LUMBE R ME RCT. IANT How I-rumber [.rooks

Portland, Oregon, October 18-For the first time this year Douglas fir sawmills felt the pinch of a freight car shortage during the latter part of September.

Lack of cars accounted for a drop off of about 2500 cars of lumber shipped in September belowAugust totals, Harris E. Smith, secretary of the West Coast Lumbermen's Association, reported.

Smith said the shortage was felt mostly in Oregon and Northern California where mills reported receiving at times only half their requirements. Supply is better now in both regions, although only about 80/o of normal.

Despite this late season car shortage, Smith reports that mills in the Douglas fir region have shipped over 300 million more feet of lumber during the first 39 weeks,of 1951 than during the same period in 1950 when all records for the region were broken. Production too, is maintaining a 580 million foot lead over last year's record breaking output.

The weekly average of West Coast Lumber production in September was 2A8,761,000 b.f. or l16J% of the 19461950 average. Orders averaged n2,5A0,0W b.f.; shipments 200,993,000 b.f. \\reekly averages for August were: Production 221]81,An bi. (123.4% of the 1946-1950 average) ; orders 195,365,000 b.f.; shipments 208,212,000 b.f.

Thirty-nine weeks of 1951 cumulative production 8,465,686,000 b.f.; thirty-nine weeks of 1950, 7,878,654,W0 b.f.; thirty-nine weeks of 7949, 7,277,897,W0 b.f.

Orders for thirty-nine u'eeks of 1951 breakdor,r'n as fol- lows: Rail and truck 5,466,861,000 b.f.; domestic cargo 1,534,052,nO b.f.; export 494,U0,000 b.f.; local 50a600,000 b.f.

The industry's unfilled order file stood at 539,514,000 b.f. at the end of September, gross stocks at 919,258,000 b.f.

I-umber shipments of 4X) mills reporting to the National l-urnber Trade Barometer were 6.9 per cent below production for the week ended October 13, 1951. In the same week nen' orders of these mills were 2.6 per cent below production. Unfilled orders of the reporting mills amounted to 45 per cent of stocks. For the reporting softwood mills, unfilled orders were equivalent to 25 days' production at the current rate, and gross stocks .were equivalent to 52 days' production.

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lrcreqsed Cost ol Retcril

Tltit ltue

Lumbering, by Everett C. Parker

Lcrwrence-Philips Moves to Beverly Hills. Ccreer Sketch, C. C. *Sti" Stibich 6&h Annucl Hoo-Hoo Convention

Remonufqcluring Plonl, Distribulion Yqrd: P.O. Box 383, Compton, Colif. S.W. Corner Alqmedq & Del Amo Blvds. Phones: NEwnork 5-8141 NEvqdo 6-2257

Chicogo Oftice: 165 W. Wocker Drive Phone FRonklin 2-6095

Mills: llqnilo llills Co. Rl. I, Box 595 Arcofq, Cqlif. Phone: Eurekq 7-F-l