THE CALIFOR}.IIA LUMBERMERCHANT JackDionne,futlXher How Lumber Looks

Lumber loolc romewhat difierently from what it did frfteen dayr ago when this page was last written.

So do ehingles. Goodneu how shingles from the North' wert have picked uP in two weekr.

The market rituation ir very, very much dirturbed by outride elements.

Take the national cituation.

Douglas Fir for the part two weekr has produced conriderably more lumber than har been eold' with ahipmentr betrreen production and rales.

The elapping on of embargoes qgainrt lumber and rhingles in the Northwest within the part week will materially reduce rhipmentr from thir time, however. It ir evident that the demand for Fir har not revived materially rince the July 4th rhut-down.

The production rituation ir hard to gauge in the Pacific Northwert. It ir rtill bone dry tfuoughout Oregon, Warhington, and Britich Columbia. In B. C. the Governrnent wontt let ttem run logging camps. ln Oregon and Washington they have been arked to log ar little as pouible for the public welfare. The sawrnills have evidently recured a fair rupply of logs thur far, but with moct of the logging campr down thir will be very rhortJived without rain. So the weatrher har sonsiderable to do with lumber prorpectr up therc.

The railroad strike har etill more to do with it. For reveral weeks the strike war not apparent on the rurface of the lumber market. Today it ir having itr effect in the rhape of alow movement of bulky freight, and in the placing of embargoee againrt rrrch freight in many dirtricte of the countr5r. Another two weekr will unquertionably ree a far rnore reriour tio.up of bulky freight than is apparent today, if the rtrike continuet' a! ir now more than likely. With trainr, carq and locomotiver dropping out of senrice every day the country over, it would be unreasonable to supPot€ that ruch freight ar lumber will not ruffer very early in the game.

It war the embatgo against lumber and qhingles iruti. tuted in the Northweet by the Northern Pacific, combined with the logging rituation up there, that suddenly and un. expectedly brought shingles up like the cat'r back. In Lor Angeler Green Star rhinglec at ahipside are bringing $3.85, ar against $3.65 only a few dayr ago.

Very few rail shingle shipmentr are being loaded, making transits which are moving, of more value and of coutrce boosting water shipments. The errbargo on rhingler hit clears and better firrt, because they come almort entirely by rail. Not much quoting ir being done on cleare in Cali. fornia since the rail embargo wac announced.

The national market for Red Cedar rhinglec grew ruddenly tight jurt ar it did in Cdifornia. Transit shingle ruddenly became very valuable, and ahingles bave gone up ever.wrhete.

Never try to anticipate the Fir market without watching Southern Pine. Southetl Pine, after several weelc of very dow business and dackening prices, hac reacted again, and the demand ir very brisk, with salet above production and rhipmentr, and eteadily increasing for the part two weekr.

With the logging situation prevailing in Douglar Fir territory and the increared demand for Southern Pine, the Douglas Fir situation lookc much more rtable than it did two weeks ago. At that time Sorurthern Pine demand war weak, a! waa the Fir denand, and it rcemed tbet the reduced prodrrction was the rhongert bolrter the Fir market had.

Reports from the Northwert ghow ttat there ir a rurh to resure shipr to carry rhingler through the canal for delivery in the South and Eart. If the rail embargo continuec there will be romething of a fiingle famine in the countr5r unles thir can be done.

So far ar the price situation is concerned both lurnber and shingler are rtrong tbroughout Califoruia todan and any change of a downward character can hardly be expected with the conditions prevailing in producing territory.

An intcrerting rituation has developed in the lath market.