National Lumber Situation Improves

Bg Jach Dionne

The national softwood lumber situation is rallying spler- ter every day. didly from the body blow ,it receivedr on May 16th, wliren Brookmyer undoubtedly helped clear the situation mightthe National Construction Council advised the nation ily by issuing a very frank report on the lumber situation, against building at present. statirg approximately the trend of recent events, but is-

Southern Pine lumber, for instance, broke in price just suing the opinrion that no big break is due in lumber,'that about 10 per cent as a direct a:rd .immediate result of tha't conditions are too sound to permit or justify it, and adsituation. For two weeks the lumber rnarket in general vising lumber buyers to purchase their needs at best poswas almost totallv paralized. sible prices.

To state that the lumber producers and wholesalers were Prices may decline a little more, but the situation looks conrunning in circles, would be stating it mildly. However, lum- soling, especially when viewed from the standpoint of two ber stocks were low at all sawmills, and not high at the weeks ago, when it was the third worst looking situation retail yards in general. As a general proposition the lum- we h,ad ever seel. ber folks kept their heads ,and it looks certain that a bad We have heard tlhe remark several times in the past two break has been avoided. weeks rthat the blow given the industry, if the results didn't

During the past ten clays lumber buying has beer re- prove too drastic, might be a blessing in the long run, as newed to a considerable extent. Supply is still greater than conditions were pointing so directly toward the possibility demand, take dhe nation as a whole, and the balance for of a wild and unaway market that the warning may have three weeks has been very one-sided, but it is getting bet- been the best thing that could happen.