suDltttf & GHRlsTttfsoil, il[c. Lunber and Shipping

7th Floor, Alaskcr Commercicl Bldg., 310 Scnsome Street, Scrn Frqncisco

Los Angeies

tralia, they must arrive in the same condition as when they left the factory. Heavy crating of lumber is the best insurance guaranteeing safe delivery.

Tanks weigh into tons. Only the strongest possible timbers and lumber can be used to properly crate these monsters of the battlefront. Again West Coast lumber is callecl upon. Douglas fir and other western woods have the strength needed for the job of crating these mechanical giants of today's warfare.

When manufacturers ship in wood they know that the product will not be pilfered en route to the battle front. They know that wood will stand up equally well in African sunshine or Alaskan ice and snow. When food, guns and ammunition have to lie on wharves the world over, at debarkation points, on beaches or in trenches, wood is the best-known material for protective covering. Strong, lightweight wood that will hold nails, and that has the ..guts', to stand up under severe handling, is ideal. The West Coast region has several woods which lend themselves to box manufacture-all meeting the box and crating specifications of the government.

Best known West Coast box lumber species in times past were Sitka spruce and West Coast hemlock. Together with Douglas fir, spruce and hemlock supplied 13 per cent of the national box total in 1940. This year a much larger percentage will come from this region, especially with the addition of larger amounts of Douglas fir, Noble and white fir.

Here's just a glimpse of the extraordinary demands on the West Coast lumber industry brought on by war and war shipping: From Oregon and Washington forests, lumber today is going into boxes and crates to ship shells, bombs, grenades, land mines, and a variety of lethal weapons; rifles, machine guns, "Tommy-guns." Less known items which must be carefully boxed are ammunition components, both propellants and explosives. TNT ust have a special container, first to carry it from factory to loading plant and then to battle fronts.

The famed K army field rations require hall a million wood boxes daily, and the number will shortly be doubled. Butter, cheese, food of all kinds get to their destinations on combat ships and battle fronts best in wood containers.

West Coast mills are under a heavy production schedule to produce more boards for boxing and crating. On March 31, L943, a directive was issued by WPB to all sawmill operators cutting Douglas fir, to put into boards all logs or parts of logs ordinarily used for the production of items of the grades of Select Merchantable or lower. This naturally means a smaller output of dimension.

Lumber dealers, industrial plants and consumers who had hoped for an improvement in the availability of West Coast lumber this year may be disappointed, but knowing the reason no one would call for a better deal. One of the most important jobs of the lumber industry today is to get out enough lumber to insdre an adequate number of boxes to ship every shell, gun, plane and tank to the battle fronts and to see that every fighting man gets his food and supplies in tip-top condition. It is a tremendous responsibility and one which the West Coast mills are meeting with characteristic vigor an,d determination.