California School Program

Survey of School Building Construction

A recent report on the California Schbol Program issued to the subscribers by the San Francisco office of the National Lumber Manufacturers Association presented a sur. vey of the character of school building construction which has been carried on in California since thq earthquake of March 10, 1933.

The survey, extracted from public records of the California State Division of Architecture, shows briefly the record of school building construction and reconstruction which has taken place in the State since the so-called "earthquake laws" were passed. No attempt is made herein to evaluate in terms of lumber markets saved or gained, the efrect of the work done under the California School Program.

To date, plans calling for the expenditure of $20,00O,000 have been approved by the Division of Architecture. This represents 700 permits for school buildings, new and reconstructed, which have been (or are being) constructed during the past 17 months. Before all other California schools now considered unsafe from the standpoint of earthquake hazards can be adequately reinforced, or torn down and replaced by new schools, it will be necessary to spend at least $40,000,000 more. Much of this money would already have been spent if it could have been raised by the various School Districts. In Los Angeles alone a $31,000,000 school bond issue was defeated last year and eventually it will be necessary somehow to raise at least a major portion of this sum if Los Angeles schools are to be made safe for school children to occupy.

In the tabulation below these 700 permits have been analyzed to show how the money has been spent with regard to materials of construction and the estimated lumber market which was involved. The figures given were assembled from records for 70 buildings picked at random from the 700 permits on file in the offices of the Division of Architecture. It is not to be expected that a complete survey of the entire 700 buildings (requiring several days work) would show exactly the totals derived (after slight adjustments) by multiplying the figures for the 70 buildings by 10, but the comparison is believed to be reasonably close.

Many very interesting deductions may be made from these tabulations, even though the figures given in Table III are admittedly rough estimates. The principal lumber markets have been, first-reconstruction and reinforcement of existing brick wall buildings, second-new wood frame buildings, third-conversion of existing brick wall buildings by removing the brick walls and replacing them with wood studs and stucco. The principal sash and millwork markets have been: First-new wood frame buildings, se'cond-conversion of brick wall buildings to wood stud wall buildings, third-new steel frame or collcrete frame and concrete wall buildings.

Since March 10,1933

Analysis ol7u.:" Permits for School Buildings Issued by the California Division of Architecture from May 25, 1933 to October 31, 1934:

TABLE I

Trrpe of Conatruc- Tyrle of Conrtruction of - tion of Number

BUILDINGS_

Return From East

Otis R. Johnson, vice president and general manager o{ the Union Lumber Co., San Francisco, returned recently from a business trip to the East. He was accompanied on the return trip by C. R. Johnson, president of the company, who has been spending some weeks in Washington, D. C.

Mr. C. R. Johnson is the representative of the Redwood Division on the Lumber Code Authoritv.

Back From Middle West Trip

Mr. and Mrs. Walter Hardwick of the Dinuba Lumber Co., Dinuba, returned recently from a 30-day trip through the Middle West states. Mr. Hardwick reports conditions very bad in the central West owing to the severe drought, and says "we are mighty glad to be back in California."

Sequoia Gigantea Grove In Placer County

In an article appearing in a recent issue, it stated the Calaveras Grove was the most northerly grove of the Sequoia Gigantea. Mr. E. T. Robie, president of the Auburn Lumber Company, Auburn, Calif., informs us there is a grove of Sequoia Gigantea in Placer County, Califomia, which is about 75 miles farther north than the Calaveras Grove. This grove, which is in the high Sierra and not generally known, contains seven or eight tr.ees, the largest standing tree being about 12 feet in diameter; the grove is located in a spot which was quite inaccessible until a few years ago.

Mr. Robie states that the peculiar thing about this grove is that it contains no young' trees, that is, none under l0O years old. The Native Sons of the Golden West secured some young trees from the State a few years ago and set them out and they are reported to be doing very well. It is hoped that the new trees will increase the size of the grove.

Spidell-Park

J. M. "Josh" Spidell, of Arcata, was married in Alameda to Miss Irene Park of Alameda, November 14. The couple will make their home in Ar,cata where Mr. Spidell is manager of the Hammond & Little River Redwood Company's yard. I{e was formerly with the Little River Redwood Company at Madera and Crannell.