THE CALIFOR},IIA LUMBERMERCFTANT

How Lumber Looks

The new Douglas Fir ceiling prices, which become effective October 1, 1941, will be found on page 8 of this issue.

Lumber production during the week ended August 30, 1941, was 8 per cent less than the previous week; shipments were 0.4 per cent less; new business 14 per cent less, according to 8 per cent fewer reports to the National Lumber Manufacturers Association from regional associations covering the operations of representative hardwood and softwood mills.

During the week ended August 30, 4n mills produced 275,289W feet of hardwoods and softwoods combined, shipped 3O5,926,W feet, and booked orders of 225.183,000 feet.

Lumber orders reported for the week ended August 30 by 343 softwood mills totaled 216,487,W feet, shipments were 294,752,000 feet, and production was 264,212,ffi0 fieet. 85 hardwood mills for the week gave new business as 8,696,000 feet, shipments 11,174,000 feet, and production 11,077.000 feet.

Seattle, Washington, September 9, 1941.-The weekly average of West Coast lumber production in August (4 weeks) was 187,528,000 board feet, or 117.7 per cent of estimated capacity. Orders averaged 162,799,W board feet; shipments, 1m,617,m. Weekly averages for July were: production, 159,76,W board feet (81.1 per cent of the

1926-1929 average) ; orders, 779,A04,0N; shipments, 165,104,000.

35 weeks ol 1941, cumulative production, 5,773,280,W board feet l same period, 1940,-4,7 n J7 6,U& ; 19 39,-4,n2,505,000.

Orders for 35 weeks of I94l break down as follows: rail, 3,376,894,ffi board feet; domestic cargo, 1,675,783,000; expo*, 147,896,000 ; local, 814,198,000.

The industry's unfilled order file stood at 772,224,000 board feet at the end of August; gross stocks, at 8I9,126,0ffi.

The two features of the West Coast lumber situation are the remarkable war-effort production of August and the cloud of uncertainty that has risen from price ceiling prospects.

August lumber production of nearly 18 per cent above the West Coast industry's normal capacity represents response to specific requests from OPM and OPACS in late July for more lumber from this region. The industry was asked to do its utmost, and August production is the industry's answer.

While the dominance of defense orders in the West Coast lumber picture remains substantially unchanged, the immediate concern of the industry is the effect of the price ceiling order for Douglas fir lumber which has been announced and discussed and is expected to be published by September 9.

Until the smoke has cleared away from this bomb which (Continued on Page 30)