36 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



December 23. 1918 



{Continued from page 34) 

 facturer in foreign markets and he can sell at a lower price than 

 the manufacturer. Declaring that allied governments are anxious 

 for this government to continue control of foreign shipments, the 

 Turnbull report says that it is because they need help and want 

 to have the way shown to them. The organization that shows the 

 way will get the business. The wholesalers should do it, it is stated. 

 Outlining the plan, the report says that the firoposed corpora- 

 tion should be able to finance all foreign trade; that it can be 

 done with equal rights to all; that members of the bureau could 

 receive equal interest with others with a small initial cost; that 

 the organization will secure the best brains available in all de- 

 partments; that the export company could be fully protected in all 

 countries; that banking arrangements can be made; that shipping 

 will be had; that licenses have already been granted for lumber 

 shipments to Spain; that concerted action is necessary; that good 

 must come to the body as a whole as well as to the individual 

 members. 



Wooden Box Matters 



J. C. Nellis, secretary-manager of the national emergency bureau 

 of the wooden box industry, is advising members that it will be 

 better for box manufacturers to accept immediate suspension of 

 ordnance department contracts for ammunition boxes when ordered 

 without awaiting cancellation or taking advantage of the period 

 of grace allowed in the contract. Early settlement of claims for 

 adjustment under such contracts may be obtained through the dis- 

 trict ordnance offices, it is stated. 



Announcing the plans of the wooden box bureau, Mr. Nellis says 

 that the principal lines of its work in Washington are the develop- 

 ment of specifications for export boxes for commodities which are 

 expected to move in large quantities in the future, work on the 

 exportation of shooks especially in the North Carolina pine region, 

 and a co-operative study of dry goods boxes wdth the railroad ad- 

 ministration. 



Ships and Barges 



The shipping board in its rejjort gives anew the facts about the 

 wooden ship program, etc., from which it a)]prars that contracts 

 and commitments by the board were for building complete 181 

 wooden ships of 707,000 tons, 519 wood hulls of l,8il,000 tons, 162 

 wood tugs, and 140 wood ship barges of 350,000 tons. 



Senator Fletcher of Florida has put into the Congressional Bec- 

 ord a mass of data bearing upon the wooden ship situation and 

 showing the performance records of government wooden ships. 



It is understood that the shipping board has canceled contracts 

 for all wooden ships on which the contractors have spent less than 

 $200,000 each. These cancelations will include a ninnbor of the 

 160 contracts that were suspended some time ago. 



The senate during the past week passed a resolution offered by 

 Senator Jones of Washington asking the shipping board whether 

 it has removed restrictions on American ship yards for wooden 

 and steel vessels for foreign account; if so, when;- if not, why not; 

 also what applications have been received for building ships for 

 foreign account in American yards, when they were presented, and 

 what action has been taken on them; finally, what information the 

 shipping board has concerning the policy or action of other coun- 

 tries relative to the building of ships for foreign account in their 

 respective yards. 



Director General McAdoo of the railroad administration has 

 given assurances that the administration is committed to the con- 

 struction of 40 barges for barge routes on the Mississippi Eiver. 

 He says, however, that it is imirossible to tell what will be the 

 result of the project if the railroads are turned back soon to their 

 private owners; hence he suggests that the business interests get 

 behind his recommendation to congress that government control 

 and operation of railroads be given a trial to see how it will work 

 out in peace time and under normal conditions. 



Announcement was made recently that the shipping board has 

 determined to discontinue work on a considerable number of wooden 

 steamers which are in the early stages of construction, and to 



cancel a considerable number of contracts for the construction of 

 vessels of this type on which work has not yet been started. The 

 cancellations will be made with every effort to do justice to the 

 contractor and the action of the board looking to cancelations will 

 be determined by the question of the ultimate cost to the govern- 

 ment taking into consideration the actual progress of the work 

 under these contracts, and the resultant cost of cancelation. Where 

 the work is advanced and it appears that the completed ship can 

 be disposed of by the government at a less loss than would be in- 

 volved in indemnifying the contractor upon cancelation, the ves- 

 sels will bo completed. Where, however, an accurate survey indi- 

 cates that the loss to the government can be held to the minimum 

 by cancelation, that will be the course pursued. 



Aside from contracts covering sixty vessels, as to which the 

 work is in its initial stages, it cannot be said at the moment how 

 many cancelations of building contracts will result from the 

 board's action. This depends upon the result of a survey. 



Land for Soldiers 



Interest is rapidly increasing in plans for ijlaciug soldiers on the 

 land. Secretary of the Interior Lane's plan to develop new irri- 

 gation projects, have a survey of lands made to determine what 

 are capable of agricultural development, to drain swamp lands 

 and to buy cutover timber lands or lend money for their purchase 

 the same to be reimbursed by soldier farmers in long-term pay- 

 ments, is considered good, but it will take time to work it out, 

 especially the survey feature, while a million men are coming home 

 as soon as practicable. 



As a supplementary or companion measure it is proposed by some 

 interested in the land for soldiers movement that Congress should 

 appropriate funds this winter for the survey and at the same time 

 should authorize the purchase of cutover lands that may be deemed 

 suitable without delay. 



The United States reclamation service and A. G. T. Moore, as- 

 sistant secretary of the southern pine association, co-operated re- 

 cently in the preparation of motion pictures for booming the plan 

 to place soldiers on cutover lands. Pictures were taken in the 

 south to be shown througliout America and France. 



A Proposed Tax Measure 



The revenue bill bids fair to pass before the New Tear. It has 

 made remarkable progress in the Senate since republican leaders 

 decided not to fight it. The bill provides for $6,000,000,000 taxes 

 to be collected in 101!) and $4,000,000,000 in 1020 from internal 

 revenue sources. 



The bill contains a provision of special interest to lumbermen. 

 It includes in legitimate claims that may be made for deductions 

 from gi-oss income, allowance for depletion ami depreciation on 

 lumbering propositions, which reads as follows: 



In the case uf mines, oil and gas wells, other natural deposits, and 

 timber, a reasonable allowance for depletion and for depreciation of im- 

 provements, according to the peculiar conditions in each case, based upon 

 cost including cost of development not otherwise deducted ; provided, that 

 in the case of such properties acquired prior to March 1, 1913, the fair 

 market value of the property (or the taxpayer's interest tbprein) on that 

 date shall lie token in lieu of cost up to that date. 



Furniture Problems 



Washington is full of second-hand office furniture and equipment 

 that is not needed b}' war service committees and war bureaus that 

 are closing up shop. This has been dumped onto, the market at 

 half price or less and it is understood that this furniture has been 

 shipped by the carload to many eastern and southern jioiuts which 

 have been suffering from a freight embargo on furniture. Specu- 

 lators are figuring on making big profits on some of this stuff. 

 The opinion has been heard expressed that furniture manufacturers 

 would do well to take back the slightly used furniture with which 

 Washington is full and resell it after refinishing. It is said that 

 they would thereby protect the market for their new goods. 



General R. E. Wood, acting quartermaster general, states that the 

 army has on hand in depots, forts, camps, etc., at home and abroad, 

 60,800 small field desks, 13,250 large field desks, 3,900 commissary 

 chests and millions of dollars worth of other supplies and eq.i:j'-nient. 



