The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-13
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC J. HAsKIN, Director.
washington, d. C.
MAkING WooD DO MORE WoRK,


two trees grow where one grew be-
fore is in general the aim of the
United States forest service; but that
branch of it known as the Forest
has demonstrated the possibility OF
doubling the wood supply in effect in
onother way-by making one tree do
the work, or furnish the amount OF
material, that two trees did before.
The Forest Products laboratory was
started as a branch of the forest serv-
ice working comparatively with the
University of Wisconsin in 1910, with
about eighty employees. The number
|of employees was subsequently IN
creased to about 500, but due to the
small appropriations given the labora-
tory and the rise in salaries and all
others costs, it now has little more
than half that number of employees. In
dustrial concerns have learned the
value of its work, and are applying to
it in considerable numbers for aid, but
most of these requests must be re-
fused. No less than 1873 such specific
requests for assistance from business
concerns have beenreceived in the last
eight months. Most of them have
necessarily been refused. Nearly all
of the business concerns were willing
to pay for the services they requested,
but even so it was impossible to rem
der them because there were not facil-
tiles enough available.
Research stopped.
And this inability to meet the spe-
cific requests of business is a small
part of the difficulty. Research work
which could ultimately save the coun-
try millions of dollars has been stopped
for lack of funds. In this situation
the Forest Products laboratory appeals
to congress and to the country for bet
ter support and offers facts and fig
ures to prove that it is worth it.
Its case is worth considering be-
cause 1t is typical. Many other con-
structive governmental activities,
which pay a large dividend in actual
increased production of industry, are
being starved out just as the forest
products laboratory is, while enor-
nous amounts are asked for army
and navy support, for the enforcement
OF prohibition and for other monsoon
structive activities.
1t is not meant TO Imply that these
are not needed. But appropriations
of this sort, and those by which the
| congressman hopes to bring money
| into his own section. such as river and
harbor appropriations. seem to pass
with little criticism, while the much
smaller needs of the government for
constructive scientific work are at
tackled as rank extravaganza.
| Thus the forest products laboratory,
during the entire ten-year period of its
existence, has cost the nation but two
million dollars. It claims to have re-
lpaid this many times over by creating
new taxable values. For example, the
claims actually paid by sthe railroads
for loss and damage to goods in tram
sit amounts to 100,000.000 annually.
| The forests products laboratory found
| that a large part of this loss was due
| simply to wrong method of mailing
| covers on boxes. An improved method
of mailing has been worked out by.the
| a nv l.
! tional Association of Box Manufac-
| tuners and thru them by many CONF
panies and shippers. 1t is pointed out
that IL this method results in a saving
| of but one per cent, it will be worth a
| million year to the nation.
Millions Saved.
Again, it is a matter of record that
during the war experiments con-
Quoted at the laboratory in making
water-resistant CLUES and in the use
| of plywood saved the war depart
ment s6.000.0OO. Investigations made
| at the laboratory during the past year
in the use of cotton hull fiber and
| second-cut cotton linters for pulp have
made available 100000 tons of ma
terial for this purpose Plants for
making paper pulp out of this new
material have been established. with
a total capacity of 800 tons a day.
and the annual sales value of their
| pTOuuCtS 10 S10,UuO,uOV. Inc IdDOTd-
| tory has made a study of the methods
J of taking turpentine from pine trees.
with the result that methods have
come into use which yield more tur-
pentine and destroy less timber. The
| average annual saving resulting from
! this work is $4.000,000 per year. In
| these and other ways laboratory
| claims to have increased production
and decreased waste to the amount OF
at least $30,000,000 a year.
What the laboratory asks is that a
small percentage of the wealth which
doing new contructive work. The
tasks that await it are far larger and
more important than those it has
done.
The field in which it works in the
first place is an enormous one. The
lumber and wood-using industries In
this country represent an investment
of S12, 100000, 600, they employ about
a million people, they are first among
the nations industries in the number
capital and in the annual value OF
their products. Our civilization il
/ built of wood as much as of steel
and there is no substitute for wood ir
most of the ways it is used, We face
a constant dwindling of the source OF
is second in Importance among in
dustria1 problems only to the estab-
lishment of sound forest policy.
Waste OF Wood.
And we waste wood from the timt
:. the tree is cut until the finished prod
uct is put on the market. Loggini
Operation in the woods are enormousi,
!. wasteful. Losses in the seasoning o.
wood in this country are estimated a
$50, 10000 annually. The use of pre-
Iservative processes on ties, poles, posts
piling. mine timbers. shingles. lumbe
and other wood exposed to the weather
would save the country about $4,000,
900 a year. The annual loss from fir'
in this country is about 5000 100000 {
year. A large part of this is in woodeI
u structures, and a large part of it coult
be avoided by the use of fire-retardins
paints and compounds and fire-resist
ing construction. With the eountr,
| facing a paper shortage which is rap
idly putting books beyond the reacl
of all but the well-to-fo. SIS per cen
of the wood fed into the pulp digeStera