NEWS tsRIEFS

Homart" Inc., has recently purchased a former food market in Portland and is conuerting il into a complete building and garden center. Lumber Distributors, Inc. is building a rrew $I00,00O retail outJe, in Sierra Vista, Ariz.: design will have a Spanish motif

Iloilern Llaterials in Los Angeles has purchased Mason Supplies, /nc. from Hooker American and will merge it into Modern Materials; the Mason name will be phased out Hubbard' & lohnson Lumber Co., Redwood City, Calif., has purchaseil Downer Lumber in San Jose and will run it under the H&J name; Bruce Johnson will be the mgr.

WariJ & Ilarrington had a most successful opening of their new home center in Fullerton, Calif.; while basically consum' ero it also includes a full line contractor operation Cooper I'umber, Los Angeles, is near a final decision on a site for a neu) retail operation. .,

Potkach Forests,.Inc. plans to bny B0/o ol Brown & Kaullmann, a leading builder; purchase is thru a stock sroap of undis' closed proportions U.S. Plywood plans to enter the manufactured house field "in a big way," land development will also get abigpush...

Eaans Proilucls has been accused by the Justice Dept. of illegal reciprocity agree' ments with the railroads; Evans says thev will light il the nation's largest bank,

Bank of America, have cut their points on FHA and VA loans from 6 to 4 points..

Lumber and building materials retailers sold $386.7 million in hard,ware last year, $13f .8 million in tools, $430.6 million in paint and allied producrs, $114.3 million in electrical items and more than $1I4 million in plumbing products, estimates tlle Bureau of Building Marketing Research. "

Inilustrial proilaction fell in Februarv, according to latest figures, to its Lowest Leuel in 13 months; the seven month de' cline is the longest since the '60-61 recession . stockholders have OK'd Pacilic Lumber's previously revealed plans to buy I/ictor Et1uipment...

Sales of home iighting lixtures rose 9/o to a new high last year despite the slump in housing starts Chrysler Corp. said it is considering entering the mod,ular home buitding inilustry. Nt'l Assn. of Whole' salers has changed its name to the Nt'l Assn. of Wholesaler-Distributors.

ABS engineered drainage pipe has been OK'd by FHA for multistory construction Kaulfmann & Broail, see above, forecasts that by '75 the maior uolunt'e of home production will be olf-site... U.S. Forest Products lab will test wood and wood' based prototypes for HUD's Operation Breakthrough ..

Arizona Component Builders, Phoenix, has contracted with Modular Dimensions, {ormerly Modular Concepts, Gardena' Calif., to provide insulated and structural walls and roof-ceiling panels for 2,225 homes in the next 3 years , Georgia' Pacilic sees private investment in housing at $5{) billion in five years; currently it is $35billion...

Lumber production in '69 increased slightly over '68, mostly because oI more hariJwood cutput; softwood decreased from '68 levels the Feileral Titnber

Purchusers Assn. is a new group composed of four southwestern companies who are attacking the twin problems oL auailability and appraisal...

Six major wallboa.rd, prod,ucers have been sued by New York City for conspiring to lix prices, allocate sales and, d,iui.d,e the marltet; they are I'ibreboard Corp., Kaiser Gypsum, U.S. Gypsum, National Gypsum, Flintkote Co. and Georgia-Pacific; the city seeks triple damages

Relinble Lumber has extensively refurbished their Rosemead, Calif., retail operation and expanded its inventory (see Thc Merchant, Aug. p.6) Alameda County, Calif., planers have OK'd John P. Dolan's modifications for a proposed lwnber sales of lice in Castro Valley a $250,000 lire struck Sunset. Lumber Co. in Commerce, Calif., recently...

A recent issue of the tapan Lumber lournal says Japanese log purchases in North America will increase 11,1/o over '69 levels. target date for opening of Ilallinan fulackin Lumber's new Orange, Calif., yard is May 15 South Bay Red'wood, is selling lift lot redwood items from their Orange distribution yard; lull operation of. the 22 acre yard is due shortly

The mobile home assn. says that for the first time, mobile home sales in '70 are ex' pected to equ,al or exceed, conventional single-family homes; currently mh starts are nearly 50/o ol the total a new meth. od. of lcrw cost constructinn, walls built of sacks o{ dry concrete mix immersed in water, has been OK'd, by ICBO

U.S. Plywoots Eugene, Ore., {acility is closing April 15 because of a marketing decline and the drop in housing starts. Daryl DeMills and Pam Baslington are the new mgr. and asst. mgr. at Atlas Building Center. Osburn. Idaho.