Federal Trade Commission Decides Mahogany

Must be Swietenia as WelI as Meliaceae

In its famous "Cease and Desist" order in the philippine Mahogany Case, the Federal Trade Commission decided that no wood should be called Mahogany unless it was from the Meliaceae Family, which was supposed to knock all Philippine Woods higher than a cocked hat so far as being genuine Mahogany was concerned.

It will be remembered that The California Lumber Merchant then got busy and proved beyond any possibility of a doubt that there are growipg in the Philippines a very large number of trees that are branches of the Family Meliaceae, and that therefore Mahogany was not barred as Philippine woods.

Now comes the Commission and releases Stipulation No. 324, which reads in part as follows;

"Mahogany is the product of the genus Swietenia tribe Swietenioideae of the tree family scientifically called Meliaceae. The genus Swietenia of which there are several known species, is the only one which produces true Mahogany. Trees of the Swietenia group grow principally in the West Indies,,Venezuela, and Peru",

So now the Commission has narrowed the thing down some mofe, and under ,this new Stipulation it looks as though they have complidefy divorced the Philippine woods from all claim to "true.'r Mahggany.

Since the Commission has seen fit to go so far in its interest of these foreign rvoods in their battle against American grown, owned, manufactured, shipped, and merchandised woods, it is difficult to see how it can stop without deciding on the true names of all of our home grown woods; and when they do, where will it end?

The Western "\Mhite" Pine case is now up for immediate hearing. But that is only one of many. .,Oregon pine,' is not a pine, but Douglas Fir, and even Douglas Fir is not a Fir at all, but belongs to the Larch family. And other Firs, and Cedar, and Cypress, and Poplar, and several of the gums are going to have to have their names revised, because certainly one is just as important as the others.

Why all this strange stew ? No one seems to fully understand.

The Philippine Mahogany case still goes on. The Insular Lumber Company, the biggest manufacturer in the Philippines, and the biggest seller in this country, is to have a hearing, the date and place not yet set. This company petitioned the Commission for a separate hearing, setting up the fact that it was not included in the first philippine Mahogany case, and expressing its unwillingness to have its trade name outlawed without a chance to show its hand in the matter.

Our Specialties

of soft texture, dried in strictly modern dry lcilnr llilb: Reymond, Washington

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