Restoration of Export Trade jor \(/est Coast Lumber

Stotement bv \il. B. Greeley, Secretary-Monoger, \(est Coast Lumbermen's Association

Seattle, Wash., April 12, 1938-The restoration of export trade in West Coast lumber now rests in the hands of the State Department at Washington.

In recent months, foreign sales of West Coast lumber lrave been less than one-fifth of our business volume in l9D. This is a major cause of idle sawmills and idle labor in Oregon and Washington.

Offshore shipments have been further reduced by the Sino-Japanese conflict. But the primary reason for their decline is the preferential tariffs favoring Canadian lumber, which have been adopted by all important British Empire countries.

This question is now on the table of the negotiators in Washington, who are drafting a reciprocal trade agreement between England and the United States. Under the Ottarva Pact of 1932, Canadian lumber enters Great Britain duty free. But American lumber pays a tariff of 1O per cent on delivered value, including the cost of ocean freights and all forwarding charges. This discriminatory duty averages $3.50 to $4.00 per thousand board feet. It has cost the West Coast lumber industry 90 per cent of its former trade with the Urrited Kingdom.

The West Coast Lumbermen's Association and West Coast lumber exporters have presented briefs and oral testimony to the Government in support of our demand for tariff parity in Great Britain with lumber from Canada. We believe that we have made it clear that nothing less than tariff parity u'ill bring back any reasonable volrrme of trade u,ith the English market.

The plea for West Coast lumber is doubly justified by the tunfair deal which was handed us by the Canadian Trade Agreement of 1935. American duties on lumber imports n'ere reduced 50 per cent for the entire world; bttt Canada's cxclusive hold on all British Empire markets was left unbroken. As the result of this one-sided pact, the imports of British Columbia Douglas fir and hemlock lumber into the United States have doubled.

Meantirne, in 1937 British Empire countries took 962 MNI feet of North Pacific woods. American mills got 9 per cent of that trade. Back in 1928 and l9D, our share u'as 75 per cent.

We feel that the Arnerican Government cannot follon- a policy of trade equalization in dealing rvith lumber imports; and at the same time accept a.flat denial of equal trade opportunity in lumber exports.

The Government owes it to the West Coast, to her labor and shipping no less than to her sal'mills, to square the account with lumber. The agreernent nor,v being negotiated with the United Kirrgdom offers the only real opportunitl' to make lumber reciprocity r,r'ork both rvays. Not onlf is England the largest lumber importing country of the entire world. The policy followed in dealing rvith England rvill inevitably set a precedent for coming trade agreements rvith Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. All are important lumber markets rvhere ottr former trade u'as cut off ltlpreferential tariffs in favor of Canada.

The Anglo-American Trade Agreement is the key to tl.re recovery of export markets for West Coast lumber. The outcome of these,negotiations in \\rashington is more vital to orlr industry and to its place in the future of the Northrvest than any other public issue for many years.

On Trip To Orient

H. C. Kofoid. o{ the H. C. Kofoid Lumber Companv. Carruthers, and Mrs. Kofoid left San Francisco recently on a trip to the Orient.

Catherinc

Convention Dates

May G7-Arizona Retail Lumber and Builders Supply Association, Tucson, Ariz. Annual.

tllay 1O-1l-National Retail Lumber Dealers Association, ' Raleigh Hotel, Washington, D. C.Annual.

NIay 19-ZLKansas Lumbermen's Association, Salina Kansas. Annual.

May 25-2*National-American Wholesale Lumber Association, Ambassador Hotel, Atlantic City, N. J. Annual.

June 9-lO-National Association of Commission Lumber Salesmen, Netherlands-Plaza lfotel, Cincinnati, Ohio. Annual.

June 9-lo-Forest Products Sales Congress, Cincinnati, Ohio. Annual.

Sept. 2?-Z3-National Hardwood Lumber Association. Congress Hotel, Chicago, Ill. Annual.

N. L. M. A. ASSOCIATES TO LECTURE

Washington, D. C.-Three representatives of the National Lumber Manufacturers Association will lecture at the "Special Summer Program and Conferences on Strength of Materials" at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, June 14 to July 8, under the auspices of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. This course rvill include discussions of timber, concrete and strength problerns, concluding with a general conference on each subject.

The N.L.M.A. speakers will be Larry W. Smith, John B. Woods and Frank J. Hanrahan. Mr. Smith, Chief Engineer of the Association, rvill lead the group conference on timber; Mr. Woods, N.L.M.A. Forester, will speak on "Timber Supply and Characteristics of Species," while N{r. I{anrahan, Structural and Plyrvood Engineer, rvill lecture on "Modern Trends in Wood Construction." This summer program will be in charge of Professor J. NI. Lessells of the M.I.T. Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Appointed Yard Manager

A. B. Corella, formerly manager of the Douglas l-umlter Company, and later manager of the Jennings Lumber Company at Douglas, has resigned to enter the export business as manufacturers sales agent. In his new position he rvill represent,.amon€f other firms, the Jennings Lumber Company in Mexico.

Clarence Wright succeeds Mr. Corella as manager of the Jennings yard at Douglas. Mr. Wright is well known in Arizona lumber circles and formerlv managed vards in Phoenix.

N. W. PACIFIC RAILROAD OPENED

The Northwestern Pacific Railroad. blocked by slides since January 31, u'as opened April 15. On that day 146 cars, most of them loaded with Redwood lumber, moved into Willits on their way south after two and one half months' delay. Manv emptv cars also moved north to be loaded at the mills.

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TRADE

MILL, FACTORIES AND GENBRAL SALES wEsTwooD, CALTFoRNTA

LOS ANGELES

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Saler O{Ece: 315 Monadnoc& Building

OAKLAND