Northwest Hqrdwood Industry Seen in Heolthy Condition

The Nortl-ru'est llardu'ood Association meeting at Tacoma, October 12, brought together hardu'ood leaders from 20 Oregon, Washington and llritish Columbia cities and Nfacon, Georgia, and Freiburg, Germany, u'ith representation from timber grorving, logging, sarvmilling, kiln drying, remanufacturing, furniture and rvooclenn'are inclustries, pulp production, plyrvood ancl veneer industries and u'holesaling. There luere also representatives of research organizations, consrrltants, chemists, traffic management, machinery and mill supply houses and trade associations and chambers of commerce interested in the developrnent oi area hardrvoods as an economic asset of promising proportion.

Grading Rules Adopted by National Hardwood Lumber Association

The association's revised grading rules for I'acific Coast hardwood lumber (Alder and Nfaple) adoptecl at the April 6 cluarterly meeting at Corvallis, Oregon, n'ere adopted by the Nationai Hardwood Lumber Association at its 60th annual convention in Chicago on October l, it n,as reported by L. R. Smith, chairman of tl.re Lumber Grade Rules Committee. According to Harry O. NIitchell, the association's secretary-manager, this recognition by the national association .n,ill enable western milis and clistributors to ship rvith confidence into eastern and other markets subject to inspection by the N.H.L.A. and rvill give buyers assurance of getting top-quality merchandise.

l)ortland, Oregon, r,vas selected for the next quarterly nreeting, to be held on Saturday, January 25, at tl-re Congress Hotel. A proposal 'ivas made to amend the By-Lau's at that time to hold meetings twice a year r,l ith each one covering trvo days, rvith possible provision for industrial tottrs to nearby hardwood operations.

John Franciscovich, a research chemist of Aberdeen, Washington, described a new process for the organic conversion of logging and mill lvaste into a chemically-free rarv pulp. He pointed out that sar,vdust, mill ends, sl-ravings, bark and even branches can be utilized and that small, portable plants can be taken into the rvoods for utilizing the forest debris. He said that the liquor used can be returned and reused rvithout polluting streams.

E,. Becker, director of the B. Raimann Company, Freiburg, Germany, described the latest developments in the revivified economy of western Geru.rany in producing machinery and sau's that permit precision cutting of kiln-dried boards at extra-ordinary speeds ; also automatic n'ood pluggers and.veneer patchers for the high-speed correction of lmperlectlons.

New Hardwood Industry in Alaska

L. ll. Smith of I-ongvierv described his invasion of the Alaskan l'ilderness to caoitalize the enonnous native birch resource. He told of the <lifficulties encountered in unraveling miles of government red-tape and combatting physical obstacles sttch as nine-foot snorvs most of the year, lack of intericlr highrvays, quaking muskeg, u'ild animals, etc. in getting logging equipment and sar,vmill machir.rery to the site and the clelays and dilficulties in getting his green lun-rLrer clou'n to the l)ort of Servard for outside shipment to the furniture factories of the \\rest Coast. Due to the heavy rainfall ancl humidity and length of time betrveen cutting and shipping and the long ocean voyage to Washington, Oregon and California buvers, he said that kiln-drying on the spot u,as impracticable.

James D. Snodgrass, associate chief, I)ivisiotr of Physical Researcl'r. Forest I)roclucts Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon (formerly knorvn as the Oregorr Forest I'rodttcts Laboratory), presented an illustratecl lectttre on "Wood Structure as Related to Seasoning and Use." Jack It. Pfeif- fer, in .charge of seasoning for the Center, servecl as pr()_ grarn chairman.

-1-._A. Karola, assistant rvestern division traffic malraf3er of. Weyerhaeuser Sales Company, T:rcoma, reported .,,-, ii" filing of an application lty the association before the Trans_ continental Freight Bureau for rates ,n *,estern hard*'.,ds that would place them in a compatible position rvith ship- ments of tvestern softn-oods ancl u.est-bound shipn-rents of eltstern and imported hardn'oods.

Hardwoods Promotion

F. Iiou'ler, director of promotion, Douglas Fir l'lynood Association, outlined lvhat his organi2atitrn is <loing to step up nationn'icle sales of softn'oJd pl1,u.r,ocls r.eneered u'ith natir-e \l'estern harclu.oods and s,.,rire of the ner.r' fields the association is entering, such as pleasure-boat- ing, do-itlourself programs, remocleling and redecorating homes, offices, ctc., beach and u-oocls coilages ancl portable hrrnting blinds.

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Italph E,. Yoder, Jr., retiring president of the l,rorlucers' Council of Washington, presented a fast-moving and dyna- nric clemonstration of the fundamer.rtals of selling and inr-ited an audience participation in a creati\.e svnrl)(,sium of nel- icleas for utilizing hardrvoods.

$2O Million in Reol Esfqte Loqns

Los Angeles metropolitan area real estate loans totaling $26,361,084 u'ere disbursed in the first nine months of 1957 by the u'estern home office of the Prudential Insurance Co., of l-hich $23,115,084 lr'as for residential prlrposes. In the same period, $88,5.+9,265 rvas disbursecl in the entire 11 rvestern st:rtes and Hau'aii, of u'hich $63,112,434 was for residential. In California, in t1-re nine-months period, disbursals tcrtaled $53,299,445, of n'hich $41,680,820 rvas residential.

(I-cll tlrem, yor,t sozu it in The Californio Luntber XIerclnnt)