THE CALIFOR},IIA LUMBERMERCHANT

How Lumber Looks

Lumber shipments of 511 mills reporting to the National Lumber Trade Barometer were 0.4/o below production in the rveek ended June 11; new orders werc 3.8/o below. Unfilled orders were 48/o of stocks. For the year to date, shipments were 2.4/o above production; new orders 3.9/o above. Compared to the previous week ended June 4, production of 380 reporting softwood mills was 140% above, shipments were l3.l/o above, new orders were 7.8/o above.

National lumber production totaled 3,241,000,000 board feet in April 1955, 4/o below March and 2/o less than April 1954, according to estimates of the National Lumber Manufacturers Assn. Shipments this April were 6/o above pro-

LMANC to Hold Deoler

Vogobond Editoriols

My Fovorite Story ln This Issue'Workshop; Lote News

Toizonc Lumber eo. Is'o iMod"li yora

Weyerhoeuser, Simpson Exchonge Forestlqnds

Annual Report by Redwood Associqtion lTth Annuql Redwood Region Logging Conlerence Spring Meeting ol Northern Section, F.P.R.S.

"Thct Knew Not Joseph"-An Editoriol ..

Fun-Focts-Filosophy 25 YeoisAs; .:.. .::.:...:....

"Out of the lVoods" (Dovy Crockett)

A Hoo-Hoo Invomtion

New Products Inlormqtion

Personqls

Californio Building Permits lor Moy

Building Costs Moving Up

Month by month in the past year, building costs have been edging upVard and all the evidence points to a continued upward trend, reports the National Association of Home tsuilders. Between April 1954 and April 1955, construction costs have risen nationally nearly 3o/o. The index for all building materials prices is up 3.60/o in the past year, led by sharp increases in lumber, particularly Douglas fir (up 13.3%) and softwood plywood (ll.7o/). Also sharing in the increase are hardware, plumbing equipment, cement, structural clay. Surprisingly, despite short supply, gypsum products have remained relatively stable in price. Ho-urly wages in contract construction at $2.63 in March were up l,So/s from a yeai ago . . . and probably the most important cost increase in the homebuilding process is the increased cost of land; based on FHA figures these have doubled since 1946 and risen one-fifth in the past year.

duction, while ner,v orders exceeded output by lo/o. Unfilled orders for softwoods gained 8/o during April, whilc there was a decline of 9/o for hardwood lumber. Unfilled order files for both, however, were T/o and. L4/o, respectively, above 1954 levels. Gross mill stocks rvere 8,918,000,000 board feet at the end of April.

The West Coast Lumbermen's Association reported for (Continued on Page 63) sTUDS, BOARDS, DITIENSION IUIIBER

PIANK, TITIBERS, RAII.ROAD TIES, INDUSTRIAT CUTTINGS

DOUGI.AS FIR, REDWOOD, P!NE, WIilTE FIR