July 25, 1917 



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Working to a Fixed Purpose -^ 



On July 10 and 11 tie secretaries of the associations affiliated with 

 the National Lumber Manufacturers' Associatoin, the trade exten- 

 sion committee of the National, John W. Blodgett, chairman, and 

 the executive committee, B. B. Goodman, chairman and acting presi- 

 dent, met at the association offices in Chicago to review the work 

 done by the association since the board meeting in "Washington, June 

 20, and to make plans for the work during the coming year, in ac- 

 cordance with the general scheme of organization and financing 

 adopted at the board meeting in Washington. 



Mr. Goodman's statement of finances showed that the working 

 assets are considerably ahead of the liabilities so that the assessments 

 from the affiliated associations, upon the basis of % cent per 1,000 

 feet, beginning July 1, are all available for new work in the various 

 departments. The association is further strengthened by the pos- 

 session of large assets in the form of publications on hand, moving 

 picture films, models of buildings, samples of commercial woods, and 

 raw material. 



The retail service department, conducted by H. R. Isherwood, is 

 giving advice and assistance to retail dealers throughout the country 

 in the establishment of service departments fully equipped with plans 

 for the construction of all kinds of buildings in their localities, sam- 

 ples of finished woods, publications of the lumber associations, and 

 everything that enables the retail dealer to become a lumber mer- 

 chant and sell complete service. 



The presidents and secretaries of the principal state and regional 

 associations of retail lumbermen will be invited to attend next October 

 a meeting of the trade extension and advisory committees of the 

 National to discuss plans for more efficient work. 



Tests of methods of fireproofing shingles, as carried on at Dr. 

 Von Schrenk's St. Louis laboratory, were approved, and shingle manu- 

 facturers will be invited to assist the work by contributing funds. 



When funds permit, it is the purpose of the association to employ 

 an agricultural architect to make plans for farm structures and out- 

 line methods of a greater use of wood in farm buildings. 

 Substituting Wood for Steel 

 The nation-wide campaign to conserve the steel sujiply by substi- 

 tuting wood wherever it is found practicable to do so was given special 

 consideration by the meeting. In speaking on this subject, Mr. Good- 

 man said that in the lumber industry while the caU for 2,000,000,000 

 feet for land and sea equipment was large, it constitutes but a small 

 part of our annual cut of lumber, leaving more than 40 billion feet 

 of lumber for the general requirements of ordinary business. But in 

 these requirements our lumber becomes again a secondary aid to our 

 national cause. The boxes for army munitions, the hardwood for 

 army wagons and motor lorries, the lumber that the farmer uses to 

 store his grains, to house his farm implements, and to hold his silage 

 is all lum*ber used to make our service in the war more efficient. 



But next to our soldiers and next to our food supply our greatest 

 contribution to the allied cause is steel. Steel in finished products 

 such as guns and shells, motors for trucks and aeroplanes, shapes 

 and plates for steel ships, armor plates and innumerable other things, 

 even to the tin for canning meats and vegetables has made an alarming 

 addition to the already existing demands ot Kngland, France and 

 Russia for our steel products for similar purposes and added to this 

 the vital needs of the railway systems of these countries and our own 

 country for rails and car material have in the aggregate taxed to 

 the utmost the capacity of our coal mines, our iron mines, our rail- 

 roads, our coke furnaces, our blast furnaces and our rolling mills. 

 Emergency to Be Met by Lumber 

 All of the great producing industries are overburdened except 

 lumber. In speaking on this subject, Mr. Goodman quoted Mr. Brook- 

 mire as follows: 



In at least one great basic inOustr.v. Ihu supply has been greater than 

 the (lemnnil. ever since the beginning of the war, and still oontinui-s t(i be. 

 That Is tbo lumber lndustr.v. If enough cars were supplied for its trans- 

 portation It Is likely that lumber prorluctlon could be increased 50 per 

 cent. Many things used to be made from lumber which have since been 



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replaced by steel, cement or brick. Any manufacturer or builder who can 

 release some of the commodities which are scarce and substitute lumber 

 for his own use, would do a patriotic service. 



The course for business men to pursue is clear. Iron and steel should 

 be used only when the requirement is unavoidable. Every effort should 

 be made to use wood and concrete in place of steel whenever this can be 

 done, and construction and development work requiring steel should be 

 postponed wherever possible. 



Mr. Goodman commented on this quotation as follows in addressing 

 the meeting: 



We advocate the use of wood wherever it can advantageously be used, 

 and particularly in place of steel — wooden beams instead of steel beams, 

 lumber in place of corrugated iron, and tin and wooden shingles instead 

 of metal shingles. We do this not in a spirit of antagonism to the steel 

 industry but in the spirit of patriotic conservation and national economy. 

 In promoting this campaign we feel w^e have the hearty support and are 

 working for the real benefit of the manufacturers of steel. 



There are as many difCercnt angles to this campaign as there are pos- 

 sible uses for wood. Already we have had in some of the lumber trade 

 journals most timely articles on the use of wood for the storage of the 

 valuable crops of the farm : the same arguments apply to the better hous- 

 ing of the now most valuable live stock ot the farm. The scarcity of 

 farm labor has necessitated the more extensive use of lal)or-saving farm 

 machinery and the enhanced cost of this machinery makes a suitable shelter 

 for It true economy. 



It was pointed out that the retail lumber dealer has it in his power 

 to increase the demand for wood by pointing out to his customers 

 how- they can use wood in many ways where heretofore they have 

 used iron or steel. 



Chicago Furniture Show 



The July furniture expositiou, the thirty-second that has l>een held 

 at No. 1319 Michigan avenue, Chicago, is drawing to a close. The 

 exhibits were among tlie best that have ever been brought together 

 here; but the general opinion among exhibitors is that the success did 

 not measure up with former years. During tlie first week business 

 was brisk, but tho rush was soon over, and after that the number 

 of buyers was only moderate. 



The cause of the unsatisfactory showing seems to be pretty well 

 agreed upon among the exhibitors. It is the war, but particularly 

 the draft which came to a focus in July and had its effect upon every 

 city, town, and village in tlie whole country. There was uncertainty 

 everyivhere, and this caused hesitation. It was not an auspicious 

 time to lay jihins for the future, and the result was a ratlier unsatis- 

 factory outcome of the July furniture show in Chicago. 



The furniture dealers see a ray of light ahead in the fact that the 

 thousands of young men who decided that they would rather marry 

 than go to war, must take up tlu'ir domestic responsibilities and go 

 to housekeeping. That will call for furniture, and the situation 

 will be helped. 



Dealers are generally well stocked, owing to the light sales earlier 

 this season; and they have postponed buying new stock until they 

 have made more progress in selling what they have on hand. 



Nothing startling lias appeared during the past six months in the 

 way of new styles in furniture. The fashions have not changed 

 much. Oak contuiuos to be tlie leading furniture wood in America, 

 followed in tlie order named by red gum, maple, and birch, with 

 yellow poplar and chestnut in cheaper kinds, or as interior parts of 

 expensive furniture. Quartered oak seems to hold its place as firmly 

 as ever, if it may be judged oy samples on exhibition. Figured gum 

 is prominent, and now an<l then a stray piece of Circassian walnut 

 has come down from pre-war times; but when furniture makers use 

 walnut now, it is bhick walnut which seems to be sufficiently plenti- 

 xul to meet all demands. 



Metal furniture occupies an important place, but there is some 

 trouble because of the necessity of increasing the selling price on 

 account of the cost of steel. Some metal furniture is being finished 

 and grained in imitation of wood, particularly bedsteads. 



Traveling ex]iriises have increased to such an extent that some of 

 the furniture men speak of the matter in a serious way. The increase, 

 comiiared with it. ins of the years a^o, runs to forty per cent. 



