Service New Objective

Washington, D. C., Mar. lO.-District Forester Evan W. !{el!e_y, after an investigation of four big fire districtsthe Northern Rocky Mountain, Pacific Nolthwest, California and Intermountain-is recommending the "safe-hour control" which provides that the National Forests must be so improved, equipped and manned that any given fire can be reached within a fixed time limit and extinguished before it reaches dangerous size. One essential in the establishment of safe-hour control is a system of roads and trails that will make all areas ctuicklv-accessible. Forest Service records sl-row that the percentage of large fires has decreased consistently with the extension of road and trail systems.

The av_erage National Forest fire guard now attempts to protect 28,000 acres or 44 square miles of forest. Sufficient man-power is needed, according to Major Kelley, to bring this average down by at least 10,000 acres. Major Kelley says: "Of course, it cannot be contended that all losses from fire are directly traceable to inadequate provisions for protection. However, it is believed that with the fire con- trol machine in the respective districts completed the ?:r9ag.9 burned can be reduced and kept within acceptable limits."

Stage Floor Gives Long Service ecord

New York, N. Y., Mar. lO.-Hard maple and iift-sawn yellorv pine floors have given 25 years of continuous servi9e o1 the stage of the Hippodrome, whose stupendous productions have entertained millions. In the course of a !urvey of stage floors, a representative of the National Lumber Manufacturers' Association found George Fields, stage manager of the Hippodrome, keenly interested. He said the hard maple wood floor, laid solidly back stage and in the- wings, had given uninterrupted service for 25 years, without replacements. It is nominal lt/sxZfi-inch hard maple, side-matched-actually I l/6x2fu-inch face. On the apron, used for dancing, maple w'as chosen because of its superior resonance for tap. dancing, buck and wing steps and syncopated interpretations.

The main center stage section, orginally yellow pine, has never been replaced, but at the time the apron wis relaid, seven years ago, the section was covered with a new 25/32x Zfu-inch Jackson face, Lockhart rift-sawn yellow pine.

Code Adopted by Seventieth Citv

Long Beach, Calif., Mar,ch 1.-The Pacific Coast Building Ofifrcials Conference reports the adoption of the Uniform Building Code in Long Beach, California, on February 7, 1930. This is the seventieth city in the United -States to adopt the measure. No other building code known has been adopted by so many citigs in such i short space of time-a little over two years. Many other cities are on the eve of adoption, awaiting only the publication of the improved 1930 edition before taking definite action toward the enactment. In the Bulletin, the house organ of the Pacific Coast Building Ofifrcials Conference, five cities are reported as adopting in January the Uniform Code-Sebastopol and La llabra, California; Helena, Montana; Olympia, Washington and Albuquerque, N. M.