THE CALIFOR}IIA LUMBERMERCHANT How Lumber Looks

With millionr of feet of lumber pouring into California harborl every day, lumber still seemc to be scarce and hard to get.

Thir paradoxical situation is due, apparently, to reveral caurGs: In the firut place demand for lumber throughout California continues with unabated vigor. In the next place rtockr now offered California buyere are badly broken in gradec and sizee, and in the third place car rhortage in the Northwest is interferins with rail shipments.

In conrequence the market on both common and upper gradee of lumber has rtrengthened materially since the firrt of the month. Commons probably have taken on more rtrength, proportionately, than uppers.

Shingles are not any rtronger. lf the rhingle rituation har changed at all, shingler are weaker today than they were a month ago, but pricer remain rtationary.

The car supply probably ir the dominant element in the lumber market today; that is, the car supply in Oregon. The car situation in the state of Washin$on makes little difference here ar very little lumber comer to California from Warhington, by rail.

The Southern Pacific is reported to be maintaining a feirly rteady cqr rupply on its main line in Oregon, but not on its branchee. Some California buyers have attempted to overcome effects of car shortage by shipping to Portland by rail and thence by water to California destination; but they have not been very succesrful in getting cars for even the chort haul from the mill to Portland.

Thir, probably more than anything else, accounts for the tight prarket on rpecified grader and rizes; and as the cropr begin to move out of the Northwect cars will become rcancer. The car supply will continue to infuenc+if not dominate-the California lunr,ber market for the next few monthr.

Cargo rhipmentr to San Fran'circo and to Lor Angeles harbor have continued in heavy volume, but the Cdifornia trade complains that arsorhnent of ctocks through thic, source b not exactly what they want. Mills have been rhipping a lot of No. 2 and No. 3 common, as better grader were in demand in the Middle Weet and Eart.

While fir mills are getting a rtrong run of buainess from the Eart and Middle Wert as well as from California, the

Southem Pine trade seemE to be falling off. For the week ended September 1, Southern Pine production exceeded orderr by nearly 2OTOOOTO0O feet.

It ic well to remember that the Wegt Coart trade ir governed largely by tbe atate of the Southern Pine market, and it wiil be well for dealers to watch, during next few weekr, whether Southern Pine orders continue to fall off. If they do fall off, it will be reasonable to expect a weakening in fir prices. But if they pick up again-as they ought to doit is not likely that fir prices will soften. It ia a little too soon for the West Coast and Californa trade to catch the effec{r of the Southern Pine'r slump of the last of August.

While the demand for lumber throughout California doubtless will continue through the rert of thir year, it ir apparent that supply at all times will be arnple.

Unle$ a revere car shortage hits California t{rere rhould be no nmaway market in this state.

Cargo shipments probably will 'continue in about the rarne volume as has been maintained all Surnrner. Moet of the lumber is shipped in here by lumber operatorr who orvn their vessels, or have them under charter, and they like to keep the supply of lumber coming, regardless of t'he demand from the East.

The fir mills now are running at almost a maximum production and so long as weather permits they will keep thir up and lumber gtocks here will not grow short.

The redwood market har remained steady without experiencing any eensational spurt.-- Redwood prices do not fluctuate as much ar fir, as dll California buyers know. In the lart two weeks the redwood mills have had an unurudly heavy demand for redwood siding and siding rtripr. They have had a hard time to get enough riding material and the price has rtiffened.

Buyers have taken up the suggertion of the redwood milh to take a greater proportiotr of short lengthr and ar a rerult mills have moved much of their accumulated stockc in therc itemg.

The lath market is firm without experiencing an advance in pricer. A steady supply of lath continues to come in.

Hardwood dealers maintain a good rupply of rtockr, but the demand keepe up and pricer are holding firm.

How do you know that the third house on Main Street just off Fifth doesn't need something you have to sell? All hght, then, how about all the other houses in your town?