While at first we expected to rely upon the unaided efforts of the lumber producers, labor difficulties almost immediately arose in the Northwest to hinder the production of lumber. The effort, too, was beset with difficulties of a physical nature, since the large virgin stands of spruce occurred only at intervals and often at long distances from the existing railroads. By the middle of October, 1917, it became evident that the northwestern lumber industry unaided could not deliver the spruce and fir; and the Chief of Staff of the Army formed a military organization to handle the situation. On November 6, 1917, Col. Brice P. Disque took command of the Spruce Production Division of the Signal Corps, this organization later being transferred to the Bureau of Aircraft Production.
When Col. Disque went into the Northwest he found the industry in chaotic condition. The I. W. W. was demoralizing the labor forces. The mills did not have the machinery to cut the straight-grained lumber needed and their timber experts were not sufficiently skilled in the selection and judging of logs to secure the maximum footage. The whole industry was organized along lines of quantity production and desired to avoid all high quality requirements insisted upon by the Government.
One of the first acts of the military organization was to organize a society called the Loyal Legion of Loggers and Lumbermen, the "L. L. L. L.," to offset the I. W. W. propaganda, its platform being, no strikes, fair wages, and the conscientious production of the Government's requirements. On March 1, 1918, 75,000 lumbermen and operators agreed without reservation to give Col. Disque power to decide all labor disputes. The specifications for logs were then standardized and modified as far as practicable to meet the manufacturers' needs. We arranged financial assistance that they might equip their mills with the proper machinery. We instituted a system of instruction for the personnel. Finally, the Government fixed a price for aircraft spruce that stabilized the industry and provided against delays from labor disputes.
While these basic reforms were being instituted our organization had energetically taken up the physical problems relating to the work. We surveyed the existing stands of spruce timber, built railroads connecting them with the mills, and projected other railroads far into the future. We began and encouraged logging by farmers in small operations. By these and other methods employed, the efficiency of this production effort gradually increased.
In all, we took 180,000,000 feet of aircraft lumber out of the northwestern forests. To the allies went 120,000,000 feet; to the United States Army and Navy, 60,000,000 feet.
ASSEMBLING DE HAVILAND-4 WINGS AT THE DAYTON-WRIGHT PLANT.
SEWING FABRIC ON AIRPLANE WINGS.