"statementsThey

Wish They Never lilade"

wno: Mr. B. F. Biagginio president Southern Pacific Company

Eurekao California

December 9,1964

"Today advanced engineering methods, modern earthmoving equipment and millions of dollars' worth of improvements through the Eel River Canyon haae ma.de the line (Northwestern Pa,cific) oirtunlly weatherprool, despite the rough and unstable country it traverses."

Los Angeles Hifs Plywood Fqilures

The city of Los Angeles has moved to put a halt to a high incidence of structural plywood failures which has caused serious problems in local construction during recent months.

According to R. L. Hohman of the city's Department of Building and Safety materials control division, 'oa substantial amount" of plywood used for sub-flooring and roofing entering the city is below grade and has delaminated' causing structural failures and many other problems.

Root of the trouble, city officials assert, is inadequate inspection at the mill level to insure that glueJines and veneer meet approved industry standards. Cure for the problem may come in tightening of regulations for plywood grading agencieso they feel.

At present, the city contends, the three industry grading agencies inspect the finished product only on occasion, possibly once a week. In the majority of instances, the test of glue line quality is not completed prior to shipment from the mills. In too many instances plywood is sold and installed and subsequently found to have failed the glue test. No attempt is made by the mills to retrieve plywood known to be below acceptable standards.

Hohman asserts that the solution to this problem, in addition to holding the plywood at the mill until the glue tests are completed, is to institute full-time inspection of the material to insure the quality of the inner veneers.

At a meeting, the Board of Building and Safety Commissioners expressed intent to establish more restrictive requirements for the licensing of agencies to grade structural plywood and further to require the licensing of the individual mills as approved manufacturers.

At this meeting representatives of the plywood industry countered the city's charges by affirming its desire to police itself. As evidence of good faith, the American Plywood Association submitted a list of new regulatory items, that will, the APA feels, assist in eliminating the amount of failures due to gluqline inspections through insistence upon strict adherence to the standards imposed by the industry itself. These regulations went into efiect January I.

1965 Looks Good-NHIC

Home improvement business will increase from $12 billion in 1963 to $13 billion in 1965, according to the National Home Improvement Council. NHIC says that business by 1975 will be $22 billion.

Backing up NHIC's figures, House & Carden magazine predicts one-third of the total $13 billion for 1965 will go toward maintenance and repair; a whopping two-thirds will go to additions and alteratiols-'{ryi1fi prime decisions on materials and equipment made by the consumer."