Order L-335--Directions 1to 8 Amended

Washington, D. C., January 5, 1945:

Tighter control over the distribution of lumber made necessary by continued high war demands and decline in production, was announced today by the War Prodqction Board. "Lumber requirements are far in excess of available supply, and the gap between the two is the greatest we have had since the beginning of the war," J. A. Krug, WPB Chairman said. Lumber output is being seriously curtailed by manpower and equipment shortages, while lumber requirements for the war program and for the most essential civilian uses remain high."

Little or no relief can be expected in manpower and equipment shortages in the immediate future, X{r. Krug pointed out. Lack of heavy duty tires in particular is expected to have an increasingly adverse effect on production through slowing up of the movement of logs and lumber, he said. Production during the next three month5 is expected to fall far below what it was during the first three months oI1944.

"Because of the critical lumber situation, rvar needs and the most essential civilian needs for lumber can be met only by strict curtailment of all less essential uses," Mr. Krug said.

Order L-335 and 8 Directions to the Order (Directions 1 through 8) were amended today to reduce the amount of lumber that may be sold without control, that is, on uncertified orders, and to establish additional controls over particular species and grades that are in critically short sup- ply. E,ach sau'mill covered by Order L-335 is norv permittecl to ship luml;er only on certified orders, except when specifically authorized by WPB to fil1 uncertified orders. Authorization {or the request must be made by letter and will be granted to the individual sawmill only r,vhen certified orders cannot be obtained. WpB must be convinced that the mill has exl-rausted all efforts to set certified orclers for this lumber. WPB officials pointerl Jut.

Formerly sawmills were permitted to fiIl uncertified orders by general directions covering certain species and groups of species, provided such shipments did not inter_ fere with filling certified orders.

As a result of the tighter control established todav. orac- tically no lumber will be available for uncertified orders except the small amounts that may be sold by sawmills not covered by L-335 and by distributors, WPB officials said. Less than 3/o of. all lumber produced comes from sawmills not covered by the order (those producing less than 100 thousand board feet per year).

Amendments to the 8 Directions to L-335 are designed to implement the general tightening of controls established by the amended order and to establish further controls over western pine and better grades of certain species of hardwoods. The amended directions also provide for smoother flow of lumber from mills to consumers and more equitable distribution of lumber to distributors for sale on uncertified orders.

Details of today's amendments to Directions 1 through 8 follorv: Direction 1 covering sawmill shipments of Douglas Fir, White Fir, Noble Fir, Sitka Spruce (except aircraft grade) and West Coast Hemlock formerly permitted mills producing less than 25 thousand board feet per day, to sell lumber to consumers and distributors on uncertified orders. Today's amendment withdraws this permission. Mills may sell on uncertified orders only if specifically authorized by WPB.

Similar withdrawal of permission to sell on uncertified orders is made in amendments to Direction 3 (California Redwood mills averaging less than 25 thousand board feet per day) ; Direction 4 (Southern Yellow Pine mills averaging less than 5 thousand board feet per day) and Direction 5 (Red and Yellow Cypress mills averaging less than 5 thousand board feet per day).

Direction 2 covering western pine lumber produced in the rvestern pine area, is amended to require mills cutting more than 5 thousand board feet per day to give preferential treatnrent to military orders. Formerly the military preference applied only to mills cutting 10 thousand board feet or lrrore per day. Mills cutting less than 5 tl-rousand board feet per day are now prohibited from selling on uncertified orders except on specific WPB authorization.

Direction 2-A, as amended, provides that mills cutting more than 5 thousand board feet per day, may ship \A/estern Pine lumber only on special Western Pine certification. (Continued on Page 14) d< * * -w' I' Griffith'

I asked her how she could be happy and gay, And how in the world she could sing, When Winter's battalions were blocking her way, She said, "I look forward to Spring." I'll treasure the secret. Tho wintry the day Henceforth in the snowstorm I'll sing, And smile as I think of the flowers in MayI also look forward to Spring.

There aren't any snowstorms blocking my way right at this time-not physical ones-but the world is so overflowing with wintry thoughts and things that the above little stanza seems to me to have a very warming philosophy.

**rF

A friend of mine in Louisiana hands me a new word that is a dilley. The world is "Stoopies." It means any of the scarc,e items and articles the public clamors for today, which the store clerk STOOPS down under the counter to get when a favored customer comes in. It covers cigarettes, Kleenex, and scores of other things. The word supplies a great descriptive need. Just call them "Stoopies."

A friend in Washing.":, ;. 1., ".ra" me this one: An old colored porter on a Southbound train out of Washington is asked so often whether or not the train stops at Richmond, that he incorporated his reply into a blast that he lets eut as the train leaves the Capital, like this: "This train do NOT go to Richmond. Now lissen whilst I tells youall. She goes to Danville, Lynchburg, Riedsville, Greensboro, Savannah, Burmingham, and New Awleens. But she do NOT go to Richmond. Ah've bin runnin' on dis train fo' six yeahs, an' Ah ain't nevah seed Richmond. An'youall can stay on dis train ontil Decembah de thuttyeighth, but you WON'T g.a*ao *Richmond."

In L787, Benjamin Franklin made a statement before the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia that can stand repeating today-and every day. He said: "I have lived a long time, and the longer I live the more convincing proof I see of this truth; that God governs the affairs of men, and if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? 'Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.' I firmly believe this, and I also believe that without His recurring aid, we shall proceed in this political building no better than* the builders of Babel."

There was a mighty hullabuloo in the Senate in Wash- ington just before the close of the year over the appointment of several new men as assistants in the State Department. One of these appointees got in by the grace of God and one single vote, after the opposition had kicked him about considerably. His name is Archibald Macleish. By profession, he is a poet. He was named as "cultural relations" man for the State Department. Maybe you'Il get a faint idea of why they so heatedly opposed Macleish when you let some of his best writing sift through your craniurn. The following is said to be his favorite poemhis own brain child. you understand?

"The years turn; twitter; are Still now. The sound dies.

From the East with the sun's rising Daily are fewer whistled;

Many mornings listening

One less or two." * *

That will give you a rough idea about Archie. You can readily see, dear reader, that the cultural relations department of our Department of State is going to be crystal clear in all its announcements. Far be it for a fellow with just an ordinary brain to criticize these inspired prophets of the New Way in Washington. I would like to suggest, however, that if we MUST find a job for the Macleishs of the country, we put them in some place for which their talents peculiarly fit them. Now take this poet fellow, we should send him to China, where they wouldn't understand his stuff either; or put him in OPA where his confused type of writing wouldn't even be noticed; would furnish no contrast.

* :r f have published many OPA literary gems in the shape of regulations, any one of which will demonstrate what I mean. I ran on another little, simple one the other day that deserves the limelight, also. It says: "Ilnder rationing, an industrial user of processed foods is one who uses a processed food to produce a produ.ct that is not a processed food." The more I read that over, and then the above quoted poem by Macleish, the more I am convinced that the poet is in the wrong bureau. OPA should draft him. He is probably the only living man who can write more confusing things than the boys who are now doing the job.

*rF*

In an old, old book on the subject of war, from which I brushed the dust the other night, I found the following colorful statements on war, some of them better known to

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