N EWS BRI ETS

About 2 million housing starts for 1973 has been predicted bY a syrnposium of housing forecast' ers, according to the Federal Home Loan Bank Board; they see an additional600,000 mobile homes being constructed . the N'tl Assn. of Real Estate Boards foresees a continued good, supply of rnoney and no appreciable interest hikes d,ue . .

Mccraw-Hill projects new construction in the U.S. in '73 at $88.5 billion, the sarne leael as th.is year; residential bldg. is expected to dip about LO/o, non. residential to gain 8% ... United Calif. Bank sees '73 as one ol the economy's best in 2 decad,es, with consumer spending up 9.3%, sales gains for business of better than 9% and corp. a{ter-tax profits up I3/o . ,

S&I assns. during Oct. closed a record, #4.5 billion in mortgage loans, $$ inflow into their cofiers continues strong and expectations for '73 are for a continued flow of reasonably priced funds for building . mobile home construction exceeded 500,000 in the lst I0 mos. of '72, a new record; in Calif., 26/o oI the single-family housing market is in mobile homes, according to Wells Fargo Bank . .

The federal Trade Commission has tentatiuely OK'd GeorgiaPacific to spin-off about 20/o ol their assets to form that new co., Louisiana-Pacific. in settlement of an FTC charge that G-P has unfairly dominated the southern plywood market; G-P adnrits no law uiolation (see The Merchant, Aug., p. 17) a final public hearing is scheduled in Washington, D.C., Dec. 18 . .

Company officials expect a final OK and anticipate L-P being wholly operatiue in early'73 the L-P operation in the Los An' geles area has moaed from Nel' son Ave., City of Industry, to the Whittier Fi,nancial Center. Whit' tier, Ca.; it continues under the d,irection of Bob Heberle as re' gional mgr.; it is a direct company mill lumber sales operation

Ward, & Harrington Lumber Co., a major Orange County, Ca., retailer and wholesaler (thru their Warington div.) has been sold to N ational Building Centers, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lone Star Industries, Creenu,ich, Conn., which recently acquired Sun Lumbcr Co., San Pedro; no price was disclosed for either sale .

Fred, C. Holrnes Lumber Co., Ft. Bragg, Ca., has bought Morrison and Jackson Lumber Co.o a sawmill, and a 50/o interest in Englewood Lumber Co., Redcrest, Ca. and is now handling all sales for Englewood... no figures were released on the transactions

The WWPA has been adiusting its programs following the recent resignation of the 'Weyerhaeuser Co. from the assn. It had contributed an estimated, 15% ol WWPA reuenues; big W said the forest resource programs were "not responsiae to rnaior needs ot' all mernbers ot' th.e industry"...

Herb Thompson has formed his own co., Thompson Forest Prod" ucts, in Clovis (Fresno), Ca., he had been with Reid & Wright for 3 years, Wendling Nathan for the previous 17 . Builders Ernpor' iurn has opened their 37th and 38th stores: Chula Vista, Cu., and Long Beach . . Hoff BId'g. Supply is in construction on a new bldg. in Blackfoot, Idaho .

Acme Trading and SupPlY, Portland, has opened new quar' ters on S.W. Yeon Ave. Lum' ber City is now building its 7th store, in Simi, Ca.; a March open,ing is set . Ganahl Lum' ber in Corona, Ca., plans a move to bigger quarters in mid-'73 (firm is the old Hayward Lumber Co.) Harney's BIdg. SuP' plles, Kimberly, Idaho, plans a Spring opening for their bigger location near Hansen Bridge .

Cal-Era Lumber has sold off 12 acres in Sacramento, Ca., to a S.F. development firm, no price disclosed . McCormick Lum6cr, West Salem, Ore., recently purchased the Capital Cabinet Co., no price given . Calit'. Portland Cement has formed a new, wholly-owned subsidiary in L.A. called Pacif.c Prestressed ProductsCo....

Arson is suspected, in the $200,000 fire that burned Cashuay Luntber Mart, Boulder, Colo., recently, some 60 men worked to extinguished the blaze . fire destroyed the old Harrah Hardware and Lumber Co., Pasco, Wash., recently, no damage estimate is available

PIum Creek Lurnber, a Burlington Northern R.R. subsidiary, plans to build a #10 million par' ticleboard plant in Columbia Falls, Mont., in early '73 Gresham, Ore., build.ing permit aalue doubled during Oct., about 20/o above the previous year's figure , Kaiser Cypsum has nearly completed a $4 million modernization of their Long Beach, Ca., wallboard, rnf S. pla.nt

A slight increase was registered in housing starts in Oct. (latest figs.) they inched up nearly 2/o to 2,410,000 on a seasonally adjusted annual rale, permits were at a slightly lower rate . .. lumber production in Sept. (latest figs.) declined 5/o from the preaious mo., but were L.S/o ahead of the previous year's figures.