WCLA Takes Action

The West Coast Lumbermen's Association has entered the fight to restrain foreign imports of lumber.

The Association action announced recently, follows an intensive investigation of factors which have led to closure of mills and loss of shifts throughout the western lumber producing regions.

The 42-member board of trustees of the three-state organization, as a meeting in Portland, threw the entire resources of the powerful trade group back of an action program aimed at permanently solving the vexing problem of foreign imports of lumber into this country.

The complex matter of Canadian lumber imports has been under study by WCI-A for months. On Jantary 25, 175 members of WCLA met in Portland to hear a day-long factual presentation of the highly involved problems surrounding excessive foreign lumber imports. A panel of experts on Canadian lumber production, railroad and water transportation, exchange rates, and tariffs and quotas outlined

IHPA Annuql Convenlion

(Continueil from Page 8) said had been distributed to 10,000 users.

The following ofificers were elected to serve a one-year term: John Osgood President, Robert S. Osgood, fnc., Los Angeles; Eric Wagner, Executive Vice President, Del Valle, Kahman & Co., the immensity of the problern confrorlting the west coast industry.

A seven-man task force was assigned the job of preparing a plan of action. It 'lvas this program, prepared urrder the direction of R. M. Ingram, Abercleen cedar manufacturer, as comrnittee chairman, which was adopted by the IVCI-A board.

This is a broad program, Ingram indicated, to get equality of opportunity at the market place both here ancl abroad for American lumbermen.

Here is the resolution adooted bv \\'CLA board of trustees:

WCLA Statement of Policy on Imports and Exports

"All members of the West Coast Lumbermen's Association are deeply concerned with the serious losses that are being suffered in domestic lumber markets due to the substantial economic advantages which are available to foreign competitors. The Association strongly urges that all necessary steps be taken by the federal government to eliminate these ineauities so as to provide equal opportunity for

San Francisco; W. Grant Hellar, Vice President, Pacific Northwest Area, Heidner & Co., Tacoma: and Tohn Gudmundsson, Vice President, S5uthCentral Area, \Arood-Mosaic Industries, Louisville.

Other elected directors were : Arnold Bildsoe, Georgia-Pacific Corp., Portland, Oregon; Jack Davidson, Pacific Wood Products Co., Los Angeles; the sale of American lumber in the United States and its possessions.

"Specifically, the Weit Coast Lumbermen's Association requests:

1) that the industry give full sup- port to the United States Government in any effort that is undertaken to increase the sale of American lumber in both exportand domestic markets;

2) that the government establish a federal transportation policy which will eclualize costs on waterborne ship- ments of lumber betrveen American and foreign vessels and which will eliminate the competitive advantage of foreign railroads and will encourage the efficiency of carriers ;

3) that the goverrlment take ap- propriate action to prevent the manipulation of foreign exchange rates which has had the effect of providing a subsidy on lumber imports into the United States;

4) that the government immediately tundertake negotiations to equalize tariffs on lumber imports and exports so that comparable opportunity exists for sales in competing nations."

Seiichi Nobe, Pan Asiatic Trading Co., Inc., Los Angeles; Tom Parker, M. S. Cowen Co., San Francisco; Hans Rainer, The EastAsiatic Co., Inc., San Francisco: Bob Reid, Ziel & Company, San Francisco; Charles Schmitt, Silmarco, Inc., San Francisco.

Colonel Gordon Ingraham was reelected as Managing Secretary and Treasurer.