THE CALIFOR}.IIA LUMBERMERCHANT

W. T. BTACK

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How l-rumber lrooks

The holiday shutdorvn at the West Coast sar",,mills in general n'ill be longer this year. Some mills rvill go dorvn for the regular trvo weeks, lvhile others rvill be closed for about four rveeks. A few .lvill close only for the holidays, December 25 and January l.

Pcrrtland, Oregon, December 22-Luml>er production from West Coast sar,vmills fell off during November in the iace of curtailed demand and total olrtput to date in 1948 fell lrehind 1.947 figures for the same period, reports H. V. Simpson executive vice president of \Yest Coast Lumbermen's Association.

The u'eekly average of West Coast Lumber production in November was 150,012,000 board feet or 95.0/o of the 1943-1947 average. Orders averaged 112,059,000 board feet; Shipments 126,872,000 board feet. \\reekly averages for October were: Production 163,331,000 board feet (103.4% of the 1942-1947 a\:erage) ; Orders 13(r,876,000 board feet; Shipments 151,268,000 board feet.

Forty-seven 'rveeks of 1948 curnulative procluction 7,903,638,000 l>oard feet; forty-seven u.eeks ol 1,947, 7,994,964,000 board feet; for1.-seven l'eeks oi 1946, 7,056,371,CA} Iroard feet.

N{ills in the Douglas fir region produced

7,903,638,000 board feet in the first eler.en montl-rs of the year, Simpson saicl. 93 million feet behind last year's record lumber cut. The lumber leader listed three main factors as effecting 1948 lumber output; unseasonal spring floods, boom and longshore strikes ancl less denrand.

The lumber industry, n'hich has hardly stopped to take an extra breath since the end of the war, Simpson said, has final11' caught up n'itl.r the pentup dem.and for lumber for housir-rg and industrial uses. Simpson reported that there is ample lumber available for any foreseeable housing program.

Simpson said the West Coast lumber inclustry \\'as producing tu'o billion feet a year of ir.rexpensir.e rrtility and economy grades of lumber suitable for use ir-r 1ou'-cost homes.

Orclers for forty-seven rveeks of 1948 break-dorvn as fr>llorvs: Rail 5,385,058,000 board fiet. I)omestic Cargo

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