More price controls?

A "wait and see attitude" on the part of both government and industry seemed to be developing following a series of meetings and hearings in Washington, D.C., by the federal establishment into possible methods to limit lumber and plywood prices by increased tirnber supply and related techniques.

Fearing a rollback of prices to March 15, 1973, industry, at the time this was written, was keeping a low profile, was not rocking the boat, and was hopeful that a current softening of prices might relieve enough pressure from the price situation that new controls could be evaded.

A 50-50 chance for new price controls were seen by H. A. Roberts, exec. vp., Western Wood Products Assn., in a recent statement. He said an increased supply of boxcars and moves to hike timber supply had eased the pressure on prices. Plywood prices at that time (late April) had dropped $5 per thousand sq. ft. for the third week.

The National Association of Home Builders was continuing to apply all the pressure they could to force government to reimpose wage and price controls. On at least two occasions, last month, NAHB announced (hopefully) that a pronouncement from the Cost of Living Council was due any day and would have the feds coming down on the side of lumber price controls. At this writing, no such announcement has been forthcoming.

In dual hearings related to the price situation, Sens. Packwood and Cranston held a hearing in Portland (chaired by Packwood only) on April ll and another two days later in San Francisco presided over by both. Each of the hearings tended to be a restatement of familiar positions by those favoring and those opposed to banning all export of federal timber immediately, with all remaining timber exports phased out over the next I four years, except that declared excess, which is the basis of the proposed legislation by Packwood and Cranston.

Harry Bridges' longshoremen's union held one.day work stoppages at both the Ports of Portland and San Francisco on the days of the hearings to indicate their dislike of the proposed ban on log exports.

New Records in Construclion

Continued gains in contracts for new construction this Spring has boosted the Dodge Index to new monthly and quarterly highs, reports F. W. Dodge.

According to Dodge economist George A. Christie, citing strong gains in industrial and commercial construction in response to the accelerating pace of business activity, and the continuing boom in homebuilding, despite growing concern about excess, o'building values are once again being seriously inflated by sharply rising construction costs."