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By Jack l)lonne

Almost every paper I read carries news of the granting of some Governmental award of some sort for special merit or service in the way of war production to some particular war industrial concern.

And it was not until I received a letter from a well posted friend of mine who simply called attention to the fact and asked "why," that there was impressed on my mind the fact that so far no such award or specific recognition of any kind has been given to lumber, or to any lumber concern, for special merit in helping win the war.

And when the thought did strike me, and careful consideration declared it to be true, it sure made me sore. And I do mean sore. There is no feeling of narrowness or jealousy for those who HAVE been given their just recognition; far from it. No doubt every concern that has been cited for special service has been deserving. Which only makes it seem the more definitely strange that the lumber industry has been overlooked.

We have quoted frequently in these columns of late the generous remarks of a number of army men who are in position to judge, about the outstanding service of the lumber industry toward helping win the war by producing those things without which there could be no victory. And basking in the warmth of such appreciation we have overlooked the fact that no medals of honor have been pinned on lumber lapels.

It is my opinion, based on everything I can read and hear, that while American industry generally has performed unbelievable miracles in its transposition from peactime to wartime production, no department of that total industry has done a finer, a more practical, a more commendable job than lumber. f search in vain to discover one that has, and that takes in everything from ships to shells-from biscuits to bombs-from planes to parachutes.

I think it has been definitely proven that in this tremendous rush to supply this nation and its fighting men with the materials and vital necessities of war, lumber is the one commodity for which no successful substitute has been found; and lumbermen have set a pace that the best can do no more than follow. f may be slightly prejudiced, but

that's my opinion.

With their own money at stake-rather than Government funds-the lumber folks from Coast to Coast and Nort]r to South have met innumerable obstacles and difficulties, and delivered the goods. They have had to improvise as few other industries have. They have had problems of raw materials, of supplies, of transportation, of man shortage, of worn equipment, of compulsory substitutions, of developing hitherto unheard-of methods of getting maximum efficiency out of equipment and men; and they met these obstacles and whipped them. They have had to change methods, change equipment, by-pass their timber to get at the kind of trees the war machine needed. They have had to get by with conditions that would have closed them down flat at any previous time of lumber history. Continuous high-balling and high-tailing day and night without the opportunity of stopping for repairs, together with the difficulty of replacing equipment, has worn their machinery to the nub in thousands upon thousands of cases. But they keep on making lumber.

Lumbermen are part bulldog. If there was any quit in the breed, thousands of sawmills would have blown the whistle and sent home the crew during the trials of the past tvvo years. Numerous concerns in other industries have been given well merited rewards and public recognition WHO MADE NO SACRIFICES IN THEIR EFFORT. Show me a sawmill concern that has not made sacrifices innumerable in the past two years, and worn their brains tired and their hair thin with figuring how to keep up the pace !I doubt if you can find one.

And let me repeat: THEY DID IT WITH THEIR OWN MONEY, almost without exception. ft's a whole lot easier to perform miracles of production if the money problem and the angle of financial danger is eliminated. The lumber industry and its loyal units may never get any official award marks for their war work. I don't suppose most of them have ever considered the matter. Their patriotism is a light that shines in any sort of weather. But when the war ends, history will recite the fact that their names, like Abou ben Adhem's, will be second to none.

!(/estern Poles and Piling

Western poles and piling were given specific maximum prices by the Office of Price Administration.

The prices are established in Amendment No. 1 to Revised Maximum Price Regulation No. 284 (Western Primary Forest Products), and become effective August 2, 1943.

Previously maximums for most poles and all piling were provided by the General Maximum Price Regulation, and were the highest prices individual sellers charged during the month of March, 1942.

The new ceiling prices for piling are slightly belqw those charged in March, 1942, whrle those for poles generally are at the March, 1942, level.

Separate schedules of prices are provided for Western red cedar, Douglas fir and lodgepole pine poles and piling, the principal western species from which the items are made.

Producers of poles and piling of other species or specifications not priced in the amendment are instructed to submit proposed prices to the Office of Price Administration in Washington, D. C., for approval.

Hardwood Logs

fn conformity with recent legislation pertaining to grade labeling, the OPA removes from its price regulation on prime grade hardwood logs the requirement that the words "prime grade" must be marked on such logs (Amendment 5 to MPR 313), effective August 10.

Lumber Stocks Survey

Returns thus far received in the lumber stocks survey being made by WPBS Lumber and Lumber Products Division indicate a critical reduction in inventories during the past six months. A large number of yards report little or no stocks on hand and some report that they have been forced to close because they cannot obtain needed species, grades and sizes of lumber. Particularly in rural areas, stocks are unbalanced in relation to local demand. The survey returns are designed to show in detail the areas and extent of the stock shortages.

"The distributors response to our questionnaire sent to a 1O per cent sampling of the industry is highly gratifyitrg" J. Philip Boyd, director of the Division said. "Approximately half of the questionnaires have been returned to date but a greater coverage is necessary before working estimates of conditions can be made."

Urging prompt replies from the remaining distributors, Mr. Boyd stated that the survey will give the lumber division the factual data needed for a program of production stimulation. Returns are'being analysed by the U. S. Forest Service and the over-all data will be released as soon as the survey is completed.

At Officers Training School

Bovard Shib_ley, Union Lumber Co., San Francisco, is at the Coast Artillery officers training school, Camp Callan, Calif.