LETIiIERS

SAME DAY, SAME YEAR

On July l, 1922, both the C alifu rn ia Lurnber Merchant (now The Merchant Magaxine) and Robert S. Osgood went into business in Los Angeles, Ca. Bob Osgood never failed to contact Jack Dionne, later Ole May, and finally Dave Cutler to register the greetings that I know he would repeat with extra feeling on this 70th year. I do so on his behalf and at the same time congratulate you for the 30 years you hive so successfully served the lumber industry. May there be many more years ahead!

I will hoist a quiet toast on July I to the 70 great years we have all experienced since Jack Dionne and Dad began their notable careers. (Notable for me that I started work full time for "R. S. O." July I of 1949-it seems almost like yesterday.)

Congratulations and many happy retums!

John R. Osgood

1678 San Onofre Dr. Pacific Palisades, Ca. 9027 2

Window & Door Assembly

National Wood Window & Door Association's summer meeting will be at Grove Park Inn, Asheville, N.C., Aug. 8-12.

Meetings of the various divisions and sections are scheduled along with a variety ofactivities. Political satirist P. J. O'Rourke will speak at breaKast on the last dav.

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THE "BAND.ADE''

Indlan Gountry, Inc., Al4tort Road

Depoalt, NY 13754 607-467-gt0f

Great American Finishing

ITC Agrees On Ganadian Duty

Despite protests from retail lumber groups, the U.S. International Trade Commission voted 4 to 2 with the Commerce Department and domestic lumber producers that Canadian softwood lumber imports are hurting the U.S. lumber industry.

The June 25 decision requires that the Customs Service collect a 6.51% punitive duty on all lumber imports from Canada. The ruling is expected to increase lumber prices in the U.S. One source estimated the cost of a new home would be increased as much as $250 to $500.

U.S. lumber producers including the CoalitionforFair Lurnber Imports were pleased with the decision. "We are confident that any further Canadian industry attempts to appeal or sidetrack this countervailing duty process will not succeed," C. T. Howlett, coalitionchairman, said.

Canadian Trade Minister Michael Wilson said his country will appeal the decision to a five member panel chosen fromapool of Americanand Canadian lawyers and economists. This process' which was created under the U.S.Canada free trade agreement, could postpone a final resolution until sometime next year.

The trade commission's vote followed a ruling last monthby the Commerce Department that Canada unfairly subsidizes softwood lumber. They cited Canada's forest management practices including aban on log exports as artificially lowering costs for Canadian lumber producers in British Columbia. Canada maintains the ban is meant to save resources.

The duty is designed to offset the alleged price advantage for imports. The U.S. imports about $2.6 billion annually in wood products from Canada.

Quakes Damage Home Genters

Two earthquakes rocked the Yucca Valley and Big Bear areas of Southern California June 28, causing massive damage and wiping out inventory at home centers and lumberyards in the area as this issue went to press.

Jammed circuits blocked calls to Bob's Economy Building Center, Pioneer Home Improvement and Yucca Valley Lumber and Hardware, but Builders Emporium corporate headquarters, Irvine, and Homestead Supplies True Value's Apple Valley, Ca., store confirmed majordamage at Yucca Valley stores.

Located in a downtown mall, Build-

The Merchant Magazine ers Emporium remained closed June 29 for evaluation of structural damage. Shelves had toppled with merchandise clogging the aisles, according to a spokesperson for the chain.

Homestead's location on a rise appeared to ride out the quake better than lowerareas inYucca Valley, RexWillis, Apple Valley manager, said. Although most of the merchandise hit the floor, the structure was okay and lumberstacks outside were intact, he reported. Despite the mess, the store opened to supply homeowners for clean up and repairs. Cotter and several suppliers were rushing truck loads of needed materials to them and the store had sent a truck to Los Angeles to pick up additional plumbing supplies, Willis reported.

Both his store, 50 miles awaY, and 29 Palms Homestead, 25 miles from Yucca Valley, had a lot of merchandise to clean off the floor, Willis added'

In the mountain resort of Big Bear, Bob Butcher, Butcher Block Building Materials, estimated between $70'000 -$100,000 damage, mostlY from destroyed merchandise. With the safety of the building not yet determined, "we are kind of open for business," he

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(Continued liom page 4l) two containers of radiata pine from Chile to clear USDA inspection at Seattle, Wa. The logs arrived June 13 and will probably be released in about two months, Calvin Bass, vice president, said. The company has five more containers due to arrive around July 15. Bass said all logs have been debarked and fumigated.

"They don't want us to do this," he said. "The delay is (expletive)." The company's lawyers are contacting congressmen and others in Washington, D.C., hoping to speed things up, he added.

Angered by the delay which will probably cause the pine to blue, Bass said it was imported for use as plywood inner core and lumber. A spin-off of Peny H. Koplik, his company has ties in Russia as well as Chile.

Bob Burger, pine import manager, Tumac Lumber Co., Redding, Ca., has only praise for the USDA. Although there have been delays, he maintains USDA must follow a sensible process and do a proper and complete study of possible pest hazards.

Upon the request of the New Zealand government, USDA sent a Forest Service team to that country in the spring to do a risk analysis, he explained. Following their assessment, findings will go to a peer review group before a final recornmendation is made by the Forest Service to USDA Animal, Plant Health and Inspection Service (APHIS) and then to the Secretary of Agriculture. It is highly possible a policy for importing debarked, fumigated logs from New Zealand will be in place by September, Burger said.

Burger is impatient with those who ignore regulations and try to circumvent the process. The USDA can't begin to develop a protocol for importing logs until a country requests research and development, he maintains, and neither Russia nor Chile have done so.

Agreeing with all that the USDA does, he points out that it is possible to import kiln sterile logs. This process requires the logs to be held at a 160 degree temperature for over 75 minutes, dried to a moisture content of less than 13.8% and kept kiln sterile before and during shipment. Even though logs in New Zealand and Chile are plantation grown, this process is needed to insure that they are pest free, Burger added.

No import bans exist on finished lumber and millwork. New Zealand radiata pine comes into West Coast ports on a regular basis, much of it for moulding manufacture. Western Wholesale Moulding, Glendale, Az., is among those manufacturing radiata pine mouldings. Although they are in the heart of the largest U.S. ponderosa pine fotest, they are cutting radiata pine for some mouldings and making Santa Fe moulding from southem pine.