How Lrumber l-rooks

Portland, Oregon, June 14-At the end of five months of operation in 1951, Douglas fir sawmills of western Washington and Oregon continue to keep ahead of last year's production, orders and shipments, ac,cording to H. V. Sirnpson, executive vice president of West Coast Lumbermen's Association.

The lumber executive said shipments and orders for the first 27 weeks of the year were almost identical. The region's sawmills had shipped by May 31st, 4,800;322,000 board feet which exceeded last year's shipments for the sarne period by 537 million feet.

Average weekly production for May of 234,375,00O feet was slightly belorv April cut, Simpson pointed out. and average weekly orders oI 215,967,000 received during May were 16.5 million feet below averages forApril. Gross stocks at mills were up slightly in May over April.

The weekly average of West Coast lumber production in May 234,375,000 b.f. or 13.4% of the 1946-1950 averag.e. Orders averaged 215,967,0n b.f.; Shipments 226,023,0CO b.f. ; Weekly averages for April rvere : Production 237,297,000 b.f. (132.0% of the 1946-1950 average) ; Orders 232,450,000 b.f.; Shipments 240,837,000 b.f.

Twenty-one weeks of 1951 cumulative production 4,701,27O,UJ0 b.f.; Twenty-one weeks of 1950, 4,081,052,000 b.f.: Twenty-one weeks of 1949, 3,999,645,000 b.f.

Orders for Twenty-one weeks of l95l breakdorvn as follows: Rail & Truck, 3,286,589,000 b.f.; Dornestic Cargo,

972,406,N0 b.f.; Export, 233,969,W0 b.f.; Local, 291,203,000 b.f.

The Industry's unfilled order file stood at 865,408,000 b.f. at the end of May. Gross Stocks 694,922,W0 b.f

The Western Pine Association for the week ended June 9, 105 mills reporting, gave orders as 59,551,000 feet, shipments 67,293,000 feet, and'production 80,319,000 feet. Orders on hand at the end of the week totaled 224,935,0N feet.

The Southern Pine orr.i",l"" for the week ended Tune 9, 86 units (112 mills) reporting, gave orders as lld20,000 feet, shipments 14,442,(ne feet, and production I},SD,000 feet. Orders on hand at the end of the week totaled 42,012,000 feet. **

The West Coast Lumbermen's Association for the week ended J,une 2, 179 mills reporting, gave orders as 107,201,_ 0@ feet, shipments 117,808,000 feet, and production 106,_ 550,000 feet. Unfilled orders at the end of the week totaled 652,422,00O feet.

For the week ended June 9 these sarne mills reported orders as 100,670,000 feet, shipments llg.677,0N feei, and production 131,284,000 feet. Unfilled orders at the end of the week totaled 638,131,000 feet.