How

Lrumber lrooks

l]ortland, September 10-August lurnber productior.r in the Douglas lir region of Oregon and \\rashington hit a postwar peak, u,hile orders continued a firm up'n'ard trend, FI. V. Simpson, executive vice president of the \\rest Coast Lumbermen's Association, annorlnced today.

Calling attention to the railroad car shortage in the Pacific Northr.vest, Simpson declarecl the entire nronth's Proiluction could have beer.r shipped hacl sufficient transportlttior.t been avail:rble.

The u'eekly average of \\rest Coast lumber Production ilt August u.as 145,573,000 board feet, as against an average ol 102,746,000 boarcl feet in July, Simpson said.

Or<lers jnmped to an average of 139,924,000 feet, an increase of 3,247,O00 over those for July. August shipments rose to 137,055,000 frcim 101,040,000 in -Tuly. Sharp increases river the preYiotls month, Simpson pt-rinted out, \\rere due to sau'mill shutclo'rvns during the Fourth of Jrrlv periocl.

"The encourirging pro(ltlction total," explained the lulnber execrrtive, "u.as due primarily to a heavy den.rar.rd for Irrnr'l>er from the l'acific Northn'est coul)led rr'ith fayoraltlc first 35 ureeks ol 1947 1946, 4,168,167,000 b.f. ;

\\reather cor-rditions."

Cumulative producti()n for the u'as 4,615,065,0O0 b.f.; 35 \\'eeks, 3.5 rveeks, 1945. 4,632,760,000 b.f.

Orders for 35 u'eeks ol 1947 break dou'n as follorvs: Rail, 3,132,850,000 b.f. ; domestic cargo, 569,740,0A0 i export, 644,966,000 ; local, 447,255,000.

The industry's unfilled order file stood at 682,.191,000 b.f. at the end of August; gross stocks at 533,893,000 b.f.

I-umber shipments of 405 rr.rills reporting to the National I-umber Trade Barometer of the National I-umber NIanufacturers Association u,ere 12.5 percent belo'lv procluction for the rveek errded August 23, 1917. In tire same week new orders of these mills l'ere 3.0 percent belorl' production. Unfilled order files of the reporting mills amounted to 66 percent of stocks. For reporting softlvood mills, unfilled orders are ecluivalent to 32 days' production at the current rate, and gross stocks are equi\ralent to '16 davs' production.

For the year-to-date, shipnrents of reporting iclenti'cal mills u'ere 2.1 percent al>ove l)roductiorl; orders rverc 5.4 i)ercent rtbove l)roduction.

Coml>ared to the average corresponding \\:eek of 19351939, production of reporting mills u,as 14.6 percent above ; shipments \\'ere 5.2 percent above; orclers \\'ere 18.7 percent :rlrove. Compared to the corresponding \\'eek in 1946, production of reporting mills u'as 1.4 percent allove; sl-rillments u'ere 4.4 l)ercent lrelou,; itntl treu' orrlers u'erc 1.(t percent above.

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