Scptombor 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



23 



i same tiiiic tile iiidiiHtrinl claims for his skilled employes with tli'-> 

 lui-al board. 



Government Organizes Training Department 



TliO DiparfiiUMit of Lalmr lias ilrafti'il jilans for the Training 



' 1 Dilution Service, tlie iilea boia^; to increase the competency of 



^ ■ earners and similar production. All means of traininR and 



i' ation along industrial lines are being organized and will be 



111,'ht into co-operation with the government agencies. This 



ice will not only help speed up work, but will result in the 



■ t'ul training of a largo army of skilled workers who will very 



t.rially add to the potential wealth of the nation. It is ex- 



ii'd that skilled labor shortages may in many places be ade- 



i;oly taken care of by the skilled labor created in this way. 



The Official Industrial Preference List 



The latest preference listing of industry compiled by the priority 

 division of the War Industries Board supercedes all previous list- 

 ings and is the basis for industrial exemption from the draft and 

 may be regarded as the governing factor in the distribution of 

 labor, capital, facilities, material, transportation and fuel. 

 1 The industries are grouped in four great classes, consideration 



) being given among this group, to the three following factors: 



First: Intrinsic Importamc ot the product for use ilurlng the war 

 and the urgency ; 



Second : Necessity for maintaininij; or stimulating and increasing the 

 total quantity of production ; 



Third : rroportlon of the capacity ot the Industry or plant devoted to 

 the production of essential prti(lu<'ts. 



The bulletin says that the inclusion of industries and plants on 

 this preference list does not operate as an embargo against all 

 others, but that the effect is to defer the preference of all others 

 until the requirements of those on the preference list shall have 

 been satisfied. All priority is relative, meaning that immediate 

 urgency and not necessarily the total importance of the industry, 

 governs. 



In the four groups, group Ko. 1 is made up only of industries 

 and plants of exceptional importance, and their requirements must 

 be fully satisfied in preference to those of the three remaining 

 classes. 



As to Classes 2, 3 and 4 the new preference list states that after 

 the requirements of Class 1 are satisfied, the remaining available 

 supply will be rationed to the industries and plants embraced in 

 those classes. This rationing will be based on the relative import- 

 ance of each industry and plant according to its class rating. 



Priorities covering raw material, semi-finished products and 

 finished products, to be governed by Circular No. 4 issued by 

 Priorities Division, July 1, 1918. In speaking of the term "prin- 

 cipally," as used in listing industries, this means those plants 

 whose war output is not less than 75 per cent of the products men- 

 tioned. 



EACH PLANT LISTED SHALL NOT LATER THAN THE FIF- 

 TEENTH OF EACH MONTH FILE WITH THE SECRETARY OF 

 THE PRIORITIES BOARD, WASHINGTON, D. C, REPORT ON 

 P. L. FORM NO. 3 (SUPPLY OF WHICH WILL BE FURNISHED 

 ON APPLICATION) COVERING ITS ACTIVITIES DURING 

 THE PRKCEDING MONTH. ANY PLANT FAILING TO FILE 

 srCH REPO.ET WILL BE DROPPED FROM THE PREFERENCE 

 LIST. 



The order further states that the decisions of the priorities board 

 are subject to revie>v only by the chairman of the War Industries 

 Board and the President. 



Paragraphs On Important Matters 

 Lumbermen are interested in watching the outcome of efforts of 

 the New Orleans Association of Commerce and other business in- 

 terests to have the pending revenue bill amended so that under the 

 excess profits tax proposed borrowed capital will be recognized as 

 invested capital and also so that the value of tangible property will 

 be taken as of March 4, 1913, instead of its original cost, as a 

 basis for the tax collectors to work on. Senator Eansdell of 

 Louisiana has introduced amendments to the revenue bill to make 

 the clLTHijes proposed, which would make a great difference in the 



amount «( llie tax that would have to be paid by many lumber con- 

 cerns. In the case of one southern firm this difference is eslimateil 

 at $150,000 next year. Business men generally are being urged to 

 see or write to their senators oa the subject. However, in view of 

 the vastly increased needs of the government for the expanded 

 army program it is questionable whether any modification of the 

 bill of great importance to reduce the revenue that it would raise 

 is likely to be successful. Just before the bill passed the house it 

 was amenilcd by agreement between Chairman Kitchin of the ways 

 and means committee and Representative Fordney of Michigan, an 

 old time lumberman, and others, so that in figuring the deductions 

 allowable from income under the income tax a "reasonable allow- 

 ance for depreciation of imiirovemenfs" may be made in the case 

 of mines, oil and gas wells, other natural deposits, and timber. 



.V feature of the coming week, from the lumberman's standpoint, 

 in Washington will be the hearing or conference between govern- 

 ment oflicials and representatives of the southern pine industry on 

 the question of readjusting yellow pine prices for the next two or 

 three months. 



It is being planned to raise 18 more battalions of 750 men each 

 to be added to the 20th forestry engineer regiment, already the 

 largest regiment in the world. Lieut. Col. H. C. Bowlby of the 

 regiment is in Washington in connection with the job. More 

 foresters, lumberjacks and woodsmen are needed to help the Ameri- 

 can and allied troops in France. 



L. M. Tally has opened a cypress emergency bureau here and is 

 looking after government orders. 



Another .$100,000,000 appropriation is needed for industrial hous- 

 ing, it is announced. 



The Douglas fir people received recently orders for 45,000,000 

 feet of lumber for cantonments. Fir people expect that many 

 small mills will bo closed as non-essential and their labor trans- 

 ferred to big mills that have government contracts, and it is pos- 

 sible that some form of co-operation by which the big fellows will 

 help the little fellows will be worked out. Southern lumbermen 

 also expect curtailment of the industry in their section, especially 

 in the case of the small shortleaf mills. This sort of a plan, it is 

 said, would not only release labor, but would tend to reduce the 

 quantity of lumber that is produced incidentally while making 

 government material and which incidental material uses the capital, 

 labor, and transportation resources of the country that are needed, 

 it is said, for war purposes. 



The campaign for building curtailment will receive the co-opera- 

 tion of the Federated building trades, committees of which will 

 advise with representatives of the local councils of national de- 

 fense in the several states. 



The wooden shipbuilding program is limited by the ability to get 

 engines and machinery for the ships, it is understood. At present 

 there is said not to be enough of motive power for steel ships. It 

 is planned to utilize the wooden ships as economically as possible in 

 the coastwise and nearby trade and to build many large barges 

 which will require great quantities of lumber, but little motive 

 power to carry huge tonnage. Vice President Pioz of the shipping 

 board says the wooden ship has a place in winning the war, but he 

 Ihinks wooden ships are not coming along fast enough. He thinks 

 'hey can be used in the cross channel trade between England and 

 France. The concrete ship division has been transferred from 

 J. O. Hej-worth, chief of the wood ship division of the board to the 

 steel ship division. 



In working out conservation programs for various industries the 

 war industries board has planned to save 5,245,000 feet of lumber 

 in curtailment of the manufacture of rubber footwear, and nearly 

 as much more in curtailing the cotton thread industry. 

 The department of agriculture states: 



About 15.000.000 feet of black walnut timber has been located and its 

 existence reported to the Forest Sen-ice by the Boy Scouts since they 

 were called upon by the President to assist the government In locating 

 this timber for gunstock and propeller material. The Boy Scouts send 



