How Lumber Looks

In reporting on the actual existing conditions in the whole. sale market, there is but one thins to say and that is that the conditions are far frorn satisfactory.

Last Thursday morning a prominent retailer in Los Angeles said, "There IS no market in this town and things are sure shot to pieces.tt

We believe that buying has been rnore brisk the last week than at any time since the first of the year, but the prices have been low, disastrously low. This applies not only to the wholesale market, the retailers have been selling their material at ridiculous prices. The docks at San Pedro now have about seventeen million feet of unsold stockr, with a large percentage of random commons.

The receipts at this port, to the night of the 121h, would indicate a much lower month than Januar5r, and this will no doubt lower ttre amount of stock down there. Just about fifty million feet had been unloaded up to last Thursday night.

The lumbermen of Southern California seem to feel ttat their part of the state is passing t{rrough a readjurtment period, coming to lower normal levels, and many opinions have been advanced, as to the proper procedure for a rtabilization of prices, to insure a profit, during thir period of change.

The majority of opinions seem to strike back to tlre mills, with their volume of production and the amount that is rhipped into this market.

The curtailment program that is now being tried in the Norttwert will without a doubt have its good efrec{. One good authority in Portland was quoted as saying, recently: "An enormous annount of money is involved in thic prograrn, and the mills will either put a lot into their pocketr, or they will take it out, in the next thirty days."

Another report from Portland states that a sunvey of the mills disclosed the following: Bellingham, 3 largest mills on five-day week; Everett, all on five-day week; Seattle, ninety per cent; Tacoma, ninety per cent; Grays Harbor, eighty per cent; Willapa Harbor, all mills; Columbia River, seven Portland and Columbia River mills. Vancouver, B. C., mills are reported to be all on a frveday week, with all shingle mills on single ehift.

This looks like they mean business. Less than half of the mills cutting less than 50,0OO feet are running.

A telegram received the morning of the 13th said: ..Considerable more inquiries were received the first four days of this week ttan for any similar period since the first of the yeaf. The mill owners have their backr up a3 never before and declare they will shut down altogether ratter ttan rell at less than cost. The general feeling is much better.t'

From San Francisco, the same morning: .,The Douglar Fu mills are holding pricer firm with no change in market pricer here, but market ir showing improvement and volume ir increasing. The redwood mill pricer are firrn with demend only fair. California Pine market ir satisfactory."

The last report from the Wett Coast Lumbermen'r .drsociation rhowr a week'r cut of 1O4 million feet and saler of 92 million. This report war for a period jurt prior to the start of the five-day week.