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During the past month, when for the first time the lumber industry began feeling the pinch of war restrictions, a great many lumbermen have asked me concerning the effect of the First World War on the lumber industry. Which promptly brought to mind the fact that at least one-half of the active lumbermen of today were not in the business in 1917 and 1918 when the First World lVar was in progress; and most of those who WERE in the business then have rather hazy and, indefinite recollections of what happened during those two momentous years, particularly as to dates and details. ***

I found that I could syrnpathize with the latter very fully, because even my e:<cellent memory failed me when I tried to recall with any sort of exactness just what DID happen to the lumber industry by reason of that war. But I had available the bound files of THE GULF COAST LUMBERMAN

Assurance was given the Government at that meeting that the materials and ships could be had very rapidly.

(THE LUMBER

MERCHANT was not born until 1922), so with those before me f sat down to read the record of the waCs effect upon the lumber industry in 1917 and 1918. As I read I made notes. And when I finished I had a fairly accurate picture of those trying days.

An impressive fact O-*na ,J* f"o- that reading was that there were no building restrictions of any sort imposed upon the industry during the First World War until we had been actively fighting the Hun for fourteen months; and no really severe restrictions until the war was practically over.

The United States declared war on Germany April 6, 1917. The previous month of March the U. S. Shipping Board called a meeting in Washington with the prospective and active wooden ship builders of the nation, and likewise with the representatives of the lumber industry, at which meeting they discussed ways and measures that would enable the United States, in case we entered the war, to build one thousand wooden cargo vessels in the shortest possible time. It was reported at that meeting that the steel ship builders were already working to their highest capacitn and wooden ships must fill the necessary gaps caused by the submarine warfare of the Germans.

As soon as we a""ur"aLral ttie Natiorral Lumber Manufacturers Association held a special meeting to discuss the lumber industry's part in the emergency, and the entire industry tendered the Government every resource of its mills to build ships and training camps, and for any other purpose to help win the war. Immediately a great demand for softwood lumber to build ships and cantonments, arose. The mills throughout the South and West were loaded to capacity with Government orders. A lumber boom started that was tempered at once with the greatest car shortage in history, and throughout the first year of the war the delivery of needed lumber was severely retarded by the transportation shortage. There was no shortage of lumber, the mills of the country being equal to any possible demands at that time, but there was a bottleneck in transportation.

One of my editoriar" irl altii 1917, reads like it might have been written today, saying: "Our quarrel is not with the German people. It is with the Evil Spirit that today in Germann as in the Napoleonic days in France, has emerged from the shadows of the Dark Ages and is running amuck through civilization, and endangering American principles of F'ree Government."

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The various sawmill associations throughout the country now had active committees working with the Government committees and authorities, working cooperatively night and day to solve the great problem of furnishing the Government with its lumber needs. In May, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson caUed on all good citizens of the nation to plant and produce a maximum of food and feed. He urged that every acre and every nook and corner of tillable soil be planted with the food and feed that the world needed.

The Council of Natiorl"t L.i*"e appointed a lumber committee to work with the lumber industry generally, and Robeft H. Downman, of New Orleans, a famous Cypress manufacturer and a man of great personal power, was made Chairman of the Committee. He called on the lum-

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(Continued from Page 6) ber industry for a census of its possibilities, and every mill furnished the Government with a statement of its facilities, eguipment, and production, so that they might assist in solving the lumber problem. The Northern Hemlock and Hardwood Association at this time met and offered the Government the entire product of its mills at cost. On May 15, 1917, the Government announced its plans to buy two billion feet of common softwood lumber to build 32 military towns, and for army camp construction. There was a very excitable lumber market now.

A tremendous Red Crol" ii.l was put on at this time, with lumberrnen everywhere playing prominent parts. One of the largest individual contributions in the nation was made by R. A. Long, of Kansas City. He gave glOO,0O0.

By midsummer of rsi lh":" were in operation big emergency lumber bureaus representing all parts of the country, engaged exclusively in allocating lumber orders to the mills in such fashion as would facilitate the securing of materials by giving each mitl what it was best fitted to deliver. These bureaus remained active until the end of the war and performed splendid services. There was wonderful cooperation and good will between Government bureaus and lumber committees in all these efforts. Bernard M. Baruch, Chairman of the War Industries Board, said to Chas. S. Keith, of Kansas City: '.f wish you would say to the lumbermen wherever you find them that they are not under criticism at Washington. I think they have rendered a great service to their country."

(Mr. Baruch, in his recent book about the World War, especially emphasizes the sptendid cooperation that took place between Government and industry, how everything was done in open and friendly fashion, without ill-will, hostility, or crack-down methods.)

By September, 1917, drJr.l,"Jtak in Washington about the possibility of the Government putting a ceiling price on lumber for its own use, but nothing was done for several months. The year ended with no building restrictions having been imposed. Business went on as usual, with only the car shortage to bother the lumber industry. Home building campaigns were conducted all over the country, building and repairing was encouraged, and the industry generally used the slogan: "Let's build while we fight." The Twentieth Forestry Engineers Regiment was announced in the fall of 1917, and was recruited entirely from the ranks of the lumber industry, 7,500 strong. Experienced and capable lumbermen between the ages of 18 and 41 were taken into this regiment and sent to France, where they set up sawmills in the French forests, and manufactured lumber and timbers for the Allies. In September,

1917, the Government announced the purchase of 300,000,000 feet of lumber to house the American army in France.

Early in 1918 the Government began the plan of entering into a price arrangement with the lumber industry covering Governmen't purchases, and continuing these prices for ninety days at a time. Every ninety days these prices were again fixed and arranged, altered when necessary. In the spring of 1918 the matter of fixing the price of all lumber-that is, the maximum price-came up again, and a great mass meeting of lumber manufacturers from the entire nation took place in Chicago to debate the proposition. One faction, led by John Henry Kirby, took the stand that the Government could fix prices for lumber for its own use as much as it pleased, but that to fix the price of lumber for private sale was an infringement of the Bill of Rights. R. A. Long and R. H. Downman led the argument that in time of emergency patriotism should supplant legality, and that the Government should fix prices if it was deemed necessary. The latter opinion prevailed and a committee was sent to Washington to say that the lumber industry would gladly cooperate if price fixing was found vital to win the war. About June first the first prices were fixed on Norlfiern Hemlock. Late in June the ceiling on Southern Pine and Fir were likewise fixed, and prevailed until the war ended. Thus, fourteen months after we entered the war, restrictions on lumber began to appear. ***

On June 6th the first restrictions on building appeared in the form of an order from the War Industries Board forbidding the sale of pig iron or steel products except under priority certificates. Nails were excluded from this order and were never restricted in their use during the war. But other steel products were. And soon came other similar orders affecting cement, lime, brick, and tile. With regard to cement and lime the rule was that they could be used without priority order for jobs under $2,500, and for essential purposes. Sidewalks, driveways, and garages were not considered essential, but silos, vats, and other small farm units were. Homes were not considered essential in this cernent order. On July 3rd the War Industries Board issued another order elaborating on that of June 6th. *r1.

Excitement came in September, 1918. On the 3rd day of that month Circular No. 21 was issued by the War Industries Board. It said that no new building would be permitted without a priority permit, and that a priority permit would be given only for a building to be used DIRECTLY to help win the war. But it permitted without priority or restriction repairs or extensions to existing buildings, the new work to cost in the aggregate not more than $2,500. Thus, construction of new buildings was cut off entirely, but repairs and improvements up to $2,5{X)

\pere left wide open. To construct a netrr building you had to ask the local County Defense Council for a permit; if they granted it, it had to go to the State Council; and then, to become effective it had to go to the National Council at Washington. The war ended before many people tried to secure such permits, so it is difficult to say whether they could have been had or not.

As soon as Circular oi". lt 1t", .rrrro,rnced the retail lumber dealers got busy. There was a meeting of all retail lumber associations in Chicago in September, and they organized the Retail Lumber Dealers War Service Commission for the sole purpose of working with the Government officials in all matters pertaining to the retail building ing material business. They sent a Committee headed by Jim Moorehead, of Kansas City, to Washington at once to plead for some modifications of Circular No. 21. On September 27, I|/[r. Moorehead announced by wire that the Priorities Commissioner had given them one modification. In addition to permitting without priority certificate repairs and extensions amounting to $2,500, new construction on farms only, totaling in cost not more than $1,000 per job, was permitted, and this was made an immediate amendment to Circular No. 21. The Retail Lumber Dealers War Service Commission likewise pledged itself to put this order in the hands of every retail building material mer- chant in the country. This was immediately done through the various retail lumber associations, and every building material dealer was asked to place Circular No. 21 on the walls of their office, and in other manner and means inform the public of the restrictions. They were asked by the Government to say to their customers that building was not forbidden, it was only deferred.

So, at the beginnirrg oi d,ol"r, 1918, all the commercial building permitted in the country was repairs up to $2,500, and new farm buildings up to $1,000.

During ttre summe, "rri tit l, ,nt, ptedge cards came into general use. Whenever a sale was made, either wholesale or retail, of materials covered by the priority orders, the buyer was called upon to sign a pledge card guaranteeing that the materials were to be used only for purposes specified by the Priorities Commissioner as DIRECTLY helping to win the war.

This was the situation on November llth, when the war suddenly ended. Two days later the War Industries Board issued liberal modifications to all building restrictions. One week later all restrictions were removed, and building went into high. Such is the story I gathered from a rereading of the stuff that I wrote during the World War years of 1917 and 1918.