U. S. CONSTRUCTION EXPENDITURES IN 1960 EXPECTED TO BE RECORD $55 BILTION TOTAT

U.S. construction expenditures will reach a record total of more than $55 billion in 1960, says the professional building magazine, Architectural Forum. "Although this may be only 1.5/o above 1959," Forum reported in its auuual building forecast, "it is more impressive thau it looks, for 1959 will be an exceptionally big year for building."

Construction expenditures this year will probably reach $54.9 billion-a jump of. ll.8o/o above 1958, three-ar1d-onehalf times the average increase of the past few years al1cl more than twice the most optimistic predictions. 1960 will be the 16th year iu a row in which building.activity has expanded.

The leveling off of total constructiott next year, Forunt

$reugon'g Gtettings

saicl, will result mairrly from the same factors which swellecl tlie 1959 volume-buiin reverse. A decline in house building during 1960 seems "inevitable," and highway. construction rvill do well to hold its own. At the same time, there will be off-setting gains in the construction of uouresideutial buildings of all kinds.

By majoi categories of residential coustrttction grouped as to type, here is Forum's 1960 forecast:

Residential Buildings

ApartmentsPrivate apartment coustruction rvill be $3.5 billion next year, up about 23o/o. Pfilic housing will zrccount for $450 million. 'logether, private and public apartment building will rise 76/o to almost $4 billion in 1960.

Hotels, motels, dormitoriesThis category will amount to $750 million in 1959 and will iucrease l0/o ue-xt year to $825 million.

HousesThe uumber of privately financecl oue-and tlvofamily houses will probably drop ll/o in 1960. Expenditures tamrly droP rr-/a rn lvou. llxpellolrures in 1960 ($13.5 billion) will drop off less-about 60/obecause of carrv-over of work begun in 1959 aud a trend to carry-over bisger. more exDensive houses. Publiclv financed housing bigger, expensive Publicly _h_ousing of-the orre-arrd two-familv size droooed sharolv in 1959. ancl of the two-family size dropped sharply 1959, an will probably drop next year, accounting for roughly $125 v ,li million of construction. Altogether, private and public pendittrres for new one-and two-family houses in should be in the neighborhood of $13.5 billion, down from 1959.

Gloy Brown & Compony Nomes

Longer Northwest Buyer

R. G. "Rudy" Langer (right) has been appointed Northwest lumber buyer for Clay Brown & Company, according to Clay Brown, president. He will purchase lumber for the Cilifornia sales offices and Portland headc uarters. - Mr. Langer has been with Balfour Guthrie & Co. Ltd., for the past 5l years, buying and selling in the export lumber market.

He entered the lumber business in 1946 and has been a resident of both Portland and Eugene.

(Tell them Aou sau it in The California Lumber Merchant)

'Vqn' Fullowoyto Rerire Wirh l'959; His Fqirh in Mighty Future of Lumber

PortlandThere are big tasks and big opportunities ahead, and"The lumber product should remain a major factor in the future success of the forest products industries."

That's how S. V. (Van) Fullaway, Jr., assayed lumber's years ahead as he announced his plan to retire at year's end. He has been secretary-manager of the Western Pine Association since 1929 and a leader in the American forest and forest products affairs for more than 40 years.

"Therc is much to do," Fullaway said. "It will require ability, imagination, determination. Great strides must be made in product quality. This is basic and must be the foundation for all other progressive and necessary steps. The industry must accelerate development of new forms for our product-forms that offer the user greater utility, cost savings and modern appearance. Coupled with this must come progress in furnishing products ready for final installation such as pre-finished paneling.

"New and modern merchandising methods also are necessary. End-branding, grade-marking and packaging are important. Sales techniques and distribution methods need overhauling. Some of these may appear almost impossible of attainment, but our competitors are already employing many of them.

"The American public, including home builders, iudustrial users, architects, contractors and distributors, must be informed and, in some cases, educated as to the many merits of lumber for construction and other purposes. This means aggressive trade promotion and advertising.

"An ample and permanent source of raw material is obviously a vital factor in the future success of our industry. Constant expansion and improvement of industrial forestry will be essential. The Tree Farm program must be continued with addecl vigor. Problems involved in the availability ancl purchase of goverment stumpage must receive more and more industry attention." (In the Western Pine region, 70/a of the commercial forest is government-held.)

"Only througl-r cooperative effort at the regior-ral level car.r u'e l-rope to reach our goals," he saicl.

"I have great faith in the future of this industry. I aru also confident you rvill keep your association strong by continuing the basic principles and policies that have servecl so lvell."

Rerniniscing over earlier years, Fullaway remarkecl he has seen the Western Pine industry "operate in war and peace, in boom and depression, in a free i.otlo-y and in a'regulatecl one, in both Republican ancl Democratic regimes. I have seen it function under the NRA Blue Eagle and during the anti-trust investigation. I have see it grow from a producer of less tl-ran 5 billion feet annually to over 9 billion. I have been a participant in the growth of WPA from a membership of some 70 companies to almost 350 companies ancl from an annual budget of $100,000 to one in excess of $2 million."

Fullaway came on the pine job in 1929 as secretarymanager of the old Western Pine Manufacturers Associa-