NTWS BRI rrs

Ircorrt;mic forecasts for 1972 rrre rirtually all t'auoro 6lr:,' ranging fr,'tn .light economir' prt-'1tress lo nrore t'lab.rrate r isions . . housing is erpected lo toyt '71's rec:ord marl; and lumber, l)lywoorl and builcling ntaterials consumption are exl)ectecl to reflect rhis tontinuing st.rong de:mand

Ot,erbuildins is seen by some as a possible fly in the ointment John \{. Wetmore, research tlirector, N[ortgage Bankers \s-*n. of ,\nrerica. agrees, noting "The \Vest (loast Jrrobably f a<:es m,ore of a prolilern than any other region."

Consu,mr:r confirlence. es-qential to fut'l a business comeback, is seen by some as waak. by olhers os corning 0n strong the prestigious Wharton forecast sees more- consumer spending. br-rt only because there will bt: more lvorkcrs and they will be earning more . over-all, it le6[,s good f or'72

Denler outlook also looks goocl f or '72 according to a year-encl ,qurvcl by Today's Morket, "a big Fl6% look fonvard to increa,sed sales in '72" . . the wholesalerdistributor nssn. predicts a IA/o int'rease in salt,s lhi: year Armstrong flork sees '72 not as a one-shot improuemenl, but as "the beginning of a long term develoirment" .

The lntly of rnuLtimilLioruire, lu,mlrcrman Bill (7alttlord, 35, has been found in plane wreckage in California's mountainous tr{endocino county; he has been missing since last April, his parents r/ierl similarly in tlrc crosh ot' o priuatr: plonc Lh.rete t'rars Q80...

E ast<: rnund Mid-f{/estern [xtnks have gelcrally dropped their lrrime lending late from lrl/-c4 t,' 5l'lV : al presstime. the big \\/estern banks, such as Ii.of,\., rverc sticking. at r:>1/2/c . h.ousing storts in ,\'or'. hit a 2,31fi,000 annual ralt'., up 15/c frorrt October and 35%, above the 1'si11' ago level .

Sir indiuirluols untl three constrw'tiltrt, y'ml.s hnve been named in San Diego County grand jury irrrlictm,'nl. r'lrargirrs t'onspirac.t' rtnd f retud fol grading up utility u'ith an illegal glarlc stamp and framing the ltrmber into lrlace in Orange anr{ San Diego count}' tracls as a higher grade: f)i-.t. \tt1'. Iirl \lillcr rerrned it "the largest f rautl'n5q, ptter)' for his ofrice

'fht' [j.S. Inlerior Deirt. is goiny to 7xn ll[illcr-Rellim Redtcottrl neurlt' $3.8 rnillion in cash, plu. .S2 rnillion in interest antl I .87 X acrt's of lancl in compt:nsation for l.anrl and timber taken {or the redu,oocl nat'\. park; this rcprcsents the gor"s. t'ieu, of the Iirnber antl land's worth. not the c'omltonf s^ di-*cussions continue for a final ,qettlement

Daylin has revealed its 50% interest in Thri't't Builders Sup" pl,l, Phoenir, ancl has agreed to buy the rest ot' tltp stock by August :ll .1977:" terms bere not disclosed. Tlrrift has tlvo stores, another building, and does more than $3 million a year l)ant ct Russell, Portland, is tlo\t) ol)ereline its ou;n. clra* kilns at \orth Plains. Ore., since buying American Timber & Trading (lo. . . . Cerro Corp. ancl C. Brener' & Co. are joint vcnturing on ser:eral thousand lt.omes in Hortaii; the singk: family homes are plannetl for the S.E. coast of Hawaii sale of lhe KimberlyC,lark pulp and payter mill, Anrlt'rson, Calif.. does not include an) of the lumher operations there .

Thre:e fires irt ,l clays in late Nor./early' Der'. irr the grcater Los AngeleS &rca t:aused 8800,000 damage to the yards involved; each fire was similar, arson is suspected in cach case Supe.rior Custom. M ills, Cerriros, suffered damage of $250,000. less tharr an hour later, Builtl & Saue, Paramount, had a $50,000 shed fire; next day, I{ammond Lumlrcr, Bellflon'er, Iost its main building and rnuch of its stock; tlamage: $500,000.

Summit Timber has opened nerv offices just south of Arlingte-rn, Waslr. ... Fontonq Building Srupph', Fontana, flalif., has been pushing itself as a d-i-y center -.ince its re('r:nt cirange of ownershilr the ()rogan-Robinsan varrl at Culbertsorr has been closr:d bf' the parent firm .

I'trlmer C. Leu,is Crr., with I{Q in Seattle. has just olren,ed a nen' di.slrilrution t'r'nter in Los .4ngeles, has movecl the entire W7enatt'hee. W ash.. worehouse f rom one sirle of town to another and holres to finish their erpansion in l)uerett, V/osh." hy \{ar. 1 ...11. C. Snith Lumlrcr Cr,., San l)iego, has moved int<r nen $7{3,500 cluarter,q at 611,1 Fe<leral Sray...

[,andslides early last month stopped all lumber shipments from Eureka, Calif., when the Northwestern Pacific lost about 400'of trackage; new lines were ready within a week . . S & L totul assets sursed upword bt a strggering 830 ltillion in '7I, more than double the best prior record set in'70

Er:ology f reak's r:rics to the contrary, less than, 3/r, <tt California's 100 million acres are developed, other Western states boast similar figures . Commerce Sec. A(auricc Srans says 1..S.-Soviet lumber "tratle potential is very great."