National Conference on Forest Products g 
men in this room have had an inti- in connection with the avoidable 
mate part in that work, and indeed it wastes and work is being carried on 
is through your leadership and public in many directions with the full and 
spirit and your foresight that it has efficient functioning of the wood prod- 
been made successful. : ucts industries. 
Against the background we have set Another example of the satisfactory 
up here to-day of the national forests results of the endeavor of the Depart- 
and the privately owned forests, this ment of Commerce to aid industry is 
meeting will be able to throw the re- shown in the establishment of stand- 
flection of the results of those efforts ards. For many years the industry 
up to this time and to forecast what lacked definite standards for sizes; 
should be done in the future in carry- thicknesses, nomenclature, etc. While 
ing out the program of elimination of some groups had standards of their 
waste and utilization of forest prod- own, others had different standards, 
ucts. There is, therefore, before you but none of a national character. 
men here assembled, representative of During the past two years the De- 
the American public, an enterprise partment of Commerce, through this 
in which the two executive depart- cooperative effort with the manufaec- 
ments of the Government have a com- turers, distributors, and consumers of 
mon interest, each in pursuing the lumber has brought about the develop- 
work it has undertaken to carry on ment of standard sizes and dimen- 
and each in bringing about such a sions. In this the assistance of the 
correlation as will effectively serve Department of Agriculture, notably the 
the public, represented by both the Forest Service and its Forest Prod- 
Government and yourselves. ucts Laboratory, have been exceed- 
It will be instructive to point out ingly helpful and constructive. Many 
briefly some of the activities in the semipublic organizations actively in- 
Department of Commerce which are terested in lumber have also largely 
of course most familiar to me in this contributed to the success of the ef- 
line of endeavor. Within that depart- fort. As a result there has been a 
ment, the Bureau of Standards, one of saving to industry and to the publie 
the world’s greatest industrial re- in this waste-eliminating effort that 
search laboratories, has carried on ex- is conservatively estimated at tens of 
tensive investigations affecting build- millions per year. 
ing materials. Through the Division These savings have gone into the 
of Simplified Practice, of which Doc- pockets of those engaged in manu- 
tor Gries, who will address you later, facturing, distribution, and market- 
is chief, reports on home ownership, ing, but the larger part has gone into 
home building, and many specific re- the pockets of the consuming public; 
lated subjects have been prepared as cheaper and better quality have re- 
a result of careful and extensive in- sulted, and that is what we are aiming 
vestigations, all of which have been of to accomplish. If we can benefit the 
great benefit to the lumber and allied industry in this manner, the consumer 
industries. One of the most interest- will likewise profit greatly. 
ing at this time under way is in the It is most fortunate that this con- 
possibility of greater use of short ference brings together such a large 
lengths in construction. The results number of men who have been en- 
of all these surveys are available from gaged in the program of elimination 
time to time and are only one of the of waste in the industry as I have 
numerous contributions in the aid of briefly outlined it in the Department 
industry in its program of economy of Commerce. In that work, as I have 
of labor and materials. stated, there has been a cordial co- 
In the Division of Simplified Prac- operation of the Forest Service and 
tice of the Department of Commerce its Forest Products Laboratory. The 
a program of elimination of waste and Department of Commerce is, above all, 
simplification in the wood-using indus- desirous of having the assistance of 
tries has been carried on with the as- all concerned in this great problem in 
sistance and cooperation of the indus- the continuance of those efforts, and 
try. There has heen much accom- it is particularly desirous of estab- 
plished in eliminating avoidable wastes lishing a broader basis for fostering 
by more scientific cutting, felling, and continuing the extremely helpful 
handling, transporting, sawing, drying, relations with the Department of 
etc. Much more remains to be done Agriculture to that end.