38 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



December 25, 1918 



J. C. WieklifE of the hardwood section, Aircraft Production Bu- 

 reau, is reported to be slated to have cliarge of the disposition of 

 hardwood lumber of which the government has some surplus, it is 

 believed. Mr. Wiekliff is member of a committee of lumber experts 

 attached to the several government departments who are meeting 

 in Wasliington frequently and making arrangements for disposing 

 of government lumber. Other members of the committee are Capt. 

 George M. Chambers, construction division of the army; J. B. Ec- 

 cleston of the shipping board emergency fleet corporation; C. il. 

 Morford of the navy department bureau of supplies and accounts; 

 M. E. Towner of tlie railroad administration's purchasing depart 

 ment, forest products section; Major James E. Schuyler of the 

 housing corporation. Major T. F. Archer of the United States marine 

 corps, Major .John Cowdin, softwood expert of the aircraft bureau, 

 and Hugh McDonald of the housing bureau. 



It is understood that they have decided it would be best if sur 

 plus government lumber could be exported. If not, they think the 

 railroads should and would take considerable government lumber. 

 Then there are exchanges being arranged between various govern- 

 ment departments, each taking what lumber it needs from surplus 

 stocks of other departments, so far as may be practicable. Finally, 

 surplus lumber is to be marketed, it is understood, according to 

 present plans. Capt. Chambers is secretary of the committee men- 

 tioned, Mr. Eecleston, its secretary. 



It is proposed that the trade associations name several men to 

 cooperate and advise with the government lumber sellers. Members 

 of the committee believe that the lumber can in time be absorbed 

 by the market. Capt. Chambers resigns from the arnn- January 1, 

 but will assist the government as a civilian. 



He estimates that the government has 400,000,000 feet of lumber 

 it does not need, of which the construction division has 280,000,000 

 feet, shipjiing board 70,000,000 feet and housing corporation 10,000,- 

 000. Messrs. Eecleston and Hayncn will have charge of selling sur- 

 jdus shipping board lumber. Assistant Secretary of War Crowell 

 is responsible official; W, J. Hare, general supervisor; Brig. Gen. 

 C. C. Jamieson, director of sales, and Capt. Chambers probably lum- 

 ber sales agent, for the war department in the sale of its surplus 

 materials, ecjuipment and supplies. 



While lumber wholesalers are making plans for engaging exten- 

 sively in the export trade, manufacturers are doing likewise. Manu- 

 facturers are understood to feel that they produce the lumber and 

 naturally might have an advantage in organizing for export trade. 

 It is suggested that the wholesalers inii;ht have to depend upon small 

 mills for the stuff they export: 



The price fixing committee of the war industries board has ruled 

 substantially as follows relative to prices on commercial orders: 



Conimorcial orrter.'; entered since .Tune 14 and unshipped December 23 (iu 

 the case of southern pine) at ngreed uprtn item prices. :ire not sui>.iect to 

 renegotiation as to price 



.\ny commercial orders placed at tlie prices and conditions contDrmiug to 

 the orders of the war industries hoard, if unshipped December 23, would be 

 subject to renegotiated prices. In this connection it is pointed out that 

 there would be no power to enforce compliance with government-fixed prices. 



Orders placed in good faith at agreed upon prices at maximum or lower 

 figures after June 14 and unshipped December 23, are not subject to renego- 

 tiation. 



The Building Program 



The house committee on public luiildings and grounds has decided 



not to prepare and report an omnibus public building bill at this 

 session of Congress. 



Private interests are offering to take over government housing 

 projects. A concern iu Eock Island, 111., has offered to do this in 

 the case of the Eock Island project, and to complete all buildings, 

 paying the government cost. 



Secretary of the Interior Lane in his annual report tells of the 

 sale of timber from 4197 acres of Oregon and California grant lands 

 for which .$145,288 was received. 



The report shows that the Indian bureau during the last fiscal 

 year gave special attention to the sale of timber and the production 

 of material suitable for war industries. 



Substantial assistance was rendered in supplying walnut for gun- 

 stocks and airplane propellers, spruce for airplane frames, and con- 

 struction material for government and industrial building. 



The House of Eepresentatives refused the other day to provide 

 a few millions for the postoflSce department to build airplanes to 

 carry the mail. Instead the house voted that the mails should be 

 carried by army airplanes, of which Eepresentative LaGuardia of 

 New York, who served as an aviator with the Italian army, said 

 there were 1495 De Haviland 4 's, some Curtiss JN-4's and about 200 

 Handley-Page pianos in this country. 



.\11 restrictions imposed by the war industries board on the indus- 

 tries of tlic country have been cancelled and all pledges made by 

 industries at the suggestion of the board have been withdrawn, 

 according to official announcement by the board, which goes out of 

 existence January 1. 



Senator Kenyon wants to revive the so-called luxury taxes of 

 twenty per cent. At his suggestion the Senate has passed over 

 temporarily the Senate finance committee's amendment to the reve- 

 nue bill striking out these taxes, which would apply to certain furni- 

 ture, ])icture frames, trunks, and other articles. 



"In the vehicle branch of the work the most serious problem 

 faced was the supply of hardwood stock,'' says the annual report of 

 the quartermaster general of the army. ' ' The first few orders placed 

 used up the available dry supply and it at once became necessary to 

 use, on account of immediate deliveries required, improved drying 

 kilns to season the stock. Additional facilities of this sort have 

 lieen provided and it is now thought that the industry, properly 

 handled, is in a position to take care of any future ]u-ogram. " 



The re]iort shows the following as to vehicle contracts entered into 

 liv the (|uartermaster 's department of the army: 



T'nit money Total 



Number Number value i>f value of 



contracted for. delivereil. eacli. contracts. 



Ciimbat wagons 1,^.500 7.000 $,-.2." .$8,137,500 



Escort wagons 91,728 3(l,ono 210 19.202.880 



Water carts 13,500 13,00(1 27.-| 3,712.500 



Medical carts 2,500 2.50(1 150 375.000 



Station carts 12,000 7,000 125 1,500,000 



Ambulances 3.500 3.500 350 1,225,000 



Restrictions Removed 



The war trade board announces that the limitations placed upon 

 the importation of mahogany logs and maliogany hmdier, announced 

 in W, T. B. R. 222 of September 12, 1918, have been removed, and 

 licenses may now be issued freely. 



The board announces that pecky cypress has been added to the 

 several kinds of wood listed officially November 30 which may be 

 licensed iu usual and reasonable quantities, under bunker licenses, 

 when intended solely for use as dunnage aboard vessels on which 

 shipped and not for commercial use abroad. 



Cars, carriages and other vehicles have been removed by the board 

 from the list of restricted imports No. 1, and it is stated that 

 licenses may henceforth be issued freely provided the applications 

 are otherwise in order. 



According to a report by the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic 

 Comnu'rce, Department of Commerce, exports for November 

 amounted to $.522,000,000, against $503,000,000 in October and $487,- 

 000,000 in November, 1917. For the eleven months of this yeai 

 exports were valued at $5,585,000,000, which is not quite up to the 

 total of $5,(i33,000,000 recorded for the corresponding period of 1917. 



November imports totaled $251,000,000, against $247,000,000 in 

 October and $221,000,000 in November of last year. For the eleven 

 months ended with November of this year the imports were valued 

 at $2,821,000,000, a gain over 'the $2,725,000,000 in the same period 

 of last year. 



The indications are that for the full calendar year imports will 

 exceed $3,000,000,000 and exports $0,000,000,000 in value. 



Gold imports as well as exports amount to much less than for the 

 previous year. For the eleven months ended with November imports 

 of gold amounted to $60,000,000, against $535,000,000 in 1917, and 

 exports to $39,000,000, as against $3fi7,000,000 a year ago. 



Imports of silver in the eleven months period of 1918 amounted 

 to $(i7,000,000, an increase of $20,000,000 during the year, while sil- 

 ver exports were valued at $205,000,000, against $74,000,000 in the 

 eleven months period of 1917. 



