Fred C . Holmes'.tsT'?'^\'

A. Hmmmm. Well, let's say like being married to the same woman for that long a period.

Q. I think I understand. You have, however, engaged in outside activities. Is that not somewhat mitigating?

A. Absolutely. Very helpful in staving off Alzheimer's Disease.

Q. What changes have struck you over the years?

A. Many. In those earlier years there were many very large retailers [in Southern California] that are no more. They closed shop or sold out. There was Hammond, Owens-Parks, Consolidated, E. K. Wood, PattenBlinn, San Pedro, Sun, Rossman, Whiting-Mead, Ward & Harrington, Roseburg, P.D. Starr. In San Diego we had Western, Dixie, San Diego, Benson, Century, National.

Q. They used a lot of lumber?

A. Damn right. We lumbermen of that era have often discussed it. We're convinced that the quantity of lumber, the footage that came into Southern Cal in those earlier years far exceeded what has come down ever sinceeven through the more recent boom years.

Q. How do you support what you say?

A. Although there seems to be no valid records, bear in mind the sizes of those earlier day yards. In one year (I cannot tell you just which one) Dave Miller, Sr., of Moore-Oregon told me he had shipped 88 million feet of cargo into Hammond. And Hammond, of course, was buying from many other mills as well.

Cargo was a big factor. The Oliver J. Olson Co. ran eight ships constant- ly. At the same time W. R. Chamberlin Co. was operating three vessels. And a few coodle-moodle operators were pot-shotting here and there. Booking a 5 million foot cargo order was not uncommon.

And rail shipments were big-very big. A 60 car order hardly raised the blood pressure. Even moderate sized yards seemed to have l0 or more cars on their sidings at all times.

Q. But wasn't handling much slower in that period?

A. Right. The packaging of lumber had not come about. Cars were hand loaded and unloaded stick by stick. So it was with the stowage and discharge of cargo. Thus turnabout was indeed slower. But hardly commensurately so.

The post WWII building boom was perhaps the greatest ever. Entire cities -Lakewood, Ca., for one, were built. Moreover, houses then used more lumber.

Q. Weren't there many more sawmills then?

A. Many, many, many more. One behind almost every thick tree. And the production from our Northwest was enormous: as was the local consumption.

Q. How do you see the future?

A. The New York stock market is enigmatic. Ever present are the hi-tech analysts predicting whatever you may wish to hear. Yet the convolutions and vicissitudes of that market are mere squiggles compared to the barrel-house flip flops, the peak-valley gyrations of lumber. Henry Kaufman of Salomon Brothers would soon become a gibbering idiot were he to assay lumber prognostication.

Q. Interesting . . but what is your prediction?

A. I've only been in this thing some 35 years. Give me time. Try my 35 years hence.

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