THE CALIFOR}-IIA LUMBERMERCHANT

JackDionne,fublisher

Fublbbd the llt ard lSth of each aon6 at {I&9 FAY BIJX}., LOft ANGELES, CAL TEIIPHONE !2.I-5CE Entercd ar Secood-cla$ mttcr S€Dtember E, lt4 at the Potoffl,oc at Lor Angcla, C.fffmi& under Act o{ M.rcb f, ft?9.

'Srl Frencirco OEcc

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Southcrn O6cc el Cartcr BId3. Hortoq Tm NortLwcrtcrn OEcc t23t Nc&;r.tcr BIl. Btdt. Portlrnd, On4u

Subrcription Pricc, $2.00 pcr ycet. r a\c, A\r71trI trq. /-At IA1rIrADv I ro.ra Advcrtiria3 Raltr Singte Copier 25c each. , rS ANGELES, CAL., JANUARY l, 1924 -'1.-',-^."-^..

How Lumber Looks

Right'at thir minute, tfie,afternoon of December 28th, we will venture to ray thet there are more inq{iries out for dl kindr of lumber, than there has be€n for rixty, or potribly ninety dayr. Alrnoct without excepti6n, every wholecale man and mill repretenutative ttat has been arked, rtatee that he ir bury answering inquiries for thir and that, and that he predicts a food of orderu, right after the firrt of January.

Cutting ordetrs have pickcd up tremendoudy in the last 6ve dayr, irnd while the cargo pricer have not jurnped rny to rhout about, there ir no doubt ttat the fint two weekr in January will rhow some large raler totdr. Yederday ooe man in Los Angeler war teking an order for three milfion feet from one of the larger retail companiel, the price wrr good, and he had the rtock.. Thie ie but one of many ralcr that have been reported in the lart few dayr.

The Market As One Man Sees It

The f ollouing is f rom a market letter sent to the trade recently, by one of the large wholesalers of thc state.

The Market

Prices indicated above represent our idea of fair. low line values for inventory basis.

It does not follow that rve are prepared to fill orders for every item shown at these prices as we are short on certain stocks.

We sincerely believe prices are due to advance.

For the first time in months the Southern Yellor,v Pine Association Barometer shows orders equal to production.

In the northwest production, rvhich has been above normal, is much curtailed due to holiday season and heavy weather which arriving late, promises unusual severity.

There has been no lack of dernand for special bills, heavy timbers or export cutting. In fact mills are swamped with orders and inquiries for this class of business.

The weakness has been confined to ordinary yard requirements . Eastern demand has been lety fight and California not up to the average. The only demand necessary to boost prices is that covering "side cut" in other lvords, vard and shed stock.

Stocks in the north are not abnormal while stock with the yards throughout the entire country averag'e below normal.

The next ninety days will see more demand for and le-qs ple6n.tion of yard stock items. With a majority of the trade requiring the same stuff at the same time prices will stiffen.

Shingles, due largely to enforced curtailment have advanced materially and a higher level than for past sixty days should be anticipated.

The reteil'yardr are holding back for inventory aDd in cornre tax. They are not buying ar trh€y trould wltb eimilar circumstancee, in the middle of tte year. Tb€ lert two weekr in December are g€nerally a zero perfrrd for raler, both wholecale and retail anyhow, but withthe buitding_figurer_for the month and year showing what ttey dq and the advance information of about eixty milIions oI aol larr worth of new buitdingt in prorpect in Loe Angeler done, it ir not herd to imagine a fine spring reason.

Ar raid- before, cormxrnr remain firm with priccs of two weeks ago, Iath have not changed, green cleettr and uppers are rtiff.

- Shingler look a jump lart week, a etifiening from 6e low Ievelr that hed prevailed for rome time. Reporb indicate larger rales, and more interett in thir line.

^_!!e-!gi!aing b Lor Anseter for 1923 will totat $198r fiX)rOOO.0O. Thie ir an average of over $l6,fiDrOOO.Ob Unpon$, er compared to a ten million dollar-average for 1922. For December the totel will be a little cho* oe twent5r million.

The millr continue to cut large quantitier. The lart re pgrt from the California Redwood'A:rociation, dated Dec. !2nd, rhows a week'r raler for their member mills, of g million feet, and a cut of 5rO00r0,0O.

The Southern Pine Areociation barometer of Decurbcr 22nd rhowr theh eder at lo2/s of normd. For the wcc& their member milh reported cales of ZZ,(XX),O(X) fecq and. a cut of 65 million. The week's buriness war for o"cr ti.irty-_ rix hrmdred care.

Shipmente into Los Angeler harbor for December errc going to be very low. Up to the night of the 27th thctt were but tihirty boatr reported, tteee with a carrying c.pt- city of 39 million feeT both fir and redwood.

The rhipmentr into San Froncirco for tte year will tqtd ju! abogt 55O million feet of fir, and arormd 165 million of redwood. Receiptr for the year by monttr, up to Novcnber are er followr:

Douglar Fir .*:f

Oregon and Warhington Celifornir Coart

January 39,152 M feet E3l3 M fct F_ebruary

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The last report from the West Coast Lumbermen'r Aerociation rhorc a decrease in their cales of about 8 millim feet, and'their shipments dropped from lO4r(XX)rOOO fect for one week to 82 million for tte next. Showing ihe eficct, of the -laying up of considereble tonnage. They manufac" tured 11O000,fi)O feet in thir period.