THE CALIFOR}.IIA LUMBERMERCHANT

Incorporcled under tbe lqws ol Cclilonic

I. C' Dionne, Pres. qnd Trecs.; f. E. Mcrtin, Vice Pres.; M. Adcns, Secrelcry Publighed the lst and lstb oI eqch month at Rooms 508-9-10, 108 West Sixth Street, Los Angeles, Cqlil., Telephone VAndike 4565 Ealered qs Secoud-clcgs mcller Septenber 25' 1922' ct tbe Post Ollic€ at Los Aogeles, Cclilonic, under Act oI Mcrcb 3, 1879

How Lumber Looks

Lumber shipments of 471 mills reporting to the National Lumber Trade Barometer in the holiday week ending December 31 were 9.0/o ahove production; new orders were I9.0% above. 1955 ended rvith shipments 0.5/, and new orders 0.9/o below production for the year to date.

West Coast Lumbermen's Association reported for 170 mills (103 operating) in the holiday r.r'eek ending December 31 : productron, 62,964,716 feet; shipments, 72,311,587 leet (14.9% over production) ; orders, 76,942,98+ teet (22.2/o over production.) F'or the year-to-date, shipments 'ivere 1.3/o and orders were 2.1/o under production, 'r,vhich exceeded 1954by ll.8%.

Preliminary lumber production figures for December at Douglas fir region sawmills reported by Harris E. Smith for the WCLA showed the weekly average 155,837,000 b'f.; orders averaged 170,530,000 b.f. and shipments 141,599,000 b.f.; only orders rvere above the November averages.

Western Pine Association reported lor 96 mills in the week ending December 24: production,64,362,000 feet ; shipments, 64,522,000 feet; orders, 69,951,000 feet (8.7/o above production). All categories tvere above 1954.

Delayed by the December storms, monthly reports for November from the 20 mills reporting to the California Redwood Association shorved production, 52,165,000 feet; shipments, 51,299,0C0 feet. Both 'n'ere ltelou' October llut above November 1954, and orders on hand rvere almost 13 million feet above 1954. Production and shipments for the first 11 months of 1955 were greater than 1954. it is esti- mated that 1955 redwood production by the reporting mills will total 8/o over 1954, with shipments l2/o above, despite disruption of ra,il shipments by the December storm damage; it is further estimated that orders 'lvill have increased 137o over 1954.

Yeors Ago .

Southern Pine Association reported fot 99 mills in the u'eek ending December 31 : production, 14,4O3,000 feet; shipn.rents, 11,701,00O feet;orders, 11,789,000 feet. All were belorv the 3-year average.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association reported orders rvere 3B/. above production in the final week of the year and reacl.red the highest 'iveekly total in the past three months at 95,6r!0,00O feet; they rvere also N/o aliove the previous r'veek as u,ell as the similar 1954 week. Production at 69,389,000 feet rvas 23.6% belorv the previous \\reek because of the holiday and flood conditions. The year ended with 4,W0,249,000 feet production 28.2/o, and 4,814,000,000 feet orders 17.5% a,bove 1954.

PLANK,

DOUGLAS