258 JOURNAL OF FORESTRY 



CONTROVERSY OVICR GRADING RULES 



Until recently there have been live separate hardwood associations ; 

 two, the "National" of Chicago and the "Manufacturers' " of Cincin- 

 nati, maintained separate sets of grading rules and separate sets of 

 inspectors. 



Conflict of interest and obvious duplication of work have led to re- 

 peated efforts to get these two organizations together, so as to agree 

 upon one uniform set of hardwood grading rules. 



Under the stimulation of the War Industries Board in the fall, a new 

 effort was made to compose the old dispute. This resulted in the amal- 

 gamation of the "Manufacturers' " of Cincinnati with the "American" 

 of Memphis and brought the rules fight again into the fore. The new 

 "American" recently decided to adopt its own rules, evidently with a 

 view to attempting the elimination of those of the "National." The 

 situation evidently exhausts the patience even of the trade journal 

 editors, who go so far as to suggest that there might even have been 

 excuse for governmental intervention, especially since it is now estab- 

 lished that the difference between the two sets of rules is practically 

 negligible (concerning which see the following item") : 



MILL-SCALK STl'DY IN OAK 



D. G. AA'hite. of the Aladison Laboratory, recently conducted a very 

 detailed study of red and white oak at an Arkansas mill. Among the 

 several utilities of such a study as listed are a basis for accurate cost 

 accounting — a system for improving methods of manufacture to con- 

 seive hardwood supplies. 



About 300 logs were followed through the mill and stop-watch rec- 

 ords were made at the head-saw. 



The product was graded, green, by inspectors of the National Hard- 

 wood Lumber Association and of the Hardwood Manufacturers' Asso- 

 ciation of the L'nited States, then stacked for some three months, and 

 again graded by the same inspectors to determine the degree of degrad- 

 ing which had taken place during seasoning. A^ery elaborate tables 

 make up the bulk of the report. The cost per thousand, as computed 

 in detail, varied between $15.81 and $17.93. 



Difference in scale board measure under the grading rules of the two 

 associations averages about 2 per cent, with a "greater profit per hour" 

 under the rules of the Hardwood ^Manufacturers' Association than 

 under the National Hardwood Lumber Association. 



