Xovembei- 25, 191S 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



17 



Important Announcements from Washington 



By H. C. Hallam 



In connection with the shifting from war to peace many steps 

 of special interest to the lumber trade have been taken by govern- 

 ment officials here recently. 



One-half of the curtailment imposed by the government upon 

 the industries named below among others lias been lifted in each 

 case: 



Agricultural implements, refrigerators, ice cream freezers, wash- 

 ing machines, clothes wringers, sewing machines, baby carriages, 

 step ladders, scales, rat and animal traps, talking machines, lawii 

 mowers, sporting goods, pianos, piano players, and automobiles. 



At the same time the war industries board authorized the follow- 

 ing changes of priority rules, etc: 



Dealers in raw materials are relieved from the obligation to give and 

 require pledges relating to such commodities, notwithstanding any pro- 

 vision for pli'dges in any order or circular heretofore issued by the priorities 

 division, and notwithstanding any stipulation in any pledge that they will 

 require pledges from those who buy from them for resale ; provided, how- 

 ever, building materials and other products shall not be sold and delivered 

 for use in connection with any non-war construction projects save those 

 for which no permit or license is required under priority circular Xo. 21. as 

 revised, or those authorized by permits or licenses issued in pursuance of 

 said circular : provided, manufacturers will continue to give pledges in 

 accordance with the terms of orders and circulars heretofore issued, and 

 comply with all pledges heretofore or hereafter given, save that they are 

 hereby relieved from the provisions in such pledges as require manu- 

 facturers to exact pledges from those who buy them for resale. 



The priiirities division will, as far as practicable, assist Industries in 

 procuring materials, fuel, transportation and labor to enable them to 

 increase their operations to normal limits as rapidly as conditions may 

 warrant. 



The war industries board requests, and with confidence shall expect to 

 receive, the continuance of that wholehearted cooperation and support 

 of the industries of this nation which it has heretofore enjoyed, and which 

 will make possible the success of so much of the industrial adjustment 

 program covering the period of transition from a war to a peace basis as 

 it is called upon to administer. 



War Activities Curtailment 

 Next day Chairman Baruch of the war industries boanl author- 

 ized the following: 



Deferred building projects amounting to more than ?20.0n0.000 were 

 released yesterday. This action followed promptly the modification of 

 restrictions on non-war construction. Particular eflfort was made to give 

 release as quickly and as widely as possible to building operations that 

 had been restricted. The projects for which releases were issued cmuprisc- 

 a very large number of buildings of comparatively small size. 



This means a wide distribution of work all over the country. Tlii' 

 action will be beneficial particularly therefore to the small building con- 

 tractors. 



The first revision of curtailments upon the use of coal pursuant to the 

 halting of the nation's war program was announced about the same tim.> 

 by the fuel administration. .Vll limitations on the use of fuel in the pro- 

 duction of building materials were ordered removed. 



The fuel administration also reduced by one-half the curtailments 

 in fuel consumption by the brick, tile, cement, and terra cotta. 

 industries. 



Some War Work to Continue 

 Regarding army construction plans Secretary of War Baker has 

 said: 



Some of the projects are for permanent use and some are only tem 

 porary ; the permanent ones will go on, and the temporary ones will be 

 gradually stopped. 



Some of the camps will undoubtedly be abandoned speedily. The first 

 ones to be discontinued will be certain of the canvas camps. We will 

 preserve a large number of camps and cantonments as the place of resi- 

 dence during the demobilization of units returning from abroad, but we 

 will not need them all. and as soon as we determine how many we need 

 we will pick out the most available and accessible and discontinue the 

 others. 



The war industries board has issued a rule giving to lumber orders 

 for the railroads a priority rating higher than that accorded any 

 other class of orders. This action is taken to permit construction 

 delayed by the war. 



Lumber prioirities for the "War Department are cancelled by thb 

 new order, while lumber priorities for the navy, shipping board 

 emergency fleet corporation, the housing corporation and the labor 

 department's bureau of industrial housing and transportation are 

 all accorded an equal priority, an automatic rating of Class A-5. 



Following is the order which is addressed to lumber manufac- 

 turers: 



The rules governing priorities in proiluction and delivery of lumbei 

 appearing on pages 6 to 8 inclusive of Circular No. 54 issued by the 

 priorities division under date of October 25, 1918, are hereby amended 

 as follows : 



.\U orders placed after clearance through the lumber section of the 

 war industries board (a> by or for the Navy Department, or (b) by or for 

 a contractor or agent uf said department, or (c) by c.r for the Emergency 

 Fleet Corporation, or (d) by or for builders of ships or other water craft 

 under direct contracts with said fleet corporation, or (e) by or for the 

 bureau of industrial housing and transportation, shall be accorded an 

 automatic rating of Class A-5, unless a different specific rating shall have 

 been given. 



Paragraph numbered 3 of said rules is hereby repealed and there is 

 substituted therefor the following paragraph: 



All orders heretofore or hereafter placed by any railroad company in 

 the United States (except private railroads not operated as common car- 

 riers) shall be accorded an automatic rating of Class .\-3, All of said 

 orders shall take the rating herein named without the necessity either of an 

 indorsement or affidavit by the officer or party placing the same, and 

 without reference to the purpose for which the lumber embraced in the 

 order is to be used. 



The West Baden hotel, at West Baden, lud., will be made suitable- 

 for a 1,200 bed government hospital, at a cost of $12.5,000; and 

 changes will be made in the Henry Ford hospital to make it suitable 

 for army needs. It will have 2,000 beds, and the cost will be 

 $80,000. 



Eighteen million dollars have been authorized for additional camp 

 construction, of which $7,-500,000 will be expended at Camp Grant; 

 $4,815,000 at Camp Custer; $2,835,210 at Camp Dodge; $1,203,185 at 

 Delaware ordnance depot, and smaller sums elsewhere. 



All outstanding licenses for the importation of wood as specified 

 in or classified under paragraph 647 of the tariff act of 1913, except 

 cedar and balsa wood, have been revoked as to ocean shipment after 

 October 25, 1918. Hereafter, no licenses will be issued for the 

 importation of wood as specified in or classified under paragraph 

 647 of the tariff act of 1913, except cedar and balsa wood, other 

 than to cover shipments from Mexico or Canada by other than ocean 

 transportation, when such commodities originated in such coun- 

 tries. Shipments from Europe or Mediterranean Africa when com- 

 ing as return cargo from convenient ports where loading can be 

 done without delay. 



A change is contemplated in the compilation and publication of 

 trade statistics. More than 1,500 items will be added to export 

 subjects, and publication will be based on the calendar rather than 

 the fiscal year. 



The war industries board will act as the clearing house of all 

 information relating to contract adjustment. It will receive infor- 

 mation concerning contracts to be cancelled from the various 

 departments of the government, and, through the various commodity 

 sections of the board, keep in constant contact with the various 

 industries. At all times will there be contact maintained with the 

 Labor Department also so that as labor is released from the war 

 industries by contract cancellations immediate demand for its serv- 

 ices can be located elsewhere. 



As the demand for raw materials is lessened by the reduction of 

 war requirements and the cancellation of war contracts, if and 

 when such cancellations be made, the raw materials so made avail- 

 able will be released and allocated by the war industries board, for 

 use in supplying civilian and export demands, which through curtail- 

 ment have been held in check during the war. In addition to the 



