BUITD BEITER HOIUIES

Wcrtcrn Pinc Qurrtcrly Rcport, End Yca 4 1949

I)ortland, Ore., Dec. 3l-The following report of fourth quarter production and shipments of Western Pine Region Iurnber and lumber products and an estimate of proballle first quarter, 1950, shipments were released today by S. V. Fullaway, Jr., secrctary-manager of the Western I,ine association. 'Ihe rellort covered Idaho White Pine, Ponderosa l'ine, Sugar Pine and associatecl woods. The statement in full :

"Iiin:rl figtr:es oI 1949 performance by the Western I,inc industry are, of course, n()t yet available. The past year h:rs bcen an unusual onc in several respects and, for that rers()r1, accurate estinrates are difficult to make at this timc. l'he facts at han<l shorv that regional shipments during thc last (luarter tvere ylrobal>ly at lleak levels for that scason an<l in<licatc that, frlr the year as a whole, both pro<luctirrrr ar.rrl shillments were near the 6l l>illi<tn mark. This conrp:rrcs rvith a pro<luction of.7,144 million and shiprrcnts of (i,(rZlJ rrrillion <luring 194f3.

"'fhc 1l:rst vcar has bcen a period of economic relr<ljustnrcrrt. Lintil rvell into thc thir<l quarter, lumber <lcnran<l rvas clclinitcly belorv that of 1948. As pointed out in thc thircl quarter forecast, those mills, which could furnish present dav requirertrents of the buyer and could producc at:r cost iu line rvitlt current market values, have enjoyed an exccllent volunre of busincss at near 1948 levels. The rcduction in total rcgional pcrformance has resultccl largely fnrm the lower operating rate of marginal units and of units with inade<1uate facilities to furnish customer requirements.

"On l)cember 31, 19.19, regional lumber stocks at mills arc cstimated at 1,638 million, dorvn about 40 million from :t yc:lr ago. The regional trnfilled order filc is large, ap1r:rrcntly in excess of 700 million feet.

"llcsidcntial construction during 1949 exceeded that of thc p:cvious year. 'fhe record nunrber of starts and the volurnc of ncrv contracts during the past ferv months, lx)int to a good lunrbcr <lerrrand in thc first half of 1950. llasc<l orr all infornration available, it norv sccnts probable that, during the first quartcr of 1950, shipments (consumption) of lurrrber from the Western Pine region will appro.xirnate 1,400 million or about 40 percent alrove those for thc sanrc 1949 period, rvhen scvere tvinter rveirthcr and thc uncertain business outlook seriouslv :rffecte<l rcgional sh i llnrcn t s. "

Atkinson-Stutz Chrigtmcs Pcrrty

Atkinson-Stutz Co., San Francisc(), gavc it ('hristnTas lxrrtv frlr thcir California salcs arr<l officc st:rff at John's f{cttrlczvous, Sltn I.'r;tncisco, l)ecentltcr 2'2.

New Forest Supervisor

ClifTord Ii. McDuff became Forest Supervisor of the Coconino National Fr-rrest in Arizona on January 1. He was formerly Forest Supervisor of the Prescott National Forest.

Gordon