22 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



Occurrences at Washington Interesting to Lumbermen 



Goverument hardwood needs show no sign of declining. On the 

 contrary, the demands of the several government departments for 

 hardwood material for gun stocks, airplanes, vehicles, boats and many 

 other purposes give indications of increases. 



E. E. Johnston, from British Honduras, reports that 10,000,000 feet 

 of mahogany will be shipped from there to the United States for 

 the British government during this year for airplanes. 



Contracts for a supply of walnut lumber for gunstocks for the 

 remainder of the year have been let recently after ordnance officers 

 talked with the following: J. N. Peurod, Penrod Walnut & Veneer 

 Company ; V. L. Clark, Des Moines Sawmill Company ; Bay E. Pickrel, 

 Pickrel Walnut Company; W. W. Knight, Long-Knight Lumber Com- 

 pany ; O. A. Myers, Chillicothe Gunstock Manufacturing Company ; 

 W. L. Fletcher, Illinois Walnut Company; Frank Purcell, Kansas 

 City; L. C. Moschel, Langton Lumber Company; George W. Hartzell, 

 Piqua, O.; H. E. Daugherty and J. W. Frye, Hoosier Veneer Com- 

 pany; W. A. MacLean, Wood Mosaic Company; A. B. Ransom, John B. 

 Ransom & Co. 



Mr. Penrod says that he thinks there will be enough solid walnut 

 for gunstocks without going to substitutes or laminated walnut. 



The bureau of supplies and accounts (Navy Department) is this 

 month opening bids for the following lumber : 



15,000 feet b.m. (about), beech, live, air dry, 1 b.v 8" and up wide, 10 to 

 IG' lengths, to average 12' 1" firsts. 



Bircli, firsts, .lir dr.v, .is follows : 5000' 1" ; 2000' 3" ; 2000' 



Birch, air dry, S" and up wide, 10 to 16' 

 common, ri;-mniiidrr fu h.' lirst, as follows: 



5000' 



aple, ai: 

 1%"; 35,0(11 



JIaple, wl 

 over, as folb 



Maple, wl 



;,000' 



25,000' IVi"; 20,000' 



),000' 

 thick, 



1 i.iiig, 40 per cent to be 10" wide ai 



:; I'l <■' .irul up; 24,000' 4" by 6" and up. 



.in, ,s ai„i ,11, wide, 10 to 16' long; % all No. 

 remaiudir to be firsts, as follows: 15,000' 1" ; 20,( 

 2000' 3"; 2000' 4". 



Maple, white, firsts, blocks, air dry, as follows: 2000' 

 wide, IVi' long: 1500' 4" thick, 10", I'l' long. 



Beech, binli ami maplr. in rqual propcwtions. livf. air dry. No. 1 com- 

 mon, 10 to II-,' l,,,m (S- ,ip xvi.l.i, as i.,||,.xvs : IsiiiaV %"; 18,000' 1": 

 18.000' IH": ;:'ii"'ii' I'."; :;ii.iio(r -j" . :;(i. :;" : 30,000' 4". 



Cedar, wliili'. -rim. -i,,,! N,.. 1 „n ivh:, ni;,!.!.. liir, air or kiln dry, flitch 

 sawn, about fun' ti.uri li i,. hr srl.-cts lor ir-:i\\iiii: aihi balance to be No. 1 

 merchantable lur use in full thickness, 1 L^ i.i I'd' li'iiL;ths, to be at least 

 6 to 20" wide, averaging at least 12". l.ii:;(l,s ..\,r -(i ■ to be 6" to at least 

 16" wide, averaging at least 11", as fdll.uvs : liiiiO' rough, 1"; 2000' 



dressed 2 sides, 2"; 4000' oak, white, do stir, live, firsts, dressed 1" 



thick by 6" and up wide. 



Sealed proposals have been called for by the Medical Supply Depot, 

 New York, for the following wooden ware: 50,000 common chairs, 

 40,000 extension crutches, 6,060 potato mashers, 630 rolling pins, 

 5,520 typewriter tables, 90,400 bed trays with legs, and 36,000 butler 

 trays. 



The government is contracting for the construction of 10,000 freight 

 cars at $18,000 apiece for military use abroad, the cars to be built 

 by the following concerns : 



American Car & Foundry Company, 2400 ; Standard Steel Car Company, 

 1900 ; Haskell & Barker, Michigan City, 1800 ; Pressed Steel Car Company, 

 Pittsburgh, 1500 ; Pullman Company, Chicago, 1500 ; Standard Car Con- 

 struction Company, Chicago, 400 tank cars ; Liberty Car Company, Chi- 

 cago, 250, and St. Louis Car Company, 250. 



On August 14 the price fixing committee is due to hear Pennsylvania 

 hemlock lumbermen present an application for price increase. 



The price fixing committee of the War Industries Board, after care- 

 ful consideration of arguments submitted by representatives of whole- 

 sale lumber dealers, has determined not to modify its ruling of July 2, 

 by which it was provided that no manufacturer, dealer, or other person 

 should accept orders for mUl shipment at a greater price per item 

 than established in the schedule of maximum prices fixed by agree- 

 ment on June 14. The wholesale dealers submitted arguments for a 

 change in this ruling and also a supplementary memorandum on the 

 same subject. 



In reaching this conclusion tlie committee .states that it wishes it 

 clearly understood that the wholesalers are recognized to render a 

 service. The committee believes that under the ruling of July 2 they 

 will be able to continue rendering service to the community. 



There have been a number of interesting developments here recently 

 affecting the lumber industry. The controversy over yellow pine prices 

 was followed by the abolition of the position of timber administrator 



for the South that was held by J. H. Kirby, president of the National 

 Lumber Manufacturers' Association; the appointment of W. J. Hay- 

 nen as lumber purchasing agent for the shipping board in the South 

 and West, and the appointment of W. J. Sowers, director of the 

 Southern Pine Emergency Bureau, as lumber administrator for the 

 War Industries Board in southern pine territory. 



Mr. Sowers has power to commandeer lumber and mills, but it 

 seems to be generally agreed that it will not be necessary for him to 

 exercise it, as in his dual capacity he can direct the production and 

 shipment of the material needed by the government. 



The agreement of the War Industries Board to recognize a com- 

 mittee of the southern pine industry led to the appointment of a war 

 service committee headed by F. W. Stevens of the Bagdad Land & 

 Lumber Company. It was understood here that Mr. Stevens had 

 obtained leave and was preparing to come to Washington and remain 

 indefinitely, looking after the interests of the industry, when his 

 appointment as lumber administrator came as a surprise. 



It had been planned for the war service committee to take charge 

 of the work of the Southern Pine Emergency Bureau iu Washington, 

 but now that the government has the bureau practically as one of its 

 agencies, the status of things is somewhat mixed. T. A. Green no 

 longer represents the Southern Pine Association here in connection 

 with certain legislative and government matters. F. V. Dunham is 

 attending to some of these things for the association and may be 

 connected with the war service committee if it decides to get busy in 

 Washington. 



Reports indicate that the National Lumber Manufacturers' Asso- 

 ciation is in difiiculties in connection with its desire to increase its 

 dues and the alleged opposition of far western lumber interests to 

 that proposition. 



Reports have been renewed concerning the alleged intention of 

 Charles Edgar, present director of lumber, to resign. It can be stated 

 with all emphasis that Mr. Edgar will not retire. The only thing that 

 will force him out, it is believed, would be bad health, which his friends 

 hope he will not experience. 



F. L. Sanford of Zona, La., has been here inquiring about the 

 revenue legislation and the intention of the government regarding the 

 drafting of skilled workmen in the southern lumber industry. 



It has been decided that hardwood ties and car material may not 

 be sold to government railroad except to the line going through the 

 territory where the material is for sale. The local line may buy, 

 however, for other railroads. Local lines, it is said, wUl buy any and 

 all ties delivered to their right of way, provided they come up to 

 government specifications. 



Mills or dealers may list their available material with any or all 

 of the regional purchasing committees, the chairmen of which are as 

 follows: S. B. Hight, New York; E. B. Bankard, Philadelphia; 

 S. T. Burnett, Norfolk ; F. H. Fechtig, Atlanta ; C. A. How, St. Louis; 

 L. N. Hopkins and L. S. Carroll, Chicago. 



Tie and railroad material prices are fixed by the government in 

 pine and hardwoods. These articles may be furnished in pine in three 

 possible ways, namely, through lumber trade emergency bureaus, by 

 commandeered mills, and by independent mills or dealers who may 

 sell to railroad purchasing agents, at government prices, however. 



Millions of money have been wasted in airplane experiments and 

 production that have had to be thrown on the scrap heap, the Senate 

 subcommittee on military affairs has found. Over 1200 planes are 

 junk. Machines of certain types have been made and thrown away. 

 Types have been abandoned as worthless or too dangerous to use. 

 The old aircraft production board is declared to have been responsible 

 for these bad conditions, improvements having occurred under the 

 new regime of Gen. Kenley and W. D. Ryan in charge of the air service. 



It is understood that more wooden ships will be built as ways become 

 vacant. The Daugherty ship plans are not, however, yet completely 

 ratified by the powers that be. No contracts will be made in advance 

 of that. 



T. O. Heyworth, manager of the wooden ship division of the Emer- 

 gency Fleet Corporation, has appointed G. E. Tebbetts as his assistant. 



