Hoover Appoints Cornmittee on Lien Law

The appointment by Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover of 12 qualified men as a committee to clraft a standard state mechanic's lien act is announced in a statement issued by the Department of Commerce. At the request of several national organizations, the department has undertaken to prepare an act suitable for acloption in the different States.

Nlechanic's lien larvs provide that contractors. sub-contractors, mechanics, laborers, architects, material men and others who have contributed torvard the construction of a building may obtain a lien on the property if they are not paid for their services within a reasonable time. The owner of the property then has to pay promptly or allow his property to be sold by the conrt to settle the claims. One class of cases rvhere lien la.ivs play an important part arises when an irresponsible contractor defaults or goes into bankruptcy, leaving obligations due to workers, material men and subcontractors. Under the provisions of a lien law these creditors may obtain payment from the owners of the property on rvhich the r,vork was oerformed.

The State laws vary greatl-v and therefore cause confusion and expense to organizations doing business in several States, and to workers who move from one State to another. Dissatisfaction has been aloused in a number of States by laws whose provisions are said to be unfair to one or mor-e of the different groups concerned, or to be difficult to construe.

In order to frame an act ivhich will be as fair as possible to all the different groups it was felt that they should be represented in decicling on the general principles to be embodied in the act, and that the best possible legal advice should be obtained in connection wifh phrasin{ it. The committee that Secretary }foover has brought together accordingly includes representatives of the principal groups, including some whose interests are those of the owner.

When a preliminary draft of the act is completed, it will be sent for criticism and suggestions to interested organ- izations and indir.iduals, including a special new committee of the National Conference of Commissioners on IJniform Larvs of rvhich Mr. Charles V. Imlav. a rnember of the Hoover committee, is chairman

The committee has held two meetings, but in vierv of the large amount of work required to draft such a model law, involving an extensive study of existing statutes and court decisions iir regard to them, no date has been announced for completion of the preliminary draft.

The committee's membership is as follows: F. Highland Burns, Baltimore, Md., president Maryland Casualtv Company; William F. Chew, Baltimore, Md., ex-president, National Association of Builders' Exchanges; John M. Gries, Washington, D, C., chief, Division of Building and Housing, Department of Commerce; George F. Hedrick, Washington, D. C.,'president Building Trades Council, American Federation of Labor; Charles O'C. Hennessy, Ner,v York City, N. Y., chairman, Legislative Committee, N. Y. State Savings & Loan Association League; Charles V. Imlay, Washington, D. C., National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Larvs; William B. King, Washington, D. C., counsel National Association of Builders' Exchanges; Victor Mindeleff, Washington, D. C., American Institute of Architects; Charles H. Paul, Dayton, O., American Engineering Council; Frank Day Smith, Detroit, Mich., National Retail Lumber Dealers' Association: Leonard C. Wason, Boston, Mass., Associated General Contrac- tors; John L. Weaver, Washington, D. C., ex-president National Association of Real Estate Boards: Dan H. Wheeler, secretafy.

New Mill At Hoquiam

Hoquiam, Wash.-Built at a cost of $125,000 on the site of the old National mill at the junction of the Chehalis and Hoquiam rivers, the new hemlock and spruce mill of the Neff-Nlerrill Lumber company will commence operations 'r,','ithin 90 days, John A. Love, superintendent of construction, annollnced today. Machinery for the new mill is being installed as rapidly as construction of units permits.

The mill, lvhen completed, will consist of the main plant, a power house unit, ten acres of lumber yards and a 400-foot dock. The plant will have an eight-hour capacity of 125,000 feet of hemlock and cedar lumber and rvill also produce 300,000 shingles a day. At the outset the nerv mill. rvill employ 125 men.

Diamond Match To

A new yard will be opened Company, at Robbins.

OPEN NEW YARD by the Diamond Match