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HARDWOOD RECORD 



21 



Occurrences at Washington Interesting to Lumbermen 



[Personal Mention and the Activities of Various B oards and Committees 



Reorganization in Signal Corps 



Tliirc lias been a reorganization of the Signal Corps system of 

 obtaining wood fur airplane production. The old wood section of 

 the corps has been abolished and Major Charles R. Sligh, Grand 

 Rapids, Mich., furniture manufacturer, who was in charge of it for 

 a time, has been transferred elsewhere. The hardwood end of the 

 game is now in charge of Major Shepler, chief of the division of 

 planes production of the Signal Corps. He will have an assistant 

 devoting liiniself partly to the hardwood situation and partly to 

 dealing with (|uestions pertaining to the ash, walnut, cherry, birch, 

 maple, oak, mahogany and other kinds of wood used in niakiiig pro 

 jiellers and otiier parts of airplanes. 



The ;nain part of the work of the old wood section, however, has 

 been converted into the division of spruce production of which Col. 

 Bryce P. Disque, formerly warden of the Michigan state prison at 

 Jackson, Mich., is the head. Col. Disque is in the field with head- 

 quarters on the West Coast, devoting his energies to obtaining 

 spruce and fir for airplanes for America and her allies. He is 

 said to have ample assistance, funds and authority. As to the latter, 

 he has power to raise a military force of 8,000 men to get tlie mate- 

 rial out of the woods and to run the sawmills if necessary, or pro- 

 tect the work on the government timber at least. 



Assisting Col. Bisque are Russel Hawkins, in charge of logging 

 and milling operations, with headquarters at Portland, Ore.; Lieut. 

 J. Van D. Crisp, disbursing officer, also at Portland; and Major 

 Kreil W. Leadbetter, who is an old lumberman, paper manufacturer 

 and railroad builder. His office is here and in it G. E. Lippincott, 

 of Philadelphia, a wholesale lumberman, is on duty. 



The reorganization plan is understood to be practically along 

 lines recommended by E. T. Allen, who at one time represented the 

 government in the spruce and fir country in connection with the 

 aviation program. Allen resigned several months ago because of 

 differences with Sligh and now Sligh has been transferred. He 

 may not stay out of the airplane work, however, as he is a candi- 

 date for appointment to the new aircraft board. If he is appointed 

 he will in a measure supervise the work of the men who have suc- 

 ceeileil him in charge of the wood end of airplane production. 



Lumber Bureaus Active 



The latest lumber bureau to open here is the .Maliama-Mississippi 

 Emergency Bureau, which has an office in the Munsey building, in 

 charge of M. L. Wootten of the Standard Lumber Company of Bir- 

 mingham, Ala. 



The Douglas Fir bureau has received two big orders lately: one 

 for 20,000,000 feet of material for barges and lighters to be built 

 on the Atlantic coast for use by the army (juartcrmasters in loading 

 vessels for France; the other of 24,000,000 feet for airplanes for 

 the Italian government. 



The Georgia-Florida emergency bureau lias received an order for 

 30,000 additional pieces of piling and the North Carolina Pine bu- 

 reau has been called upon to offer piling for the first time since the 

 lieginning of the war. 



Many millions of feet of lumber are being ordered chiefly from 

 the pine bureaus for the construction of warehouses, shipyards, 

 piers, embarkation camps, supply depots, etc., in Virginia, New 

 Jersey, Maryland and other states. The details of these projects 

 are not generally available. 



Matters of Price 

 The question of prices jiaid by the gov iriinicnt for lumber for 



cantonments and other war purposes has been arranged for a time. 

 The prices charged by the Southern Pine and (ieorgia-Florida emer- 

 gency bureaus for the month ending December 10 are in effect until 

 -March 10 unless the Federal Trade Commission finds meanwliile that 

 the labor cost in producing the material is higher than it was during 

 the fall and early winter, in which case the price will he adjusted 

 accordingly January 10 or February 10. 



Prices of shipbuilding material are not touched at all. Prices 



of lir for other government purposes, especially shipyard construc- 

 tion in the east, for 90 days beginning December 10 are to be station- 

 ary, it is reported, at a slight reduction below the current market. 

 Prices of North Carolina pine placed through the N. C. Pine bureau 

 are to be based on delivery at Norfolk, Va., the government paying 

 the freight beyond that point, which practically causes a slight 

 increase in the cost of such lumber to the government. 



The trade commission hopes to be able to submit some interesting 

 reports on the cost of lumber production in connection with govern- 

 ment war contracts and otherwise. The commission has a staff of 

 men at work on the study of costs. It is said to have data on 

 costs at 42 southern jiine mills and to be getting such data from 

 25 or 30 more mills, the whole collection to be typical of the indus- 

 try, large, middle class, and small mills. 



The commission is being assisted in work on details and methods 

 of cost accounting for the lumber industry by P. C. Rickey of the 

 Long Bell Lumber Company and W. L. Wuescher of the Great 

 Southern Lumber Comjiany. 



F. K. Pa.xton, assistant purchasing agent of the Emergency Fleet 

 Corporation, is understood to have made arrangements for com- 

 mandeering barges and tugs to bring up timber, piles and lumber 

 from the southern states to the ship yards and other construction 

 work and shipbuilding plants of the north Atlantic coast, thus re- 

 lieving the railroads to that extent. 



The railroads in the East have embargoed lumber and other things 

 north of Richmond, Va. 



It is understood that there will be no contracts let immediately 

 for portable buildings for the American army abroad, on account 

 of the scarcity of shipping tonnage to carry it across the sea. Later 

 on the portable house matter presumably will be taken up. 



Mr. Yegge has been in charge recently of the office of the Na- 

 tional Association of Box Manufacturers in this city. Secretary 

 F. C. Gifford has been in the West for a time. The box association 

 has been offering its services to the government, in conferences 

 through a committee with officers of the Council of National De- 

 fense, War Department, etc. The box people are ready to co- 

 operate and to help, but their assistance has not been sought to any 

 extent as yet by the managers of the war machine here. Hardwoods 

 will be required in quantities for many boxes, and box manufac- 

 turers say that the specifications of the government are not prac- 

 ticable. One type of box about which the manufacturers have 

 been talking with ordnance officers is to carry detonating fuses 

 The box is birch wood, rather strong and heavy, tin lined, and has 

 two trays in it with a number of holes in them, through which the 

 fuses are passed, holding them in place. 



Officers Appointed 



A nuiiiliiT (if additiiiii;il oflirers liave been assigned very recently 



to the 2iitlL Engineer forestry regiment, at .\mericau University 

 Camp. 



Men are being commissioned officers in the spruce battalion being 

 organized by Col. Disque on the Pacific Coast to cut and manufac- 

 ture airplane stock. On the other hand, it is stated that about 100 

 men wdio were examined for commissions in the forestry regiment 

 have been advised that they will not be needed. 



H. H. Sheep of Florida, formerly in charge of the Georgia-Florida 

 Yellow Pine Emergency Bureau here, has been commissioned lieu- 

 tenant at Fort Oglethorpe officers' training camp. George Craig 

 of Philadelphia has been assigned to the job of recruiting men 

 there for overseas service in the forestry regiments, it is reported. 

 Major Kelly of the 20th engineers expects to go across with the next 

 l)attalion that goes. He has been doing great work in organizing 

 and e(|ui])piug the regiment. E. G. Griggs, former president of the 

 National Lumber Manufacturers' Association, hears that his pros- 

 pect for a commission in the forest regiment seem good. His friends 

 hope it will soon be "Major" Griggs. R. B. AUen, secretary of 



