The Winslow mail., 1921-01-28
THE LUMBER AND BUILDING
=. SITUATION AT WINSLOW

prices on lumber then effective at all
the Southern California yards. and
particularly at Los Angeles. In This
news item it was stated that the
prices had been secured direct from
reEaple sources, and it NAV there
lore De assumed they are correct. The
list OF staple items published bv this
| paper showed the following retail
prices to prevail:
oregon Pine Clear Vertical or edpa
grain Flooring $1,000 per nj,
oregon Pine Clear Ceiling $1,000
per M, F''O0
One inch Common Boards SIS s47
per VI,
no. Com Lath $1,000 per M,
RED Cedar Shingles $500 per M.
| In arriving at the cost it was stated
that the Los Angeles dealers paid the
sum OF $1,000 per M. feet to have
| thelr lumber transported from the
mills In Oregon and Washington TO
tne Whaff at Los Angees, plus an adj
d1t1onal charge of $500 per M feet
1or hauling from the wharf to the
yards, or total TRANSFORMATION
charge of $3.50. During the months
OF November and December the local
yards unloaded ten carloads of lum-
per, four or five of which came from
coast mills and the last car received
IN december contained about $4,000
leet Oh one inch common boards, on
Wnlcn there was paid by the local
dealer as freight and war tax on the
freight a total of $723.OO, or nearly
$500 per thousand feet. The aver
! age price paid for this lumber at the
mills was $1,000 per M. feet. This
therefore made the freight charges
considerably MORE than double the
original cost of the lumber. On this
OASIS the local dealer had to pay a.
round $3.50 per M feet more for his
lumber than is being charged the Los
Angeles and Southern California deal
er. 1t is also very likely that the
coast dealer secured a still lower
mill price than was obtained by the
local dealers on account of the large
buying ability of the former. But,
at any rate we will take it for granted
that both the Los Angeles and the
Winslow dealers had to pay exactly
the same price for the lumber at
the mill and that the difference
in cost is represented only by the
item of freight. On that basis the To-
cal dealer would sell his lumber for
$3.50 more per M. than was being
charged by the Coast dealer, provided
the latter was receiving a fair margin
OF profit on his sales. But what are
the real facts? Just what are home
builders Of Winslow securing for
their money-here where competition
is not nearly SO sharp, and where the
cost of doing business is more?
At WinSloW you pay for
Clear Oregon Pine Vertical or edge
grain flooring $4,000 per M,
Clear Oregon Pine Ceiling $1,000
per M,
Common one inch boards surfaced
one side $500 per M,
No. l Common Lath $3.50 per M.
EXTRA Star A Star Clear Red
Cedar Shingles $500 per NJ.
Does not this show conclusively
that the local yards have done all
that could be expected of them to Of
fer every inducement, every consi-
deration to the people of Winslow
to build home at the lowest possi-
bic price? We know this has been
done and we feel sure that our ever
increasing list of satisfied customers
feel the same way about the subject.
Nor is this all. The same lumber
that we now pay $1,000 per NJ feet
for at the Northwestern mills was
costing approximately $4,000 less
than four months ago. This means
that the cost of manufacturing this
same lumber has decreased but about
25 per cent while the price has been
reduced at the mill approximately 60
per cent 1t means that the lumber
manufacturer is now getting but $13
for thiusand feet of lumber that he
paid the Government So for before
the tree had fallen, and from the $40
left remaining he had to pay all the
expenses that enter into the manu-
featuring and selling of his product.
This accounts for the fact that more
than IS per cent of the Northwestern
mills are now closed down entirely,
and they contend that it is absolute
ly necessary that they receive more
for their lumber before they can re-
open. We believe this statement in
this respect to be true. Figure it out
yourselves. 1t also means that when
dealers throughout America who have
allowed their stock to become de-
pleted during the winter months start
to stock up to take care Of the mil
lions of Americans who are going to
build this and next year, that lumber
and building material will remain
very firm, and it is very likely that
prices will increase even if other
staple commodities will decline. This
j. the history of the building situa-
tion following all other great wars
and periods of reconstruction, and is
the opinion of those who have given
the subject careful thought. 1t is
being borne out by the fact that dur
ing the past ten days some items have
slightly advanced that have been de-
clining steadily for the past four
months.
Also please bear in mind that but
about 81 per cent of the entire cost
of your building ever reaches the
lumber dealer, and then only when
the building is entirely of lumber,
and it is therefore unfair to expect
too much from him in the lowering of
building costs.
We have at all times endeavored
L.