The Odanah star. [volume] (Odanah, Ashland Co., Wis.) 1912-1916, 1915-11-12
Single Mills TO
RESUME OPERATIONS


Michigan manufacturers of White
Cedar Shingles are elated over re-
ports and photographs which they
are now receiving from New Orleans
showing the effect of the recent hur-
ricane on wooden buildings and shin
gle roofs. The strain upon all classes
of structures was extremely severe
and some surprising facts were de-
veloped. 1t appears that although
hundreds of houses were unroofed,
that roofs made of wooden shingles
remained intact TO an extent which
is the source of much comment in
the stricken cities. This phenome-
Orleans at the time of the recent
storm, but also at Galveston and
Houston, which had similar hurri-
canes a few months earlier. In re-
Spouse to the desire to provide for
fire proof construction so far as pos
sible, a number of cities have adopt
ed building codes which prohibit the
use of shingle roofs within certain
limits. The damage caused in un-
rooted buildings by these storms has
proved so great and so strongly en-
phasized by the experiences of these
different cities that it is now ques-
toned whether the loss through dam
age from unroofing is not greater
than the possible fire hazard of the
shingle roof. AS result of these
experiences a strong demand has de-
veloped in southern cities for a re-
vision of the building codes and a
recognition of this peculiar advan-
tage in wood. In order to effectively
cooperate with the local authorities
in the building code revision, the
single manufacturers are preparv
ing to turn out fire proofed pro-
duct.
''The contention that shingles are
more inf1ammable than other forms
Of roofing has received setback
with the progress of modern
SCIENCE" said o. T. Swan, secretary
Of the Northern Hemlock & Hard
wood Manufacturers Association.
CDR Herman Won Schrenk of st.
Louis, cooperating with the lumber
men of that district, has been con-
Quoting a series of experiments which
show that shingles properly treated
with fireproof paints resist heat and
flames better than many so-called
fireproof materials. Similar expert
ments have been, conducted by the
government at it's laboratory at Mad
ison.
with that argument against the
use of wooden shingles successfully
refuted, manufacturers of white
cedar shingles are preparing to inau-
gurate an active campaign of educa-
ton and start the cedar mills which
have been closed down.
1.-THE manufacturer of lumber pro-
ducts in Wisconsin and Michigan is
one of the leading industries Of those
states. 1t has been hard hit, how
ever, because of the action Of con-
gress in the adoption of it's recent
tariff schedule. Under that law Can
adian shingles of red cedar have been
admitted to the United States free of
duty, while shingles shipped to Can
ada have been subject to tariff. The
result has been that the market Is
being flooded with Canadian products
at war prices and and the local man
ufacturers have suffered in proper
ton.
at is to be part of the effort Of
the manufacturers to educate the
Ia oF h; cto 10 70 fha nd,
of the homemade product, on the
theory that conditions demand the
support of local industries employ
ing a very large percentage Of the
laboring class Of the state, provided
the product is equally good.
cit is to be a part of the plan to
show that the Wisconsin and Mich
igan grade of material is not only
equal to, but has superior qualities
over the Canadian and western pro-
ducts of red cedar. What with the
boost that will follow the revision Of
building codes in the South and the
education of the people as to the SUI
perior qualities of the products of
Wisconsin and Michigan, /, is the
hope of the manufacturers that they
will be able to operate their plants
to greater capacity and that the con-
dition of unemployment which has
marked this state will be greatly
ameliorated during the next year"
A mass meeting of White Cedar
Single manufacturers of the state
was held at Milwaukee to consider
the situation.