N EWS BRIETS

America's l5 million do-ityaurselt'ers will sPend a total of '85 biltion this year on tools and materials, according to the Bureau of Advertising, while the U.S. Dept. of Commerce reporls that total expenditures for uP' keep and improuement of homes in '71 were a staggering $16.3 billion. an increase of lOlc over the previous year

This year's MoYNational Homt: Improuernent Month sPecial promotions are exPected to garn,er an even greater Percentig. of the consumer's discretiinary income for fix-u1r the Nt'I. Home Improvement Council's "HIT" program (Home Improvement Time) generated more response in its Planning {or this May's promotion than ever before

Potlatch Forests, Inc., has closed jts Speedspace Corp. mfg. facilities in Santa Rosa, Calif', o'recent losses and other strategic considerations" were blamed . Champion International is the lrrolrosed new^ tlorne t'or U.S. Ply' utood-Champion Payte rs, final vote is being held this mo. at the annual meeting . . F. W. Dodge now expects'72 contracting to be up 7%; construction contracts have remained firm so far this year, f)odge says

Bohernia Lumber Co. is planning to spend #5 million build,ing a planing mill, kilns, and other mf g. lacilities in Douglas County, Ore. estimated annual production capacity is 60 million bf. . . three big N.Y. banks currently have their "floating" prim,e rate up to 53/a/o; Western banks areholdingati% ...

A freman 7a0s killed and ff500,000 damage was done in a fireat the lt{ational Lumber &

Supply (io., Bellflow-er, (ialii.; yard is l/" mile from the l'lammond Lurnber yard that had a $500,000 fire, I)ec. 1; Arson is suspected in both fires . Wich'es is opening their 7th Calif. location June 14, in Tulare, in the San, Joaquin Valley; 10,000 sq. {i. showroom, 25 employees

A suit by West Coast Long' shoremen has been filed in federal court seeking to reuerse a Pay Board decision that has Prevented putting part of the union's disputed wage increuse in es"ri*: amount involved is about $20 million .

Scharpt''s Tuin Oaks Builders Supply Co., a Eugene, 0t9', dot'ntown landmark for nearlY 50 years, plans to relot:ttta in Eugene, when, and if, the feds take their land for a new bldg. complex . . .'soundbilt PlYwood Sales, Tacomao a div. of Puget Sound Plywoocl Sales, has purchased Bruce Lumber Co. and has o1;ened two new locations in Bremerlon

Albuquerque Lumber has Liquiduted its operation in Albuquerque, has bought 4,000 acres and will go into ranching and lumbering Solvang, Calif., city fathers ore still studying Sol' vang Mill & Lumber's request to beautify their property in the center of the famed tourist town

A new lumber shed is airtuallY complete at Placeraille Lumber, Placerville, Calif., replacing the one destroyed in' their Dec. fire . . the {eds are providing '$1.5 million for construction of a saw' mill at Shingle Springs, Calif., to be operated by Wetsell-Oviatt Lumber Co.; it replaces an out" moded facility at nearby Omo Ranch

Calit'ornia Lurnber and Placeruille Lumber Co., both in El Dorado County, Calif., have won time extension,s to comPlY rvith lrollution regs. .. . High' Lund Lumber is stilL struggling .,vith local zoning authorities in San Bernardino, Calif., to relo' cate the business

For the first time since Sep' tember, housing starts declined; wlrile beating the Mar. year ago mark, they still slipped 11% from Feb., to an an,nual rate of 2,359,000, bldg. permits also -*lackened; analysts maintairt there still is"A lot of home building in the pipeline"

S&Ls in the three Southu;estern slale.s had net cash inflow in savings of abaut 22% more nt the end ctf the lst quartc.r than the like period in '71; ofl'icials say loan actittity has remained high, tho, buoyed by strong loan de' mand the Nt'}. League of Savings '\ssns. predicts on int rcase in lending rates

Crenshaw l.umber, Cardena, Calif., has .sparkling new offices, complete with redwood log in an attractive attrium . . Home Ou,ners Ernporium (also Cardena) has a good looking new yard on the Pacific Coast hwy., near So. Torrance High School . . Hammond Lurn6er, Venir:e, Calif., is opening their final new bldg.

Kaiser Gypsum lrus agreed to lerzse their Rosario, N.M., wallboard plant to Republic Housing American Fletcher Corp. has plans to purchase Southwest I'orest Industries' share of Southwest S&L, Phoenix, SFI had been the major shareholder

Spet:ialty products are ,now the most popular product category in the inventory of members o{ the l\t'l. Bldg. Mtl. Dislributors Assn.; group's survey also shows truck operati.ng costs haae risen from 301 a mile in 1961 to 39(; clelivery costs account for roughU a( of every distributor sales dollar.