San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-09-09
.[UMBERPR|CES
MAY. JUMP AS
QUAKE RESULT
Producers Will Try to
Avoid Spectacular
Rises.
TO AFFECT BUILDING
Many Homes in U. S. to
Remain Unfinished
Until Spring.
BY HARDEN COLFAX

Large lumber producers are Trying u
avoid spectacular jump in prices as
a result of the disaster in Japan.
Some price advance, however, is re-
garded as inevitable and it is said
that, no matter what prices may be,
a shortage of certain classes of build
ing lumber cannot be avoided.
The Japanese earthquake shook
down a great many American build
ings. =.
They were still on the architects
blue prints and the lumber for con-
structing them will not be available.
Here in Washington where the
lumber interests of the United States
center. it is estimated $3.50, 100000
board feet of soft wood lumber must
be rushed to Japan, largely to pro-
vide temporary shelter for the home
less millions.
The stocks on hand make up but
a small fraction of this total.
The bulk of it must come from tim
Der still in the log.
Most Of the mus can produce only
slightly more than enough to meet
the normal demands, SO that large
part of the number, which will go to
Japan must come from production
which had been figured into the do
nestle requirements for this fall and
winter.
Among the first messages that came
through from the devastated area were
inquiries as to stocks of lumber that
could be rushed to Japan for shell
ter barracks. temporary offices, make
shift factories.
A little later came inquiries for
stocks to be used in permanent recon-
struction.
Japan Big Buyer.
Japan looks first to the large pro.
ducing regions of our Pacific coast,
where lumber trade channels are al
ready well worn.
For number of years past, Japan
has been the largest foreign buyer of
lumber from that region.
With the exception of comparative
ly small purchases from British Col
umbia, practically all building lumber
used in Japan comes from American
mills west Of the Rocky mountains.
Except for small supplies of hard
woods that may be used for interior
finishing, Japan has no lumber of
Stocks of lumber on the Pacific
coast and at interior mills tributary
to Pacific ports consist of such sup
plies as the producers ordinarily keep
on hand to meet slight changes in nor
NAL requirements.
The total however, makes a size
able pile of lumber.
Stocks in the hands of the West
| Coast Lumbermen's Association on
July 1. the latest figures available
amounted to 137, 100000 feet.
Ninety-five per cent Of the mill ca
pacity of this association is taken up
| in regular demand so that with all
mills running at capacity, accumula.
tion for the japanese emergency
would be slow.
The mills will probably ask Their
regular patrons for an extension OF
considerable portion of the output an
time on ordo"s o'ready in, so that Il
be sent to Japan.
The Western Pine Association on
| August 1 had stocl1s amounting to
$50, 100000 feet.
The California White and Sugar
Pine Association had on the same
date stocks amounting to 362 ,242, coo
! feet.
Figures are not available for the
| California Red Wood Association. but
stocks probably do not exceed 2OO,.
600. 900 feet.
These four organizations control
| practically all lumber tributary to Pa
| cific ports available for export.
Therefore, if all stocks are drawn
upon down to the underpinning of
| the stacks, there is available for ia
| pan out OF Pacific ports 1851, I02.-
600 feet, considerably less than half
| of the immediate urgent requirement.
Soft Wood Supplies.
= The next supply to be drawn upon
is that of the soft wood mills of the
Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
The Southern Pine Association. on
| August l had stockp of J69,000.000
and the North Carolina Pine Asso.
citation had S6.000.000.
This brings the total of lumber in
reach of seaports up to 2.136,702, 900
in other words, if all the available
soft wood lumber stocks in the United
States were shipped to Japan. the
emergency requirements would still
lack 1.614. 29S,000 feet of being filled
Some parts of these stocks must
be held, of course, for domestic needs
a larger part will not go to Japan,
| because it is not sawed in such a
way as to meet Japanese needs.
Practically all lumber exported TO
that country goes not in boards. but
in tho form known as Japanese
squares"
These are ripped up mainly on lit
tie hand mills in forms suitable for
| the flimsy, flexible architecture which
| Japan long ago adopted as, in some
measure, quake resistant.
Such lumber as is available for Jap
anese use will doubtless start across
the ocean without delay.
Shipping facilities are practically
unlimited. The L. S. Shipping Board,
it is said, has approximately
300 ships scattered along both coasts
of the United States that could be
used in this emergency.
This unprecedented demand on
American mills comes at time when
| building operations have eased off
from the peak, which was reached in
NAV.
The decline, however, has been
mostly in urban office and apartment
buildings while suburban and detach-
I'd houses in which lumber consump-
zion is heaviest, is said to have in
creased.
The falling off in lumber consump-
tion. therefore. is not so great as the
decline in building operations as a.
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