Looking Backward and Forward

By lack, Dionne

. - Ih. entire country has done a bigger business during 1926 than during any prwious p€ace year in history.

Labor had its most_succ-essful year, with plentiful employment, and the highest wages in history, coupled with slightly reduced costs of living.

The oil industry had the most successful peace year it has evet enjoyed.

The automobile industry had a tremendous year, far eclipsing any previous record.

The steel industry had a highly successful year.

_ The building-industry had a year of ,tremendous volume, the high tide of building keeping up almost to the end of thc_.year, in spite of the many predictions early-in the year that thE couritr/had caught up with its building necessities to a large eitent.

{Sriculture had-a great volume of production this year, and in many ways it was a successful year. The large blot on th_e agricultural year_was the slump in cotton prices brought about by the bilgest crop on record, that brought the price down below thi cost of pr6duction. -

The lumber industry had a big volume_ y-ear. The balance will show that th€ lumber industry sold a-nd shipped more lumber than was produced during the year. Yet the year termirurted with a d6mand that was.weak, and-a price that fo!-many weeks had been slowly failing.- Therefore, the industry closed its year in clouds of -pessimism. This is speaking nationally. ,ihe lumber business generally w;as done on too close a margin during 1926, and, in the proluction-end particularly, the year-was a-disappoint- ment.

None of the producers of western woods made any money during 1926. - Southern_Pine. prod.fers made- money during the year, but much less on the average than they figure their declining volume of timbet entitles them 1o.

Cyp-ress producers made a splendid profit, but, strange to relate, for the first ti,me since C54rress beBqn its famous advertising camoaign years ago, the demand for the product fell far below tlte average mi! prgduction It must be rememberg4,however, that this demand was at the price asked. Cypreis makers al-wayg ask what they think their lumber is worth, and failins to get it, they don't sell.- But the inroads of other woods undoubtedlv had a depressing'effect on CypresJdemind, ind rnade the year an unsatisfactory one, comparatively speaking.

Re4 Cedar Shingles had a miserable year. Demand below production, and prices far below the lev-el of s".& economics, have pre'vailed most of the year. While-1925 was'a very decent year fo'r the Shingle folks, 1926 took a bad slump.

It loohs as though 1927 was going to be the kind of a year when the business will come to the man who makes the best efiort. It will be a close competition year. Santa Claus won't do much for business men. They will have to do for themselves.

It v/ill be a year wh-en every man who hopes to accomplish anything must plan to get his by the good old work and service route, and no other.

It doesn't look like it n'ill be one of these years that try men,s souls. But it DOES look like one of these years that try men's brains, and ingenuity, and go-getter qualities. It will be another one of those years when the guy that gets the grapes will be able to say-"Business is good, I make it good."

1926 has brought large reduction in lumber production in the old South, and increased productron in the Pacific Coast regions. The state of California, with huge timber reseives and large pbssibilities of lumber production increase, has held an even keel during 1926. But there has been a cbnsiderable increase in production in Washington, and probably a smalf increase in Oregon.

THE DECREASED PINE PRODUCTION IN THE SOUTH IS GREATER IN TOTAL THAN ?HE INCREASE IN THE WEST.

The lumber industry does NOT enter the New Year in bad shape at all, except mentally. Stocks on hand at all the softwood mills of th€ country are lower than they were a year ago at this time. Stocks in the retail yards of the United States are as low as they have ever bien in history. Buying for the pa.st sixty days has been less than the lumber actually consumed, by far. The export lumber' situation is far better than the domestic, and the year's prospect for foreign-lumber trade lboks fine.

.^ Bgt here at home, in the domestic market, we have simply got to bring about a better condition, if the industry is to piosper. Lumber is too clieap. Compared -wiih other cdmmodities and necessities, that fact is easily demonstrable. We must give honest goods, honest service, and make an honest profit.

That the industry may find its way in this direction is our New Year's Wish.