Strikes Continue to Effect Lumber

Washington, Sept. 10.-Reports from all the regional softwood lumber manufacturing associations of the country by the National Lumber Manufacturers Association, reflect the cumulative effects of the coal and railway strikes, which are expected to continue to influence the lumber movement for some time after their settlement. Orders for lumber show a noticeable decrease from those of the previous week, production also fell off and shipments barely held their own. Nevertheless the lumber ind.ustry continues to hold a decided margin of increased activity over this time last year.

The normal production of the five large associations is 214,694,097 feet, and the actual cut was 100 per cent, shipments 88 per cent and orders 92 per cent. For all the eight regional associations reporting weekly, shipments were 89

Southern Pine Association

Total .-----.-.

Week (128 mills).

West Coast Lumbermen's Assoeiation---------.----.--

Total ---.-----'Week (126 mills)

Western Pine Manufacturers' Association

Total --....-.-

'Week (39 mills)

California White and Sugar Pine Manufacturers-.----

Total .-.----..

Week (6 mills)

California Redwood Association

Total

Week (14 mills)

North Carolina Pine Association-,----------

Total - -.-.-

Week (35 mills)..

Northern Hemlock and Hardwood Manufacturers--,---.-.---.----.

'Week (18 mills)

Northern Pine Manufacturers' Association

Total -...--...

Week (9 mills)

General Total for 34 weeks.---

General total for week

Same 34 weeks, 1921

Same week, 1921 and orders 91 per cent of production.

Total production for the week by 375 mills was 236,485,952 feet ; shipments, 210,551,595 ; orders, 214,778,959 ; the respective deereases being, 4,722,445 feet', 369,423 and 13,204,602, from the figures of the 388 mills reporting the preeeding week. As compared with the corresponding week of 1921 production advanced by 6t,294,848 feet, shipments by 37,539,042 and orders by 27,817,992. These advances do not, however, rnaintain the margin of increase for the year as a whole, or cornie up to expectations for August, as based on the usual ratio of that to other months.

The following table shows produetion, shipments and accumulated orders for the 34 week period ot1.922 and 1921, and also for the week ending August 26, by the various regional associations :

Cargo Movement from North is Heavy

Cargo shipments of lumber from the Pacific Northwestincluding British Columbia as well as Oregon and Washington-to California aggregated 703,578,510 feet for the first six months of the present year.

In the same period of 1921 the movemen't was 347,901,289 feet ; shipments this year show an increase of I02Vz per cent, therefore.

Combined export and domestic cargo shipments from the Pacific Northwest for the first half of.7922 were 1,598,857,150 feet, as compared with 738,159,036 feet for the corresponding period of last year, an increase of, 1161/z per cent.

Of all the overseas purchases of Pacific Northwest lumber, Japan shows the largest increase, with a gain of 319 per cent for the first half of this year compared with the first half of 1921. The total of Japanese purchases to July 1, was 381,019,667 feet. For the same period a year ago the Japanese bought 90,850,884 feet.

Other export markets which showed substantial increased. buying over the previous year were: Australia with a gain of,242 per cent; Europe, 22L-5 per cent; and China, 21 per cent,

In the domestic cargo markets, the North Atlantic Coast shipnr.ents for the first half of this yeer ran 238,952,376 feet, which was 27,000,000 feet more than was shipped during the entire year of 1921; ancl an inerease of 145,108,882 feet or 154!2 per cent over the ffrst six months of that year.