NEWS BRIETS

The forest products industry has stepped up the telling of its side of the story regarding high lumber prices as it reacts to five separate government investi' gatiorts at the federal level

"Hopeless mismanagement ot the one-half of the nation's timber supply owned by the federal government" was called the main reason for increased lumber and plywood prices by the National Forest Products Associ;.rtion .

Paul F. Ehinger, Edward Hines Lunrber Co., Eugene, Or., told a U.S. Senate committee that a ''state of emergency" exists in federal timber supply" wood from f'ed. lands provides raw material fbr over half the softwood lumber & plvwood mills in the West . .

Louisiana-Pacific chairman & pres. Hrrry Mcrlo called on the Carter administration and Congress to demand the same management standards on federal lands as on industry forest land many in the forest products industry have welcomed the investigatirons as a way to build public support for increased cutting on federal lands

Champion Building Products was fined $6,250 in connection with a 1976 explosion and fire at its U. S. Plywood particleboard plant in Shasta County (Ca.) that lefl 7 persons dead and five injured; the $25 million plant was destroyed when an "excessive" amount of sawdust exploded and touclied off thet'irc...

Housing starts for Sept. (latest available) continued strong; 2,040,000, upahair fiom

Aug.'s 2.034.000 and l5% above a year earlier . single family starts were 1,492,000, 2nd highest rate for the year, starts rose in the West. but not in all other U.S.regions...

Economist Michael Sumichrast said the bldg. rate "won't cotttinue," citing a drop in the inflow of deposits to s&ls of 307,' from year earlier levels . he feels the decline in the $$ supply for homebuilding "is going to affect housing quite severery

Most banks' prime (lowest) lending rate is now 7 -3147o: some s&ls have hiked their mortgage rate to 9-114%; a Citicorp survey found consumer confidence at a [S-mo. low; and the Federal Reserve Board has been moving to tighten credit, increase interest rates, all of which support the widely held view of a return to more "normal" markets in '78. .

Kaiser Cement & Gypsum's 3rd quarter earnings set a record, Georgia-Pacific net income hit a record, with sales over $ I billion for the l st time . Masonite had record sales inits FY; Louisiana-Pacific had record sales and cash flow;Southwest Foresl Industries notched a 3rd quarter earnings record . many other majors reported strong sales & earningsnos....

Dant & Russell, Portland, has new dry kilns al" its Warrenton. Or., plant with 60 million ft. capacity per year due to come on stream in about 60 days Arcata National has revealed interest in expanding into new areas in forest products, but declines to be more specific . .

The Merchant Magazine

Vornado, Inc. has agreed in principle to sell its 58-unit Builders E,mporium stores to W. R. Grace & Co. for an undisclosed amount of cash I 46 BE stores are in California, the rest are in the East Chicago Mercantile Exchange begins trading Dec. l, in a new stud lumber contract: I 00.000 b.f. of construction-grade 2x4s of spruee pine fir, Englemann spruce & lodgepole pine

Delta Forest Products is a new Portland, Or., firm with a wholesale distribution yard in Riverside. Ca. Rainier Forest Products, Seattle is a new wholesaler, headed by Ralph Allen l|ard & Harrington plans a Dec. groundbreaking for a new retail store, Oceanside, Ca., at Vista Fwy & Camino Real parent corp. National Building Centers plans to build a new store in Fox Hills (Los Angeles) off Hyw 5 . ..

Babbitt Bros. Trading has a new retail store in Flagstaff, Az.. . Boyd-Lovesee Lumber has put up a new 4300 sq. ft. office/store at their Riverside, Ca., yard; the fully paved yard, with 6 car RR spur, has 24,000 sq. ft.of metal bldgs., firm does 99% builder/contractor sales

Co peland Lumb er, McMinville, Or. hopes to move into its new store by the end of '7^l . Dixon Hardware & Lumber is a new Dixon, Ca., retailer Intermountain-Orient, Inc. has moved to new quarters on Executive Dr.. Boise. Id.

Down River Forest Products plans to move its corp. Hq. from Detroit to Sacramento, Ca. this fall .. .Pacific Southeast Forest Products has moved into new offices in Fair Oaks (Sacramento),Ca....

Lemore Lumber, Lemore, Ca., has moved to a new 7000 sq. ft. blde.

Fir plywood

Partieleboard

Knotty pine & cedar

Marine plywood

Crezon overlay

Exterior plywood sidingse ineludirg redwoodo fir & eedar

Hardwood plywood (full line)

Prefinished paneling (full line)

Sheathing

Moulrling, hardboard

Hardwood lumber

Glues & ftnishes

Softboard & tile

Famowood