How Lumber Looks

New business booked at the lumber mills during the week ended February ll,1933, totalled 1031018,000 feet, the lowest of any week of the year since that ended lanuary 7, according to reports to the National Lumber Manufacturers Association from regional associations covering the operations of,724 leading softwood and hardwood mills. Production during the week ended February 11 was E6O64rOo0 feet, and lower than any week since that of January 7.

Production was 18 per cent of capacity and orders were 22 per cent of capacity, compared with 19 per cent and25 per cent respectively for the previous week.

Stocks at softwood mills on February 11 were the-equivalent of 109 days' average production of the reporting mills, comparcd with 142 days last year.

Forest products carloadings during the five weeks of 193) to date wete 25 pet cent below those recorded for corresponding period of last year which were in turn 46 per cent below thoee of the first five weeks.

A total of 252 mills reporting to the Vest Coast Lumberments Association for the week ended February 11 opemted at 21.5 per cent of capacity, as compared to 21.7 per cent of capacity for the previous week During the week 159 of these plants were repofted as down and 93.as operating.

178 mills repo*ing to the Association fot the same week produced, 47$7219O6 f,eet or 21.6 per cent of their weekly capacity. Current new business of these mills for the week was 5OrO251652 feet, and shipments were 481391 ,183 fet. New busineEs was 5.6 per cent over production, and shipments 2.2 per cent under production.

New export business received during the week was 1961000 feet lesso new domestic cargo ordets were 814801000 feet under, and new rail business increased 51r00O feet as compared to the previous weekts business.

Details of orders and shipments aa reported by these 178 mills follow: Orders'+ail l2rrl5rl74 f.eet; domestic cargo 2O,3Lt,63 feet; aport 1410641764 feet; local Vr734r05l feet, Shipments-rail 11 12601272 feet; domestic cargo 2011861797 f.eet; expott 1410641764 feet; local ,rrr4r05l f,@t, fnventories, as reported by BA mills, are 17.3 pet cent less t{ran at diis time last year.*****

The California Redwood Association for the month of Januaty, 1933, r'eporte ordere received fot 12 mills as 1Q814r00O feet; orders on hand t6r753rOOO feet; shipments l2r097r000 feet; production l2r7 44rOOO f,eet.

Details of orders and shipments follow: Orders-Northern California 3,637.000 feet; Southern Califomia, 2167,O,O00 feetT Vestern E7,000 feet; Eastern 3r890rfi)0 feet; Foreign 5701000 feet. Shipments-Northern California 5rr27,OOO feet; Southern California 21616rOOO feet; VZestern l22rOOO feet; Eastera 3,457'OOO feet; Foreign 565,000 feet.

The Southern Pine Association for the week ended February 11 reported nen business for 110 mills as 18,073,00O feet; shipments t8r776,OOO feet; production 18r883,0fi) feet. Or.ders wete 4 per cent below production and 4 per cent below shipments. Shipments were I per cent 6elow production.

The Vestern Pine Association for the week tqrorted.new business for 111 mills as tgJtSrOOO feet; shipments 181178,000 feet; production Er9841000 feet. Orders were 119 per cent above ptoduction and 8 per cent above shipments. Shipments were 102 per cent above production.

318 hardwood mills fo,r the same week reported new business as 1314501000 feet, or 30 pet cent above production, and shipments as 1216621000 feet, or 22 per cent above production. Production was 1013651000 feet.

Unsold stocks on the public docks at San Pedro are low and continue to show a decrease; on February 22 they totalled 41. 349rO0O feet as compared to 416801000 feet the previous week. Cargo arrivals at San Pedro for the week ended Februtuy lE were low and totalled 3,8971000 feet, which included 9 cargoee of Fir cacrying trtg4r000 feet and 2 catgoe of Redwood with 5031000 feet. Cargo arrivals at this port the previow week amounted to 61177100 feet. On February tt, 42 lumber vessels in the coastwise service were olrerating;64 vessels were laid up. The California volume shorved improvement duritrg the past two weeks and mill prices are holding firm.