January 10, 1919 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



19 



ordered for housing projects that have been dropped or canceled 

 by the government, it is said. The millwork industry will not have 

 to worry about a glut on the market of sash, doors and blinds from 

 the army cantonments that it was feared for a while would be 

 wrecked, if the policy of Secretary of War Baker to buy the can- 

 tonment sites for $12,000,000 and maintain the cantonments, is 

 finally adopted by the government. 



Lumbermen in Washington are wrestling with a new embargo 

 problem that has arisen as a result of orders to hold shipments to 

 many eastern and southern ports and camps. The lumbermen are 

 protesting through their bureaus against the enforcement of the 

 orders on shipments duly accepted by the railroads, and especially 

 against being held responsible for demurrage accruing on such held 

 shipments that were sent in good faith by the mills. 



The navy department bureau of supplies and accounts has issued 

 calls for bids for furnishing miscellaneous lots of lignum-vitae, 

 mahogany, white maple, domestic white live oak, yellow pine and 

 New England spruce lumber for the Brooklyn navy yaid. It also 

 want's quotations on miscellaneous lots of ears for various navy 

 yards. 



M. E. Towner, head of the forest products section, central advisory 

 purchasing committee, railroad administration, says that many 

 western firms that protested against the new method of central- 

 ized purchasing of railroad material west of the Mississippi Eiver 

 have withdrawn their protests; that others stated that they did 

 not know their names were signed to protesting telegrams; and 

 that many protestants have and have had government railroad 

 orders. He says that the administration's representative is getting 

 the facts about the situation in the West and that if the present 

 system of purchasing does not do justice to everybody a different 

 method will be adopted that does insure justice. 

 Land Purchase Bill 

 Lumbermen are showing interest in a bill recently introduced by 

 Representative Byrnes of South Carolina appropriating $100,000,- 

 000 for the purchase, drainage, reclamation, irrigation, and develop- 

 ment of waste, swamp, arid, cutover and other unutilized lands to 

 provide employment and farms with improvements and equipment 

 for returning soldiers. The bill is understood to be endorsed by 

 Secretary of the Interior Lane, and it is reported the administration 

 will seek to push it to passage at this session of congress. It pro- 

 vides that there shall be at least one land project undertaken in 

 each state if feasible, and that the investigation and improvement 

 of land shall be carried on under the direction of the secretary of 

 the interior, and that the lands shall be disposed of under regu- 

 lations by him with the idea that the government shall be reim- 

 bursed for its expenditures on purchase, improvement, development, 

 equipment, etc., by the settler on the basis of forty years install- 

 ment payment plan with four per cent interest on its investment. 



manufacturer would be permitted to sell wagons of the old pattern, 

 which he had made up to December 31, and were on hand; conse- 

 quently, it is likely that some of these wagons will appear for some 

 time, but they will be followed by those of the new standard as the 

 low stocks now in the hands of manufacturers are exhausted. 



It will be apparent to those who consider what this movement . 

 means to the. industry that the efEects and benefits are far-reaching 

 to all whose interests are involved. The manufacturer will find 

 it necessary to tie up less capital in materials and manufactured 

 stock. He will gain greatly in factory operations because of greater 

 uniformity and as well in this distribution, because of it being 

 possible to send the standard wagon throughout the entire country. 

 The dealer will share in these benefits, for in time the economies 

 made will be reflected in prices, although in the beginning this will 

 not be possible. The consumer will be furnished a wagon which 

 will be standard in all its essential points, and should he determine 

 to move from one part of the country to another, he will not have 

 to sacrifice his wagon, for it will be standard where he is going. 

 The matter of his securing repairs and extra parts without costly 

 delays is another advantage, and it will be only a short time when 

 the sizes of boxes, barrels and crates in which farm products are 

 shipped will be adjusted to meet the standard wagon boxes. 



The manufacturers who have joined in this movement will shortly 

 issue a four-color jjamphlet of information to the consumer, which 

 will bear the names of all concerns making standardized wagons. 

 This pamphlet will be distributed through the retail dealer every- 

 where and will deal with the question of wagon and truck stand- 

 ardization. Dealers wiU find it very helpful in placing the mat- 

 ter properly before their customers, although standardization needs 

 no defense. 



This step by the wagon makers is indicative of what must surely 

 follow throughout all lines of farm operating equipment, for this 

 war has indicated through the work of the conservation division 

 of the war industries board that former competitive conditions 

 have produced great waste in manufacture, and the consumer, as 

 usual has paid the bill, but now that the light of common sense 

 has been thrown in and all see the folly of excessive and unneces- 

 sary variety it is believed that the manufacturers in other lines will 

 join in this effort to make the elimination of such waste permanent 

 bv adhering to their elimination programs. 



Wagon Standardization Accomplished 



The manufacturers of wagons and trucks throughout the country 

 have agreed to adhere strictly to their plans covering the adoption 

 of the fifty-six-inch track and thirty-eight-inch beds throughout 

 the United States, and these standards will probably be adopted in 

 Canada. 



The conservation division of the war industries board approved 

 the standardization program of the wagon and truck makers, which, 

 of course, includes in addition to the track and box width, the height 

 of wheels, oval edge tires, tire widths; but some fear was expressed 

 that with the passing of the war industries board, manufacturers 

 might resume the old, ruinous variety. But the wagon makers, 

 through their department in the National Implement and Vehicle 

 Association, immediately sent out an agreement form, which to date 

 has been signed by over forty-five manufacturers, including every 

 manufacturer of influence throughout the country without a single 

 exception, and in the case of one concern doing business in all parts 

 of the country, they have been making and shipping nothing but 

 the new standard wagons for the past sixty days. Many plants 

 began their manufacture with the new year. 



In order to avoid unnecessary waste, it is understood that every 



Lumber Traffic Bureau Established 



It was announced in a former issue of H.\RDWOOD Record that the 

 National Lumber Manufacturers' Association had in contemplation 

 the establishing of a traffic bureau in Washington. The further 

 announcement has now been made that the bureau has been organ- 

 ized for work and that Frank Carnahan of Chicago has been placed 

 in charge. He was selected because of his wide familiarity with 

 rate making and general traffic. He formerly was with the Hilgard 

 Lumber Company of Chicago, and before that had long training in 

 statistical work with the Rock Island and Chicago & Alton railroads. 

 Prior to his connection with the lumber business Mr. Carnahan was 

 office manager at the Tiltonville, Ohio, plant of the Mineral Point 

 Zinc Company. 



Federal Taxation 



A bill will be presented to Congress within a few days providing 

 safeguards against taxation of paper profits consisting of inflated 

 inventory values. This will provide that inventories shall in cer- 

 tain cases be taken upon such basis as the commissioner of internal 

 revenue shall prescribe, a provision flexible enough to afford ade- 

 quate protection provided that appropriate rulings are made by the 

 commissioner of internal revenue. The purpose will be to use ac- 

 counting methods which are appropriate for each industry, which 

 are in accord with the practices of the particular industry and 

 which will reflect the true income. 



If such a bill becomes law it will add another argument to the 

 already long list of arguments for better accounting methods in the 

 lumber industry. 



