March 10. 191S 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



23 



Occurrences at Washington Interesting to Lumbermen 



Personal Mention and the Activities of Various Boards and Committees 



The big hardwood development of the month in Washington was 

 the closing and abolition of the Southern Hardwood Emergency 

 Bureau and the War Service Bureau of the National Hardwood Lum- 

 ber Association. This was done by mutual agreement upon the 

 ground that there is not enough business here to warrant the ex- 

 pense involved in maintaining the bureaus. The action of the 

 southern and national bureaus leaves the Northern Hardwood Emer- 

 gency Bureau alone in the field here, and it is said that it has not 

 lonsidered abolishing itself. The two former hardwood bureaus 

 ■omplished considerable here by getting in touch with the gov- 

 iiment and allied needs, keeping the trade informed, letting gov- 

 nment authorities know what the lumber industry can do, and 

 garnering considerable business. The work will be continued from 

 the home offices of the associations. 



The National Hardwood Bureau, according to Chief Inspector 

 Hoover of the national association, has placed orders for over 

 7,000,000 feet of lumber. It also took some orders for cypress lum- 

 ber and for hemlock. 



The northern hardwood bureau reports the shipment of consider- 

 able birch lumber for propeller stock. It is understood that the 

 use of northern hardwoods for making vehicles for the army will 

 be permitted by the government. It is believed that northern oak 

 will be easier to get in some instances than southern hardwoods. 



The navy department is understood to be buj-ing about 1,000,000 



• t of lumber per day. A good deal of it is being bought without 

 competitive bids, and the delay incident thereto, because Lumber 

 Purchase Adviser Morford of the navy department bureau of sup- 

 plies and accounts knows that the Director of Lumber, Council of 

 National Defense, has already fixed the price of lumber of many 

 kinds, sizes and grades for many purposes. He does not go behind 

 the government price as a rule, but seeks bids if there is no fixed 

 price. 



Mr. Morford says that the navy has been reckless in the use of 

 ash lumber for purposes for which substitutes can be used. He 

 mentioned ship's ladders and furniture for the naval training sta- 

 tions and barracks. He says that oak and cabinet woods are now 

 being substituted. 



The ash shortage, said to be due to the big demand for this 

 wood for airplane construction, has not yet hit the navy, it is 

 stated, but it has taken steps along conservation lines in the inter- 

 est of other branches of the government service. Navy lifeboat 

 oars are still being made of ash by the New York Boat Oar Co. 

 and a Memphis company that has a subcontract from the New 

 York concern, and also does business with the allied governments. 



Just now the navy is out after about 100,000 feet of oak lumber 

 I'or shipment to the Orient. 



The Northern Hardwood Bureau has received orders recently for 

 a quantity of hemlock lumber for more building construction un- 

 dertaken by the war department at the cantonments at Rockford, 

 III., and Battle Creek, Mich. 



Under H. K. L. Williams, who is in charge of hardwoods for the 

 signal corps of the army, is J. C. Wickliffe, secretary of C. C. Men- 

 gel & Brother, who has been placed in particular charge of ma- 

 hogany. Over both of these gentlemen is Henry Lockhart, Jr., as 

 chief of the Foreign and United States Materials Division of the 

 Signal Corps. 



Mr. Williams is reported to want basswood and poplar for air- 

 planes. Poplar is used in training machines, basswood in the wings. 



An estimate of $400,000,000 appropriation to make up a deficit 

 in the aviation program has been submitted to congress very re-, 

 cently. 



During the debate recently in the house Representative Towner 

 of Iowa stated that investigations of the United States Bureau of 

 Standards demonstrated that mahogany was not the only wood 

 suitable for airplane propellers, but that there are plenty of native 

 woods in this country available and suitable for this purpose. 



Veneer paneling in eighth of an inch thick with a hardwood 

 core and softwood exterior is needed in great quantities for air- 

 plane production, it is learned. The National War Emergency 

 Bureau of the Veneer and Panel Industry is understood to have 

 information that this material is needed not only for the fuselage 

 of the machines, but also for the covering of the wings. Recent 

 government- specifications permit this latter use of veener in sub- 

 stitution for linen cloth, which is very scarce. 



It is reported that there have been amicable agreements reached 

 between representatives of the United States government and of 

 its allies practically dividing the mahogany and walnut lumber 

 supplies of this country to meet the war needs of the grand alliance 

 as far as possible. 



A call for skilled woodworkers and other mechanics has again 

 been sounded. Secretary of War Baker, the Committee on Public 

 Information, and the Signal Corps of the army have united in the 

 call for such men by the thousand to perform very necessary work 

 in the aviation corps of the American Expeditionary Forces and 

 the army at home. 



Woodworkers are also needed, it is understood, in the big ord- 

 nance repair and manufacturing shops being constructed at a cost 

 of $25,000,000 in France, for taking care as far as possible of the 

 matter of vehicles and wheels for the American armies. • 



The war service committee of the furniture and fixture and 

 allied woodworking industries is reported to be quite successful. 

 Details of its work are not yet available, but it is understood to 

 have received orders for airplanes, propellers, wagon and auto 

 bodies and wheels, boxes, etc. The committee is getting organiza- 

 tion in good shape here, tabulating information about the mem- 

 bers of the bureau, distributing information, receiving and an- 

 swering inquiries from various government departments, etc. 



Large contracts have been placed by the government for wooden 

 boxes for shipping millions of shells, grenades, rifles, cartridges, 

 and many other instruments of warfare, some of which may prove 

 a surprise to the Germans. 



Government box contracts have been awarded to sash and door 

 factories and furniture factories as well as to straight box fac- 

 tories, although the bulk of this business naturally goes to the old 

 line box people. It is reported that some of the prices at which 

 certain concerns took government box contracts were much too 

 low, owing to the highly technical character of the specifications 

 of many of the boxes required for ordnance supplies. 



The price of w'ooden boxes for 14,000,000 cans of foodstuffs is 

 understood to have been fixed by the food administration pur- 

 chase bureau, which is buying food for the allies and for the 

 American army and navy. 



W. S. Goodwillie, a Chicago box manufacturer, has been com- 

 missioned a captain and placed in charge of the section of packing 

 boxes and containers, of the ordnance department. 



The Southern Pine Emergency Bureau has received orders for 

 18,000,000 feet of lumber for Charleston, W. Va., powder factory 

 and Hog Island ship yard, and various camps, Washington con- 

 structions, etc., also 52,000,000 feet the preceding week for the 

 Nashville, Tenn., powder factory, with a quantity of special sawed 

 stuff for the British government, and orders to replace lumber 

 Gen. Pershing got from England, and other good business in sight. 

 (Continued on page SS) 



