How Lumber Looks

Douglas Fir.-A total of 345 mills reporting to the Vest Coast Lumbeffients Association for the week ended January 31 operated ^t 35.99 per cent of capacity, as comlxrred to 44.46 per cent of capacity for the same week last yearr-and an avetage of 40 per cent during the last three months of 1930. Dur' ing the preceding week these mills operated at 37.94 Per cent of capacity.

Production, orders and shipments at 224 identical mills for the week ended January 3l were rePorted to the Association in board feet as follows: Production, 93,Ot2r13, feet; Shipments' 109,472,270 feet; Orders, 11O,7961974 feet Ordets werc 19.12 Ir€f, cent ovet production and shipments_werc 17.7O per cent 6ver the outpui. Production at these mills-dropped about-4r O0Or0oO feet when compared with the pteceding week. During t{re past nine weeks ordets have averaged 14.75 per -cent over production, due to t{re low levels of cutting and fairly regular ilthough low volume of buying.

Details of orders and shipments at these 224 mills follows:

Orders-Rail, 37,057,477 feit; Domestic Cargo, 37 1635,777 Leeti Export, 24,225,907 feet; Local, 11,877,857 f.eet. ShipmentsRalil,3514651543 feet; Domestic Cargo, 47r844r23t feet; Export' t4,284,637 feet; Local, L1,877r857 f.@t.

The California market shows very little change but the trade are anticipating an improvement after March 1. Wholesalers report the volume of tltail sales light and prices firm. Unsold st;ks on the public docks at San Pedro on-February 11 totaled 94991000 feet The total Fir cargo amivals at San Pedro duc' ing the month of January amounted to 3814761000 feet which is ktremely light for this port. Sixty vessels in the California setvice are laid up.

The California Redwood Association for the week ended

HOWARD C. CLARK SPENDS FEW DAYS IN LOS ANGELES

Howard C. Clark, Rio Linda Lumber Co', Rio Linda, Calif., has just completed a trip to Los Angeles where .he spent a few days looking after his property intere_s_ts._ Prior to his entering the retail lumber business, Nlr. Clark was located at I os Angeles for several years where he was connected with the Booth-Kelly Lumber Co., with which firm he was associated for more than twenty years.

.w. C. KURTZ VISITS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

W..C, Kurtz, Independent Lumber Co., Grand Junqlibn' Colorado, is a.Los Angeles visitor on a combined busine.ss and pleasure trip.

January 31 reported production from 12 mills as 7r538rOOO feet, shipments 417981000 feet, and orders 61637rOOO f.eet. For the ygek gnded J"rr,r"ry ?1, t|ne California White and Sugar Pine Manufacturers Associatiotr reported production from 75 mills as 41652.OOO feet, shipmene 1419791000 feet, and orders tgr3s4.000 feet. The Pine and Redwood markets continue about the same with prices firm.

Indications of some improvement in requirements of lumber is contained in reports from 821 leading-hardwood and soft. wood mills for the week ended January 31 to the National Lumber Manufacturers Association showing orders received for thg week 32 pa cent in excess of a combined production of 18817591000 feet and shipments ?6 W cent above production. This favorable ratio is largely the result of radicaliy curtailed cutting rlrat has been in effect and at a faitly stable level for several months past, but the excess for the latest week is noticeably. above the average _r9po{ed weekly since the holidays.

The current relationship of shipments and orders to produc- tion for the first four weeks of. l9il, as reported by the regional associations to the National Lumber ManifacturJ, Arro"Ltion, follows:

West Coast Lumberments Association-Production, 36gr?129 M feet; Shipments, 397,506 M feet; Ordets, 432,65,g M feet.

California White and Sugar Pine Manufacturers Association-Production, 121874 M feti Shipments, 431273 M feet; Orders, 44rO88 M feet.

California Redwood Association-Production, 27,Zgg M feet: Shipments, 2l,2l0 M feet; Orders, 21,4lg M feet.

Southern Pine Association-?roduction, l47r3g2 M feet; Shipments, 1641682 M feet; Orders, lT1rg5g M feet.

Total Hardwoods-Production, 8l{l4 M feet; Shipments, 82,499 M feet; Orders, 90,276 M feet.

DON H. DOUD RETURNS FROM EASTERN TRIP

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Don H. Doud, sales manager of the Defiance Lumber Co., T^ac.oma, Wash., spent a few days in Los Angeles the firsi of the month, where he conferred with Art peiberthy, their Southern California representative. Mr. Doud hia iust completed a month's trip through the east where he visited the various lumber centers. Following his stop-over in Los Angeles, he left for l acoma.

GEORGE H. OSGOOD VISITS CALIFORNIA

George H. Osgood, Tacoma, Wash., manufacturer of "Woodrveld" glues, was a recent California visitor, where he conferred with Bob Osgood of Los Angeles, and L. J. Woodson of San Francisco, his represeniatives in Cal-ifornia.