V.sabond Editorials

By Jack Dionne

Progress ! Human viewpoint doing lightning scene shifting ! Here and there an apt illustration that spot-lights a thought. A friend of mine heard one the other day he got a huge wallop out of. ft was a remark made by the pilot of a fast commercial passenger plane. With one bold stroke it relegated into the apostrophized realms of antiquity a recently most modern public servant.

They were fying 175 miles an hour and they passed over an express train, roaring along in the same direction. To those in the plane above, its speed seemed like that of a lumbering ox. The pilot of the plane pointed dournward with his thumb to where the train was shrinking into the background, and remarked to my friend-with tolerant contempt-"THE COVERED WAGON".

The Californi" n"a*ool irrJ.r"r,on covered itself and its members with glory and gave our highly advertised and imaginary depression a terrible kick in the pants when it sent that banner covered train consisting of 118 carloads of Redwood lumber whistling over the mountains eastward where hundreds of buyers awaited it. More pourer to them. ft was a splendid gesture.

Two years ago the Federal Trade Commission ordered several distributors of Philippine Hardwoods to cease and desist from advertising and selling those woods as Philippine Mahogany. About the same time the Commission began taking testimony to see whether or not California White Pine could be called 'White".

The Philippine folks asked for another test case, alleging that the testimony taken in the previous case was utterly unfair to the wood. This was granted. New hearings and new testimony on the subject.'The difference between the facts presented was as that between midnight and high noon. Foolish beliefs were straightened out. Malicious lies were nailed. The light "n T"al was allowed to shine.

On June 15th, 1931, the Commission rendered its decision in the California White Pine Case. The mills must immediately cease and desist from calling this Pinus ponderosa "'W'hite" Pine. And then, on July lst, surprising everyone in light of the California Pine decision, the Commission decides IN FAVOR of the defendant in the Philippine Mahogany case. He CAN call and advertise and sell it as Philippine Mahogany.

You could fill a volume presenting the interesting phases of those two decisions. Both cases were based on charges that by calling these woods the proscribed names, the public was deceived and injured. The Federal Trade Commission, you may understand, was created for the protection of the public in trade, industrial; and commercial matters. They alleged that the distributors of Philippine Hardwoods deceived the public in pretending that their wood was Mahogany, when botanically it was NOT. They alleged that the Pinus ponderosa makers deceived the public by calling their wood "White" Pine, when botanically it is NOT a "true" White Pine. ,i :8 ,l

Now the Commission decides that it is O. K. to call Philippine Hardwood Mahogany, but it is NOT all right to call California White pine .,\,l/hite." philippine Mahogany is NOT botanically Mahogany. No one ever claimed it was. It is a beautiful and valuable wood and much of it looks Iike old fashioned mahogany. Some of it is more beautiful than the Swietenia tree (the "true" mahogany that the Commission speaks of) ever produced, in my opinion. But it is NOT and is not claimed to be, Mahogany, botanically speaking.

Yet, by this new a""i"ilrr, i. 1"" o" advertised and sold as Philippine Mahogany. But California pine IS pine. And in color it IS white. Botanically it is NOT a ,,true,, white pine. But it IS a pine, and the wood IS white, so white that you may place it side by side with'boards of ..true" white pine, and frequently find it to be whiter than the "true" white pine. It often requires an expert to tell them apart.

Get the idea? They "ru*rJ* io.uiaaen to advertise and sell as "White pine" a pine lumber that IS white. But you can advertise and sell as Philippine Mahogany a wood that does not claim to be Mahogany.

Reminds me of ttre titttJ Ui** in school who signed up as George Washington. The teacher, reading his name, was amused and said to the little nigger,-..Do you try to be like him?" "Be lak who?" asked the black boy. ..Like George Washington," said the teacher. "Lady,,, said he, "Ah doan have to try to be lak George Washington, cause dats who ah is."

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