Evening star., 1923-01-27
Washngtons Growth Reflected Building New
LOCAL BUILDING BOOM CAUSES
A SHORTAGE OF MATERIALS
Local Operations Result in Lack of
Plumbing Supplies, Steel, Cement,
Brick and Lumber.

De Sales street Is beginning to arrive,
following a delay of several weeks. Iron
works are being rushed overtime to sup
ply the demand for fabricated steel.
which will go into many of the large
buildings now under way or projected
The movement of lumber, as re-
ported at the headquarters of the Ma
tional Lumber Manufacturers Asso-
ciation here, shows the extraordi-
nary activity resulting from the con-
struction wave throughout the coun-
try.
Continuation of construction activ-
ity on a scale exceeding even that of
last year Is indicated by a review of
telegraphic reports received todav by
the association from 372 of the larger
lumber mills of the country. New
business at these mills for last week
Is considerably in excess of any other
week in the last several years, though
the annual climax of lumber trade
activity Is normally in May. and 1t is
said that their patronage invariably
reflects the state of the whole indus
try. Although orders outstrip ship
ments by 100000 feet. the latter are
also at record levels. Production lags
about 64,O0o.000 feet behind ship
ments. though the 372 mills that re-
ported produced 29.000,000 feet more
than 402 mills for the corresponding
week of 1929.
For the country as a whole. as rep
resented by these mills. shipments
were 124 per cent and orders 162 T =
cent Of production. For mills of 1
Southern Pine Association the p,
centage figures are 119 and 169 re
spectively. and for those of the West
Coast Lumbermen's Association. lit
and 153. AS compared with normal,
the 346 mills that have such a datum
report production as 80 per cent, ship
ments Ill per cent and orders lat per
cent.
West Coast Conditions.
The West Coast Lumbermen's Asso-
citation wired from Seattle as follows:
Improved weather conditions in
western Washington and Oregon dur
ing the past week shot lumber pro-
duction up from 16 per cent below
the heaviest output of any region
in the United States or Canada. One
hundred and thirty-five mills of the
West Coast Lumbermen's Association
manufactured 93.197,000 feet of lum-
Der. accepted 143.oo0,ooo feet Of new
Of old business. OF the new business
Al er cent was for future delivery
by water. including 42.250,000 feet to
California and the north Atlantic
coast markets and 16.50O.000 feet of
exports. For future rail delivery
2.710 carloads were accepted. Water
shipments were 35 per cent of the
total. cargo clearances running 49,
100000 feet. Rail shipments were
2.25S cars. Unified orders at West
Coast Association mills total close to
60O. .o00, 200 feet"
The Southern Pine Association re-
ported that its mills received new
business amounting to 126,922,92S
feet. as against 75.536.3S4 feet for the
same week last year. with a gain of
about 21.000,000 feet in shipments and
a slight increase in production.
From Norfolk, Va, the North Caro-
lima Pine Association. explains the
smaller volume of business in that
territory as compared with year ago,
as being due to scarcity of logs on
account of bad weather and inability
to deliver logs to the mills. 1t is
likely that this condition will not
clear up before the middle of Febru-