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MORE DlSTRlBUT|0ll and warehousing; a moderate, sluggish recovery; and demand outpacing supply was forecast by Dr. Shirley Stephenson in her talk before a recent regional meeting of the National Building Material Distributors Assn. in Los Angeles. The economist said the next 15 months in California deoend on the cost and availability of credit. (1) Dr. Shirley Stephenson with Jim 0uillen of Albuquerque, N.M. (2) Ken Christopher, Bill Horn, Paul Simon, Jerry Conrad, Stan Frahm, Dick Ferrell. (3) William Johnson, Fred Losch, Dean Phillips. (4)

F000, DRll{K and 25 factory displays drew a crowd 0f 300 to the Lumber Products warehouse, Portland, 0r., for a customer open h0use. Ted Johnson, Mt. Hood Woodworkinq, was the lucky winner of the top door prize, a 15" color tv,-one of 12 gifts given away, according to Werner Richen, a company exec.

Volcano Costs Erupt

The eruption of Mount St. Helens is costing the Weyerhaeuser Co., Tacoma, Wa., about $66 million, pre-tax value, in losses, according to figures released recently.

Loss of standing timber, logs, buildings, equipment and transportation systems plus the cost of replanting the scorched area and salvaging trees flattened by the blast are figured into the amount which is labeled an extraordinary item.

The blast raked about 68,000 acres of company timberland. This damage is reported to have cut the company's third quarter profit by ab'out $36 million or 299 a sh^are.

Less Plywood Goes by Rail

A decline in plywood shipments by rail has been noted by the American Plywood Association in a recent report. The amount of plywood going to market by rail was 69Vo for all manufacturing regions in 1977, 62Vo in 1978 and 59Vo in 1979.

Percentages of shipments via rail by region in each of the three years were:

1977-Western, 767o, Inland, 617o, Southern, 65Vo:

1978- Western, 73Vo, Inland, 58Vo, Southern, 5l7o;

1979- Western, 7l%o, lnland, 56Vo, Southern, 487o.

These figures are based on reports to the associatioh by industry members, with an average of SlVo of industry reporting.

APA Resource & Industry Services Director Dub Page comments: "In spite of the fact that rail is the obvious way for most plvwood to eo to market. a combination of potir service dnil exorbitait prices is Torcing mills into other alternatives."