THE CALIFOR}IIA LUMBERMERCHANT JackDionne,publ*hu

How Lumber Looks

_Seattle, Washington, April 9, 1940.-The weekly average of West Coast luriber'production in March (4 w6eks) w"as 134,612,W board feet, br 68.4 per cent of the weekly'average-.for.I92G1929, the industrf's years of highest cipacity realization, according to the West Coast lumberrnenis Association in its monthly survey of the industry. Orders a_v_eraged 136,441,W board feet; shipments, 133,434,000. [-eekly averages for February were : production , 127,034,000.board-feet (64.5 per cent-of the highest capacity'real- izalion index) ; orders, I 30,595,000 ; shif ments, iZg,6n,W.

First 13 weeks of.I94A, cumulative prbduction, I,fuS4B,{9 -bo-"t4 feet; same period, 1939, {,q3,056,000; 1939, l,t72,t69,0cf..

Orders for 13 weeks of 1940 break down as follows: rail, 717,933,W board feet; domestic cargo, 672,412,ffi; export, 98,986,00O ; local, 234,659,000.

The industry's unfilled order file stood at 520,378,000 board feet at the end of March; gross stocks, at 976,000,000.

West Coast lumber held its -lines during March, with neither marked advance nor retreat from- its Februarv position. While the prospect for the industry was brightei at the end of March thbn at the last of 'Februaryi the shortage of intercoastal space was an increasing barrier across routes to water-borne markets for West Coast lumber, including California and the Orient as well as the Atlantic Coast. The industry's maior problem is how to get its_ lumber to these maiket.. 'Some shipments that normally should go by water have already- been made by rail.

The market prospects for West Coast lumber are prom- ising in two spots-the big Midrvest territory and- Cali- fornia. The latter market-emerged from its winter-long lethargy at the first of_March and its spring volume prosl pects are now good. Residential building in the Midwest was active in March despite an extended ivinter of extreme

Sudden

severity. When the frost is out of the ground and masons and carpenters are enabled to rvork full time, the 1939 rate of home building should be resumed in most sections of the country.

Meanwhile, with the situation in intercoastal shipping becoming distinctly worse month by month. the difficulty of getting its products to water-borne markets is a major handicap on the West Coast lumber industry.

During the week ended March 30, 1940, 497 mills produced 209,533,000 feet of softwoods and hardwoods combined, shipped 232,237 W feet, and booked orders of. ?2!,, 258,000 feet, according to reports to the National Lumber Manufacturers Association from regional associations covering the operations of representative hardwood and softwood mills.

Lumber orders reported for the week ended March 30 by 4OZ softwood mills totaled 216,180.000 fee.. shipments were 2n,832,W feet, and production 199,419,000 feet.

Reports from 107 hardwood mills for the same week gave new business as 10078,@O feet, shipments 11,405,000 feet, and production 10,114,000 feet.

The Western Pine Association for the week ended March 30, 111 mills reporting, gave orders as 68,744,000 feet, shipments 68,496,000 feet, and production 56.93.000 feet. Orders on hand at the end of the week totaled 234.O43.000 feet.

The Southern Pine Association for the week ended March 30, 119 mills reporting, gave orders 29,108.000 feet, shipments 33,146,000 feet, and production 30,612,000 feet. Orders on hand at the end of the week totaled 66.,t49.000 feet.

Lumber cargo arrivals at Los Angeles Harbor for the week ended April 6 totaled 14,556,000 feet.