The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1920-11-18
.E E ! |. NEEDS
|. 5. LUMBER ! B ]: !.
War-torn Countries Expected 70
Cali for Twice the Amount
Shipped Before Conflict. I'M
DEMAND MOSTLY RARDWOODs
Railroad sTIss BY the Million Being
Negotiated Tor BY Great Britain
and France-Public For. Il
ests Solution. n

"A FS.a EN#ss # 0VI8 0OtVSsVVs a. "5 tEt&
Washington. Europe, emerging
from the war, is expected to call up
on the United States annually for
about twice the quantity Of lumber
that was shipped across the Atlantic
before the war. .@
\ The demand for the future Will be
mostly for hardwoods, while in the
past 1t was 70 per cent for soft woods.
mostly Southern pine.
Great Britain, France, Italy, Ger
many, Belgium and Holland are 'um-
Der importing nations now expert
encfng exceptional and often acute
shortages Of wood as an aftermath Of
the wsr. Railroad ties by. the million
are now being negotiated for by Great
Britain and France. For the most
urgent reconstruction and expansions
all Of these countries will seek lumber
in large quantities from the United
States as soon as exchange rates
slump to- stable basis
! Demands Hioh-orade Timber.
1t is improbable, however, that the
United States will be called upon for
! any considerable quantity Of the or
binary grades of building lumber re-
CURED in the reconstruction Of west
ern Europe: Europe has quantities OF
timber suitable for such purposes In
T Russia, Finland, Sweden, Norway and
| the new countries carved out OF the
Austro- Hungarian empire. Large lum-
! Der stocks have accumulated along the
Baltic sea during the, war Ela5
Europe does demand high-grade tim.
Der products from the United States.
which American industries can i'll at
ford to spare-such as large structural
and ship timbers, flooring. hardwood
slaves and furniture, implement and
vehicle stockton which the demand
will steadily Increase: Hickory and
ash handles. for example. are now go
ing to Europe in considerable guam
titles, the. foreign demand for these
products again being factor which
affects stock and prices in the domes-
tic markets.
While the European trade cOnsti.l
tutes only about 40 per cent OF. the
United States exports Of lumber, de-
velopment Of Central and Senth Amer
lea, parts Of Africa, China. Australia
and New Zealand will naturally re-.
suit in a gradual Increase Of lumber
exports to those counties. 4 !.
The most serious effect Of the for
eign trade in lumber wifi be to in
crease the present shortage of high
quality products, because it is exactly
such products which are short the
world over AND which lumber import
Ing nations are most DESTROYS to get
from this country. 5a
The effect will be most pronounced
with respect to American hardwoods.
The foreign demands include not only
cabinet, furaiture making, and finish
Ing woods of special beauty, like wal
nut or Quartered oak, but also many
woods used in manufacturing essen
tails of commerce and industry. like
oak and hickory wagon stock. woods
used in agricultural implements. The
supply in this country OF old-grown
hardwoods from which most OF these
products are obtained is nearing its
end. Our domestic industries are Sc
curing such materials with Increasing
difficulties and multiplied costs.
Public Forests Solution.
The eventual solution OF the prob.
lem presented By an active foreign
trade is identical with the, remedy for
depletion through domestic cOnsump-
ton namely, not to restrict the use,
but to increase the. production OF tim
Der by getting all forest-growing lands
at work. This remedy, however, Will
not entirely meet the need throughout
| the world for timber Of high quality.
| AS a rule such material cannot be
grown in less than $50 years, and even
Ii every acre of denuded land in the
United States were planted today, a
long time would elapse before the de-
| pletion Of high-quality stumpage which
| has been cut so freely from our virgin
! forests could be made good.
Furthermore, the private land own
ers can seldom afford to carry timber
| crops during the long period necessary
| to produce material Of high quality.
The most effective means Of overcom-
l ing the shortage Of high-grade timber
| is the creation Of public forests, which
can be utilized to the extent necessary
for the production of large timber or
Of special products.
......-.. -----. -. $3.50,
\
Ell Grasshoppers Deyour