The Sup reme Nine at Milwa ukee

Dealert Have Enough Yard Capacity to Store a Year's Production o[ Lumber

The nation's 26,000 retail lumber and building materials dealers have enough yard capacity to store more than a full year's production of lumber in case stockpiling becomes desirable for defense purposes, H. R. Northup, executive vice president of th6 National Retail Lumber Dealers Association, announced.

"Retail dealers can accommodate a total of 70 billion board feet in their yards and in other adjacent space, according to a comprehensive survey made by NRLDA at the request of Federal agencies," Mr. Northup said.

"The country's lumber yards also have sufficient trackage to permit 103,000 freight cars containing 2.5 billion board feet to be unloaded at one time.

"In addition, dealers have more than 88,000 trucks, tractors, and other r.nechanized handling equipment with which to move lumber supplies from retail yards to points where it might be needed quickly in any emergency and have 9,552 planing mills anf, 1,148 drv kilns.

"In view of the fact that these yards are strategically located across the country with respect to population, our association is recommending that in the event of a serious emergency, regular retail storage space be utilized to accommodate any inventories which the government may desire to accumulate.

"So far as is known, no plans for stockpiling large quantities of lumber are contemplated at this time, although moderate inventories are being built up to meet the current needs of the rearmament program.

"Because of the rapid rate at which lumber has been used so far this year, inventories in retail yards at the present time are only. about 5.5 billion board feet, but the yards are ready to receive large additional supplies as fast as they can be produced and delivered."