Hqmmond Acquires Genevq Sqwmill crnd Redwood

One of the most important sawmill and timber transactions of the current year in northwestern California was disclosed recently with the announcement from the offices of Hammond Lumber Company that certain properties of the Geneva Lumber Company had been acquired, effective December 1, 1954.

The negotiations involved acquisition of the Geneva mill, near Orick, and the right to cut approximately 300,000,000 feet of Redr.vood timber adjacent to the Hammond holdings in the Orick area of northern Humboldt county. The

Cqn'l Afford to Miss Editoriols

Here's my check for another year's subscription. I can't afford to miss any of your splendid editorials.

-Richard A. Johnson Oakdale. California

Unired Stotes Plywood Corp. Buys U. S.-Mengel Plywoods

Alvin A. Voit, president of The Mengel Company, and S. W. Antoville, president of United States Plywood Corporation, announce that their respective boards of directors have approved a transaction whereby The Mengel Company will sell to United States Plywood Corporation the former's stock interest in U.S.-Mengel Plywoods, Inc., in exchange {or common stock of United States Plywood Corporation. Upon consummation of this deal, United States Plywood Corporation will become the sole owner of U.S.-Mengel Plywoods, Inc.

This company, formerly 50% owned by each corporation, operates distributing units presently doing a volume of approximately $25,000,000 a year. Eliminating intercompany sales, the acquisition is expected to increase U.S. Plywood's sales by approximately $15,000,000 a year. The Mengel Company for a long period of time has been supplying United States Plywood Corporation and U.S.-Mengel Plywoods, Inc., with many of its products, especially doors. This relationship will continue.

Redwood Region Strike Seltled; Truck Shipments Jumped 4OOo/o

The 25-day strike of Northwestern Pacific R. R. engineers, which brought partial shutdowns to many logging centers, was quickly settled December 5 once the railroad and the union finally called a meeting for December 4. Freight service was resumed on Monday (6). The heads of the road and the union thanked "the people of the Redwood Empire for their patience." Terms of settlement were not announced but management had said that the work rules changes demanded would almost double wage costs.

Truck shipments of lumber jumped to 4N/o above prestrike levels while adjustment to the Northwestern Pacific Railroad strike continued along the north coast early this deal, it was stated, does not involve the purchase of the Geneva Lumber Company proper. month. Hundreds of trucks and trailers, many imported from out of California, rolled day and night over the Redwood Highway.

According to the statement issued from the San Francisco offices of the Hammond firm, it is the intention of tht: company to continue operation of the Orick mill and to use the additional timber in the company's program of sustained yield through timber growth, in line rvith modern forest conservation practices.

The Geneva mill was built several years ago by Fred H. Lundblade of Eureka, and subseqnently sold to the Geneva Lumber Company. It is a one-band mill with a daily capacity of approximately 60,000 board feet.

The mill is considered one of the most efificient in the area, and the plant, located on the Redwood highway north of Orick, includes living quarters for mill personnel. The mill has been operating continuously with a crew of about 80 men.

Two major lumber producers, the Hammond Lumber Company and the Pacific Lumber Company, resumed operations November 27 after a four-day suspension over the Thanksgiving holiday. It rvas feared at first that the railroad engineers-caused walkout would bring the lumber producers insurmountable storage problems. Also closed temporarily were the Sound Lumber Co. and the lfansenPacific Corp. Union Lumber Co., announced it couldn't have operated "much longer" without rail facilities.

J-M Sponsors 'Meet the Press

New York-Starting January 9, Johns-Manville will cosponsor the well-known half hour Sunday television program, "Meet the Press." H. M. Shackelford, vice-president in charge of sales promotion and advertising, Johns-Manville Sales Corporation, said 26 NBC stations coast to coast will carry the program, which has won nearly every award in the public service field, including the coveted Peabody Award. Quotations from guests appearing on it are published with regularity on the front pages of newspapers across the country. The listening audience, Shackelford reports, is now estimated at 4 million per broadcast and, he adds, surveys show an average ol 90/o are adults. This makes the program well suited for presenting the varied Johns-Manville building materials and industrial products.

BMPIU Endorses Modulor Principle

The Bricklayers, Masons and Plasterers fnternational lJnion has become the first building trades union to officially endorse the principle of modular coordination, it was announced by the organization's president, Harry C. Bates. Modular coordination is the principle of design and construction which relates all building materials to a common denominator of a four-inch cube. Materials and parts can then be assembled on the job with a minimum of cutting or alteration.