Fir Plywood Leads Building Material Comeback

The close of the year fin<ts building materials of all sorts-wood and atl other standard materials--+njoying the strongcst kind of trrarkets. A concern of national reputc and distribtttion that makes an<l sells building materials other than wood all over the United States, rePorts that evcry thing it makcs is in powerful demand, and that most of their products are several weeks behind in delivery' They can sec nothing else in sight for months to come'

Ilut the strongest comeback being done by any building material in the entire list, is Fir l'lywood. f)uring the war this material rose to new heights both as to demand ancl price. Late in 1948 demand and price both started slumping, and the price went steadily downward from a top of about $95 at the mill for quarter inch board, to a low closc to $60 in July, 1949. Then it suddenly startcd going up again, and to<lay the price of that same item is above $80, and still rising at last rep()rts. Every item thc plywood mills makc has improved accordingly'

Thc raw material for the board has gone up like a balloon. Logs that could be bought for $60 a tl-rousand last summer are now up to $90, thus forcing the producers to shove up the plywood prices' And logs will grow scarcer as the winter progresses and logging drops off. Prodttction of I'lywood is averaging 35 million feet a week for thc past couple of months, while orders have been far greater than that, thus piling up a lot of unlilled business' Th" Ply*,rod producers think their business volume likely to hclld up ftlr rnonths to come. Inventories are low in all plywood hands, retailers, jobbcrs, and mills. So Irir Plywood looks particularly strong.

Yicegerent Snarks Appointed For Northern California

H. M. Schaur, Jr., Deputy State Snark for Northern California, South San Francisco, has announced the appointment of Vicegerent Snarks for the variotts Hoo-Hoo <listricts as follows :

Iiureka, Jim II. Berry, Twin Harbors Lumber Co', Iiureka.

San Francisco, Fred J. Ziese, Sr., Gamerston & Green Lumber Co., San Francisco.

Oakland, Tom Jacobsen, Piedmont Lumber & Mill Co', Oakland.

Sacramento, Gordon Brawith, Lansberg l.umber Co', Sacramento.

Coast Counties, Jim Hennessy, Rounds Trading Co', Salinas.

Fresno, Robert F. Reid, Reid & Wright Co., Fresno'

...But SHE doesn't know \fHY

Few properry owners have ever seen or bought an Acme Sash Balance. It is one of those all-imPortant conveniences, selected by architects or builders, and installed in the frames before double-hung wooden windows are put in place. An Acme Sash Balance rarely, if ever, has to be removed during the life of the building.

Foresters Expect Bigger Ski Season

It's merry ski-time in California. And indications are that more skiers will be tracking the white mountain slopes this season than ever before.

"California region led all other regions of the U. S. Forest Service last year, with a total of 580,000 visits to ski areas on national forests," says Millard M. Barnum, assistant regional forester at San Francisco. "But that was just a fair season, because of unfavorable mid-winter weather. 'We expe'ct California will maintain its leading position this year, and go on to exceed the previous best record-the 650,000 visits in the pre-war ski season of l940-4I'"

Two new ski areas and two new ski-lifts at existing areas are added attractions this winter'

The new areas are Squaw Valley, near Lake Tahoe and partly within the Tahoe National Forest, offering a double-chair lift 8,000 feet long and a new lodge; and Big Bear, at Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino National Forest, offering a chair lift 3,016 feet long.

The other new lifts are a T-bar lift 1,350 feet long at Mile-High resort near Long Barn in the Stanislaus National Forest; and a new chair lift 5,130 feet long at Snow Valley, 30 miles from San Bernardino in the San Bernardino National Forest.

Inductricl Lumbcrmcnrr Club Har Chrirtmar Pefty

The Industrial l.umbertnen's Club of Southern California had a Christrrras Party at the Industrial Club, Los Angeles, Friday evening, I)ecenrber 9. About 100 were prcsent, including the Clull's urembers, salesmen and guests' Thcre was a cocktail hour starting at (l:00 p.m., and the group sat down to an excellent dinner at 7:00 p.m'

Arthur Koehler, wood technologist, formerly with the U.S. Forest Service Lalroratory at Madison, Wis., answcrcd a number of questions regarding the moisture content of u'rxrrl and the kiln drying of lumller. Mr. Koehler is now tcaching at the University of California at Los Angeles'

An interesting souncl motion picture, "Mahogany-Wood of the Ages," shou'n through the cottrtesy of the Mahogany Association Inc., rvas enjoyed by the gathering.

IIal Von Breton is Cllub president, and Ii. G. lieel, secretary.

Hcnold I. Plunkett Elected Nctioncl-American Director

Acting un<lcr by-las' llrovisiotrs, the board of dircctors has nnanimously elected Harold J. Plunkett as a director of the National-American Wholesale I-umber Association to fill the vacancy caused on the board by the death of Otis N. Shepard. Mr. Plunkett rvill serve until the 58th annual rnccting of the Association to be held at Chicago I\Iay 2-3, 1950.