NEUUS BMilEFS

: ', All the housing experts , "knewl the boom was ovei, ,at '"'' sdmeone forgot ta tell the numberc. they came on strong and , r',t&ll at 1,935,000 units in lune on a seasonally-adjusted annual basis,up 5.70h from May to set 79's highest level. .

Despite the surprise showing in ,,:' Jttie,''starts for the year are still aff l2Vo from the same period in '78 and are widely expected to ,, fQc€de. . . still it indicates re, markabla demand despite high 'home prices and^ costiy mortgage $$.

Single-family starts popped up 4.50/o in June (latest figs.); ..-.:tllulljs were up a strong 8.3%, equal to 78's boomy level. .. bldg. permits rose 2ol0, indicating a ' 1,647,000 unit annual rate, f7o/o behind the year-earlier pace; single family permits fell 4.40/0, multi-family permits were up l3o/0... permits were down in the West, but rose in the rest of rhe u.s. ...

Builders generally report . sales drops, lighter traffic, a , g:owing inventory of unsold homes; d-i-y sales are antici: pat€d to take up much of the slack... regions are expected to ':r,, YErL with the West escaping the leorsf af the slump, both in housing and the recession generally.

Banks report strong loan demand in the West, s&ls in Ca., Az. & Nv. had a record inflow of savings in June, the thrift institutions are still the primary source for mortgage $$. . the prime (lowest) lending rate moved back up to ll-3l4olo from ll-l/20/0, which will mean more expenslve mortgages. .

Kimberty-Ctark and Roseburg Lumber, Roseburg, Or., continue in negotiation for Roseburg to buy K-C's Ca. properties, including the Anderson plant and 323,000 acres of timberlands; no official figures so far, but observers place the sale price around $250 million in cash.

Construction contracts rose in June to $15.3 billion,up 5alo from the year earlier, says F. W. Dodge, which predicts '79 contracting to hit $164 billion, with physical vol. down 5olo from '78 peak. the Brick Institute predicts a slight improvement in commercial & industrial activity thisyear....

The National Lumber & Building Material Dealers Assn. plans major changes, including increased dues (double by '81) a merging of the two divisions, and a broader range of assn. activities. .. W.O.O.D., Inc, Denver, seeks a new exec. sec. to replace Frank Rovsek, who hasresigned....

The western lumber industry operated at 94.90/o of practical capacity in May (latest figs.) up 5.lo/o from the previous mo. .Los Angeles County has banned untreated wood roofs in unincorporated areas.

Ruilders Emporium, (a Wickes div.), expects to convert its 6 newly-acquired Coopers stores to the BE name as soon as possible... Handy Fair, a No. Ca. Chain, has been bought by the Ole's company, its lst move out of So. Ca.

Saveway Building Supply, Milton-Freewater, Or., has opened new units in Elgin and Pendleton, Or.,. ., .Natianal Lumber is completing remodelqng its Carson and Huntington Beach, Ca., stores.

Th3 llcrchant llagreln*

Pay'n Pak,Kent, Wa., hopes to open nearly a doz. new stores by early next year. .more than 1,700 exhibitors displayed at the National Housewares Mfgrs. lssr. national expo in Chicago last mo., making it the biggest ever. .

Westmark & Asssciates have moved to a new warehouse/o,f' fice facility, 130 McCormick Ave., Costa Mesa, Ca. .. .M. P. Dolan Lumber Co., San Pablo, Ca., suffered a recent fire, arson may be involved.

Califarnia Farest Products is a new Oakland, Ca., oflice wholesale firm est. by John Wilton, recently with Redwood Empire Inc. .Two Ox Traders plans to open a new oflice in Eureka, Ca., in about 3 mos., and will phase out their Arcata, Ca., office...

R&L Timber Sizing is a new Redway, Ca., firm started by extrueker Reg Radcliffe... Coait MfS., Eugene, Or., has purchased Hills Creek Lumber, Jasper, Or., no price re. vealed. .. PaciJic Tyee Trading Co. is a new Portland, Or.n wholesalefirm....

Eugene Planing Mill, Eugeqe, Or., has celebrated its newly remodeled quarters with two recent open houses. Don Abel Building Supplies, Juneau, Ak., had 2,500 visitors at their receRt open house. Billington's Home Building Supplies has acquired a second yard in Shelton, Wa., .

Adds & Ends Lumber in Denver has been'sold to Hulh M. Woods Co.by El Paso,based Cashway, no price reveal. ed. . . Boyle Lumber, Cayucos, Ca., has been closed.. K-Mart is bldg. al.l million sq. ft. warehouse in Onlario. Ca...

Idaho Timber Corp., Boise, Id., has purchased Factory Lumber Inc,, Whitefish, Mt.; n0 price disclosed. Flintkote Supplyhas opened its new Hesperia, Ca., facility and plans to be operational with their Bakersfield unit in Sept.

All Coast brings hard woods and soft woods from Canada, Washington, Oregon, ldaho and Northern California - Via water, rail, truck and trailer for distribution to you.

Our new complete remanufacturing and milling facility, "',., ''"'' distribution center ''i"iiri*1,i,: and fleet of trucks enable us to provide . dependable delivery service anywhere in the South West U.S.

Service is not our motto, it's our Business."