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HARDWOOD RECORD 



September 25, 191s 



emergeuey tliat the steadiness and strength of an industry has in- 

 creased in direct proportion to the increase of its percentage of war 

 output. Lnnibor is undoubtedly lieaded toward an almost total 

 war production or at least production for industries that are given 

 recognition by the government at this date. It has progressed so 

 far toward tliis end that there should be no doubt in the mind of 

 aiiyiini- as to jnstificatiou for confidence in the stability of the 

 tradr. 



Restriction of Mahogany Log Imports 



RKVOCATIOX Ol' ALL LICENSES for importing mahogany 

 logs into the United States has been announced by the War 

 'J'rade Board, in effect from September 10. Hereafter no license 

 for the imjiortation of this wood will be issued except to cover 

 Nueli shipments as the War Industries Board shall certify to be 

 suitable and necessary for government use. 



On the face of this ruling, it means that no mahogany shall be 

 brought into this country for civilian use until further orders. It 

 .loos not state that mahogany already in the United States shall 

 Dot be used for other than military purposes, nor does it state that 

 Jinj)orts liereafter brought in shall not be employed for private use, 

 jirovided it is not suitable for war purposes. In sawing ordnance 

 slock from logs, there must be a considerable percentage of the 

 product which will not jjass inspection, and it is ijresumed that this 

 will be available for private use. 



The largest uses of mahogany in this country in normal times 

 are in the manufacture of furniture, interior house finish, railroad 

 cars, and musical instruments, and it may be expected that these 

 industries will suffer most from the restriction of imports. The 

 largest war use is for airplanes, but the wood is employed for other 

 military jnirposes. 



Ko statement has yet been published making plain whether all 

 Avoods wliicli arc bought and sold under the name of mahogany 

 will be included, or whether the tropical American species alone 

 will be restricted; neither is it clear whether the restriction is 

 meant primarily to conserve shipping space, or whether the pur- 

 jiose is to secure more mahogany for war uses. 



The effect on industry will be considerable. In normal times 

 the annual imports of mahogany into the United States amount to 

 about 50,000,000 feet, board measure. It is not publicly known 

 what the war demands amount to, but, presumably, the call from 

 that source is expected to take all the suitable mahogany obtain- 

 able, leaving none for private purposes. 



Most of the mahogany brought to America is imported by a few 

 large firms. It is probable that they can sell to the government 

 all of this wood they can bring. The losers, if there are any, will 

 most likely be manufacturers who make furniture, fixtures and 

 other articles for the general trade. 



The public can get along without mahogany if necessary. It is 

 a luxury rather than a necessity. Other good woods can take its 

 place, temporarily at least. 



What Should Be The Furniture Man's Policy? 



THE KECI'LAKITOKV ORDEK of the War Industries Board as 

 applied to the furniture industry, given in full elsewhere in 

 this issue, distinctly clarifies the furniture man's status as far as 

 the present is concerned, but it does not necessarily leave him 

 without serious problems of policy to be determined upon. 



The order contains some quite radical provisions that materially 

 .-liter the character of product permitted. For instance, the use of 

 beveled glass in bedroom furniture and of any glass in dining room 

 furniture is prohibited. Sizes are strictly regulated and varieties 

 (if styles are held down to a minimum. 



Undoubtedly, the elimination of the multitude of odd styles that 

 have no particular meaning other than as showing the individual 

 manufacturer's ideas has been a detriment rather than a benefit 

 to the trade at large. The regulations in this respect will prob- 

 ably be lastingly beneficial to the industry. At the same time, there 

 is a question of whether or not the regulations will restrict manu 



facturers so that in producing within their limitations, they may 

 be compelled to turn out articles -which, while satisfactory under 

 present conditions, may not meet the demand of the purchasing 

 public from the standpoint of style and appearance when the re- 

 strictions have been removed. As an example, if the Ijedroom 

 manufacturers turned out an extensive stock of furniture minus 

 the beveled glass, might not this line become a drug on the market 

 if with the cessation of hostilities the regulations were removed? 

 The furniture man must exercise great care in determining just 

 how he shall design and manufacture his goods so as to reduce this 

 hazard to the minimum, and should give great thought to the ques- 

 tion of how much it is safe to produce owing to the uncertain dura- 

 tion of the war. 



Wood Endorsed by the Government 



THE GOVERNMEXT'S OBVIOUS PURPOSE in forbidding tlie 

 use of metal in furniture manufacture in the new regulations 

 of the War Industries Board was to conserve metal. The use of 

 metal was prohibited in casters, beds, coffins and furniture of all 

 kinds such as tables and chairs, etc., containers, filing cabinets and 

 safes and any similar lines. 



Eegardless, though, of the main idea behind the order, the fact 

 remains that the government is putting its stamp of direct ap- 

 proval on the use of wood for this purpose and so automatically is 

 endorsing wood as a thoroughly satisfactory material designed to 

 meet all purposes and all requirements in these directions. 



The endorsement carries further than mere inference as to the 

 government's approval of wood's physical adaptability to these 

 Ijurposcs. The order prohibits the use of steel because steel can- 

 not be had in sufficient quantities. It permits the use of wood be 

 cause the production of this raw material is adequate. Here again 

 is a dire(^t comparison in favor of wood, for the question of con- 

 stant and certain source of suiijjly is just as important industrially 

 as is the quality of the material. 



Wood, then, is given official preference and recommendation as a 

 material for such purposes that will fill all requiroments and which 

 can be had in abundant quantities and at reasonable prices. 



Study the Furniture Regulations 



ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS that the manu 

 facturers of hardwood lumber of all kinds and the manufac- 

 turers of products made from hardwood lumber of all kinds have 

 before them is the thorough study and analysis of the War Indus- 

 tries Board's drastic regulation of furniture manufacture. The 

 changes inaugurated are sweeping and will have a great bearing 

 upon the immediate future of both industries. In fact, business 

 cannot be carried on unless all of the provisions so far as they 

 apply to the businesses of the respective manufacturers arc 

 thoroughly analyzed and understood. 



Hardwood Record is pleased to be able to present the matter 

 in full, authoritative form in this issue under the Washington let- 

 ter. Har<l\v(iod Record recommends the careful study of this order 

 on the ]iart of .-ill iumliermen and woodworkers. 



The Lumber Embargo 



THE LUMBER EMBARGO in its various phases is fully covered 

 in this issue. This matter is serious but not so over-whelm- 

 ingly so as first ap])eared. The encouraging points are that the 

 government oflicially states the purpose is to control and not re- 

 strict lumber shipments, and that the officials in charge are showing 

 a genuine disposition to help in every way possible. The discourag- 

 ing point is that the matter came as a bolt from heaven, or the 

 other direction, and was promulgated without consulting the lum- 

 ber fraternity and merely because of its vast scope and the delay 

 in getting it smoothly running will cause at least temporary seri- 

 ous losses. However, it must be met fully and the best thing for 

 everyone to do is to familiarize himself with the new regulation.s 

 and try to adapt liimsclf to them as speedily and as smoothly ;is 

 possible. 



