RisingCosts Hold Down Weyerhqeuser 195 8 Income

Rising costs of operation and a dip in sales in 1958 caused net income of Weyerhaeuser Timber Company to decline 7.lc/o from 1957. it is announced in the firm's annual report.

Sales of lumber, plywood, pulp, paper and other timber products amounted to $410,360,000-down 2.4/o from the previous year. Net income was $49,615,000 in 1958, compared with $53,425,000 in 1957. Wages, salaries, pensions and employee benefits reached 9116,596,000 in 1958, up $65,000 lrom 1957. Some 270 new jobs were created during the year.

Taxes paid by the company to local, state and federal governments rose to $45,7,10,000-up $404,000 from the 1957 ngure.

President F. K. Weyerhaeuser told the timber company's 10,500 shareholders that improvement in the rate of housing starts last spring brought an upturn in lumber sales which is expected to continue strongly into 1959.

The quantity of lumber sold was 3.5/o above 7957, but dollar sales were significantly influenced by the decline in prices which began in 1956 and continued into the spring of 1958. At the low point, average price realization had declined approximately 20% from the 1956 high.

The company produced enough lumber in 1958 to build abont 125,000 average-sized homes. But lumber sales of $156,524,000 represenl less than 4/o of the nation's prodrrction. according to the report.

Plywood sales increased by 3.2/o over 1957 to reach a rlew company record of $17,225,000.

Construction of a new sheathing grade plywood mill was begun .at the Snoqualmie Falls, Wash., plant site. P1al1t expansion was completed at the Ply-Veneer mill, Springfielcl, Ore., arrd the chemical plant on the Longvie*, Wotli, integrated mill site.

1-o assure a continuing supply of raw material for its mills, the company spent a total of $14,535,000 in 1958 for tinrber and timberlands.

_ Atternpts of company foresters to speed up the tirne between loggirrg and reforestation resulted in the hancl planting of six ar.rd or.re-half million seedlings and the seecling by helicopter of 11,500 acres in the Paiific Northrvest.

Western lumber Deolers Nomed To NRTDA Executive Committee

Washington, D.C.-The list of 1959 NRLDA Executive committee members appointed by President H. W. Blackstock, with the approval of the board of directors, was released February 17 by the National Retail Lumber Dealers Assn. The appointments include several western dealers : Chairman-H. W. Blackstock, H. W. Blackstock Lumber Co., Seattle, Wash.; District 5-W. L. Johnson, Boise Cascade Corp., Boise, Idaho; District 6-Melbourne Romnev. Sr., Romney Lumber Co., Salt Lake City, Utah: Distriit 7-Thomas J. Fox, Fisher Lumber Co., Santa Monica. Calif.; Members-at-Large-James C. O'Malley, The O'Malley Lumber Co., Phoenix, Ariz.; Leslie G. Everitt, Everitt Lumber Co., Colorado Springs, Colo.

Tomolpois Tromwoy Plcrnned

Mill Valley, Calif.-On the drawing boards is a taxearning tramway for Mount Tamalpais. Developer Charles Van Evera, International Aerial Tramway Corp. San Francisco, claims such a skyway would bring tourisis and earn about $25,000 annually for-Marin corniy. plans call for a mile ride to start on the outskirts here and an upper term- inal on the mountain peak. A metal cable would^ carry the sk-yway_gondolas. Two directors of the Marin Municipal Water District, on whose land the attraction would'be built, have already indicated approval.