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HARDWOOD RECORD 



turers, namely the too general custom of manufacturing building 

 lumter too thin. He said that this question probably does not 

 appear serious to the manufacturer, but to the retailer who is on 

 the firing line and can see the effect, it does present a serious condi- 

 tion and that retailers are constantly having to concoct arguments 

 to offset dissatisfaction with thin stock. Mr. Barry maintained that 

 the argument that lumber is manufactured thin because it saves 

 cost in raw material will not hold inasmuch as the average structure 

 is figured to carry a certain load with a certain sized joist, and when 

 the joist is manufactured scant it simply means that more joists have 

 to be put in to accomplish the same work. Mr. Barry maintained that 

 the retail lumberman should carry so-called substitutes because he is 

 best qualified to judge when those substitutes are applicable and 

 when lumber would be preferable. He maintained that if lumbermen 

 do not carry them the hardware man and others will. The result 

 would be that hardware men would push substitutes in all cases, 

 whereas the lumberman would naturally push wood unless he knew 

 substitutes served the case better, which would be a r.'ithcr isolated 

 case. 



Mr. Eainey of Columbus, Iowa, cited experiences durmg liis Ihirt}' 

 years in the coimtry retail business. He said he believes manufac- 

 turers are to blame in the main for present conditions in the lumber 

 business and that the lumberman 's chief object seems to be striving 

 to cut prices below a figure set by his competitor without intending 

 to give full value received for the money. Mr. Rainey maintained 

 that he and the average retailer would much prefer to get value 

 received at a higher figure. He maintained that there should be a 

 specific ruling in effect definitely determining exact thicknesses to 

 which lumber- should be cut, and he supported Mr. Barry in this 

 contention. Mr. Eainey maintained that all retail lumbermen should 

 inform themselves as to the adaptability of different woods for spe- 

 cific purposes so that they will be able to give their customers intelli- 

 gent advice. Mr. Eainey also claimed that if the retail yardman must 

 protect his stock by carrying substitutes he is not necessarily an advo- 

 cate of such goods. 



C. H. Kitridge spoke as did the others regarding the indivirliiiilizJ 

 tion of the lumber business. He compared the lumber business with 

 three drops of water on oiled paper. While they remain inactive 

 and undisturbed they are distinct and far apart, but as soon as they 

 come into contact they immediately fuse with one another. This, 

 he said, illustrates what is now taking place as a result of this gen- 

 eral controversy in the lumber business. He said that the lumber- 

 men as a whole have not realized that we have a new generation 

 with new ideas to contend with, and that this new generation has 

 been educated to consider wood substitutes as a superior article, and 

 lumber as secondary in building construction. Mr. Kitridge main 

 tained that it will take just as long to get people back to the gen- 

 eral use of lumber as it took to divorce them from their former 

 practices in this direction. He said that he believes a system of 

 advertising that will create a desire for lumber will be successful, 

 and that the reason retailers handle substitutes is be;ause. adver- 

 tising has created a demand for substitutes and they must meet this 

 demand in order to protect their trade. Mr. Kitridge seconded the 

 suggestion of former speakers regarding lumber which is manufac- 

 tured too thin, saying that the consumer has wanted thick lumber 

 but has been made to take thin stock simply because the lumberman 

 wanted him to. He advocated a campaign on the proper using of 

 lumber among retailers and contractors. 



Scientific Study of Ldmbek Problems 

 Howard F. Weiss, director of the Forest Products Laboratory, 

 Madison, Wis., was called upon by Chairman Rhodes and gave an 

 interesting talk on certain experiments which are being made at 

 the laboratory looking toward the protection of wooden beams from 

 fire. Mr. Weiss said there is no logical reason why wood shouki 

 not be given just as fair trial in this particular as is concrete and 

 steel construction. He said everywhere building codes specify that 

 steel and concrete must be given a certain fireproofing but that wood 

 is not accorded this advantage. 



The Forest Service has hence been working on experiments looking 

 to the additional fire resistant quaUty of lumber so protected. Ei- 



periments were conducted with a beam with a twelve-foot span with 

 a load of 1,800 pounds. This was then subjected to heat with a gas 

 torch to 1,400 degrees F. Mr. Weiss said that the temperature in 

 the average burning building is 1,700 aegrees F. 



Notes were then made as to the time it took to cause failure and 

 tests were made with beams properly prepared, showing lengthening 

 of this time. 



The fire-pi'oofiug consisted of asbestos or sheet metal coating placed 

 with an air space between the beam and coating, and fastened on 

 strips. The experiment showed that the beam with no covering 

 took seventeen minutes and thirty seconds to fail; the beam, with 

 tin covering took thirty-eight minutes and fifteen seconds to fail with 

 one-half inch space between the tin and beam, and the beam with the 

 asbestos covering took forty-six minutes to fail with the same space 

 between the covering and the wood. 



He said that experiments along certain other lines, which he is 

 not at liberty to elaborate upon, showed an increase in time of over 

 300 per cent with the possibility of raising this to 400 or 500 per 

 cent additional fire-proofing qualities. 



Mr. Weiss said that in his opinion chemicals will not solve the 

 problem of fire-proofing, as they transmit heat and cause charring, 

 nhicli is as undesirable as complete combustion. 



He said further that the laboratory is going to test steel beams in 

 the same way and compare their action with those of wood. He 

 faid they will test a beam set in a brick wall and are going to deter- 

 mine the action of each, showing the results of the application of large 

 quantities of water when the beams are heated to the limit. 



Referring to the experiment in fireproofing shingles with paint, 

 he said they have not been successful as yet, and that it probably 

 would be necessary to paint the entire shingle. Mr. Kitridge inter- 

 rupted the speaker -with the suggestion that what lumbermen want 

 is a prepared shingle that will be prepared at the mill ready for 

 shipment at a reasonable figure. 



I.VSUBANCE I.NTERESTS ANTAGONISTK,' TO LUMBER 



George Holt of Chicago spoke on the great harm which has been 

 done to the lumber industry by organizations of insurance men who, 

 without any data whatever that is of a reliable character, have done 

 a great deal, in many ways, to injure the lumber business. He 

 maintained that the privilege of insurance men to make their own 

 conditions and terms of sale of their contracts works a great hard- 

 ship. Ho referred to the report of Judge Potts of Illinois on this 

 subject, which report was rendered to Governor Dunne. He said 

 that wood manufacturing institutions in this country are among the 

 most profitable risks that insurance companies handle, but that insur- 

 ance people seemingly endeavor to penalize lumber wherever possible 

 without having a vestige of definite claims supporting such effort. 

 Mr. Holt advocated that the organization when completed meet with 

 the Insurance Federation in order to work out the question. 



He stated that if the members would place their insurance jointly 

 the question could be settled over night. 



Mr. Holt gave as an instance of the fallacy of arguments against 

 wooden construction as a menace to city building actual data pre- 

 pared from fire records in Chicago in which it was shown that out 

 of 1,368 fires in Chicago in 191.3 only three spread to the adjoining 

 building and only one to more than one building, and that the bulk 

 of these fires, numerically speaking, occurred in just that type of 

 construction and in just those sections in which the agitation against 

 wood for building purposes is most active. 



The Obo.^nization Plan 



The committee came into the room after having been out for sev- 

 eral hours and Chairman Rhodes called upon it to report. Mr. Barth 

 reported in place of Chairman Gilchrist, and presented three recom- 

 mendations which showed the findings of the committee as follows: 



1 — That a KPiioral mass nicotiug lip .rallod roprospntatlve of all associa- 

 tions aufi all brandies of flic lumber and ajllofl interests to he held at Chl- 

 rago, and that an organization be effeeted to lie known as tlio Forest Prod- 

 Tiels Federation, the purpose of whlcli is to bo the education of the general 

 public as to the proper uses of lumber and forest products, 



2 — That a copimittee of five be appointed to prepare a profrram to have 

 t)ower to appoint a secretar.v and sul)-committees and prepare information 

 and data for the peneral meeting : this committee also to have power to 

 invite prominent speakers to attend and address the mass meeting; that the 



