How Lrumber [rooks

Portland, Oregon, Dec. l7-Last year's all-time high lumber production records by Douglas fir sawmills u'ill not be topped this year, according to Harris E. Smith, secretary West Coast Lumbermen's Association.

At the end of eleven months of cutting, fir mills were sixty-five million feet short of equaling 1951 l1-month output, said Smith. He pointed out, however, that the industry .was maintaining a satisfactory volume of production and that lumber from this region is making a major contribution to the growth and expansion of the national economy.

Mills of the Douglas fir region have had a slightly larger order file than last year, but have shipped a fraction less lumber, Smith said. More than one third of the nation's softwood lumber comes from western Oregon and Washington:

The weekly average of West Coast Lumber production in November was 2O2,2|O,O@ b.f. or lO8.O% of. the 19471951 average. Orders averaged l92,Ol6,m b.f.; shipments srx Fltltcllco otFtcE at the end of November, gross stocks at 1,030,426.m b.f. Lumber shipments of 4&1 mills reporting tb the National Lumber Trade Barometer rvere 5.7 per cent below production for the rveek ended December 6. 1952- In the same rveek nerv orders of these mills rvere 8.1 per cent below production. Unhlled orders of the reporting mills amounted to 33 per cent of stocks. For the reporting softrvood mills unfilled orders u'ere equivalent to 19 days' production at the current rate, and gross stocks rvere equivalent to- 55 days' production.

192,708,0N b.f . Weekly averages for October were: Production 208,120,W0 b.f..; lll.2/o of the 1947-1951 average) ; orders 199,815,000 b.f.; shipments N4,896,000 b.f.

Eleven months of. l95Z cumulative production 9,622,624,OCO b.f.; eleven months of 1951, 9,687,743,W b.f.; eleven months of 1950, 9,n7 304,m0 b.f..

Orders for eleven months of 1952 breakdown as follorvs: Rail and trrck6,712,447,m b.f.; domestic cargo 1,995,449,' 000 b.f.; export 233,812,0N b.f.; local 46I,492,W b.f..

The industry's unfilled order file stood at 755,2W,W0 b.f.

W.

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