Evening star., 1923-04-13
ADVANCE UNLIKELY
IN LUMBER PRICES
Splendid Demand Holds Up,
and Rates Now Appear to
Be Stabilized.
Special p,spa tcb TO The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, April 13.-The runbls
| of the logs rolling into the lumbee
mills Of the United States, the shrek
Of the band saws and the deep hum
| of the planers will not lower in pitch
for many a month to come. But there
| is equally little likelihood that the
roar OF the consumer against in
| creased lumber prices will rise in
volume. Lumber prices apparently
have been stabilized.
A canvass Of the leading lumber
manufacturers, distributors and deal
ers of the country today revealed the
fact that only one producer Iofecasls
| materially higher prices In tne near
future. All the others united In stat
ing that any increases would be sna!l.
All declared there was no possiolllty
Of lower prices. because OF Increased
wage scales and rising proouctioh
costs.
Sales Ahead OF Production.
Orders in the south and southeast
and in some other sections haSe
shown some slight falling on IN tne
last week. but sales of mills still are
| far ahead of production ano snlp
export business now on their oooRs
will more than compensate TOT any
check to domestic demand occasioned
| by higher building costs anu oau
In the south and southeast pro-
ducers are being pulled first one way
and then another in their enof.S 10
meet domestic requirements. III! inc
4 increasing volume Of foreign oruetS
and contend against inaoeQuato
| transportation facilities
| Pacific coast producers snow tre
largest volume of business on thelr
books ever recorded ana dinotnisb,ne Dnne @
| The lumber demands by consumers
in California alone this year are esq
mated at a trillion and half ooard
feet San Francisco and Los An
geles have each demanded more than
1 three billion feet since the first or
| the year.
Export Business Keeps Pace.
| Each increase in domestic demand
| has been paralleled by the volume oi :
export business
ducers have been determined that
there should be no runaway market
\ that would serve to check buying.
They admit they are faced by a Sc
ments Of substitutes for LUMBER IN
building construction and the danger
of creating larger market for sucn
| substitutes by a further increase or
prices. Consequently even urgent
demand and premiums for imme-
date delivery have not sufticed tS
induce them to advance prices be-
| yond their present levels.
| Australia and Japan Buying Here.
Demand for American lumber in the
far east will continue to increase for
| several years, according to Il A.
Ward, president of the American
Trading Company, the largest export
ers of lumber to the orient.
Japan has been forced to come
here for her lumber supply Ward
added, because of failure to develop ,
any closer sources. Australia Is rap
idly getting back to prewar condi-
ttions and the check to Australian
purchases in America is disappearing.
Last year Australia took oO,oOO.o0o
feet Of American lumber and she will
exceed all records this year"
Railroads and Mines Big Buyers
Regarding domestic orders, Charles
r. Mccormick, head of Mccormick &
Co. with branches all over the Pa
cifc coast asserted today that orders
In all sections of the coast were show
ing increases, with railroads and
mines buying in large quantities.
| mo price increases are contemplat-
ed" said he. but certainly there will
be no downward trend. Lumbermen
are united in desiring that prices go
no higher because substitutes Will be
used If prices go too high"
A. D. Hammond of the Hammond
Company. manufacturers and retail
ers, said: Mills all up and down the
: | Pacific coast are sold far ahead oY
; of orders. Prices will remain sta
tionary. despite increased wages and
production costs and winter WHICH
made delivery of logs to many mllls
difficult and expensive.
Canada an Important Factor.
Canada cannot be overlooked in this
tremendous widening of the lumber
market of America and the other sec
tions of the world. The avallsoie
timber in the Frazier; B; e valley
alone amounts to 4.2o0,o00,o00 and
enormous reserves also remain IN
other sections of British Columbia, ia
telephone and telegraph poles in the
eastern section of the United Statss
is causing extensive operations with
In eighty miles of vancouver.
New Construction Records.
CINCINNATI, April 13 (Special).-
in this city has broken all records
since January I. and the total for tho
year is expected to pc the nishese
ever known here. Expenditures on
been issued so far are rapidly ap..
preaching sS,000.000. The number OF
private homes and garages has been
especially heavy.
More High Records.
\ ST. PAUL. April 13 (Special) =
| Building operations IN tne Twin cltles
are expected to exceed all records
! this wear, although wages in the
| huiIding trades will be 10 per cent
higher after May l. Permits issued
SO far this month in this city called
!. for expenditure of well over
$1,o00.ooo.
Kansas City Also in Line.
4 KANSAS CITY, April IS tSpeciaN.
a new high record for building
construction was established in the
frst ten days of this month. Build
ing permits issued called for expendi-
lures we'll over the million and a
quarter mark.