December 10, 1917 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



l8a 



Occurrences at Washington Interesting to Lumbermen 



Personal Mention and the Activities 



There are already two competing hardwood emergency bureaus 

 in the field here to help the government win the war and help the 

 hardwood industry get some of the benefits of the enormous war 

 business that is being transacted, and there is reported to be a 

 third hardwood bureau in prospect. 



Hardly had J. M. Pritchard got settled in his new position as 

 manager of the Southern Hardwood Emergency Bureau when Roy 

 H. Jones of Chicago arrived in towu and opened an office for the 

 Northern Hardwood Emergency Bureau in room 304 Ouray building. 

 Frank Fish, secretary of the National Hardwood Association, has 

 been in town for a few days looking over the field and conferring 

 with members of the staff of Director of Lumber Downman of the 

 Council of National Defense, regarding the possible establishment 

 of a bureau here to handle government business for members of 

 the National Hardwood Lumber Association. Mr. Fish's plans are 

 not yet definitely known among well informed lumbermen here. 



Mr. Jones represents the consolidated interests formerly con- 

 cerned in the old Northern Hardwood & Hemlock Emergency Bu- 

 reau and the Michigan Hardwood Manufacturers' Association. He 

 said that 0. T. Swan of the Northern Hemlock and Hardwood 

 association and J. H. Bigelow of the Michigan association, are 

 running the affairs of the bureau back home, but that he expects 

 to remain here indefinitely looking out for war business for the 

 Michigan and Wisconsin hardwood lumber manufacturers. He lost 

 no time in getting in touch with the various departments of the gov- 

 ernment that are purchasing hardwood lumber and articles made 

 therefrom and with representatives of the allied purchasing agen- 

 cies in this country. He expressed the opinion that there is a big 

 field for northern hardwoods in the war plans of the allies, which 

 field he hopes to assist in laving developed for the mutual advan- 

 tage of the anti-Teutonic nations and the hardwood industry of the 

 Lake states. 



There is believed to be enough black walnut lumber for the pres- 

 ent requisitions of the United States government for the manufac- 

 ture of gunstocks, but the supply will not last indefinitely as the 

 armies of America are expanded. The northern hardwood manu- 

 facturers will come in with their hard maple and birch, which are 

 suitable for gunstocks. Maple, gum and birch gunstocks are un- 

 derstood to have been tested for the war department, partly by 

 ordnance officers and partly by the Forest Service Laboratory at 

 Madison, Wis. Some of the tests have shown satisfactory results; 

 others have not, it is said. The fear was expressed by an allied 

 army officer that "if you wiped a Bochc over the head" with a 

 maple gunstock it might break. However, the maple people are 

 hopeful of doing considerable business with the allies ' purchasing 

 officers. 



Basswood will continue to be used as saddle trees in the mounted 

 service of America. The Gum Manufacturers' Association has sub- 

 mitted samples of gum gunstocks and saddle trees to the War 

 Department. 



Navy hardwood needs include a new lot of 1,000,000 feet more 

 or less of oak, ash, and other lumber for yard stocks chiefly, in addi- 

 tion to the contracts recently awarded. There is special interest 

 in the so-called ditty boxes that are provided by the government for 

 men in the navy to keep little personal belongings in. They are 

 boxes made of hardwood perhaps two feet long, a foot wide and not 

 quite that deep, and fitted with a tray. 



The Southern Hardwood Emergency Bureau recently received 

 an order for considerable stock for American military uses abroad. 

 Manager Pritchard said he did not feel at liberty to say what the 

 material is, owing to the new policy of withholding information 

 regarding government military export business. Mr. Pritchard, 

 however, has been negotiating recently with government and other 

 people regarding a big lot of railroad ties for military lines. 



It is learned that the order for 700,000 feet of heavy oak lumber 

 placed with the Southern Hardwood bureau some time ago for ex- 



of Various Boards and Committees 



port, was intended to cut into spokes, felloes, rims, hubs and other 

 vehicle parts to be used in the manufacture and repair of military 

 vehicles and artillery carriages of the United States army in France, 

 at big woodworking establishments being planned by the War De- 

 partment for over there. 



Enlarging Quarters to Take Care of Business 



Mr. Pritchard expects the hardwood war business to grow in 

 volume. He predicts that the wholesale hardwood men will be 

 called upon to help the government in case of an cmergcncj'. He 

 is personally an advocate of co-operation in the hardwood trade, 

 rather than competition. He says that his policy will be to give 

 the government all the help the industry can give, to furnish it 

 with information as to what the industry can do, what it has to sell, 

 what it can produce, where, how, when and at what price. If ma- 

 terials asked for are not available he will suggest substitutes. 



Both of the hardwood bureaus so far opened, it is stated authori- 

 tatively, will be operated along lines similar to those followed by 

 other lumber trade emergency bureaus here. Orders received will 

 be distributed among the members of the respective bureaus, upon 

 the basis of their capacity, their timber supply, facilities for ship- 

 ment, transportation rates, and other conditions. 



The Southern Hardwood Emergency Bureau has obtained larger 

 quarters in the Munsey building. 



Priority Given to War Supplies 



Curtailment of the furniture industry as relatively unessential 

 was clearly indicated to a group of furniture manufacturers who 

 were here recently to look into the situation. However, no drastic 

 action is expected. The system of dealing with the nonessential 

 industrj- question, it is understood, will not be to brand certain 

 industries or products as unessential, but simply to give priority 

 of production and shipment to articles that are deemed essential. 



Furniture factories and other woodworking establishments, it is 

 believed, can be readily converted to the production of airplane 

 propellers and parts of airplanes, truck bodies, gunstocks, ship 

 fittings, boxes and packing cases, saddle trees, army lockers, etc., 

 which are needed in great quantities to equip America and the 

 allies for war. If there is lumber enough, coal enough, transporta- 

 tion enough and labor enough to enable such establishments to 

 make articles relatively unessential it is stated that probably there 

 will be no government command prohibiting such production. But 

 the intention is to give priority to munitions, other war materials 

 and supplies, food, steel and other essential government stuff. 



When shortage of raw material or coal threatens an in<lustry 

 with curtailment or suspension, it is announced that the comnu-rcial 

 economy board of the Council of National Defense will inform all 

 such manufacturers of the crisis. There will be opportunity for 

 parties interested to be heard before any sort of action is taken. 



Details of this work will be carried on by the bureau of manu- 

 facturing resources now being organized in the Council of National 

 Defense. This bureau will have representatives of basic industries 

 connected with it to advise about conditions in those industries, so 

 that no bad "bulls" will be made in deciding questions of essential 

 and nonessential industries. 



Transportation Problem 



Having had for some months absolute control over the export 

 trade of the country, the administration has just assumed control 

 over the import trade. President Wilson has issued a proclamation 

 under the trading with the enemy act which requires that imports 

 of many articles may not be made without license from the War 

 Trade Board. The effect of this policy will be to conserve the 

 available shipping tonnage for the importation of essential raw 

 materials and products like wool, rubber, tin, leather, etc., so far 

 as may be necessary. 



The war trade board has announced that a number of articles 

 may be exported without individual license to any country except 



