THE CALIFOR}IIA LUMBERMERCHANT

W. T. BTACK Advertising Mcncger

How Lrumber lrooks

Seattle, Washington, December 14, l94S-The weekly average of West Coast lumber production in November (4 weeks) was 53,686,000 board feet, or 33.1 per cent of I94l-I944 averag'e, according to the West Coast Lumbermen's Association in its monthly survey of the industry. Weekly averages for October were: Production, 52,284,0N b.f . (32.2 per cent of the 194l-1944 average) ; orders, 57,67 3,O0A ; shipments, 50,690,000.

Forty-eight weeks for 1945, cumulative production, 5,446,591,0N b.f.; 48 weeks, 7944, 7,365,570,000; 48 weeks, t943, 7,501,544000.

Orders for 48 weeks of 1945 break down as follows: Rail, 4,359,326,W b.f.; domestic cargo, 632,780,W; export, 354,018,000 ; local, 540,972,000.

The industry's unfilled order file stood at 722,g4g,0m b.f. at the end of November; gross stocks at 385,200,000.

With most of its rnills again in operation and an ample supply of logs at tidervater, the West Coast lumber indus try promises to be producing more than 10O million boarcl feet weekly at an early period, in contrast to the 54 million weekly average of November. Unfilled orders increased by 30 million feet in November, and as yet the acceptance of new business by West Coast mills is controlled by uncertainties on future operation. The industry's unfillecl order file is Z2 per cent less than that of a year ago, but it is still a tremendous backlog of orders, amounting to 723 million feet.

In the promise for an ups'iving to normal production, the main concern of the West Coast lumber industry is centered on the critical nationr,vide lack of housing. It is estimated that we now have 250,000 "homeless heroes" among discharged veterans who have families, and that by next spring this number will be increased to ll or 2 millions. The demand for dwellings is as great from other large elements of the population. Latest Washington releases state that the President has announced that. he will apply his authority under the Second War Powers Act to impose priorities on use of building materials-not for the military, but to supply home building. In effect, this should direct that preference be given retail distributors on acceptance and shipment of lumber orders. This would not, holever, materially change present lumber distribution policy. Since V--I Day's cancellation of military orders, West Coast mills l-rave maintained a constant effort to restore shipnlents to the retail lumber dealers.

The present outlook is for a large volume of lumber to be flowing to retail yards from now to spring, when new construction rvill get under rvay. By that time the lumber

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