Faif ure NRA to Aid in Lumber Code Enforcement Declared at NIRB Generaf Labor Hearing

Washington, D. C., Feb. 4,-The lumber industry occupied the spotlight for a time during last week,s NIRB general hearings on labor and employment, when its representatives charged that the breakdown of minimum price enforcement was primarily due to lack of government cooperation and urged that there be no in,crease of labor costs.

David T. Mason, Executive Officer of the Lumber Code Authority, presented a previously prepared statement in which he dis,cussed the economic plight of the industry prior to the code, sketched the trend of lumber prices, declared that lumber code wage rates were higher than 1926 levels, and recommended that the Administration make every efiort to in,crease demand for the products of the capital goods industries through the construction and housing programs. He also made a statem.ent dealing with allegations brought out in the hearing.

"Our costs", declared Major Mason, ,,especially our wag'es, as compared rvith the sale price of our products, are no\,\' relatively high. In view of their financial condition our industries are in no position to consider further increases in 'cost due either to decreases in maximum hours per week or to in,creases in hourly wage rates.

"Our code has, on the whole, greatly improved conditions in our industries despite great difli,culties brought about by lack of enforcement. We strongly desire to make our code a complete success, to make it work smoothly in every respect. Through our industry administrative agencies we shall continue to seek to secure a maximum degree of voluntary compliance, but we must have governmental enforcement against wilful code vi,olators."

Blackwell Smith, NIRB member and acting general coun_ sel, indicated a conviction that the lumber industry had permitted an accumulation of surplus stocks through ex_ cessive production quotas and had failed to follow the code formula when determining minimum prices. Major Mason stated that the demand for lumber had not developed to the extent anticipated, resulting in surplus stocks, and that the minimum price formula had been followed in spirit if n,ot in the exact letter. He urged that the board become better informed regarding the lumber industry.

L. S. Beale, secretary of the Hardwood Coordinating Committee, presented a statement charging that lack o-i enfor'cement by NRA was responsible for the major troubles of lumber code administration.

Mr. Beale answered questions by Blackwell Smith and Leon Henderson, chief of the NRA Division of Research and Planning. The latter said that the lumber industry had established excessively high prices, which led to its code-price downfall; while Mr. Smith questioned the abili_ ty of the industry to govern itself.

Lee Robinson, southern hardwood manufacturer and member of the Lumber Code Authority, declared that the majority of hardwood manufacturers were in full accord with the statements presented by Mr. Beale.

W. C. Ruegnitz, president of the Loyal Legion of Loggers and Lumbermen, P.ortland, Ore., urged the continuation of NRA "in the hope of eventually securing friendly understanding and sound labor agreements for the entire lumber industry of America." He recommended elastic maximum hour standards, basic minimum wages with adequate and dependable enfor,cement provisions, and labor representation on codes.

Lumber Prices Averaged About gO/o, of. 1926 Levels Major IVIason, in his statement, said with regard to code prices : "It has so frequently been erf-oneously stated by those unfamiliar with the facts that our Code minimum pri,ces were "unreasonably high and ,caused building stagnation', that it appears fitting to correct this error. As a matter of fact the Lumber Code prices in effect from July 20 to December 22 last averaged about 80 per cent of the 1926 prices; on the same (1926) basis of comparison, lumber pr;'ces were lower than modt other buil.ding materials; rail freight rates on lumber now avdrage about the same as in 1926; Code wage rates in the lumber industry now average higher than in 1926, and building trade labor rates are about 90 per cent as much as in L926. Labor costs make up approximately 37 per ,cent of the cost of house con_ struction, lumber 17 per cent, other building materials the remainder."

Promotes Red Cedar Shingles

T. A. H. Taylor, wood shingle expert, representative of the Red Cedar Shingle Bureau, Seattle, now doing promo- tion work for the Bureau in California, spent last week in the San Francisco Bay area.

Alvin Schwager Visits California

Alvin Schwager, vice president and sales manager of the Nettleton Timber Co., Seattle, Wash., was a recent Los Angeles and San Francisco visitor on company business.

..VERY HELPFUL INFLUENCE''

The California Lumber Merchant has been a very helpful influence in California lumber circles always, but more especially in these last few trying vears when lumbermen needed guidance and good cheer.

Frank

W.

Trower.

Trower

Lumber Company, San Francisco.

FHA Loans Under Tide Two Will Open Calilornia Department Showing Increase

During the first week in February, the ofifrce of Fred W' Marlow. district director for Southern California {or the FHA, has approved Title II loans under the National Housing Act totaling $515,4@. Of this total, $250,450 is for new construction, and $264,950 for refunding and purchase of property.

Col. Greeley Seve rcly Iniured

Struck by a speeding truck loaded with CCC workers while standing on the sidewalk in Olympia, Wash., Februar! 1, Col. W. B. Greeley, secretary-manager of the West Coast .Lumbermen's Association received a fractured skull, and was reported in a critical condition in a hospital there. Col. Greeley had stopped to change a tire and. stepped on the sidewalk in the effort to avoid the truck.

In Charge o[ Riverside Exhibit

R. D. Mundell is in charge of the lumber and building materials exhibit at Riverside which is located in the Chamber of Commerce building. The purpose of the exhibit which is to stimulate building, repairs and modernization under the National Housing Act is creating a great cieal of interest in that district and is attracting many visitors.

The Puget Sound Asso'ciated Mills of Seattle has opened a California department with C. I' Klopfenstein in charge' Mr. Klopfenstein is now in Los Angeles where he will establish an office. He will spend a few weeks in the Los Angeles territory after which he will return to his headqu..t"t. in Seattle. The Puget Sound Associated Mills' which includes twenty mills in that district, has handled the Atlantic Coast sales for this group of mills for the past several years. Several mills in the group are now affiliated with their new California division and will cater to the California trade.

Mr. Klopfenstein is widely known in the Northwest where he has been associated with the lumber industry for many years. He was formerly connected with the wholesale lumber business in Seattle where he operated the Standard Lumber Co., and later operated a sawmill at Seattle.

Home Owners Bill Signed

Sacramento, Jan. 31.-A relief measure in line with the program of President Roosevelt, giving present and prospective homeowners opportunity for a long term, low-cost insured mortgage plan contemplated by the national housing act, was signed today by Governor Frank F. Merriam' Other relief measures passed by the first sessions of the legislature, including the state mortgage moratorium, rvill also be signed this week, Governor Merriam reported.

ft Reafly Must Have Looked That \(/.y

A big, powerful looking man was standing on the depot platforrn waiting for a train, when he spied on the platform one of these spring scales where you drop a coin in the slot and the arm on the face of the scales points to your weight.

The big man stepped on the scales, fished out a coin and dropped it in the slot, and the arm swung up. But the scale was out of order, and the arm got to where it pointed to 30 pounds, and there it stuck.

There were two little tough newsboys on the platform, and one of them happened to be looking to see how much the big guy weighed. When he saw the big man standing on the scale and the indicator only showing thirty pounds weight, he shouted excitedly to his pal:

"Hey, Chimmy! Pipe de big stiff! He must be hollow!"

Changes in Sales Dept. Announced To Organize Export Unit bv Chas. R. McCormick Lumber Co.

The following announ,cement is made by Chas. R. McCormick Lumber Co., San Francisco:

Jas. E. "Jimmy" Atkinson, formerly district sales man:ager at San Francisco, has been appointed manager of the rail department, Portland, Ore., succeeding Mark D. Campbell, who recently resigned to enter business for himself.

Geo. R. Kendrick has been appointecl distri,ct sales man:ager at San Francisco.

W. B. Wi,ckersham continues as district sales manager ;at Los Angeles.

Jerry Stutz and Norman Cords will continue to work their regular sales territories in Northern California.

John Vander Laan will continue his work in the industrial department, San Francisco office.

Nu-\(/ood Booth Wins First

Pfize at Convention

Display booth of the Wood Conversion Company, Saint Paul, Minnesota, won first honors as a building material exhibit at the Northwestern Lumbermen's Association Convention, January 15, 16, and 17, at Minneapolis, Minncsota.

The booth clisplayed the complete line of Nu-Wood products-Bevel-Lap Tile and Plank, Waipscot Chair Rail, Mouldings, Board etc. Indirect lighting helped the general appearance.

Wood Conversion Oompany, a Weyerhaeuser subsidiary, are manufacturers of Balsam-Wool, America's best known flexible insulation.

For NLMA

Washington, D. C., Jan. 3O-J. C. Nellis. formerly assistant ,chief of the Lumber Division of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commer,ce, Department oi Commerce, has been commissioned to undertike the development of a lumber export program for the National Lumer Manufacturers Association. At present Mr. Nellis, as a member of the N.L.M.A. staff, is completing the organization of the employment and produ.cts statistics of the Lumber Code Authority. It is intended that this new pro-, ject eventually will render general export information and pra'ctical assistance to members of the National Lumber Manufacturers Association and its affiliated organizations. Probably, there will also be specialized services for lumber exporters who are willing to assist in the finan,cing of particular group sales efforts. The'work will at first be of an exploratory nature, but it is hoped that it will develop into a permanent industry promotion undertaking, maintaining through the agencies of the Government ,contact rvith world lumber market possibilities and conditions, and taking action in behalf of the American lumber industry with respect to restrictions imposed in the foreign markets for American timber produ,cts.

Construction of U. S. Homestead

Building Starts

Construction work on the Federal Government's small farm projects known as "subsistence homesteads,', is now under way at El Monte, California. One hundred houses are to be built on acre plots of land and when completed rvill be occupied by one hundred families.

The homes are beingrlconstructed by Charles J. Dorfman & Co. of Los AnSeles,, ge_neral contra,ctors , at a cost of $16F,157. The contract talls for the ,completion of all the homes by.Qctober,,J5 ,j :*;:,i6irs&ir