Evening star., 1924-01-04
1923 RECORD YEAR
.l|N LUMBER TRADE
Dealers See Business, Rush
Ahead in Materials for
New Houses.
JAPAN Is HEAVY BUYER
South Still Prime Factor in Indus
try-Large Orders Await
Filling.
JAPAN Is HEAVY BUYER
BY j. c. RoYLE.
pispstch 10 The Stal

SPECIAL DISPATCH 10 Inc oiaf
NEW YORK, January 4.-l4umoer
men throughout the country. casting
Np the results of the past twelve
months, see another wonderful period
OF activity and prosperity in pros
-pect for 1924. Last year was undoubt-
edly ono of the most satisfactory
years in the history of the industry.
~The year just closed said II. c.
Berckes, secretary-manager of the
Southern Pine Association, has been
void of any conditions, handicaps or
detriments in the industry to mar its
success. Figures now available indi-
cate that there was a new high record
established for demand for building
surprising that for 1922, the previous
banner building year, by about %
per cent.
Heavy Requirements Ahead.
There still is a great shortage of
homes business and industrial struc-
lures in the country, and the rail-
roads are estimated TO require be-
tween 100000 and 225.000 new freight
cars per year for the next four years.
They will also need further large
quantities of lumber and timber for
maintenance of way improvements.
Production i'm the mills of western
Washington and western Oregon Tor
1928 was greater than In any year since
the war. according 10 the West Coast
Iumbermen's Association Mills of the
association turned out 6.254.sS4,611
board feet in the last year. compared
253,643 feet for 1921, and 3.s24.022,479
feet for 1920. This was a gain of 20
per cent over 1922. SO per cent over
1921 and about SO per cent over 1920
Enormous Exports During Year.
The Pacific coast lumber mills ex-
ported 1.250.000,000 feet of fir to the
orient, Mexico and South America last
feet through the Panama canal for At
1antic seaboard uses. and consumed
I.o00.000.000 feet at home. A canvas
by telegraph of the large lumber com
ranies on the coast today brought forth
forecasts that 1924 would see last year s
figures exceeded by 90 per cent both for
domestic and export uses.
Japan is expected to be the largest
foreign purchaser this year. More fir
has been bought and is awaiting
shipment than has already been ship
ped since the September earthquake.
With the long delayed Japanese re-
nds construction a. hast gstns
expected to reach at least a billion
feet
south America Good Buyer.
South America. which bought 150,-
100000 feet in 1923, is expected to in
crease its purchases one-third, but
Mexico, which accounted for $4,000
600 feet last year. may fall below
that figure because of the present
political disturbances. Australia,
which absorbed 150,000,000 feet last
year, is counted on to requires about
the same amount. Shipments of Pa
citic coast fir through the canal
showed d, 80 per cent increase over
any previous year and represented
Shipments of southern pine to for
eign countries last year totaled
653.419.1S1, an increase of 1854 per
cent over 1922, and 4.76 per cent over
1916. Figures compiled by. the
Southern. Pine Association indicate
that the total 1923 production reached
1900. 100000 feet or 250.000,0o0 to
500,000,000 feet above the 1922 fig
ures
The annual lumber pay rolls in the
south aggregated about s200,000.00
Wages in the south increased ap-
proximately 16 per cent over the
scale Of 1922. These figures indi-
cate that despite predictions regard
ing the diminishing timber resources
of the southern pine states the
south still is a prime factor in the
industry
Prices in California are about So
q thousand feet higher than they
were six weeks ago, when there was
a slump in eastern and local demand.
California mills have been cutting
about los 100000 feet a week and
selling 102,000,000.
Stocks on hand have diminished
appreciably as compared with a year
ago, as have untitled orders. Latest
figures from the southern pine as
ISOLATION show 2S1, 1,565,312 feet order
ed as compared with 377,000,000 a
year ago. Untitled California rail
orders total $500 carloads.