NEWS tsMilEFS

HUD Sec. Patricia Harris has asked the fed's Council on Wage & Price Stability to investigate "an inexplicabte but dramatic rise " in lumber prices since July no suggestion was made that the gov. would try and force lower lumber prices . most forest products people said prices were simply reacting tosupply&demand...

Fear that home prices would rise beyond the means of the average family apparently triggered the move . insulation shortages and recent price hikes of 5%*10% will also be investigated National Association of Home Builders quickly applauded HUD's action, rumbling that "Price rollbacks for some lumber and wood commodities may be inorder"...

NAHB, citing figs. that claim lumber and wood product Prices have risen 20% in the past mo., 40% in the past year and 90% in the past 2 years, saYs HUD's action is a "clear signal" to lumber producers that home buYers won't tolerate further Price increases

New home prices continue uPward: median price of a new home nationally is now approx. $50,000 while the average Price of 33,257 homes & condos in 7 So. Calif. counties in June was a whopping $77,70O . . Conference Board survey shows a record no. of families nationallY still intend to buy

"Better than expected" was the consensus on July housing starts . 2,064,0O0 up 8.17o from June's upward revised 1,910,000 pace and 46.lVo over a year ago; bldg. permits were down 2.9% nationally. but up a touch in the West

Palmer G. Lewis Co.. Auburn, Wa., has acquired Lumber Dealers Materials Co., Sacramento, Ca., for over $l million; PGL has l3 wholesale distribution outlets in the Pacific N.W. & Alaska. LDM has three in No. Ca. the acquisition is expected to add lWa to PGL's sales volume in'77, anticipated at $75 million

No changes are planned at LDM, which will continue to operate as a separate entity. both wholesalers have been in business over 40 years; transaction is expected to be finalized in about 2 mos.

A long planned merger of the National Home Improvement Council and the National Remodelers Assn. has gotten a tentative OK from both boards . wedding date now set for May '78; proposed new name is National Home Improvement Assn. . .

This mo. is generally the most fire-critical for both coast and inland forests . major blazes during the summer burned approx. 150,000 total acres in No. Ca., more than 12,000 acres of federal forests in Or. and Wa. . efforts are proceeding on burned over lands to salvage as much timber as possible

During the lst 7 mos. of '77, 1,138,000 housing units were started, 32.8% more than the 856,900 started in the same period a year previous . Bob Prouty and Steve Morgan are the new owners of North Sierra Forest Products, Sacramento, Ca.; old hand Oddie Dalen will continue to assist them . .

Fremont Farest Praducts has moved across town into larger offices in Whittier, Ca., Connor Lumber Sc.les has moved its Hq. office from San Marino, Ca. to Rialto, site of its new distribution yard . . . Payless Cashways has completed its move to new Hq. in Kansas City, Mo., from Denver

Four of the biggest plywood producers in Canada are currently being investigated bY the Canadian Dept. of Consumer & Corporate Affairs regarding PIYwood prices included are MacMillan Bloedel, Weldwood of Canada, Crown Zellerbach Canada and British Columbia Forest Products.

Grossman's plans a new retail store in Oceanside, Ca. Foot' hill Building SupplY is in a new store on Hyw. 12, near Burson, Ca., . Lumber City is in construction on a new store in Montrose, Ca., . Cobb Lumber plans to build a new Yard on the site of the old Eri Lumber Mill, Gresham,Or....

Eugene Hardware, Eugene, Or., has opened a new lumber store on Oak St. . . . Champion Building Products, Anderson, Ca., has resumed plywood production, discontinued in '74; a $ 1.25 million modernization of their Mapleton, Or., plywood veneer plant is underway

Louisiana-Pacific plans to buy up to 1.5 million shares of its own stock on the open market, for stock dividends, options and stock purchase plans . . Fibre' board will close its Clear Fir Sales Co. Sept 30; Fibreboard has also sold its Eastern carton operations for $35 million . .

The American Plywood Association's Division for Product Approval (DFPA) has been renamed the Quality Services Div.; the old DFPA name relates back to APA's earlier handle: Douglas Fir Plywood Association