November 10. 1917 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



23 



Momentous Happenings at Washington Vital to Lumbermen 



Can't Ship in Open Top Cars; Lumber Committee Given Great Powers and Warmly Commended 



in the award of contracts to coueorns in wliich they have even an 

 indirect interest. Most of tho other committees that have been 

 created under the Council of National Defense organization for 

 advisory purposes have been converted merely into bodies repre- 

 senting the industries from which their membership is taken. 

 This plan, however, did not suit tho powers that be in tho council, 

 which think exceedingly well of the lumber committee. 



It was therefore arranged that the war industries board of the 

 council should practically absorb the lumber committee. R. H. 

 Downmaii, chairman of the committee and president of the National 

 Tiumber Manufacturers' Association, will be designated as assist- 

 ant commissioner for raw materials under Bernard M. Baruch, who 

 lias charge of the raw materials branch of the war industries board. 

 Mr. Downman takes with him as assistants several of the most 

 active members of the lumber committee, it is understood, includ- 

 ing F. G. Wisner, of the Eastman, Gardiner Lumber Company; 

 C. H. Worcester of Chicago; E. A. Selfridge of the California Red- 

 wood Association, to whom will be added a representative of the 

 hardwood industry, according to the present plan. These gentle- 

 men will give their services to the government and will be supplied 

 with adequate office facilities, clerical and expert assistance, etc., 

 by the council. 



Vast Power Vested in Downman 



The lumber branch of the war industries board will practically 

 control the purchase of lumber, wood of various kinds and various 

 specialized products, for the war purposes of the government and 

 for the allies of America. The power and authority of Messrs. 

 Downman, Wisner et al. will be vastly increased, it is expected. 

 The Navy Department is expected to purchase materials in most 

 lines through the war industries board joint purchasing agency. 

 And all branches of the War Department are expected to get in 

 the game. The job cut out for Mr. Downman, which is practically 

 lumber purchasing agent for governments representing four-fifths 

 of the civilized world, is a big one and he and his assistants are 

 drafted for the period of the war. 



This signal honor paid the lumber committee alone of all the 

 committees in the defense council organization followed severe 

 attacks upon it recently, on account of alleged undue delay in 

 filling orders for shipyard material, bad judgment and favoritism 

 charged to have been shown in placing orders for such material, and 

 other alleged misdeeds. These charges have been repudiated by 

 the committee and its friends, by the shipping board officials, by 

 Mr. Baruch, liigh army officials and the Secretary of War himself, 

 all of wliom have the highest opinion of the committee and its work. 



Would Exempt Lumber Workers 

 One of the big problems confronting tlie lumber industry is the 

 enforcement of the army draft. Steps arc being taken to at the 

 proper time lay before tho army and administration authorities 

 claims for exempting from the next and succeeding drafts workmen 

 emjiloyed in sawmills cutting .ship schedules and turning out other 

 material for the government. It is asserted that the lumber indus- 

 try is one of the most essential and lumbermen hope that it will 

 be so classed by the government people in making the next draft, 

 so that men from the ranks of sawmill workers will not be called 

 for military service until employees of other and less essential 

 industries are called. Pending action on the exemption claim it is 

 understood that employers in the lumber industry are arranging 

 l>lans to keep their men busy partly by appealing to their patriotism. 



Speeding Up Ship Schedules 

 Lumber suitable for .ship construction is to be commandeered by 



the shipping board under a new order of embargo down to the size 



10'x2" 20' long and longer. 

 This order is said to be necessary to meet tho situation caused 



by a few alleged slackers. The situation is reported to have re- 



Developments in the war situation here of special interest to 

 the lumber .industry include the reorganization of the committee 

 on lumber. Council of National Defense; the inauguration of a 

 movement to have labor employed in sawmills on government 

 work exempt from the draft; the announcement that spruce and 

 fir logging on the Pacific coast is to be run by the government so 

 as to insure adequate supplies of airplane stock; the framing of a 

 new order for commandeering ship timbers; the "signing of the 

 pledge" by ship schedule cutters to speed up; an official recom- 

 mendation approved by the president that the government under- 

 take to meet the housing problem; plans for curtailing nonessential 

 industries; decision by leading business interests in favor of further 

 government price control and additional railroad legislation, and 

 restriction of the use of open top cars for carrying certain articles. 



Can't Use Open Top Cars 



Airplane wood has to be 100 per cent perfect. It is estimated 

 b.v the Forest Service that only 13 per cent of Sitka spruce is good 

 enough for airplane stock, 10 per cent of Port Orford cedar, 8 per 

 cent of Virginia spruce and 5 per cent from Maine spruce. Accord- 

 ing to an airplane builder not more than 167 feet of lumber out 

 of 1000 goes into airplane construction. Few airplanes contain 

 less than 250 feet and it may take 2000 feet in the rough to furnish 

 this. For propeller blades ash and white oak are used largely, 

 mahogany, spruce and black walnut quite a bit, and maple, birch 

 and cherry to some extent. 



That great quantities of lumber are necessary to carry out the 

 airplane construction program here and abroad is evident from a 

 recent statement by Lord Northcliffe, head of the British Tvar 

 mission, that one Detroit firm is able to make 1000 sets of airplane 

 wings daily and that "the entire cities of Grand Rapids and South 

 Bend, which are devoted to furniture making, are willing to manu- 

 facture the woodwork of airplanes." 



Judge Lovett, railroad priority commissioner for the president, 

 has instructed railroads not to furnish open top cars for carrying 

 certain articles unless it be for government purposes. Under this 

 order it is understood hardwood trim, pleasure vehicle and furni- 

 ture stock and material for making musical instruments, and the 

 finished products themselves will be limited in shipment to certain 

 «Josed cars in the interest of "the national defense and security." 



The essential features of the order are as follows: 



Whereas it has been made to appear and the President, through tho 

 undersigned, finds that open top cars (other than flat cars and cars as- 

 signed to worlt service) suitable for the transportation of coal, coke, ore, 

 HmestoDe. sugar beets, sugar cane, sorgbuiu cane, and raw materials for 

 use in the metal, sugar and fertilizer industries, and otlier commodities 

 necessary to the national defense and security are being utilized in the 

 transportation of the less essential commodities and articles hereinafter 

 specified to such an extent as materially to interfere with the transporta- 

 tion of the aforesaid commodities required in the conduct of Industries 

 necessary in the prosecution of the present war. 



Now, therefore, by reason of tho premises the undersigned, in the name 

 of the President, orders and directs that, on and after the first day of 

 November, 1!)17, and until further order of the undersigned, all common 

 carriers by railroad in the United States in the distribution of open top 

 cars, other than flat cars, and in the transi)ortation of freight in such 

 cars shall deny the use of open top freiglit cars other tlian flat cars to 

 shipments of the following commodities and articles, except in shipments 

 for the United States Government, viz : 



1. Materials and supplies, other than coal, for the construction, main- 

 tenance, or repair of pul)Iic or private higliways, roadways, streets or 

 sidewallis. 



2. Materials and supplies, other than coal, for the construction, main- 

 tenance, or repair of theatres or other buildings, or structures to he used 

 for amusement purposes. 



3. Materials and supplies, other than coal, for the manufacture of 

 pleasure vehicles, furniture or musical instruments. 



4. Passenger vehicles, furniture and mu.sical Instruments, which ar- 

 ticles the undersigned finds are not essential to the national defense and 

 security. 



A Compliment to Lumber Committee 

 Under the socalleii food control law it became necessary to 

 change the status of the lumber committee because of the provision 

 that no employe or advisor of the government should participate 



