NEWS BRIEFS

"The outlook is strong" that 1977 is "going to be a very good housing yeer," observed Michael Sumichrast, chief economist for the National Association of Home Builders, upon hearing that housing start figures in Dec. hit a 3/z year high, though permits slipped from unusually high Nov. figures, the current pace indicates a seasonally adjusted annual rate of1,513.000...

Dec. figs. (latest available) showed a 1,940,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate, up l37a from Nov. and a thumping 33% for '76 above '75, when housing registered a 29-year low starts of single family housing rose B% to the highest Dec. rate in 1B years .

The pace of bldg. permits in Dec. was up 39% from the year. earlier rate . the record cold winter East of the Rockies is expected to hold down starts until Spring weather arrives, then go like crazy to inake up for lost time .

Some economists claim final '77 figures will hit 1.7-1.9 million starts; the single family pace is expected to back off only slightly ftom '76 and apartment construction is expected to be strong, boosted by federal subsidy programs Fortune Magazine forecasts starts at neat 2 million by mid-'78 .

Construction contracts in '7 6 rose 16% above the year earlier to a record $107.2 billion . . in the West's hottest bldg. market, the l0 southern counties in Ca. had total building & construction of approx. 57.3 billion, expected to go to $7.8 billion this year; home bldg. accounts for about 6OVo...

An appeals court reversed (on procedural grounds) the 1975 price fixing convictions of U.S. Gypsum, National Gypsum, Georgia-Pacific & Celotex; also overturned were convictions of three individuals from the firms . the U.S. Justice Dept. is considering taking the iase to the Supreme Court

A class action suit by the Ca. atty. gen. charges 9 cement firms with price fixing and conspiracy to eliminate campetitton; named are: Riverside Cement, Amcord, Kaiser Cement & Gypsum, Southwest Portland Cement. General Portland. Inc.. Lone Star Industries, Flintkote, Monolith Portland Cement and ldeal Basic Industries, plus the National Association of Credit Management Inc. and the Portland Cement Association . a similar suit was filed in Sept. by the Az. atty. gen. .

A 3-judge fed. panel in Boise, Id., ruled job-site inspections by OSHA without a warrant are unconstitutional .. OSHA plans to appeal, but if the decision is upheld by a higher court it could mean the end to warrantless and unannounced inspection of all worksites in the U.S. bv OSHA

Wood Markets,ln c., Northern California div., is the new name for Trend All-Wood Products, Arcata, Ca.; John Kelly remains in charge Sunol Forest Products, Pleasanton, Ca., is a new wholesale firm est. by Guy Laverty, Parks Miller and Bill Broderick

Burnaby Lumber Co. is a new wholesale firm in Compton, Ca., with some familiar old names:

February,1977

Homer Burnaby, chairman of the board; Frank Higgins, pres.; Tom Supple, v.p.; Larry Quinlan, v.p.purchasing; Trevor Page, controller/treas.

Strong-Tie Structures has opened a Eugene, Or. buying office. Bob Norris. mgr. ..

Columbia Corp. has completed sale of Columbia Plywood to key menrbers of CP's management for about $10 million; it also sold retail stores in Artesia, Hobbs & Ruidosa. N.M.. to White Sands'Forest Products of Alamogordo, N.M., and their Lodi. Ca.. retail store to Evans Products: total for the 4 stores $1.8 million.

Fibreboard is actively seeking a purchaser for its closed Cloverdale Plywood plant American Forest Products has moved its lumber buying from Redding, Ca., to Stockton Shaw Lumber has moved to new offices in Orange,Ca....

Exotic Woods Inc., is a new hardwood wholesale firm est. by Sid Chattler, who left Globe International after l8 years; firrn specializes in rosewood, teak, walnut, etc. - Lumber City got zoning ok'd in Tujunga, Ca., for a new unit Sonoma Lumber, Sonoma. Ca., got an ok to build a new facility near Four Corners.

Yuba City Millwork, Chico, Ca., has purchased F&M Lumber from Dale Comer & Al Strom, a moderate expansion is planned, no price was revealed in the sale . . Dill Lumber is now bldg. a new store in Redlands, Ca., Jim Moore has acquired ABC Lumber, Costa Mesa, Ca., for an undisclosedamount...

E. L. Bruce's specialty flooring operations have been sold by parent co. Cook Industries for about $14 million to Triangle Pacific, Dallas, Tx.; the Bruce name will continue to be used.