Where California's Pine LumberGoes

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Ironr still are being packed in Ponderosa Pine and Sugar Pine containers with but few restri,ctions. Box factory consumption of lumber is no longer limited to box grade, as in former years, but now includes huge footages of shop and board grades as well. OPA has recognized the necessity for this by permitting corresponding adjustments in shook prices when these higher grades are used. Without large shook production from the higher grades ,it would be quite impossible to move California's crops. Even with the expanded range of grades to draw from, it often has been very difficult to find the 600 million feet of lumber required annually for California fruit and vegetable shook.

The War Food Administration's subsistence program covering military, lend-lease'and civilian needs is expected to require 15 to 20 per cent more shipping containers next year than it has in 1943. Boxes for meat products alone will total more than 27 million. The WFA's needs will not taper off as rapidly upon the cessation of fighting as will requirements for packing munitions. There will still be armies of occupation and freed civilian populations requiring all the food we can spare.

For the last ten years before the war the Western Pine region steadily increased its percentage of the nation's softwood sales. The inherent qualities of these soft pines, corps' together with the high standards to which they were manufactured, seasoned and graded, gave them first call for many exacting industrial uses. At the same time they found increasing favor for constru'ction work, where Douglas Fir and Southern Pine also were used more or less interchangeably.

When the war started, and while war industries were tooling up for maximum production, large quantities of Idaho White Pine, Ponderosa Pine and Sugar Pine were used for cantonment construction. As soon as construction began to taper off the demand for boxes and .crates increased to astronomical proportions, and the mills had even less chance than before to serve their regular customers. No other woods are more closely channeled to only the most essential uses.

While there is no immediate prospect of resuming volume shipments to dealers, it seems certain that a cbnsiderable footage should be available as soon as Germany is beaten. The mu'ch greater distance to Pbcific points would alone seem certain to force a short curtailment of shipments of munitions overseas, no matter how vigorously the war against Japan is prosecuted. Partial demobilization of the Army should also help the labor shortage which is retarding lumber production. When that time comes, the Western Pine industry will be all set to go, with no tedious conversion period to be spanned before shipments to old customers can be resumed.

After two jtears ol war we now know that victoryt f or us is certain.

We therelore look fomuard confid,ently to the time uthen we shall resurne normal business relations ,utith our cu,stomers.

Il e are gratelul lor your patience and. anderstanding throughout this rnost difficub period, and ask you to accept