Evening star., 1923-06-18
JAPAN TO INCREASE
Il. LUMBER BUYING
Greater Demands Will Be
Placed Upon U. S.-CoIored
Labor Returns to South.
BY j. c. ROYLE.

Hpeclal Dlspatch 10 Inc star.
NEW YORK, June 1S.-Enormous
purchases of lumber will be made
from the United States by Japan
within the next few years, according
70 NJ. r. Nelson, vice president of the
Long Bell Lumber Company of ore
son, who has just concluded a trip
ro1 Inspection through the orient
The annual consumption of lum-
hcr in Japan" he said today, is
about $500, 100000 board feet. or
this amount approximately 80 per
cent is bought from the United
states at present. The Japanese
forests are being depleted. however.
and from this time on the amount
shipped to Japan from America VIII
increase rapidly.
China is using approximately the
same amount of lumber as Japan.
but produces about So per cent OF
it's own needs, whereas Japan pro-
duces only 40 per cent of her re-
quirements. AS a consequence, the
disturbed conditions in China have
not been felt so acutely In lumber as
in some other lines of business. Ine
per capita consumption i'll emma Is
very low"
Sustained activity in the logging
camps of Oregon and Washington
has forced the Washington Iron
Works. Inc. the largest makers or
heavy logging engines In the Paclnc
northwest. to operate at so per cent
higher rate of production than last
year, according to +. G. Frink. vice
president and secretary of the cor
poration.
This increase in business not only
Do flo CT
also takes in our trade in the Philip
pino Islands," he said. We see no
SlSnS~suf u recession. ON the otner
e7and, We anticipate that expansion
will go even further and have made
our plans accordingly.
OIL shipments to China Continue.
SHIPMENTS of case oil to China
through the port of Philadelphia have
teen little effected by recently polit-
ical disturbances in the Chinese re-
public. oil men stated today. THESE
shipments are made in regular IN
StallmentS on longterm contracts
and thus far no changes have been
made in the usual arrangements
Shippers expressed themselves as full
Iy satisfied with regard to the hnan-
cial stability of the importers 10
whom the oil is consigned. The pres
on; shipments are comparatively small
from Philadelphia. but are made more
frequently than in earlier years.
hardened slightly in the belief that
the Chinese disorders may result III
some curtailment of supplies with An
attendant increase in demand, espe-
cially on the part of British manufac-
turerS.
The sales manager of the largest
independent steel producer in the
Pittsburgh district said today that
while Chinese buyers have proceeded
cautiously, in the last two weeks in
;-;x q
had increased. The larger part OF
rhese came from Japan. but China
also was represented So far as TINS
authority can see. the political
the demand for steel products from
that country.
Negroes Returning South.
Negro labor. which was drawn to
northern factories and industrial
plants by prospects of high wages.
IS beginning to drift back slowly TO
the cotton fields and southern fac
tories From Cleveland comes re-
port that the number of negroes seek
ing employment in local factories and
steel mills has fallen off one-half.
The extent of the migration from the
south may be judged, however. by
the fact that negro leaders estimate
there are $4,000 of their race now in
Cleveland.
Heads of personal relations depart
ments of industries in other northern
cities which have been depending
largely on negro labor make similar
reports concerning the movement
hack to the territory south of the
Mason Dixon line.
Cities all over the south indicate
that the field hands are returning.
Many of the workers say they were
misled by labor agents in regard to
wages and working conditions in the
north. Nevertheless, in many sections
the returns do not yet counterbalance
the departures.