Random Editorial Ramblings

By JackDionne

There's a popular lazz song that comes in over the radio frequently of late, entitled, "I'm doing what I'm doing for love." Come to think of it, that wouldn't be a bad theme song for the lumber industry. That's about all lots of them ever get out of it-if anY.

A California visitor said the other day: "I hurried out because I was afraid if I waited much longer there wouldn't be any Redwood trees left for me to see, judging from some of the things I've read." And the Redwood manufacturer to whom he was talking said: "You nor your grandchildren won't live that long; we will always have, and will always be cutting, Redwood"'

If you want to absorb a better opinion of wood than you have ever entertained before, take a peek at the average airplane as it is being constructed. See the wonderful things that are being done with wood, cleverly and scientifically fabricated. Not big chunks of wood, but little' wee wisps of wood. And human life is being confidently entrusted with these wooden wafers. You will probably get an impression of the DEPENDAEILITY of wood that you nev"r got before.

Wood isn't getting a very good deal in airplane publicity, because the metal folks are so very much more on the job than are the wood boosters-just as the other building materials always are. Worlds of people know that if the facts were secured and published the value of wooden planes would rise immeasurably higher than that of the new metal ships. It is a known fact that a lot of these wooden ships have crashed with minimum damage and loss oflife. Some cases have been almost miraculous. But you don't hear much of them because the cause of wood is not being scientificallt .ttud*-l abetted.

It's in the big all-metal planes that the passengers die the horrible deaths by fire-not in the wooden ones. Don't get that idea wrong in your head. The metal plane crashes, the gasoline flares all over the ship, and the inmates are horribly roasted. They can't get out. There isn't half that much sort of danger in a wooden ship. Wood is a nonconductor of heat. A metal case is a roasting oven, when the fames are playing over the outside. In California a big all wood passenget laden plane crashed without a single serious injury, although it caught fire. They all got out. Thege have been various other cases reported.

Here's the idea. Did you ever see one of the farnous demonstrationF of fire-resisting paint in the old days? Greatcst fake on earth. They would take a thin pulpwood box, paint it with this fire resister, put a roll of money in it, cover it with dry sawdust, pour gasoline over the sawdust, set it afire, and when the fire died down the money was found unharmed. It was the non-conductor box, and the rapidly burning gasoline that saved the money. Use a thin metal box, and the money would be destroyed, because the metd would get red hot. Get the idea? ,i>F*

Frequently I have remarked in this column that one of the great and unsupplied needs of the lumber industry is a scientific research department such as General Motors has for their autos. There is great work to be done for wood in this mighty airplane development. But it won't be done. The lumber industry prefers to spend its money in gobs with the consumer magazines-who do nothing for lurnber, and don't need the money. ,F:r*

The contest between wood and metal in airplane construction today is one of the keenest industrial battles extant. Any unbiased authority can tell you about it. They are scrapping for every part of the plane, bit by bit. But the metal scrap is coordinated, organized, intelligent. The wooden end of the fight is individual, and depends on the very quality of the material for its safeguard. ,If the wooden cause had the metal backing-metal would catch heil. ft's always that way. IF-IF-IF. The lumber game is dying of that IF disease.

Things change rapidly in the lumber industry. Every time I see some beautiful demonstration of the use of Southern Gum I think of the few short years ago when they didn't even count the Gum timber as an asset in a sale of timber in the South. Today it is acknowledged to be one of the world's most useful and beautiful woods. A lot of lumbermen went a long ways off to buy other softwoods, scorning Southern hardwoods. Today the Southern hardwood business is one of the most successful departments of the national industry, and getting better all the time. The gum manufacturers learned how.

Saw some more wond"lrrr-u"L""strations of hardwood interiors for modest homes the other day. Low grade hardwoods used to cover the walls, strips of the same or other woods used for giving the paneling effect, the surface i roughened, a modest costing antique effect administered, I and wonderful results. These dull effects are far cheaper V than the glossy finish, are not subject to easy damage or marking, and last always. Just using brains in the lumber business. That's all.

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