THE CALIFOR}.IIA

\fPB Frcezes Sale of Softwood Construction Lumber at Mills

Washington, May 13.-The War production Board today applied a 60-day f.reeze to all sales and deliveries of softwood construction lumber by large producers, except to fill orders of the Army, Navy and Maritime Commission.

The order, effective immediately, halts producers' sales of about 70 per cent of the country,s softwood lumber output, but does not affect stocks in retail yards which are estimated to be sufficient to supply defense housing and essential civilian needs during the 60-day period.

Free to move in customary trade channels are all hardwood lumbers, and softwood factory, shop and box lumber.

The weekly average of West Coast lumber production in April (5 weeks) was 172,83,000 board feet, or 94.3 per cent of estimated capacity, according to the West Coast Lumber. men's Association in its monthly survey of the industry. Orders averaged 237,698,m board feet ; shipm ents, N2,4Zg,000. Weekly averages for March were: production, 170,487,W board feet (86.6 per cent of the 1926-l9D average) ; orders, 189,213,000; shipments, 185,590,000.

17 weeks of 1942, cumulative production, Z,g3g,Z3l,mO board feet; 17 weeks 194I,-2,852,372,00O; 17 weeks, 1940, --2,228,462pm.

Orders f.or 17 weeks of. 1942 break down as follows : rail, 2,592Jm,W board feet domestic cargo, 322,588,000; export,

41,835,000 ; local, 417,D9pffi

The industry's unfilled order file stood at 1,0D,I24,m board feet at the end of April; gross stocks, at 874,884,000.

The West Coast lumber industry has now become a 100 per cent war industry. The War Production Board has asked all employers and employees to go on full-time production of logs and lumber until the emergency in supplying military requirements has been passed. Government purchases are crowding the mills faster than they are able to increase production, and undoubtedly some action will be taken by WPB to block movement of lumber into other channels than National defense. The industry's job for the next several months will be to produce, to full capacity, the lumber required for war purposes.

Manufacturers of plywood have been notified by the War Production Board that restrictions may be placed on use of the product for non-essential building.

The Government bought approximately 175,000,000 feet of lumber at an auction held in Portland, May 5 to 9. The auction was in charge of W. P. Headrick.

Lumber production during the week ended April25,1942, was 3 per cent greater than the previous week, shipments

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