frIEEI HOBBS WA[['S HAt ROTFF

Gonstruction Gontrocls Reoch Record t$l gitlion In Moy

Tlre nation's largest industry, construction, forged ahead again in May to set another record, evidencing the determination of business men to move ahead with their capital investment plans despite the serious delay in government action to achieve tax and depreciation reform. -

The first $4 billion month of construction contracts ever recorded was reported by F. W. Dodge Corporation as contracts totaled $4,008,718,000, a substantial gain of 14 per cent over May 1961. Strength was spread throughout the various construction categories, with commercial, manufacturing,.industrial, and residential contracts all register- ing large increases.

"Commercial contracts for the month surged 23 per cent ahead of M,ay, 196l," said Dr. Gordon W. MiKinley, Dodge vic.e_preside,nt an{ chief economist, "and manuiacturing building widened its margin of gain by recording a ,10 per cent increase over the same month of last vear] This impressive performance is being achieved deipite the dead weight of the heavy Federal tax burden and despite outmoded depreciation regulations whi,ch are less liberal than those of any other modern industrial nation.

"Think what this economy of ours could do if some of thes-e restrictive governmeni burdens were lightened and modernized ! It is time for the Federal Government to cease its delays and unleash the full growth power of our economic. system by cutting corporate and perional income taxes and by drastically reducing the useful life of depreciable assets so as to place our business men on an iqual footing with foreign competitors.

H ^t represents us in Sacramento and the San Joaquin Valley.

The Valley's been his business home for over 18 years . all of them in lumber. His prior experience at Madera Lumber & Hardware Co., his f.amiliarig with estimating. and blue prints, and his unmistakable desire to deliver the goods, are right in character for Hobbs \Vall service.

Hal Rolff is one of several Hobbs \7all lumber specialists . good men to call when you want the right grad.es at the right prices in redwood, fir, pine and hemlock.

\Vhy not put them to work for you next time you need a t. & t. or carload shipment?

"Th9 private sector ,of the economy is also showing its vigor in the residential field," Dr. McKinley added. "Total residential contracts in May were 77 per cent ahead of a year ago, and apartment building contracts were up by 80 per cent. Although the main strength in this area is in apartments, single-family homes are nevertheless also doing quite well with an 11 per cent gain over the first five months of 1961. On the basis of Dodge figures thus far we- anticipate that total private and public housing starts in 1962 are likely to reach 1,485,000, ranking wit[ 1950, 1955, and 1959 as the top years for this type of construction."

Total residential contracts in May amounted to $1,819,- 027,000, up 17 per cent compared tir May 1961. Ttre-total number of dwelling units represented by the contracts was 129,679, an increasE of 15 per cent compared to a year ago.

According to the Dodge report, the dollar volume of contracts for heavy engineering work totaled $915,112,000, an increase of 9 per cent over the like 1961 month. This gain was due to a 17 per cent increase in contracts for public wgrkg projects, principally streets and highways, as the utilities sector of the heavy engineering category registered a 15 per cent decrease.

_-Jolal non-resiidential contracts amounted to $1,274,- 579,W, up 15 per cent compared to 1\4ay 1961.

It is said that a subscriber to a country paper wrote the editor and asked him for a cure for nose-bieed. The editor replied that the best cure is a preventive; keep your nose out of other peoples'business. -

No Doubt

"Give an example of period furniture."

"Well, how about an electric chair? It ends a sentence.',

Letters

For A Unlfted

Lumbermen's Associqllon

Max Cook

California Lumber Merchan't

Dear Max:

I arn writing you regar.ding the editonial appearing in your Jun,e lst, 1962, edrtion 'as well as a letter to Mr. May from Jack Carlow of the Carlow Co,mpany in Los Angeles, which appears on page 58 of that same edition.

I certainly do agree with both of these genrtlernen in that Californ'ia should be represented by a unified lumbermen's association. This will be one of .the thi,ngs rthat mig,h,t appropriately be driscussed at ,th€ Board of Direcrtors meeting of the Lumber Mer'chants Assooiation of Northern Calrifornia to be held in Monterey on the zfth of this monrth. Unfortunartely, I h,ave ontly been in this position a very s,hort time, and I am ndt too fam,iliar with so'rne of 'the things that have previously been discussed alo,ntg this line. Despite this lack of informa,tion, it still seef,ns to me that we might draw a little more wat.er in Sacramento and in Washington if the Southern Association and ,the dealers of Nor,thern California comb,ined their efforts into a single associatio'n.

I hope th,is finds you well and that you may be ableto visit us in the near future.-Jim Ross. President, Central Lumber Company, Hanford, California.

Worlds Fqlr Comment

Jack Dionne, Publisher

California Lumber Merchant

D,ear Jack:

Recent local radio and press releases have contained adverse co,mment regarding the Seattle World Fair. As a result, a number of people in our industry have decided to forego a visit to the Fair.

Because of the annual sales oonference between ,the Nord and Carlow organizations, I decided to take extra time to see the Fair since our conferences are held in the Nord plant in Everett, Wash. My w,ife and three children joined me.

The Northwes,t Lumber Industry ,has two homes of the future and a beautif'ul exhibit building.

Eating on the Fair grounds is a pleasure. One could eat h,is way through the Fair with Danish Ho't Dogs, Spanish Village luncheons and dinners, Food C,ircus, Space Needle meals, (reservations are possible for breakfast only- and must be rnade one week in advance), French, German, Thai and Japanese meals etc. are just a few possibilities.

There are plenty of foreign shop's to buy many of the articles exhibited. There are strill plenty of motel reservations available.

Friends, competitors and associates in the lumber indmstry with offices or mills in the Seattle area are leaning over backwards to make vis,iting lurnbermen and their families welcome.

A few examples would be the daily trips through the U.S. Plywood plant on l-,rake Union, while in that area do be sure to visit the Governmen't I-o,cks which join Lake Union with the Puget Sound, daily tr'ips through the Weyerhaeuser plant in Everett, the Nord people in Everett are doing everyth,ing possible to make vis,iting door custom,ers ,at home, Simpson Logging Company has an extra specrial 'treat for their customers and the people of Howard Sales Corn' pany (righrt under part of th.e monorail) extend a welcoming hand to t.heir customers and iriends, and can give the bes,t routes for corning and going by car, the best places to park your car, etc.).

SO, DO NOT BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU HAVE READ OR HEARD WHICH HAS BEEN CRITICAL. The Fai is worth seeing. Be sure to ,take your family, because the Pacific Nonthwesrt is beautifrul this t,ime of year. With kind,est regards, -Jack Carlow, Carlow Company, Los Angeles, Calif.

Thousands of just plain Americans. A housewife from Georgia. A labor leader from Minneapolis. A child from North Carolina.

Are Cured

Each one thanks God for the knowledge and the skill that made a cancer cure possible. Each one is in debt to millions ofneighbors who have been supporting the efforts of the American Cancer Society. More than a million are living today who have been cured of cancer.

A few years ago, it was possible to save only one in four victims, Now we are saving one in three. One in two could be saved, if we can only reach them in time. And ahead ofus : the permanent conquest of cancer.

Chqussee Ofiers New Low Cost Preslqining Service

A custom prestaining service at prices rvell below previous industry levels is now offered to builders and architects by the Wil Chaussee Siding Conrpany, Bothell, Washington.

Lorver prices are made possible by a new staining machine designed and built by Ohaussee with the specific requirement of making fast color changes between jobs. Installed at Chaussee's expandcd new plant at Bothell, Washington, the equipment reduces chingeover time by approximately 50 percent in house lot quantities.

The new machine not only lowers cost, but also provides more uniform coverage by reducing pigment breakout. Deeper penetration provides greater durability.

Chaussee prestains bevel sidir-rg, channel siding, T & G siding, sof t, rough ar.rd s,mooth paneling, batts, trim strips, and fascia boards, including any special patterns desired by architects.

For prices, locations of sarnple applications, and additional irrfornration, please write to the Wil Chaussee Siding Company, 11839 Woodinville l)rive, Bothell, Washington.

Todoy's Houses Are Befler

Nerv houses being built in America than ever, according to a new survey tion authority.

Tl.rey are also more expensive.

are bigger and better by a leading construc-

F. W. Dodge Corp. sent company reporters to 1,000 new homes scattered around r\merica to intervieu' the owners.

They found that if the average one-family house being built today is any indicator, then Americans are enjoying a better home than five years ago, but that it also carries a higl-rer price tag. The new, one-family house of 1956 cost $14,500, while the national average now is $17,900 and up to $19,100 in metropolitan areas.

The new home has more floor space, is larger over-all and has more bedrooms and baths, and more garages and carports than five years ago.

Average floor space for homes built in 1961's last quarter is a good deal larger than 1956. The breakdown iu square feet by areas is: South, 1506; West, 1497 ; Northeast, 1442 ; North central, 1358. Also founcl lvas that 9/r, oI the onefamily houses are detached.

Sixty-eight percent of the houses had three bedrooms, down 2/o from 1956, but four bedroom houses make up 17/", up 9/o from five years ago.

Tl-re most striking lllcrease \\/as ing built with two or more baths. the greater number beNearly half now have more than one bathroom, compared u,ith 17/a in 1956.

The report also showed a large increase in the number of horrses being built on slabs, rvhile tl-rose constructed u'ith basements increased only sligl-rtly.

The 11 Southeastern States, which lead the Nation's reforestatioll efforts with more than 70 percent of treeplanting annually, also have the worst forest fire record, ancl account for more than half the burned acreage.

Riolto, Golifornio

Phone TRinity 7-2OOl