Residence Repairs Require More Than Twice Present Annual Lumber Production

Washington, D. C., Aug. 5.-Ninety-two percent of urban dwellings and farm structures, when included und,er one total, are constructed principally of lumber, according to estimates madc by the National Lumber Manufacturers Association. The percentage has been obtained by striking an average betrveen the 87/o basic lumber construction for city dwellings, as shown by the U. S. Department of Commerce survey of house construction in 63 representative cities (the results of which were announced a few days ago) and tl:'e 98/o farm structures of all kinds accredited to lumber by agricultural authorities.

Lumber manufacturers and dealers are reminded that these figures reveal a great opportunity for them in the housing revival enterprise, especial'ly in the near future in respect of repairs and modernization. It is calculated that the 6,000,000 farms of the United States require 12,m,000,000 feet of lumber for urgent repairs alone, and twice as much more for new building and rebuilding. The 24,000,000 wood-built city dwellings need at least 24,000,000,000 feet of lumber just for urgently needed repairs-not to mention wood required for repairs for other types of houses or for modernization. These repair items, urban and rural, total 36,00O,000,000 feet of lumber, which is about four times the entire 1932 lumber output.

Some idea of what 36,000,000,000 feet of lumber means may be inferred from the fact that Lz,W feet will build a five-room bungalow. Thus 36,000,000,000 feet are the lumber equivalent of three million cottages. But lumber costs {or repairs will not exceed 35/o of the total, leaving a wide margin for labor and incidental materials and equipment. It is this vista of recovery of the normal volume of lumber manufacture that led the industry to risk a reduction of I0/o in minimum prices below calculated average costs of production.

The Department of Commerce survey in cities showed that more than 8l/o of the dwellings in the 63 cities canvassed are of frame construction, and that 6.6/o are of stucco. The National Lumber Manufacturers Association has included the stucco percentage in its figures for lumber for the reason that, excepting the mere coating of stucco making up the visible exterior, structures classified as stucco are in reality of frame construction.

The urban survey, conducted under the supervision of Daniel E. Casey, shows that out of. 1,728,521 dwelling structures, I,404,466 are built of wood. The remaining nearly I9/o represents structures built of brick, stucco, concrete and other materials, with reports not indicating the material used in 1,36O cases.

There are few exceptions among the 63 cities where wood does not take first rank in the kind of building material used, the Department of Commerce states. Those cities where brick dwellings outnumber the wooden structures, and consequently where frame construction takes second places, include Frederick and Hagerstown, Md.;

Wilmington, Del. ; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Santa Fe, N. Mex. However, in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minn.; Portland, Ore.; Phoenix, Ariz.; Sacramento and San Diego, Calif.; Topeka, Kans.; Des Moines, Ia.; Albuquerque, N, Mex.; Baton Rouge, La.; Fargo, N. D.; Boise, Idaho; Casper, Wyo.; Binghampton, N. Y.; and Lansing, Mich., stucco structures take second rank, relating brick residential construction to third place in these cities

The number of stucco dwellings in the cities surveyed total 114,522, giving third rank to stucco exteriors as a type of residential construction. Minneapolis has the largest number of dwellings of this type with 34,181; St. Joseph second with 12,673; followed by San Diego with 12,5%; Sacramento, 4,761; Portland, Ore., 4,633; Des Moines, 3,969; Richmond, 3,823; Phoenix, 3,4L7; and severpl others with more than 1.000 structures each.

Concrete, with a total of 7pD dwelling 5tructures for all of the 63 cities surveyed, is fourth in line with about 0.4 per cent of the total number of dwellings surveyed. Stone is credited with 4,277 dwellings out of the I,728,521. Of th'e 10,500 dwellings representing other types of construction, approximately 31.6 per cent are of the adobe or sun-dried brick type, located at Albuquerque and Santa Fe, N. IVIex.

The figures compiled from the city survey refer to the principal material employed or type of home construction. For example, in frame construction, brick for foundations and chimney and the like are used; and, similarly, in brick houses much lumber is utilized.

Changes in L. C. A. Staff

Washington, D. C., July 25.-The following changes have been made recently in the executive staff of the Lumber Code Authority:

George R. Beach, Jr., formerly assistant to John W. McClure as chief of Department of Costs and Prices, succeeded Mr. McClure to that post when the latter left the Authority to become executive secretary of the National Hardwood Lumber Association.

Arthur Bevan, formerly chief of the Production Control Department, has been transferred to the Code Administration Department as Acting Chief.

Succeeding Mr. Bevan as chief of the Production Control Department is George C. Flanagan, formerly in charge of production control and statistical analysis for the Western Pine Association. Prior to his connection with the West= ern Pine Association Mr. Flanagan was a member of Stevens & Bruce, consulting foresters of Portland, Ore.

Bill Chantland Visits San Francisco

Bill Chantland, Schafer Bros. Lumber & Shingle Co., Los Angeles, was a recent visitor at the company's San Francisco office where he spent a few days on business.