NLMA Establishes Special Staff to Deal With Priorities Problem

-Washington, August 2.-Recognizing that the problem of -priorities. is becoming more complicated daily, and that priorities will have a continually increasing effect on log- ging and sawmill operations, th-e National Lumber Manifacturers Association has established a special staff fo1 handling !u4ber's representation on priority matters be- fore the Priorities Division of the dffice of Production Management, and as a means of providing information and service to loggers and manufacturers.

The Association has been fortunate in securing from the Southern Cypress Association loan of the servJces of its secretary-manager, B. R. Ellis, who will be concerned exclusively, {or the next several months, in helping to unravel for the benefit of the industry, the complicated priorities procedure.

Such a service can be extremely valuable to lumber manufacturers in view of daily changes and new rulings affecting priority rulings. Fewperson-s-even those on tf,e staff of the Priorities Division-are familiar with all the daily changes and new routine.

Priorities affect lumber operations in two ways:

(1) Sequence of shipment of defense orders on the mill books; and

(2) The procurement by loggers and manufacturers of e_quipment and supplies necessary to maintain production.

Almost every lumber manufacturer is engaged in some sort of production for defense. Orders may be from de* fense contractors, the Government itself, or through wholesalers and industrial users who in turn will re-direct the material into defense channels. Such defense orders may c^ar-ry ratings in the form of Preference Rating Certificatei. Officially, no lumber order on the books of -a mill has a preference rating unless it is accompanied by a Preference Rating Certificate. Verbal or written information pur- porting to give-a certain order a defense standing canhot, unless substantiated by a Certificate or a photosiat, or in some ca-ses a copy of a Certificate, be considered as requiring preferential treatment of the order.

Aside from the importance to the miil of shipping orders with priority ratings in their correct sequence,--it is in their own interest for mills to keep careful records of defense material being handled, in order to facilitate acquisition of mill supplies and equipment by being able to show on what defense jobs the mill is rvorking. Such records, whenever possible, should include the name or description of the project, the Government contract number, the name of the contractor, and, if the lumber was furnished on a priority basis, the number, date and rating of the Priorities Certificate which applies to it and whetheithe priority applied to the lumber furnished.

The manufacturer will assist himself in dealing with the Priorities Division on supplies, if he u'ill also try to secure and keep a record of ultimate defense use of any lumber sold to wholesalers or industrial users.

Priorities ratings, where they may have been issued, covering lumber, apply only to the delivery of the lumber already ordered. Such ratings do not apply to orders until accepted. Priorities on lumber orders should be classified according to their rating. There are two general classifications, or groups of ratings, at present:

"A" ratings indicate that an order is for national defense work.

"B" ratings indicate that an order is for urgent civilian needs.

",,A,A" is the highest rating which can be given anv order and is used onl| for emeilencies. The iighest regular rating is. "A-l-a" and other t'A-l" ratings down to "A--l-j" are provided, followed by a lower series of ratings labetCd "A-2" to "A-10". "$" ratings grade from .'B-1" to ,,B-8."

-In- their application to lumber, priority ratings may be divided into two general classifications:

Blanket Ratings-apply to all the materials needed by any given contractor, company or industrialist engaged in a certain type of defense work. A Blanket Rating may or may not specifically apply to lumber. It may be of the umbrella type, rvhich is intended to glve the purchaser preference shipment on any kind of supplies or materials which he needs for the firrtherance of his Government contracts. The lumber mill receiving a copy of a blanket certificate should determine whether it applies to lumber specifically.

Individual Ratings-are granted on individual appli- cation for an individual order. This rating gives no preference to its holder for anything othei than one particular shipment or one particular order covered specifically in the rating certificate.

There is a special form of blanket rating now being granted for specific projects rather than specific orders, and called a "Project Rating." Sometimes such special Project Ratings apply only to items on the "criticalr' list (lumber is not a critical list item) or to other specifically mentioned materials. A Project Rating order limited to critical list items which does not specifically cover lumber cannot be applied by its holder to lumber.- On the other hand, a Project Rating may be so written as to apply to every item needed to expedite a given project-often ionstruction. In this case lumber would automaticallv be included.

Project Ratings in general have been developed to give extra speed to some particular defense ,plant, shipyard, or other undertaking which needs to be concluded on a specified date.

Of great immediate interest to most loggers and mill men, is a second classification of priorities, which directly affects lumber operations-priorities which apply to supplies and equipment needed to maintain milf operations and which must be secured by the mills for their own use,

The NLMA priorities staff has been particularly concerned with this branch of priorities investigation in that an even flow of equipment is essential to the maintenance of lumber production at full capacity.

On recommendation of the executive committee of the Lumber and Timber Products Defense Committee, NLMA has already made an application for a general Blanket Preference Rating covering sawmill and logging materials and equipment for all operators engaged in the production of lumber for national defense. This rating is not expected to be available for several weeks, but every effort is being made to hasten its issuance.

Aside from the securing of a blanket priority for sawmill equipment, there are two other methods open for the acquisition of supplies and equipment: