1910 

 against $737,989,170 in 1915, a gain 

 of twenty-two per cent. 



Increased Revenue for National 

 Forests 



National forest administration last 

 jear was characterized by au increase 

 of more than $340,000 in receipts, 

 which totaled over $2,800,000 ; by 

 rapid progress in land ciassitication ; 

 by a material advance in develop- 

 ment work, in which road buiUHng is 

 one of the largest factors: and by 

 relatively small losses from forest 

 fires. The receipts from timber \Vere 

 over $1,400,000, a 20 per cent in- 

 crease, while grazing receipts were 

 $1,200,000, and water power rentals 

 brought in $100,000. At present the 

 receipts from the national forests arc 

 approxinuitely three-fourths of what 

 It costs to protect them and carry 

 on the current liusiness. In additii>u 

 to this cost, however, there are ex- 

 penses which are primarily in the 

 nature of investments. Roads and 

 other improvements, reforestation of 

 denuded lands, and classification and 

 survey work are examples. All ex- 

 iieuses connected with the national 

 forests, ineluiling these investment 

 expenses as well as the eost of opera- 

 tion, approximate $5,275,000 a year. 



Horse Shoe Boxes of Elm 



The enormous demand for boxes in which to ship war supplies from 

 England to the continent is taxing the Enslish manufacturers to find 

 suitable box material. Some of the finest elms in that country have been 

 made into boxes in which to ship horse shoes to France. Elm is spe- 

 cially sought after for that kind of boxes because of its strength and 

 toughness. If the war goes on, some of the famous immemorial elms 

 of England will cease to be ornamental and will fill places of strict 

 usefulness. 



Circular Saws for Hickory 



A correspondent of the London Timber 'Jru'la^ Juunuil says that a 30- 

 inch diameter circular saw for cutting hickory should be 11 gauge, with 

 about 80 teeth. The teeth should not be more than half an inch in depth, 

 and having about 20 degrees of hook. A departure from the ordinary 

 speed of circular saws is not necessary, viz., 9.000 feet per minute at rim. 

 However, it may be said that circular saws are not so well adapted for 

 cutting hickory, or similar hardwoods, as the band saw. the chief disad- 

 vantage of the circular being the waste of wood incurred by the set and 

 thickness of the saw in each cut. As a 30-inch diameter circular saw will 

 w^aste three times as much wood as a baud saw. it is not advisable to 

 employ it. except for breaking down purposes. When the depth of hickory 

 to be cut is from 3 inches to 6 inches the diameter of the saw should nof 

 exceed 20 inches. Blades of thinner gauge can be used as the diametei of 



the saw^ is reduced. This is the best 

 plan to adopt where a band saw is 

 not available. I have repeatedly ad- 

 vocated the use of band saws, even 

 on push benches, instead of circulars. 

 If such a course were adopted danger 

 would be minimized, labor reduced, 

 and wood saved. The circular saw 

 is no competitor of the band saw 

 for fine work, or so far as danger 

 and eeouomy an^ ccmcerued. 



Epoch-Making Publication 



The National Safety Council has 

 issued the official proceedings of the 

 fifth annual congress held at Detroit 

 last October. The congress this year 

 was remarkably productive of new 

 thoughts tending toward greater 

 safety in all industrial plants. The 

 proceedings cover some 1,500 pages 

 and are well worth the careful study 

 aiul thought of anyone ambitious to 

 improve provisions for safety In his 



While the price of the book 

 it is very well worth the 



% fc) AyWi/ 



/2i 



'J'hr ahorr is tin: latest jtUoiogrnph of Dr. r. A. Sihimk, formrrhi head 

 nj the liillworc Forest School. In a recent letter published in IIauowood 

 Uecoko. Dr. Sehenck described the effect oj the war on forests in terri- 

 torjf oeeitiiied by the Germans. The doctor has served since the first 

 battles, iras wounded and on latest accounts was recuperating at his home 

 in Darmstadt . 



factory, 

 is $2.50, 

 money. 



Chestnut Oak Ties 

 Heretofore it has been customary, 

 to class chestnut oak crossties as 

 white oak. Botanically. it is a white 

 oak ; but white oak is difficult to 

 treat with preservatives to prevent 

 decay, and chestnut oak is easy. In 

 that respect it compares with red 

 oak which readily receives treatment 

 on account of its open pores. White 

 oak pores arc closed and the preserva- 

 tive tiuid penetrates slowly and with 

 difficulty. Itecause chestnut and red 

 oak act in the same way in the treat- 

 ing tank it has been proposed to con- 

 sl'l'T both in the same class. 



Walnut Does Not Rust Metal 



Among other advantages claimed 

 for walnut as gunstot^k material is 

 the fact that it does not induce rust 

 in metal at the point of contact with 

 the wood. That is not the case with 

 some other woods which have been 

 worked into gunstocks. The greatest 

 advantage rn-dited t<> walnut for gun- 

 stocks is its snuUl tendency to warp 

 when exposed to changing weather 

 conditions. 



Wood for Aeroplanes 



No substitute for wnod iu buibling 

 aeroplanes has yet come to the sur- 

 face, and the demands of this indus- 

 try are rapidly increasing. The total 

 quantity of wood used during the past 

 year in air ships is not known ; but 

 ■ extent of the busi- 

 of the present year 

 Pacific Coast alone 

 but others, specially 

 ■niistnicl ion of these 



some idea of the 

 ness may be ha<l from the fact that during September 

 I he shipment of spruce aeroplane stock from the 

 totaled 2.353.35.J feet. Spruce is the leading wood, 

 ash, hickory, walnut, ami lUMbngany, are used in the c 

 machines. 



May Plant Hardwoods 



The Canadians are srrlously eonsidering the planting of hardwoods 

 for future use, particularly in British Columbia. The matter was 

 discussed some time ago at the annual meeting of the fire rangers at 



