Market for Building Materials Should Be Fairfy Satisfactory in 1952, Says Northup

Washington, D.C., Dec. 8.-The market for building materials commonly handled by retail lumber and building materials tlealers should be fairly satisfactory in1952, if defense agencies do not reverse the signals which they have been calling in recent weelts, H. R. Northup, executive vice president of the National Retail Lumber Dealers Association, stated.

"Vcrlume may be down about 20 per cent for the year as a rvhole so far as nerv construction is concerned, but there should be no in.rportant drop in sales for repair and rnodertrization work," \Ir. Northup said.

"Dealers are entering the new year with rnore or less nonnal inverrtories, and no general shortages have been reported to date.

"A major part of the average retail lun-rber clealer's salcs go r'nto the housing, fann, commercial, and repair rnarkets. The voltune of nelr' commercial construction apparently is to be helcl dolr'n drastically, at least in the first half of the year, but housing clemand should not decline more than about 20 to 25 l)cr cent. if Xlobilizer Wilson's announced target of 850,000 ttnits remains in effect, a.nd no declir-re is anticipated in farm denl:rnd.

"Much will depend on hor.r' r,r'ell the self-certification plan tt'orks out. If it is retained on about the present basis, a consiclerable amount of smaller light construction work will go aheacl, especially if builders and contractors use a minimum arnount of critical material. There should be plenty of all types of lurnber to use in place of structural steel in housing and other structures.

"'The fact that 1952 is an election year may well serve t0 avert any atternpts to cut light construction back too severeh' because too manv millions of people would be directly affected and the actual r.naterial savings rn''oulcl mean relatively little to the over-all clefense prograrn."

U. S. Hqs 46 Million Homes

There are nearlv 46 million dn'elling units in the United States, according to the 1950 Census. This is an increase of 8.5.50,000 or 231', since 1940.

Huck Atterbury of Beaver Lumber Sales Co., Sar.r Francisco, attended the government lumber auction at Portland, December 11 and 12. He made the trip by air. Bill Ramsay of this firm, made an auto trip to Reno, Nevada, and Susanville, Calif., and visited their orvn mills at Medford on the rray back.

Jrle Thrdy, E. J."Sffftonl& Soli;-Loi Angeles, attended the annual Christmas party of the Phoenix (Arizona) HooHoo Club held at the Arizona Country Club the evening of December 20.

Mac Maakestad, Capital Lumber Co., Sacramento, spent the Christmas holidays with his sister, Mrs. Bill Gall, of Pasadena. Mac took time out to visit some of his old lumber friends in Los Angeles.