20 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



March 10, 1919 



are also permitting freely exports to American countries of plywood 

 and other articles. 



There have been six wooden ships allotted for training recruits 

 for the American mercliant marine and two of these have arrived 

 at Boston. 



The shipping board has cancelled contracts for 550 ships of 

 2,700,000 tons. Wooden ships were chiefly affected by early can- 

 cellations, says Chairman Hurley of the board in a letter to con- 

 gress. Further ship construction contract cancellations would be 

 disastrous, Mr. Hurley says. The need for ships is illustrated by 

 the fact that the board is undertaking a contract to carrj' to France 

 during the next six months 3000 freight cars ordered for the Amer- 

 ieau Expeditionary Forces, but not now needed by them, and which 

 the French government has agreed to take. 



The Building Campaign 



Although congress did not do all it could to promote the campaign 

 for reviving the building industry, that work is going ahead as well 

 as practicable under all the circumstances, it is believed. "While 

 Samuel Gompers from Paris urges the resumption of building, there 

 has been a conference at the white house on this and other subjects 

 related to the employment situation. Cabinet officers, governors, 

 senators and others of prominence discussed public and private 

 building, good roads, land development, etc. 



Congress passed a bill for government hospitals to cost $7,000,000, 

 but Senator Kenyon 's bill for a commission to study methods of 

 financing home building failed, as did, on the other hand, the sundry 

 civil appropriation bill containing a provision requiring $32,700,000 

 to be returned to the treasury out of the special funds provided 

 for housing war workers. 



In the Division of Building Construction, Department of Labor, 

 R. S. Whitting has been employed as a lumber expert, H. V. Hay- 

 maker as expert to co-operate with building and loan association 

 interests, and William B. King, president of the Federation of Con- 

 struction Industries, as head of the legislative branch of the 

 division. 



Ten thousand members of the National Association of Real Estate 

 Boards are pledged to co-operate with the Own-Your-Own-Home 

 branch of the building campaign now being carried on by the TJ. S. 

 Department of Labor. The building of school houses is urged with 

 particular force at this time. For the two years of our participation 

 in the war school house building almost ceased, and there are now 

 both the need of 1916 and the accumulated need of the two years 

 of the war, larger than in normal times because of the unprece- 

 dented shifting of population. To supply these needs will require 

 not less than $500,000,000 of building, to be completed by the time 

 of the opening of the schools in the fall of 1920. 



Announcing the approval of standard contracts with short line 

 railroads, which tap line and lumber interests have been agitating 

 for for some time, the Railroad Administration said that two 

 standard forms of co-operative short line contracts pursuant to an 

 agreement with representatives of the short line railroads have 

 been approved; the first covering roads having no competitive 

 traffic, and the second covering roads having competitive traffic. 

 The two forms are the same except that in the form for roads having 

 competitive traffic, a clause has been added providing for reim- 

 bursement for competitive traffic diverted from the short lines 

 between April 1 and November 1, 1918, and for giving to the short 

 lines subsequent to November 1, 1918, the same proportion of com- 

 petitive traffic as it had in the years 1915, 1916 and 1917. 



Export Restrictions Removed 



According to recent advices received at Baltimore direct from 

 Europe all war restrictions imposed, in the United Kingdom and 

 regulations designed to prevent imports into England have been 

 raised as of March 1, and there is now no impediment in the way 

 of the exporters, whose activities were held in abeyance for more 

 than four years, resuming their former connections or establishing 

 new ones. No permits or other documents are required from the 

 date mentioned, trade being in brief as free as it was before the 

 conflict. This word came through Gustave A. Farber, London rep- 

 resentative of Eusse & Burgess, Inc., Memphis, Tenn., and is to 

 be regarded as authentic. Some doubt had prevailed as to the exact 

 state of things, until the receipt of the message, which removed 

 the last vestige of uncertainty. Mr. Farber had sent word about 

 two weeks ago that the raising of the restrictions would go into 

 effect on March 1, but a statement sent out by J. C. Woodruff, 

 trade adviser of the War Trade Board at Washington, also con- 

 tained a clause stating that an exception had been made with re- 

 gard to one-inch oak, which is among the most important items of 

 import. Mr. Farber, being further communicated with, in regard 

 to what apjieared to be a vital discrepancy, confirmed his previous 

 report and stated again that all restrictions were to go. Ap- 

 parently, the confusion grew out of the inference that the state- 

 ment sent out by Mr. Woodruff covered any period after March 1. 

 As this statement bore the date of February 14, it is suggested 

 that the interval between then and March 1 may have been re- 

 ferred to alone. At any rate, the exporters are satisfied that they 

 are able now to make shipment to the United Kingdom, provided, 

 of course, they can get steamship lines to take their lumber. This, 

 however, seems to present difficulties. The steamship representa- 

 tives are quoting ocean rates of $1 per 100 pounds, to be sure, but 

 they also inform shippers at the same time that space so far is not 

 available; hence the reduction in the rate from $3.50 per 100 

 pounds fails to do the exporters any good. There is a fair prospect. 



however, that enough vessels will be turned back into regular 

 commerce in a short time to permit space for lumber shipments, 

 and preparations are being made by all the exporters to re-estab- 

 lish their lines. 



Confirmation as to the raising of restrictions is also found in an 

 article which appears in the last number of the London Timber 

 Trade Journal to be received here. This article says: "In view 

 of the termination on March 1 of the control of imported hardwoods 

 the existing stocks of such hardwoods held by the Timber Supply 

 Department, will, as far as possible, be disposed of in convenient 

 lots by public auction. The first auction sale will take place to- 

 wards the end of February in London. Further sales will be held 

 in Liverpool and elsewhere." According to advices at hand here 

 the sale was held and the prices obtained exceeded the private 

 quotations. 



The stocks of lumber in the United Kingdom the Timber Con- 

 troller had on hand last month are given as follows: 



Carloads 



C.vpress 220 



Gum 183 



Cottonwood 81 



Chestnut 12 



.^.-ih : 40 



W'alnut 40 Total 1,349 



In addition, there were about 300 carloads still to arrive. The 

 government, however, has stopped all purchases, and it is expected 

 that the stocks in hand will soon be disposed of, leaving the field 

 clear to private enterprise. 



In the statement of Mr. Woodruff it is also set forth regarding 

 exports of lumber to France that they can go forward freely under 

 the W. T. B. RAC-63, or general import license, which is given to 

 every American customs collector, but exporters should first have 

 consignees in France secure permits to importers, as a serial num- 

 ber of such permit must be stated on the export declaration. 



Carloads 



Oak 176 



Birch 52 



Poplar 525 



Various other woods 20 



