September 10. 1917 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



35 



toi-y. in place of men wlio have joined the army. Girls may later be trained 

 to operate woodworking machines. They will be in charge of a matron. 



Bad Forest Fires in Northwest 



With the most serious Are .situation in a number of years threatening 

 millions of feet of western timber, it has been necessary for the Forest Serv- 

 ice to suspend some of its operations in order to concentrate all available 

 forces in fighting the fore-st fires. 



Reports received from the Northwest indicate that the situation is more 

 dangerous than at any time this year. In Montana and northern Idaho 

 two thousand men are fighting the flames under the direction of the 

 forest rangers. In these two states alone approximately .flTO.OOO has 

 already been spent this season, and that figure is increasing by approNi- 

 mately $1.5.000 a day. " 



In Oregon and Washington valuable timber intended to furnish air- 

 plane stock for the fighting forces of the Vnited States and its allies is 

 being threatened by the -flames. Logging operations are so badly inter- 

 fered with that several large mills now supplying the government with this 

 cla.ss of material may be forced to discontinue operations. Numerous 

 fires are reported as the result of incendiarism. There h.'is Imm-ii little 

 rain in several weeks. 



Lumber's Moderate Advance 



Lumber is at the bottom of the list of building materials in statistical 

 tables showing advances in cost in various commodities according to Roger 

 W. Babson. the well known statLstical authority. In a bulletin just issued 

 he gives a tabulation of the prices of ninety-six leading commodities on 

 August 1. lilH. .luly 1. 1916. and .luly 1, 1917. Mr. Babson's figures phow 

 that these 90 c(}mmodities have advanced an avera.£;e of Tio percent in 

 price since .July 1. 1916, and 127 percent since Aug. 1, 1914. In view 

 of the fact that the lumbermen have generally claimed that their product 

 has advanced less in price than many other commodities, and still re- 

 mains one of the most easily obtainable, readily worked, and reasonably 

 priced materials, the following figures taken from 'Sir. Babson's report are 

 of special interest : 



.■\dvance in Price .Vdvauce in Price 



Since .Inly 1. 1916 Since August 1. 1914 



Pel-cent Percent 



Brick 2(i 80 



I 'enient 27 :14 



Lime .S 102 



Nails 00 158 



Steel 12S 390 



Lumber 2.'{ 2S 



-Vverage of 90 commodities 5.5 127 



Exporters Seek Information on Government Control 



3Iuch uiuertaiiity still I'revails aninng members of the hardwood trade 

 especially in regard to the scoi)e of the regulatory action to be taken by 

 the government at Washington. .Vccording to an announcement issued 

 recently the prohibition of exports of spruce to neutral countries has been 

 extended to embrace oak, ash, mahogany, walnut and birch. To export any 

 of these woods permits must be obtained from the respective board at 

 Washington, the aim being to prevent any and ail such supplies which 

 might be used to strengthen the resistance of the Central Powers from 

 reaching the other side. In every instance the ofiicials here must be 

 satisfied that the stocks intended to be shipped are really designed to 

 meet the home needs of neutrals and will not eventually find their way 

 into Germany. The woods mentioned are specifically named, Init a feeling- 

 prevails among members of the trade that the restriction will be general, 

 since any kind of lumber can be used by the enemies of the Entente in 

 furtherance of the. war. In order that all dotibt on the subject may be 

 set at rest, Harvey M. Dickson, secretary of the National Lumber Ex- 

 porters' Association, has again communicated with the Aircrafts' Pro- 

 duction Board asking for its ojiinion. An answer is expected shortly 

 and the information received will be promptly communicated to the mem- 

 bers of the organization. As explained at the time, the government has 

 taken over the business in spruce of the kind used for aeroplane construc- 

 tion, and will do the buying for its own need.s as well as for those of the 

 .Vllies at a fixed price of .$105 per 1,000 feet. It will issue permits for 

 the shipment abroad of all such stocks actually desireil, making it un- 

 necessary to obtain a license from the British Board of Trade or any other 

 foreign body. For the hardwoods specified export licenses will also be 

 issued, so that at least as far as the hardwoods are concerned, the exports 

 are brought practically under government control. The domestic business, 

 of course, remains as it has been, a matter of private concern, except in 

 so far as the wants of the military authorities dictate [jurehases for gov- 

 ernment us<\ 



Walnut Seems Plentiful 



-V pretty conclusive answer to the statement that walnut is scarce is 

 contained in the news sent recently from Louisville, Ky.. that 2.000 carloads 

 of black walnut logs will be used by the Wood-Mosaic Company, of that 

 city and of New Albany, in the near future. This is only one parcel 

 of logs of this wood going into use for gunstoeks, furniture, and for other 

 purposes. A few years ago, most people wotdd not have believe<l there 

 was so much walnut in the country. 



Woods for Airplane Propellers 



.\dvices fr.im Washington say that the government lias aiiprc.ved the use 

 of cherry and birch as airplane propeller stock. Other woods which have 

 met approval are walnut, oak and mahogany. It Is difficult to understand 



why ash has not been included. Cherry is so scarce that it cannot become 

 of much importance as propeller material, but birch is plentiful. 



Doings of the I. C. C. 



Rate increa.ses of about l,') ijer cent on mahogany lumber and logs 

 were permitted by the Interstate Commerce Commission in its order sus- 

 pending many freight rate increases on commodities in the east from 

 September 1 until December .'10. Rate increases on other lumber were 

 suspended. 



Other general rate increases on lumber are reported to be in the work.s 

 of the railroad tariff departments, .\lieady the carriers have filed tariffs 

 proposing a 15 per cent increase in the rate on lumlier from Mississippi 

 River crossings an>] Paducah, Ky., to eastern points, effective September 18, 

 and it is rumored that similar increases will be proposed from Ohio River 

 crossings to C. F. A. territory, eastern points and Canada, and in the 

 through rates from the South to the East on lumber. 



J. V. Norman of Louisville, representing southern hardwood interests, 

 has communicated with the Interstate Commerce Commission regarding 

 the matter, but .so far no protests have beeu received against the proposed 

 lumber rate increases. 



The Bliss Cook Oak Compan.v, Blissville, Ark., and Memphis, Tenn., has 

 filed a complaint with the commission against the Missouri Pacific Ry. 

 et al., alleging that the defendants maintain through rates from Bliss- 

 ville to points in Jlissouri, Kansas, Colorado and Iowa, resulting in a 

 through rate to Kansas City of 23 cents per 100 pounds, while points 

 competing with Blissville take the rate basis known as S-D. Complainant's 

 tlmlier holdings are practically all at Dermott. and other points getting 

 that rate and it :s in direct competition with them in purchasing hardwood 

 logs and selling their finished products. The situation is declared to 

 produce serious and unlawful discrimination against Blissville. which is 

 excluded from the same rate basis as comiieting points, and has to pay 

 rates of from 1 to 3 cents more than the latter. Complainant asks the 

 establishment of maximum hanhvood lumber rates in lieu of the present 

 rates. 



Henry G; Ilerbel and Fred G, Wright have filed a brief for the Iron 

 Mountain Railway in the complaint of Earle Cooperage Company against 

 the Iron Mountain, which involves the question whether rates on hard 

 lumber and slack cooperage from West Memphis, .\rk., should be as low 

 as from Memphis, Tenn., and Helena and West Helena, .\rk. Complainant 

 claims that they should, but it is argued in the brief that West Memphis 

 is not entitled to as low rates as the other points named, owing to the 

 absence of water competition, the presence of carrier competition, and for 

 other reasons. 



Lumber Commissioners Reach Foreign Destinations 



Lumbermen at Washington, M. ('„ have just been advised that John R. 

 Walker of Washington, head of the board of lumber trade commissioners 

 sent to study lumber markets with a view to expansion of American 

 exports, has arrived in London. The other commissioners have also reached 

 the countries there; they will make investigations as follows: Nelson 

 Brown, the Mediterranean countries ; Roger Simmons, Russia ; and Axel 

 Oxholm, the Scandinavian countries. Mr. Walker will cover the British 

 Isles. France, Holland and Belgium. 



Dye from Osage Orange 



Two companies have undertaken to extract yellow dye from Osage 

 orange wood. This tree grows naturally in northeastern Texas and south- 

 ern Oklahoma, but has been planted for hedges and ornaments in most 

 liarts of the Vnited States. Its chief use has been for fells for wagon 

 wheels, for fence posts, telephone poles, bridge piling, and insulator pins. 

 -A- company has been organized and is building a foctory at Wapanucka. 

 Okla., to manufacture the dye from the wood by processes generally simi- 

 lar to those used in making dye from fustic and logwood. The company, 

 known as the Dale Manufacturing Company, is incorporated for .$100,000, 

 It was organized largely at the instance of .Tames E. Hale, a dye expert 

 from New York. 



The dye which the company will manufacture will be used chiefly to 

 color khaki cloth and the product will be in special demand because of 

 the fact that the war has ilemoralized the dye industry in this country 

 and the supply is far below the needs of the nation. 



The factory building is already in course of construction and the ma- 

 chinery is soon to be received for installation. 



The Wapanucka factory will lie the first of its kind in the South 

 and the second hois d'arc dye works in the United States. It is estimated 

 that there is enough hois d'arc in this section of Oklahoma to furnish raw 

 material for the factory for a iJeriod of many years. The roots are said 

 to be richer in dye than the trunk wood, and this tree has large roots 

 which usually lie close to the surface of the ground, and have a wide 

 lateral spread. Old settlers in the region in early days dyed their home- 

 spun clothing with this wood which they called bodock (bois d'arc). 



Defying the Submarine 



It is now proposed tif raft timber frwu Scandinavia to England across 

 the North Sea. The object is two fold. First, the timber can be trans- 

 ported without ships : and, second, the submarines will meet their match 

 when they attack a raft. They may sink or drive away the boat which 

 tows the raft, but the raft will remain afloaf to be picked up by another 

 boat and towed to port. There is no question as to the practicability of 

 rafting logs long distances on the ocean. The thing 1= dene all the time 



