The Mqrch on Wcrshington, D.C.

Homebuilders and some 625 lumber dealers took their case to the Congress, the Administration and the Cost of Living Council in late March in their campaign to increase the supply of federal timber to solve the lumber and plywood supply-price crisis. In speeches by members of Congress, in news conferences and television appearances, and in paid newspaper advertisements, they were lauded as allies of the forest products industry in advocating increased timber supply from federal forests and in trying to solve the log export issue.

Summoned to Washington by the National Assn. of Home Builders and the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Assn., some 2,100 individual members from the two associations staged a mass meeting and then a 'omarch" on Congressional and federal agency offices. The march featured a big week in the nation's capital as the.forest products industry joined builders in efiorts to convince the legislative and executive arms that the way to stabilize wood products prices is to increase timber sale offerings from the National Forests. The government has since agreed to as yet unannounced increases in output from the national forests.

The "March on Washington" came as Congress was beginning several rounds of hearings on prime issues of concern to the forest industry, including price control, federal timber supply, freight carso log exports, capital gains, land use, forest roads and wilderness set-asides.

Before the emergency conferences adjourned, the dealers reported tangible results. They had called upon 360 members of Congress, and 75 Senators. Their mission was given recognition on the floor of the Senate by Sen. Carl T. Curtis (R. Neb.) and the brief they prepared and distributed which described the crisis, its cause and cure, was placed in the Congressional Record. Representative David T. Martin (R. Neb.) told dealers he had introduced a bill to establish revolving funds for the U.S. Forest Service which would enable the Service to apply the proceeds from the sale of federal timber to expanded forest management.

Builders Seek Wood Ahernqtes

The high interest in finding alternates to lumber in construction of homes was indicated at a Metal Framing Seminar held in Anaheim, Ca., by the Building Industry Assn. of California in cooperation with eleven metal framing manufucturers and suppliers. Over 4(X) persons repre. senting 324 companies who construct over 50,000 living units yearly, heard experts talk about metal framing.

Consumer acceptance of metal framing is "extremely satisfactory," according to Ray Cline of Alcoa. Cline mentioned a survey among owners of metal framed homes "and many of the owners did not realize that the homes they lived in had metal framing systems."

T. A. Shinn, Jr., president of BIA, pointed out "that we must develop alternate systems to lumber if the housing market as we know it today is going to exist in five years. We cannot rely on lumber fot our future-if we dq our future looks pretty dim." Shinn pointed out, too, that "there are additional alternates to lumber that our industry will seek out and promote."

Another serninar is scheduled {or Oakland, May .8. See Calendar section, p. 20, of this issue for details.

West Coast meetings are already generating plenty ol controversy regarding the bill to ban all Iog exports by'77 that is cG'sponsored by Sens. Robert Packwood (R-Ore.) and Alan Cranston (DCa.) . . . it is opposed by dock interests, most big lumber companies, the Nixon administration and most other West Coast lawmakers

Federal Trade Commission has charged 7 big industry firms with a "form of price tampering" and "unlair and deceptive acts in commerce" because of their freight basing point system that causes plywood customers to pqy freight charges based on freight from Portland, no matter lrom where the shipment actually originated . charged are Boise Cascade, Champion International, Georgia Pacific, International Paper, Weyerhaeuser. Willamette and Vancouver Plywood; the feds asked them to knock it off or face further action

Fears of another West Coast dock strike are being felt now, some mfgrs. are already planning diverted shipments, even though the union contract doesn't expire until June 30 . . . Union Pacific RR has upped its '73 capital expenditures program by $19 million, to a total ol $139 million; most will go for new grain-c41ryrng cars

The Cost of Living Council has revoked an earlier $3 million price rollbacft it had ordered for Champion International's West Coast plywood div., feds said their edict was based on "erroneous findings" . CLC extended to April 30 fts price rollback for Weyerhaeuser on various lumber and plywood items; on construction items thev must stav about l\Vo under the market .'.

Nixon administration drm twisting forced the big banks to back off their attempt to jump the prime interest rates lrom 6VaVo to 6s/aVo, they finally settled at $VzVo, tho it is widely foreseen that more increases are due . housing starts are still