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. [Illustration: ASSEMBLING DE HAVILAND-4 WINGS AT THE DAYTON-WRIGHT PLANT.] [Illustration: SEWING FABRIC ON AIRPLANE WINGS.] [Illustration: APPLYING THE DOPE TO AIRPLANE WINGS.] Yet when we had resolved the difficulties in the forests only part of the problem had been met. Next came the intricate industrial question of how to prepare this lumber for aircraft use. We possessed little knowledge as to the proper methods of seasoning this timber. The vast majority of woodworking plants in this country, such as furniture and piano makers, had always dried lumber to the end that it might keep its shape. We now were faced with the technical question of drying lumber so as to preserve its strength. The forest products laboratory worked out a scientific method for this sort of seasoning. Incidentally they discovered that ordinary commercial drying had seldom been carried on scientifically. The country will receive a lasting benefit from this instruction carried broadcast over the industry. In the progress of our wood studies we discovered a method of splicing short lengths of spruce to make wing beams and in the later months of the production used these spliced beams exclusively at a great saving in raw materials. The use of laminated beams would probably have become universal in another year of warfare. COTTON FABRIC AND DOPE.