New-York tribune., 1917-11-09
Sabotage in the Logging
Camps Cuts Output
of Spruce
More Active Than
During Strike
Americas Foes in Forest
Dealing Harder Blows
Than Germany
sar Corespondencs

WASHINGTON. Nov. SIN the effort
10 rs. ou. sufficient spruce for air
-,,~ss 10 has come 10 be fight between
he government and the lumbermen, on
,be one hand. and the l. ". ". on the
o-ber. Although the I. ". W. strike in
Washington State has been beaten and
,be mills are producing about so per
cent Of the normal output Of all kinds
n lumber. the I. ". W. have redoubled
.beir sabotage efforts 10 cripple the
p-oduction Of spruce for airplanes. .
The government, since August l, has
needed 100000 feet Of spruce q
month for itself and the Allies. The
most determined efforts Of the lumber
men and government officials, includ-
ing representatives Of the army. have
0uly resulted so far in increasing the
output 20 $500, 900 feet per month. Il is
hoped that in December the 10000,000
Zee. mark will be reached.
There are many difficulties to over
come. but the chief obstacle is the /.
". v. Members of that group Of in
,ernsl foes are more active now than
during the strike. Having lost the
strike, they have picked out the spruce
Industry as the one in which they can
do the most injury 20 employers and
government.
Many Acts of Sabotage
Mill owners say that such acts as
placing emery dust in machinery bear
ings. driving railway spikes into logs
waiting 20 be sawed. opening taps 20
LET the water out of logging engine
boilers while the fires are banked, cut
ting power transmission belts, etc, are
Of almost daily occurrence. The sa-
botage Of Misunderstanding is also
freely resorted 70.
For instance, the foreman OF log
ging crew may give instructions to cut
a tree into 24-foot lengths and then
20 or 10 attend 20 other business. When
ne returns he finds the men have cut
the tree into 12-foOt lengths, thus MAX
ing IL useless for the particular size
required. The men explain that they
risundersto their instructions.
The T. ". w. resort 70 instruction IN
sabotage by indirect sugge stlon by CIR
culatiag the following card IN lumber
mills and logging camps:
Against the law: Don't drive copper
tacks into fruit trees, as u kills the
trees: don't drive q spike in log, as II
isn't good for the log, and IS liable 70
make trouble for the saw that hits Il;
don't leave a dry log buried in combust-
ible material near the railroad track, as
a locomotive might come along and set
fire 20 il and you would be 100 miles
away"
A government Official said to-day
that l. was no exaggeration 70 say
that a. present the I. ". W are hit
ting the United States far harder than
Germany is.
Germany and the United States are
In a race % win supremacy OF the air
BIZ producing a superior number Of air
planes The 7. ". ". are fearfully
handicapping the United States.
Martial Law l. Needed
About the only remedy for the situa-
ton is 20 put squad Of soldiers INTO
every logging camp in Southwest tern
Wssbing-on. with martial law author
itv. but 20 do rhis requires that Gov
ernor Lister OF Washington shall call
on the Federal authorities for help. II
II uncorstitutional for the President 20
declare martial law in that section IN
The present circumstances.
One of the men who IS deaLIng WE