Evening star., 1925-03-25
LOOKS FOR 7-YEAR
BUILDING BOOM.
Lumber Dealer Takes CHEEKY
View of Situation in
His Industry.
BY j. c. ROYLE.


NEW ORLEANS, March 25.-It Will
take until 1892 fer the United States
to catch up with building shortage
and the normal building requirements.
That statement was made today by
Charles s. Keith of Kansas City, one
of the most prominent lumber manu-
facturers of the country, who is here
attending the meeting OF the Southern
Pine Association.
'Conditignss far this year indi-
cate that 1925 Will surpass last year
In volume of constru ction," Mr.. Keith
added. This is supported by well ad-
vised authorities. This means that
in the neighborhood of $4,000. .0o0, 600
Will be spent in building this year;
that employment of men in the build
ing trades at high wages will be con-
tinuous and the consumption of steel,
lumber, cement and other comm odities
affecting every section of the country
to some degree will be heavy.
Farmcr~ Behind I'm Budding.
The farmers are five years behind
with their building programs right
now, MIR. Keith continued. They
are just commencing to buy lumber,
and the demand from this source win
be heavy. At present they are buy
ing implements in great quantities.
One implement distributor told me
just before / left Kansas City that
his volume of sales from last No
vember to date had Increased 40 per
cent, compared with a year ago, and
that his entire 1925 quota of tractors
had already been disposed of. The
sales of lumber to farmers will be
the largest in four years.
Predicts High Price~.
II anticipate no fall in the prices
of lumber. Industrial demand is in
creasing steadily. What this means
can be realized when 1t is understood
that the manufacture of boxes alone
accounts for 121a per cent OF all the
lumber produced in the United
States. The automobile industry re-
quires per cent OF the output and
the railroads absorb 25 per cent. In
the cases of all of these Industries
activity is rampant.
Exports of lumber may be ex-
pected to be heavy. Continental
Europe is taking more American
lumber than at any time since 1913.
The first German buyer to enter our
offices since 1914 has just placed an
order with US. The flush demand
from Japan has quieted since the
temporary building to replace the
earthquake damage has been COM
pleted, but the requirements this
year in that country will be good.
Chinese buying may be delayed by
civil war, but can be expected to
come up to that of 1924. The Aus
tralian sales. 1 do not anticipate will
be very good.
There is no reason why we should
not have an excellent year in the
lumber business, and lumber and
steel are the most sensitive indi-
Gators of business and prosperity
which we have. Fourteen billion
feet OF lumber has gone from transit
and retail stocks in the last year.
Mills on short Time.
THE Northwestern mills. il is true.
are on a four-day and ive-day basis,
but this is due to the fact that they eS-
pect consumers to take production as
il is turned out. Many of them have
no yardage in which they can store
reserve stocks.
The increased efficiency of the
railroads has led to lot of what is
commonly termed hand to-mouth buy
ing. Instead of buying five and six
months ahead. consumers and dis
tributors are anticipating their needs
only by 80 to go days, for they can
get shipments so much quicker.
"As a result they buy more fire.
quently, but in smaller quantities.
The Western mills win have to adjust
themselves to that trend of affairs"