Lumber News From Other Countries

The Softwood Situation In Europe

The softwood situation in Europe at the present time is decidedly interesting, and explains to a large extent the enthusiasm with which buyers for Great Britain are snapping up all the Pitch Pine they can get from the Southern part of the United States. Last year other European countries supplied Great Britain with 3,663,000,000 feet of softwoods. This year they will supply her not more than J500,000,000 feet, according to report, and a rush has therefore been made to get lumber and timbers fr.om Canada and the United States. The Yellow Pine mills of the South are at present enjoying a wonderful market in Great Britain for whatever Pitch Pine they can manufacture into the items desired bv the British.

All Lumber Imports Into Italy Now Controlled

The government of Italy has taken charge of the imports of lumber i,nto that country. It has created five import companies to control lumber imports as well as domestic prices. These companies are located at Genoa, Trieste, Venice, Naples, and Catania. The Genoa company will handle all imports from North America. Each of the com, panies is financed at five million lire. All Italian lumber merchants must invest in the new concerns in order to continue in business,

Russian Lumber Production Declines

Lumber production in Russia in 1938 was roughly estimated at 26,00O,00O cubic meters, a decline of about 2,7@,000 cubic meters from 1937. Many things hampered the industry, notably lack of sufficient transportation facilities, and shortage of labor.

Sweden Likes Prefabricated Homes

The Swedish government has subsidized a large lumber' mill for the purpose of producing exclusively prefabricated wooden houses. This is due to the rapidly growing popularity of prefabricated homes in Sweden. More than five thousand prefabricated homes were made and sold in Sweden last year.

DANZIG IS EUROPE'S SECOND LARGEST

we hear much rrom a poriticar standpoint, and few realize that this city is the second larg_ est lumber shipping port in Europe. Before the World War Riga was the largest lumber shipping port in Europe, due to the vast shipments of Russian lumber. Now Danzig is the leading lumber port on the Baltic, with Riga second. Archangel, the leading Soviet port, now surpasses both Danzig and Riga. Danzig offers the best facilities in Europe for handling and storing lumber. Red and White pine, Fir, Oak, and Beech are the prlncipal species of lumber shipped through Danzig.

Argentina Is Conducting A Forestry Census

The government of Argentina in South America is now trying to find out just how much mer,chantable timber there is on government-owned lands. Development and conservation are its .chief aims in so doing. More than onethird of the entire area of Argentina is covered with forests, of which the state owns about ten per cent. The entire forested area is about 2,ffi,000 acres. Yet in 1937 Argentina imported $4,500,000 worth of lumber and logs from the United States.

Honduras Mahogany Supply Grows Very Scarce

According to American consular reports the supply of Mahogany from British Honduras is becoming decidedly scarce. Report says that in order to fill contracts in recent years more and more small trees have been cut for market. The Government is attempting replacerr,rent of the Mahogany forests by controlled cutting on its own lands, although it has no control over private holdings.

Japan Will Put Lumber Industry On Wartime Basis

The lumber industry of Japan is to be ,placed on a wartime basis at once, according to report. Measures under consideration by the Government include control of prices, restriction of consumption, arranged felling of trees, and shipping control. Lumber prices in Japan are 5O to 6O per cent higher than last year.

Francis Boyd Acquires Control o( Santa Barbara Yard

Announcement is made by Francis E. Boyd that he has purchased the controlling interest in the Union Mill & Lumber Company, Sarita Barbara, and became president of that concern on July 20.

Mr. Boyd is one of the best known lumber and mill men in California. Up to the time he closed out the Boyd Lumber & Mill Company in Santa Barbara on December 31, 1938, he had been working continuously in some department of the lumber business since 1910 when he went to Washington to work in the woods and sawmills. After gaining logging and sawmill experience he ran the Builders Lumber Company at Gustine, Calif for some time until he enlisted in I9l7 in the Forestry Engineers and spent 20 months in France.

He came to Santa Barbara in 1919 and became vicepresident and general manager of'the Boyd yard, remaining there until the yard closed. Mr. Boyd was associated with the lJnio,n Mill & Lumber Company for a few mo.nths before completing the negotiations which have made him head of the company.

A. J. MacAdams will remain as manager and vice-president, and it is expected that the old company will continue without change in policies.

It is interesting to note that the Union Mill & Lumber Company was organized 50 years ago from a number of smaller Santa Barbara lumber and mill concerns.

U. S. Lumber and Log Exports and lmports

United States exports of logs and lumber during the first five months of this year totaled 465,793,W board feet, an increase of 4 per cent oyer the corresponding period in 1938, the Forest Products Division of the Department of Commerce reported on July 7.

Sawed material in the same periotl totaled 401,612,000 feet, an increase ol Z per cent over the 1938 five months exports, and logs and hewed timber totaled 64,181,000 feet, an increase of 13 per cent over a year ago.

Douglas fir and Southern yellow pine lead in the softwoods exports while oak was the predominant species in the hardwood shipments.

Imports into the United States of logs and lumber in the first five months of this year totaled 349,789,000 feet, an increase of. 44 'per 'cent over the imports in the same period in 1938. Imports of softwood lumber, including clapboards, accounted for 66 per cent of the total. Spruce lumber was most important single species imported.

A. R. WELCH CALIFORNIA VISITOR

A. R. Welch, vice-president of West Coast Plywo,od Co., Aberdeen, Wash., visited Los Angeles and San Francisco around the middle of July on his way back from an Eastern vacation trip, on which he was accompanied by his wife and daughter.

He conferred in Los Angeles with R. W. Dalton, California sales representative of his concern.