THE CATIFOR).IIA LUMBERMERCHANT

San Francicco

LOS

ANGELES, CAL., MAY 15, 1923

How Lumber Looks

One would naturally expect firm prices and a general tightening of the wholesale market, during the slowing up of shipments and the curtailment of general rloY€ment caused by the shike. Many predictions were made immediately after the calling of this strike, not all of them by the mill men at that. Opinions were exprersed that the dealers had better place ordett, and many of them did buy for a few days, more than they ordinarily would have taken on at a normal period.

' The strike condition at San Pedro at Saturday noon was much better than at the first of the week.. A week ago things were pretty quiet on the docks. Since then their has been around three hundred men imported to tAe harbor, and they have gotten the boatr to unloading and moving in an almost normal way. It is understood that a further demand was made by the longshoremen which the owners refused to consider, ild the decision was made to get men from the outside, and resume operations. This demand had to do with the working co'nditions in general, and was claimed to be unreasonable by the owners. Arrivals at San Pedro for the first ten days of May were 46 boats, 9 with redwood and 37 with fir. The footage caried was 56'100,000 feet combined.

this condition did not advance prices aE aome thought. The market on common remained firm, and as far as can be learned has not changed to any remarkable e:rtent since tte first of the month. Stocks are not being offered in as large quantities, it is a fact, and the retailer dealers in the majority seem to feel that tfrere will be no serious changes during the unsettled condition.

Thir condition could alro apply on all upperr. Floering and ceiling is being quoted at prices just in line as of two weeks ago, and green clearE -Eeem to be stationary at the prices establirhed about thirty days ago. The dernand for green clearc har never slackened, the wholecalc men have no trouble booking orders for anything in this line. [.ath got cantakerous of coursc with the fint breath of trouble, and advanced about fifty cents. There is a cteady demand, but it remains to be recn what will happen to this commodity, ild thb will be governed of coune by the arnounts that the mills load for California in the next two or three weeks.

The rhingle reportr are not cncouraging, at leart not for tlre rhingle as a product. On every hand we hear complaintr made about the very rmall demand, both in cedar and redwood, it has not, however, affected tlre prices. Cedar shingles have .been firm at one price for some time. With the lage amount of favorable publicity that is being given the wooden shingle in thfu state, both in trade papers and in the daily press, and the interect that has been shown in the contest for tte oldest woo&n shingle in California, there will without a doubt be a different condition very evident before long. Some thought can be given in thir coonection by the dealerlr about thc use of 6-2 Stan almoat excluiveb in thb state, and the agitation by the mills for the pushing of a heavier rhingle.

The redwood mills are in good shape, as far as orden are concerned. The last report from the California Redwood Aesociation shows a large gain in their cut, tlreir production in fourteen reporting mills for a week period being 9,0O6,000 feet as against 7,435,000 feet for the previous like period. Sales were practically the same as for the previous week, and their shipping tstals showed about a balance.

It is interesting to note that the redwood mills up to date have taken orders for 126 per cent of their production, and the average cut of all of the mills has been what they figure to be normal. Of 8,341rO00 feet sold by these mills, 6,538,00O feet or about three-fourths come into California.

The fu milts fell down somewhat on their sales for the past week, t'heir new businesE totaling about 12 per cent below their cut. One hundred and thirty'three reporting mills had a total cut of 107,2841862 feet, and their new sales amormted to but 94r449r45o feet. Their shipments kept up to average, however, and they got out of the mills a total of ll2,0OOr00O feet, which is almort 20 per cent above their production for the time.

The Southern Pine people pepped up somewhat in the two weekr following our last issue, and their last report rhows that their member mills have browht their produc' tion clorcr to norrnal than it has been for rome timc. Their saler rhow practically the sarne, and have tte rarne compariron to their crrt as of two weeks ago- Thir report ir from one hundred and thirty-one memberq giver thcir rater total as 7318231792 feet, and they produced 76'' 7781176 feet during the week. We hear more and more about the Pacific Coast lumber that is being rhipped into tfre routh, ttir competition har arrivcd for the routhcrn milb and will no doubt gct lerger.

Away up in the High Sierras, bordering the world famed Yosemite Valley, grow the Sugar Pines, great giants of the primeval forests, truly Califomia's finest timber.

Our thirty years specialization in California Sugar Pine, and 'White Pine, naturally gives us a full understanding of soft pine users'needs. Our stocks are being rapidly teplenished andwecan on short notice supplyyourneeds. Inquiries by wire or letter will receive immediate attention.