Lumber lndustry Asks President Kennedy For Help On Unemployment, lmports, Public Timber Problems

The lumber industry has a.sked President Kennedy to take direct, double-barreled action to help relieve the unemployment of 200,000 forest product workers.

Specifically, the industry urged Mr. Kennedy to: l. Strike down "discriminatory" public timber sales policies; and

2. Curb mounting imports of softw,ood lumber.

Pending a long-term solution of the import problem, the industry proposed that I\4r. Kennedy impose a "temporary quota" quarterly on Canadian lumber shipments to the United States.

Action Taken at NLMA Spring Meeting

These actions highlighted the 1962 Spring Meeting of the Board of Directors and various committees of the National Lumber Manufacturers Association, May 7-9 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills, California.

The appeal to I!Ir. Kennedy was contained in a letter from NLMA President Arthur Temple, Jr. It resulted from resolutions drafted by the association's Foreign Trade and Forest Nfanagement Committees and approved unanimously by NLMA Directors,

IVIr. Temple's letter charged that "government policies and actions" have been largely responsible for an increasing rate of mill shutdowns and the idling of some 200,000 persons in the forest products industries.

The NLMA official pointed out that industry principals have given to,p pri- ority to means of improving their prcducts, expanding their markets and otherrvise restoring full employment and economic stability to the thousands of communities dependent on the forest products industribs.

But despite these efforts, Mr. Temple emphasized, the industry continues in a depressed state-and "remedies can onlv come through a change in the policies and actions of our government."

Details Efforts to Obtain Relief

NIr. Temple then detailed how NLX{A has sought-to no avail-to have the Executive agencies of governmelrt take action to alleviate the iridustry's most pressing problems.

"On February Zlst of this year," he explained. "we met with the Secretary of Agriculture and presented a fourpoint program to modify the timber manag'ement and sale policies and procedures of the U. S. Forest Service, so as to improve the utilization of our Nation's major renewable natural resource-trees. Implementation of this program is well within the authority of the Secretary of Agriculture. As yet, we have no response from the Secretary to our proposals.

"On March 22nd of. this year, we requested the Secretary of Commerce to arrange an early conference betrveen representatives of the United States and Canadian softwood lumber industi-ies to work out a mutually acceptable solution to the very "erious problem arising from sharp increases, during the last several years, of exports of Canadian softwood lumber to the United States. Increasing imports from Canada are undermining the economic security of our forest-based communities. As yet, I'r"e have no formal reply to our proposal.

"Representatives of the Department of State have advised us that more study of the problem is needed. They have stated that a high level interdepartmental task force will be formed to study the problem over the next few months. We are very grateful for this action, but we believe prompt action is imperative.

"The action last week of the Canadian government in further reducing the value of the Canadian dollar to 92.3 cents, as compared to the U. S. dollar, gives Canadian softwood lumber an advantage of approximately five dolla"rs per thousand board feet over IJ. S. lumber in our country. We hop,e this further manipulation of exchange is not an indication of the attitude of the Canadian g'overnment toward the reasonable ofter of our industry to work toward an amicable solution. lTo'ivever, we believe it makes it imperative that immediate action be taken by the United States Government to impose a temporary quota on the flood of softwood lumber from Canada on a euarterly basis. to r,emain in effect while a iong-term solution is being explored by-the several agencies of government involved."

Wood Promotion Program Acted On

On the wood promotion front, the inclustry's National \Arood Promotion Committee directed its subcommittees and the NI-NIA staff to present for final approval in November-a proposed National Wood Promotion Program budget calling for the outlay of $1,729,622 during the year beginning December l, under the following breakdown:

Advertising and Merchandising Ac- tivities, $710,311 ; Technical Promotion Activities, $72t,226;

Industry Relations Activities, $152,-

Other Activities, $145,725.

Roundup of Additional Resolutions

In other actions, NLMA Directors:

1. Authorized President Temole to appoint a 15-man committee to develop a united industry approach toward the solution of public timber sales problems. The committee, to be composed of three members each from the West Coast Lumbermen's Association, Western Pine Association and Southern Pin.e Association, plus six members at large, will have as its immediate objective the implementation of four industry recommendations to the Secretary of Agriculture for revision of present timber sales policies. These proposals involve (1) an annual statement of performance standards; (2) appraisal methods; (3) an appeals procedur,e, and (4) contract revisions. The 15-man committee will have an initial appropriation of $25,000 to finance its work.

2. Called on the appropriate committees of Congress to undertake immediately a comprehensive analysis of Forest Service policies and programs, (Continued, on Page 37)