South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-10-14
OTHER MATERIALS
USED FOR WOOD
Substitution is on Increase.
Says Forest Service
Report.

y
as almost as much OF a necessity as
wheat, while today it is steadily be
ing replaced by various substitutes.
says a report by the forest service
on The Substitution of other Ma
terials for Wood" just off the press.
Disregarding the temporary effect of
the war. with its sudden demand for
lumber and it's great enhancement of
prices Of many substitute materials.
the report points out the tendency
in the long run. Each year more
steel concrete brick. or tile is be-
ing used in places where lumber was
formerly employed. This is par
ticularly true in cities where enact
ment of building codes and the de-
velopment of new forms Of con-
structiOn have created a demand for
more durable building material
Shingles have given way largely TO
composition and tile roohngs. wood
en- sidewalks have been almost
wholly replaced by cement. while the
modern skyscraper with its steel
frame work, and stone brick, or
tile walls occupies the site of some
former frame structure Railroad
crossties and mine props are about
the only forms of wood which are
not affected.
Lumber Business Hit.
How hard this substitution has hit
the lumber business is shown by the
government estimate that the total
replacement of lumber in all forms
of use is $3.50, 100000 board feet, or
p percent of the lumber consump-
ton of the United States in 1915.
The rate of substitution seems to be
increasing and is now in excess of
500, 900. 600 board feet a year. APP
proximately 20 percent of the lum-
Der cut goes into forms Of use whose
demands appear TO be decreasing.
Twenty percent more goes nto
strongly competitive fields. Ia the
remaining 10 percent of wood uses,
there seems to be a much better op-
portunity for a larger consumption.
Increasing substitution has not.
however, lowered lumber prices 10
the consumer. the report points out.
on the contrary they have steadily
advanced, while the cost of many
substitutes has decreased. Exhaus-
ton of the stands Of local timber
and discovery Of new sources for the
manufacture of other building ma
terials are given as some of the rea-
sons for these changes. More than
rs per cent of the replacement of
wood, however, is made in spite of
higher initial cost Of the substitute.
Composition Increased.
The effect of the growing use Of
other materials has been TO accentu-
ate competition and decrease profits
in the lumber business. AS a re-
suit of this and other reasons, alter
nate periods Of curtailment and
over production have made the lum-
Der market unstable. This in turn
has resulted to the disadvantage not
only of the persons whose money is
invested in timber and sawmills, but
to the many hundred thousands who
are dependent upon the lumber in
dustry for their living.
Lumbermen have felt, it is said,
the effect of the replacement of their
product by other materials, but have
not realized the extent TO which it
had taken place. They have failed
to adopt aggressive selling methods
and have been unable to supply the
consumer with reliable information
regarding lumber, because they did
not have it, A complicated system
of grades is in use which is not intel
ligible TO the average consumer and
is even the subject of considerable
dispute among lumbermen.
Manufacturers of other building
material have spent large sums of
money TO obtain reliable information
about their products. They have
had to advertise extensively 10 make
a place in the sun" for themselves.
Substitutes for lumber are guaran-
teed to meet specifications which are
easily understood by the consumer.
These facts, the report states, have
combined TO make the substitutes
increasingly popular.
Lumbermen TO Blame.
For lumbermen TO hold their mar
kets against competing materials, it
will be necessary for them 10 learn
more about the fundamental proper
ties OF wood. the author OF the re-
port says. They can do this either
by scientific research for themselves
or by cooperating with agencies al
ready established Better manufac-
turing and selling methods. and the
development of by-products should
enable them 10 make a profit in spite
of the limitations on the prices of
lumber which may he imposed by
substitutes.
Even with the increasing substi-
tuition for wood. the report points
out. there Will he need for all the
wood in the United States, and
more.t The total consumption Of the
country for many years has been far
in excess OF the growth. Already in
many regions timber shortage and
high prices have followed the eX-
haustion of the local supply From
the public standpoint there is a real