Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1917-05-15
A. L. Paine, Head Of Nation
al Lumber Company,
Returns With Word
ARMY LUMBER ORDER BIG
Agents To Be Appointed For
Federal Shipping Board
To Supervise Work

The federal shipping board will
place orders for from $50 to 300 ships
for the United States government on
the Western coast is the prediction
of A. l.. Paine, head of the National
Lumber company, of HOquiam, who re-
turned last week from Washington,
D. c., where he went in the interests
of the lumbermen of the Northwest
to attend the meeting of the public
service commission when the propos-
ed Is per cent increase in freight
rates was under discussion. Mr.. Paine
thinks the freight rates will be in
creased to some extent at least.
He says in addition to the great
amount of lumber which will be used
in ship construction the army and
navy will require huge amount for
the erection of barracks and other
purposes. The closest cooperation be-
tween the government and the lumber
men has been promised. Roy Allen
secretary of the West Coast Lumber
mems association is permanently sta
toned in Washington so that govern
ment officials may keep in touch with
lumberman through him.
The delay in the shipbuidling pro-
gram has been due, partly too the
delay in congress in appropriating the
needed funds and partly to the vast
work entailed in organization, says
Mr.. Paine. The preliminary work, he
says, is concluded now, or will be
in the next ten days, and there is no
question as to the money; so rapid
progress may be expected.
Several ship designs have been be.
fore General Goethals, who will su-
perintend construction" said Mr..
Paine, "but the design that will be
used had not been selected when
left Washington. In general, the ships
will be of the ordinary steam schoon-
er variety, with which we on this
coast are so familiar. The vessels,
however, will be standardized, so far
as possible, both for the sake of speed
in construction and as matter of
economy. Each of the ships will re-
quire about million and a half feet
of lumber to build.
"The army order calling for 600
million feet of lumber, chiefly COM
mon lumber. of which about 200 mil
lion feet will be placed on this coast,
ho 70 lou,
pine interests, is of equal importance
to the shipbuilding order. AS matter
of fact, l regard it as more important.
1t will take the common grade of lum.
ber, and we are able to assure the
government that by coupling the army
order with the shipbuilding order, a
much lower price could be given for
ship lumber The army lumber will
be used largely in barracks construc-
tion, the war department planning to
increase facilities at it's various posts
so as to provide accommodations for
10000 to $4,000 men at it's most i'm
portant posts"
Railroad Raise Likely.
"The railroads." says Mr.. Paine,
'are making out pretty fair case
for themselves, and the general opin-
ion in Washington is that their re-
quest for an advance will be allowed,
though they are not expected to get
a Is per cent horizontal raise. We
will have hearing before the inter-
state commerce commission May %.
We We're unable to obtain regional
hearings for various shipping inter-
ests, and will have to present our case
at Washington. Mr.. Allen will re-
main in Washington and will keep in
touch, with conditions. In whatever
freight raise is granted, the opinion
is that the present ratio between
Douglas fir and yellow pine will not
be disturbed