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HARDWOOD RECORD 



February 25, 1910 



Important Announcements from Washington 



By H. C. Hallam 



Hardwood lumber interests are being well considered by govern- 

 ment officials these days in connection with plans for the disposal 

 of surplus government stocks of materials, etc., and in connection 

 with the organization of the government price conference board, 

 with the object of establishing prices that the government will pay 

 for the things it needs. 



In the latter connection W. M. Eitter has been selected by Secre- 

 tary of Commerce Redfield to carry on the work of organization. 

 Mr. Eitter is co-operating in this work with George N. Peek, who 

 held an important place in the former War Industries Board, and 

 who long had dealings with the lumber industry as an officer of an 

 agricultural implement manufacturing concern at Moline, 111., is to 

 be chairman of the new committee. 



It is learned that the lumber industry will be represented on the 

 committee, and possibly by Mr. Eitter. Mr. Peek is selecting mem- 

 bers of the committee from various important industries and in some 

 instances is asking the advice of trade associations or industries as 

 to the selections. The industrial representatives will advise the 

 committee and government officials what prices it should fairly pay 

 for materials and supplies of various kinds. The prices once estab- 

 lished are expected to stabilize conditions generally. It is believed 

 that the public will pay the prices the government agrees to pay 

 and that the latent consuming power of the country will be released 

 and business stagnation become a thing of the past. The plan was 

 approved by President Wilson while abroad. 



Several conferences have been held for the purpose of disposing 

 of surplus stocks of material in government hands. It is claimed 

 that these supplies of hardwoods amount to less than 9,000,000 feet, 

 and the quantity is too small to be even a factor in the market. 

 Appropriate action was agreed upon which it is believed will satis- 

 factorily dispose of these small stocks. Black walnut and mahogany 

 were not included in the plans for disposing of hardwoods. 



Concerning the veneer conferences, it has been announced that 

 government representatives who have the matter in charge have 

 expressed a desire to so dispose of these stocks as to not in any 

 way adversely affect the market. A plan is under consideration 

 by which these stocks will be disposed of in co-operation with the 

 industry. A considerable portion will be absorbed by redistribution 

 among the several bureaus for government use. The representatives 

 of the industry in attendance at the conferences expressed complete 

 satisfaction as to the method being followed by the government in 

 arranging for the disposal of these surplus stocks and agreed, after 

 a conference with all the members of the industry, to attend a 

 further confereiee during the coming week, at which the industry 

 is expected to present a proposal in regard to the matter. 



The War Department has received the inventories of surplus 

 building materials called for some time ago by its construction divi- 

 sion. It is classified into lumber, piling and poles and other classes. 

 The total cost to the government is estimated at about $15,500,000. 

 It is stated that large quantities of the materials are being absorbed 

 by the war and other departments. Transfers in carrying out this 

 policy are being made constantly. Over $2,000,000 worth of the 

 materials have been absorbed in this manner. The department is 

 making no purchases where material can be secured by transfer. 



Roger E. Simmons, one of Uncle Sam's lumber trade commis- 

 sioners to Europe, has been an interesting witness before the senate 

 committee investigating bolshevik propaganda recently. He spent 

 a long time in Russia, from which he escaped only by bribing his 

 jailer. Simmons said the best antidote for bolshevik propaganda in 

 this country is publicity for the bloody acts and immoral beliefs of 

 the bolshevists. This plan, he believed, would disgust people gener- 

 ally. Simmons testified regarding the nationalization of women by 



bolshevik decrees. Declaring that American troops in the Archangel 

 district are performing prodigies of valor, he predicted that with- 

 drawal of allied troops from that section would be followed by 

 wholesale murder of peaceful natives. The Germans financed the 

 bolshcviki, he said. The bolsheviki have sent agents and mission- 

 aries to this country to spread their propaganda. 



The war trade board has included office furniture on its free list 

 of things that may be shipped to the Scandinavian countries, includ- 

 ing Finland, and to Holland. Among the articles that licenses will 

 be issued by the board to export to Finland are household furniture, 

 musical instruments, athletic goods, office furniture, phonographs, 

 pianos, sewing machines, turners' wares of wood, walking sticks, etc. 



Ship Building 



Chairman Hurley of the shipping board has announced that larger 

 ships will be constructed by the government under the revised build- 

 ing program. He said that the board is negotiating with a view to 

 the sale of wood and composite ships built by the government during 

 the war, but that nothing definite will be done until Congress acts 

 on the policy of building, retaining, operating, leasing or selling 

 ships. An official table shows that in all countries except the cen- 

 tral powers there were uader construction December 31 last 581 

 wood power vessels of 1,154,000 tons and 158 wood sailing vessels 

 of 89,000 tons. 



The United States Shipping Board announces the election of 

 Major General William Murray Black, corps of engineers, U. S. A., 

 as chairman of the port and harbor facilities commission of the 

 board. Major General Black succeeds Edward F. Carry of Chicago, 

 who recently resigned. General Black will continue to perform his 

 military duties in addition to those devolving upon him as chair- 

 man of the port and harbor facilities commission. He is peculiarly 

 qualified to head the commission. Since 1880, three years after 

 graduating from West Point at the head of his class, he has been 

 in intimate touch with engineering tasks and has specialized in port 

 and harbor improvements of the great waterways of this country 

 and Cuba. 



The export figure announced for January is $623,000,000, as 

 against a total of $566,000,000 for December, and $505,000,000 for 

 January of last year. Only twice before have exports reached the 

 $600,000,000 mark. During the seven months of the fiscal year 

 ended with January the exports totaled $3,798,000,000, as compared 

 with $3,450,000,000 for the corresponding period of the previous 

 year. 



The value of imports in January was $213,000,000, as compared 

 vnth $211,000,000 in December and $234,000,000 in January, 1918. 

 For the seven months ended with January imports totaled $1,698,- 

 000,000, which is a slight gain over the $1,634,000,000 for the similar 

 period of the previous year. 



The War Department has canceled or suspended contracts involv- 

 ing $469,000,000 since the signing of the armistice. Thirty-five per 

 cent of these were for airplanes and parts, a larger percentage being 

 for motors and parts. During the first week of February about 

 $2,000,000 worth of planes, etc., were delivered to the government, 

 leaving $10,000,000 worth still due. Contracts for planes when the 

 armistice was signed aggregated $125,000,000. Up to February 7 

 there had been 4800 De Haviland planes produced in this country 

 and forty-two such planes were still due. Orders for 4660 of them 

 were canceled. 



Aviation in the navy is on the decline with the coming of peace. 

 The house of representatives has reduced the appropriation for this 

 purpose from $25,000,000 to $15,000,000. 



Nearly 440,000 motor trucks, automobiles, motorcycles and other 

 (Continued on page 31) 



