'LUMBERMERCHANT

W. T. BLACK

Su Frocbco Cowrs Nctlsn Cdll. urd Prclfic Ncthrrd

Subrcriptior Pricc' $a||0 pcr Y.er Singlc Copict, 25 ccntr cech. LOS

How Lumber Looks

The outlook for the Wert Coart lumber indurtry ir better today than at any time ririce tfte port-war periodr according to thc West Coart Lumbermentr Asrociation rmder date of January.g and lumberlnen are looking forwer{ to a year of active buriness and better valuer for trheir productr.

A number of fac{orr affecting the lurnber rnarket for Wert Coast Woods are in favor of Northwed lunrbermen, the Arsociation rtated. The United Stater and dl foreign marketr bought approximately ar much lumber d.ttiqg 1928 -ac dur' ins igZli -aod thoe is no rearon to belicve that the dcmand foi tumbir during 1929 will not be ar rtrong if not rtronger tban it was in thore yean.

Stocks of lumber in the hands of milb' dlrtributorc end retailen generdly with a few exceptionr ane low, ar { .lpuary 1, a-cording to the A$ociation, and'productio-n during tte part three nronrttr, while in excec of curent ehipmentl and sdec, har not been rufrciently large to bring gt+ *.!F back to norrnrl after the heavy drain caured by brirk sales during the rummer and early hll.

TLe trend of pricee during the part twelve monttc wal upward. From lbout the 6rst of February last year '!re N-orthwe* lumber indurtry began dowly to recover from the tendency to lower vduer ar experienced for five yearr.An avemge increere in pricer of from $1.50 to $1.75 per thgu' rand fect rrar experienced by millc of the Douglar frr region from January to November, this added return placing the indnrtry back wbcre it war in April' 1927. Although pricee recelved are not yet adcquate to pay rearonable retunrr on tirnber end invectmcnt, the Anociation rtated, the eteady lncrearec in valuer during the part rix nonthr have given the inductry reaton for feeling optinirtic about 1929.

Tbe California fir cargo market hal rhown improvement dudng tbe part two weekr, end thc dcalcrr have-beendoing more-buying. Retail stockr arc low. Pricer ere 6rm" Fortycight lumber veuele are l,aid up and eight veueb ar-e oq oF-rhore rrurq thie being tbe largest number of vccrcb oft the coartal nm for the part year. Unrold stockr at San Pedro rhowed rlight increarea druing the part trro wcekr. The mills repoqt a big demand for cer material The mar' ket ou dean, darh and vcrticd grain fooring and rpccid cuting ir rtrong.

N. L. M. A. PUBLICATIONS USED THROUGHOUT WORLD

The world-wide circulation of the N. L. M. A. publications is illustrated by one morning's mail which brought: Requests for "The Use of Lumber on the Farm," from Spanish Honduras, Valencia, Spain, and Salisbury, South Africa; requests for "One Hundred Lumber Consultants," from the British Municipal Council, Tientsin, China, and Havre, France; a request for "The Cost of Comfort," from Berlin; a request for "Airplane Hangar Construction," from Bilbao, Spain.

The fir rail market har rhown a big improvement and with the increared volume of burine*, the millp are Iooking for a good ryring demand. Cutting-and-rnixed car orderr are hard to buy, and the millr are only relling rtockr that they have on hand.

The ihingle and lath market rhowr no changeg

Redwood-Ibe market ie reported ratiefactory with pricer firm. lnquirier from the yards throwhout tlqe cotmtry indicate a good rpring demand. The off'ehore burinesr continuet sood. Th-ere are no rurplur etooks on hand at the millc. -The mille have all the comrnon cutting busineee they wanL and the demand for tte new rtrrrctural grade .otrtiooo iood. The millr report a good volume of bud' neee coming in from t{re eartern markets.

Cdiforni; Whitc end Suenr Pine. The demand contin' uec *eady with pricer firm. Inquiries from the eastem marketr have been heavy. Oring to the decreared product-iont many of the rnills are low on torne iternr. Selectr, rhop grader and boardr continue in good demand. The export btuinsecontinuer"o?d.

* * a *

The total roftwood lumber movement for the 52 weckr of the year 1928, €rdins December 29, accordins t9 lbc report of Ue Netiond Lumber Manufactruere Arociation of January 4, ir at followr: Production, 141960,097 !A-t*t; Shiprncntr, 15,3841348 M feet; Orden" 15,4261114ltt fect.

For the mille of the Welt Coart Lurnbermentr Auociation, tAe report rhor,w: Production, 619991847 M fect; Shipmcntr' 71033'145 M feet; Clrderr, 7,157,194 M feet.

-The Cdifonia White and Sugar Pine Agoclation millr report: Production, 113601370 M feet; Shipmentq 11385" 807 M feet; Orden' 1'348'694 M feet.

The report rhorur the following for the milb of the California Redwood Arrocbtion: Production, 399,448 M feeti Shipmentr, 381'O(N M fcct; Orders' 388'286 M fcet.

Tte fieures for Southern Pine are: Produc{ion, 3'5q6'qlq M feet; Shipmentr, 3,856,760 M fcct; Ordcn, 3'841'874 M feet.

The report rhowt the totd hardwood movemcnt for the 52 weekr'of 192t er followr: Productioq 2,6371671M fect; Shipnentr, 217|d/8,1128 M fect; Orderr, 218271941 M fcet.

H. T. DIDESCH VISITS BAY DISTRICT

H. T. "Hank" Didesch, Managing Director of the Millwork Institute of California at Los Angeles, spent the past week in Oakland and San Francisco, attending to Institute business.

Harry Hanson Visits San Francisco

Harry Hanson, California Panel & Veneer Co., Los Angeles, was a San Francisco visitor on December 30 and 3t. While in the Bay City, he conferred with Homer Maris of the H. B. Maris Panel Co.