THE CALIFOR}.IIA LUMBERMERCHANT

JackDiorne,ptllislw

How Lrumber Lrooks

The 93-day West Coast maritime strike ended ofificially at noon on December 3. The waterfront tieup rvhich began on September 2, lvas the second longest in Pacific Coast history. Some 185 ships were tied up in West Coast ports. Work was resllmed in all Coast ports Monday morning, December 6.

Lumber shipments of 421 mills reporting to tl-re National Lumber Trade Barometer, National Lumber Manufacturers Association, rvere 18.8 per cent below production for the week ended November 20, 1948. In the same week new orders of these mills were 25.2 per cent below production. Unfilled order files of the reporting mills amount to 29 per cent of stocks. For reporting softwood mills unfilled orders are equivalent to 19 days' production at the current rate, and gross stocks are equivalent to 66 days' production.

For the year-to-date, shipments of reporting identical mills were 0.9 per cent below production; orders were 3.2 per cent below production.

Compared to the average corresponding week of 19351939, production of reporting mills was 65.7 per cent above; shipments were 48.0 per cent above; orders were 32.6 per cent above. Compared to the corresponding week in 1947, production of reporting mills was 3.5 per cent below; shipments were 26.8 per cent below; and nerv orders were 31.2 oer cent below.

The Southern Pine Association for the week ended November 27, 84 units (105 mills) reporting, gave orders as lI,67l,W feet, shipments 12,979,000, feet, ancl production 13,861,000 feet. Orders on hand at the end of the week totaled 53,122,0AO fuet.

The California Redwood Asso,ciation for the month ol October, 1948, ten companies reporting, gave orders re(Continued on Page 60)