Directors o[ N. L. M. A. Hold Midsummer Meeting

Portland, Oregon, Aug. 12: Directors of the National Lumber Manufacturers association gathered here from over the nation Tuesday for their annual midsummer meeting, their attention focused on Washington, D. C., and their eyes on war scare headlines.

Uppermost on their agenda was the effect the government's mobilization program may have on the lumber industry.

Discussed also before them were a government agency appeal for appointment of industry advisory committeestermed by industry spokesmen as a potential return to the wartime industry committee advisory program-possible allocations, the effect the draft may have on lumber personnel and similar problems.

H. E. Holman, chief of the forest products division for the commerce department's office of domestic commerce, proposed appointment of advisory committees by which the industry "may take an active part in the development of governmental plans and policies which may affect the industry."

Holman, in anslver to directors' questions, declared the plan had no connection with the federal defense program.

His proposal suggested the appointment of ten industry members from each of eight geographical regions representing such groups as loggers, manufacturers, millwork men and the like. From these nominees, the secretary of commer.ce will select two from each group to form a general industry advisory committee.

The plan was referred to NLMA's member associations for recommendation at the next NLMA convention in December.

The association's executive vice president, Richard A. Colgan, Jr., told the directors the government has under way "at least a paper mobilization of industries, to be in readiness."

Moreover, the national security resources and the munitions boards "are rapidly expanding their staffs, so that planning can be completed for possible industrial mobilization."

The lumber industry, however, is considered "in the 'readily convertible' category" and therefore is "not high up on either agenda," he declared. The resources board, though, is considering a forest products division "which will formulate detailed emergency plans for the lumber manufacturing industry," he added.

Colgan told reporters that, with the special session of congress over, he did not foresee the imposition of controls on the lumber industry "unless an emergency situation develops."

There will be no need for allocations so far as the housing industry is concerned, he declared. Lumber is not short for home-building over the nation, he added.

Colgan also' declared it was the opinion of executives of some ten lumber producers associations, who met here last rveek, the nation's lumber output for 1948 would ,be up

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