Red Cedar Shingle Manufacturers Adopt New IJ. S. Standard at Annual Congress

Decision to adopt the new United States shingle standards recommended by Secretary Herbert Hoover of the Department of Commerce; the approval of the budget calling for a much greater expenditure ln L926 than heretofore, for carrying out the work of the Red Cedar Shingle Bureau, and the unanimous vote of the delegates to discontinue the Shingle Branch of the West Coast Lumbermen's Association, were the big features of the ninth annual Red Cedar Shingle Congress held at Seattle, Wednesday and Thursday, December 2 and 3.

Red Cedar Shingle manufacturers, realizing that they must not be left behind in the march of industry torvards simplification and uniformity of products, took a great forward step in adopting the new U. S. standards. These provide for four grades only, to be knorvn as A, B, C and D, each grade including three lengths, 24, 18 and 16 inches, the A grade containing only vertical grain shingles. They are intended to replace the multiplicity of grades which have been long'regarded as confusing to the trade and therefore detrimental to the industry.

The budget introduced by R. S. Whiting, secretary-manager of the Red Cedar Shingle Bureatt, calls for the sum of $120,000 to carry out the necessary rvork of the Bureau, and provides for the addition of tr,r'o nerv field men to the staff.

In deciding to separate from the 'West Coast Lumbermen's Association the congress voted to instruct the Advisory Board, created by the addition of 14 new members to the trustees, to make all arrangements for the nerv organization which will carry on the work. In discussion the majority seemed to favor confining all efforts to the Bureatt, and the continuance of the rnarket report and the services of F. J. Monte, mill efficiency expert of the Shingle Branch.

It is conceded that the congress was the most successful and largest in point of attendance ever held. The attendance and interest of delegates at each of the sessions and the earnest participation in the discussions showed that the manufacturers are taking the business .of making better shingles very seriously, and that they will back up the efforts of the Bureau to the fullest extent.

The congress passed a vote of thanks to Mr. Whiting and his staff for the splendid work of the Bureau in the last yeat.

The Wednesday morning session was devoted to the annual Filers' conference, which brought out a record attendance. R. W. Neighbor, E. C. Atkins Co., presided. I\{trch enjoyed by the filers was some sweet music'rendered by an entertainer using bows of wood on various sizes of Atkins' Silver Steel Saws.

A. J. Morley, Saginaw Timber Co., rvas chairman of the Wednesday afternoon session. Short reports of the Red Cedar Shingle Bureau activities were presented by R. S. Whiting, manager; Arthur Bevan, treasurer; E. W. Bundy, counsel, and F. J. Parker, inspector. The regular annual reports of the field staff were issued in printed form to the delegates, thus allowing more time for discussion.

In the general discussion follorving the introduction of the budget a number of manufacturers were in favor of making the contribution per thousar.rd shingles high enough to permit of some advertising being clone to back up the

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