THE CALIFOR},IIA LUMBERMERCHANT JackDiorne,publdlw

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How Lumber Looks

As we go to press, negotiations to end the strike which has tied up 47 steam lumber schooners in the coastwise lumber trade since October 4 when the Marine Firemen walked out, remain stalemated. The Marine Cooks and Stewards and Engineers' IJnions later joined the s,trike.

A peace proposal by Secretary of I-abor Frances Perkins on October 25 suggested immediate return to work, on the basis of old ,contracts, that negotiations for a new contract be continued for 30 days, and provided either for an extension of negotiations or abritration should the first attempt fail. The offer of Secretary Perkins was accepted by the shipowners but rejected by the unions.

Two of the striking unions, the Marine Firemen and Marine Cooks and Stewards, submitted an alternate p,ro- posal to the Labor.Secretary, requesting that she revise her previous peace formula.

The industry stood at 76 per cent of the seasonal weekly a-verage of.1929 production and 83 per cent of. average 192i9 shipments for the week ended October 19, accordinf to reports to the National Lumber Manufacturers Association from regional associations.

-_Py{"_g -the week ended October 19, 488 mills produced 259,569,W feet of softwoods and hardwoods c-ombined, shipped 266,319,W feet, and booked orders of 267,785,ffi feet.

Lumber orders reported for the week by 4O6 softwood mills totaled 256,724,W feet, shipments ',iere 253,665,W feet, and production was 246,854,000 feet.

Reports from 98 hardwood mills for the week gave new business as 11,065,000 feet, shipments L2,654,0001eet, and production 12,7I5,W feet.

The Western Pine Association for the week ended October 19, 105 mills reporting, gave orders as 78,765.000 feet, shipments 90,122,W feet, and production 86,684,000 feet.

Orders on hand at the end of the week totaled 384,792,m feet.

The Southern Pine Association for the week ended October 19, 126 mills reporting, gave orders as 43,604,000 feet, shipments 47,862,m feet, and production 38,731,000 feet. Orders on hand at the end of the week totaled 141,287,W feet.

Dollar volume of Pacific Coast building permits during September, 194O, was 46.M per cent higher than that of September, 1939, and 2.I0 per cent above the level of August, 194O, according to the Western Monthly Building Suqvey prepared by H. R. Baker & Co., of San Francisco.

Returns f.rom 94 cities located in eleven Western States, British Columbia and Hawaii reveal a total of 16,901, having an aggregate value of. $32,263,435 for September, 1940, as compared with 14,&44 permits with a value of $22,@1,314 in September,1939, and 17950 permits totaling $31,597,067 in August, 1940.

Permits for the leading twenty-five cities totaled $26,824,388, representing a gain of 58.O2 per cent over the total of. $16,975,292 for September, 1939, and 10.18 per cent higher than the $24,345,312 f.or August, 1940. Although Los Angeles reported a slight decrease in building permits during the past month, its total of $6,574,512 still permitted it to remain in first place. Oakland's building permits more than doubled during the past month, bringing it into second place with $3,794,269. San Francisco was in third place with $1,771,938, followed by Burbank with $1,572,,282; Portland, Oregon, reporting $1,219,030; Denver, Colorado, with $1,201,488; Seattle, Washington, with $1,120,500, and Long Beach with a total of $1,049,370. Other cities showing permits in excess of a half million dollars were San Diego, Honolulu, Fresno, Salt Lake City, Sacramento, Phoenix, Glendale, Vancouver, B. C., and Tacoma.