How Lumber Looks

To begin witb let ur explein the viewpoint fron wbich there market diecueionr urill bc written.

\f,lc dwayr keep in mind a rrndl torun dcalcr, locatcd off the well beaten pathr, who ir interated in kccping in touch with the cbanger that take place in thc merteg nfio payr for his rubrcription to find out thee thi'gr, and who b en titled to an unbiared rcport.

Thir column will attempt to reficct conditionr ar thcy are' end lct the tradc bc itr orvn judgc of how it may aficct THEM.

The DEMAND for hmrber har +rieted roncwbat rincc our lart martet report rvar ruritten, two wcdc ago.

The lart of June DougLar Fir ealcr had dropped dightly below production. Southem Pine raler were holding about level wit[ production, after hro weckr of rlow rclling. Thc fint week in July Southern Pine ralec dropped bclow pro' duction, dthough produrction alro took a big drop. Dowlar Fir production dropped ro far that thc reduced purchser wcre well above the cut. The national repottt for tlhe lart wcek in Jrne rhowcd the demand for dl eoftwoodr rlightry ler than production.

One qf the b€* judger of thc Fir merket in the Northwot wirer THE CALIFORNIA LLffBER MERCHAIfT irut er wc go to pre*, erprering the opinion tbat if the prcrcnt cnforced curtailment-becaure of foreet fircr-in the Northwert are continued, the nrarka may hold etrong, but that if thc hoped-for rainr come to relievc thc firc rituetion up there, there will likely be a eoftcning in the Fir martet for rore weckr.

In other wordr, prercnt general conditiou rhow ruch a rcduction in lunrber demand, that it will requirc rcmcthing artificial, like cnfrirced curtailmcnt of pnoduction, to hold the pnereot rtrengtb of the markct. Of courrc, tbet ir only an opinion, but it ir barcd on a clcar view of thc Fir rihn tion from Coart to Coart.

And the Fir dtuation in the general marketr very quickly ir rcfccted by the Fir cituation in California,

Burinc* is mighty quiet ar compared with a few weekr ago. (We rtlll rofer to general conditionr.) The Atlantic reeboard, which her b€€n a trenrendour contumer for thc pert rcvcral monthr, b very tamc. The northeart and niddlc wert havc rlackerned up with their demand. Mind you, tbcne ir etill a lot of lumber being bought, but production har been brought to a high point, and rlackened demand ir thcrefore felt all thc quicker.

In thc Pacific Northwe* the fire situation har held the center of the rtage, and rtrongly afrected tbe lumber rituation. lt b bonc dry in the great Douglas Fir belt, with fircs breaking out ever5rwhere. At the reguect of tbe authoritiel mort of the loggen have curtailed their work, and a great numbcr of canrpr have been clored entirely cince before July 4th. The millr of the northwert dl clored for from ttree to five daye for the Fourths which had its efrect on the raonthtr production and rhipment.

And another outride inf,uence that murt be rcckoned with dght now ir the railroad rtrike. Itr efrect will be morc grcncrdly fclt with every day that pasrer, more particularly in thc frcight depadment. Bad order carc will have.to rtand wjthout tepah, ar nflI bad order enginer, and the difncuhy of noving traiu urill belt thc freight 6rrt. That the rtrikc ir alrcady fclt, there can be no doubt, dthough tbere ir nothing reriour in itr conrequcncer ro far. But wire men rey tterc ir a car rhortage pcnding thfu fall, anytmy, and tf,e rtrike uill rcrve to basten and intensify ruch a rituation.

The Califonia rituation ie alwayr independent in many rvayr of tbe general market, although dependent upon it, and bomd to bc affccted by it, frmdamentally.

California bat reen a verlr, very quiet muket for cverything, Fr, White Pine, Rcdwood, and Red Cedar Shinglel rincc the firrt of July. Thb L a genefal opinion. Even Red-

Have you noticed SPEEDING while on now few men have the way to work? been arrested for wood hat rhared the genbral laxity of puncharcr intenert. The only rign of weakening pricer in this territory, however, is in cargo Fir, and in Red Cedar Shingler. There ir nothing marked with regard to either, but a perceptible weaknesr in the price of both, ir evident.

Rail businecr in Fir ir rtiff ar the back of the proverbial cat. It must be remembered that the slackening i" Fir demand has been of very short duration, has as yet amormted to practically nothing from a phyrical rtandpoint, and that the millr are all loaded down with orderr that thcy have been accurnulating. Fir ctockE are generally low in the Northwert, and the millr are picking and chooring their orden iurt about as carefully now ar they were three weekr ago. Ar etatedr cargo Fir only, reemr to show eignr of weaknec, and that very little ar yet.

Redwood and White Pine are strong. Redwood nillr are generally ovdrrold, and the Redwood situation ir remarkably rtrong. Dry items of Redwood are hard to get. White Pine reemr to have felt no itt efiectc from clack€n€d rummer demand as yet.

'fhere are ro many factorr that might play prominent partr in the lumber drama in the next thirty dayr, that ir ir i hard market to guesr aL

ADVICE TO DEALERS: Buy as you go along to rupply the needs of your trade. No one ever lost anytbing that way in the retail lumber burineu yet.