\T"yerhaeuser Helps Lumber Deafers Solve Crop Storage Probfem

Lumber dealers in various sections of the country are playing an important part in the solution of the grain storage problem which has received nation-wide attention. The seriousness of the shortage is revealed in the ofier of the Commodity Credit Corporation to purchase 300,000 grain bins and this covers but a small part of the requirements needed to store the 1942 crop.

An interesting and significant development in this con- rection of the dealer, or his yard foreman, large numbers of portable structures to serve this war-time need have been prefabricated in the lumber yard where the dealer's power equipment and his knowledge of suitable substitutes could be put to good use. One retail company in the Middle West constructed approximately 800 buildings in this manner in its yards in two states. Total sales amounted to more than $70,000 in a ninety-day period. A single yard in the same area is now constructing' more than 150 grain bins which sell for $235.00 each as rapidly as they can be turned out. nection is the added impetus that has been given fabrication, in the lumber yard, of portable farm structures or building sections which can readily be assembled on the farm. A recent survey shows that fully 5O% of. lumber dealers are now doing fabrication of some kind in their yards.

Most of such construction work has been done in the traditional manner but jigs and patterns are now being introduced into lumber yards to speed up production and eliminate waste of time and materials. With jigs each piece can be precision cut. All chance of error is eliminated. Sections are nailed together quickly and accurately for rapid assembly on the farm.

The trend in this direction has been accelerated, too, by the shortage of carpenters in many areas as well as the scarcity of certain building materials. Farmers need many service buildings badly in order to carry out the Government's program of increased production. Under the di-

Latest innovation in connection with the pronounced trend to lumber yard fabrication is the Victory Prefabricated Storage Bin, a Weyerhaeuser engineered structure which is now being made in lumber yards in several midwestern states. To expand further the lumber dealer,s opportunity for service and to make it possible to turn out crop storage bins better and faster, General Timber Service, Inc., developed the Victory Bin for Weyerhaeuser Sales

Cgmpany and designed the necessary jigs and patterns which made it possible for dealers to fabricate the wall, roof and floor sections in their lumber yards with such accuracy that the l2-sided structure can be assembled on the farm by three men in three or four hours. By this means it is also possible for the dealer to use stock items in standard sizes and g'rades, without waste, and to make maximum use of local labor, or his regular crew, to build up a stock of fabricated sections for assembly when needed. It is claimed for the bin that it is grain tight, water tight, snow tight, wind resistant, heat resistant, strong, durable and as permanent as any other well-constructed building on the farm.

The Victory Bin holds 110o bushels and the sidewall height is eight feet. Wall sections consist of outside vertical boards and inside horizontal boards, glued and nailed to form 2-ply panels. The floor is made in the same manner and the roof is covered on the job with roll roofing over Ginch roof boards. An attractive ventilator protects the contents from rain and snow.

While the Victory Prefabricated Crop Storage Bin is the latest addition to the Weyerhaeuser line, many other grain storage structures are included in the 4-SQUARE Farm Service. These plans and specifications have been made available nationally but the distribution of the Victory Bin has been confined principally to the wheat belt for the time being owing to the difficulty of obtaining sufficient quantities of jigs and patterns. It is expected that the distribution will be expanded greatly during the coming year and that more and more lumber yards will be in a position to fabricate the bins.

It is understood that General Timber Service, Inc., has several other products under development which can be fabricated by lumber dealers and that the .Weyerhaeuser program calls for extended research work in this direction.

Again Heads L. A. Housing Authority

Nicola Giulii, chairman of the Los Angeles Housing Authority, since his appointment in June, 1938, has been re-elected chairman, and Ralph A. McMullen was re-elected vice-chairman at the fourth annual meeting of the commission. Other members of the commission are J. E. Fishburn, Jr., Mrs. Jessie L. Terry and Maurice Saeta. Including the original construction program, the Authority will have ,completed before the end of the year dwelling accommodations for 33,000 war workers.

OPA Amends Price Schedule 26

Washington, July 9.Amendments to the maximum price schedules for West Coast lumber rvere issued by Leon Henderson. Price Administrator.

The lumber maximum price regulation was amended to provide two additional specifications. An addition of $2 per 1000 board feet for dimension lumber where the buyer requires that the lumber meet the bending stress requirements is permitted, It also provides an additional $5 per 1000 board feet on Douglas fir and other lumber where the buyer specifies that the lumber meet the density requirements for dense materials.