Lumber review

Title

Lumber review

Creator

Tamesis, Florencio

Language

English

Year

1937

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

40 THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL January, 1937 LUMBER REVIEW By FLORENCIO TAMESIS Director, Burtau »f Forutrj Lumber and timber exports in October fell 36% below the September figure but was 65% greater than in October, 1935. Japan’s consumption of logs continued comparatively heavy. Log exports to this market constituted 70% of the total lumber and timber exports during the month under review. For the first time, shipments of logs, amounting to 1,604,416 board feet, were made to Korea. An in crease in Japan’s already large consumption of logs is expected in the next few months as several licensees or concessionaires dealing with Japanese importers are putting up addition al machineries in their concessions with the view to increasing production. Demand in the United States in October registered a decline of 40% from the previous month and 15% below October last year. Ship ments are being greatly affected by the maritime strike in the above country. Difficulties in finding bottoms for the Pacific Coast and even for the Atlantic Coast are being encountered by local exporters. Shipments to China during the month under review consisted entirely of sawn lumber, amount ing to 183,168 board feet. This is 402% greater than the October figure last year, but is consider ably below the previous month, which amounted to 5,860,104 board feet. The total exports to China in September was, however, considered to be unusually large. Shipments to Australia in October consisted of 88% logs and 12% sawn lumber, totaling 179,352 board feet. Total exports to Europe during the month under review declined slightly from the October figure in 1935, but was 2-1/2 times greater than the previous month. The • increase was chiefly due to larger shipments made to Great Britain and Ireland. The local markets continued strong and prices are on the upward trend. Mill production in October registered a slight increase compared with the same month in 1935. Mill inventories increased about 3,000,000 board feet compared with October last year. The following statements show the lumber and timber exports, by countries, and the mill pro duction and lumber inventories for the month of October, 1936, as compared with the corres ponding month of the previous year. Lumber and Timber Exports for the month of October 1936 CustomsDestination Board • Feet Declared Value Japan........................ .. @13,297,064 1’240,512 United States.......... ... 2,117,456 147,253 Korea........................ . .. 1,604,416 32,484 Great Britain.......... 895,064 69,718 British Africa.......... 392,624 25,550 China........................ 183,168 9,297 Australia................... 179,352 5,891 Ireland...................... 46,216 3,474 Hawaii...................... 28,832 3,665 Portuguese Africa... 25,440 1,274 Norway..................... 13,144 1,036 Belgium.................... 18,656 1,561 Singapore....................... 2,968 800 Sweden........................... — — Hongkong....................... — — Total................... . 18,804,400 1*542,515 1935 CustomsDestination Board Feet Declared Value Japan.......................... 6,710,224 P 108,613 United States............ 2,510,504 182,892 Korea.......................... — — Great Britain............ 930,680 71,275 British Africa............ 215,816 12,573 China.......................... 36,464 1,816 Australia..................... 864,536 47,325 Ireland........................ 81,832 7,189 Hawaii........................ 848 80 Portuguese Africa... . — — Norway....................... 13,568 2,361 Belgium...................... — — Singapore.................... — — Sweden........................ 7,208 963 Hongkong................... 424 45 Total................... .. 11,372,104 P435.132 Not:-: This represents mostly solid log scale, that is, 424 board feet to a cubic meter. For 50 Mills for the month of October Lumber Deliveries Month from Mills 1936 1935 Oct................................. ,19,329,336 20,550,345 Lumber Inventory Oct................. 1936 ............. 43,071,260 1935 40,732,316 Mill Production 1936 1935 Oct................. ............. 21,556,244 21,266,517 Not/: Board Feet should be used. Copra . . . (Continued from page 39) Canadian ports, which increases the expense of shipment. Shipments for the month totalled 2,594. metric tons. All of these factors are cutting down pro duction and apparently will further decrease production in the near future. G n hai.—-1936 w:is on the whole a larger copra year than 1935, arrivals being approx imately 5% over those of 1935. This increase, however, was very unevenly distributed, the first half year showing an increase of 25% and the second half year a decrease of perhaps 8%. This factor upset trading conditions a good deal because in the first half of 1936 European buyers absorbed much of the Philippine production with American buyers laying back for the larger supplies expected the second half. When these larger supplies failed to materialize, and in fact proved short, this combined with the drought, the rising prices in all commodities the world over, and a desire to build up stocks, was res ponsible for the situation whereby copra and co conut oil advanced as they have not since 1920. 1936 should have been a good year for producers, and probably was. For mills it was an average year, for most mills could not afford to speculate on what appeared to be an unreasonable market. Prospects for 1937 are dubious. It is pro bable that copra will be short, particularly in the North part of the Islands for the first half year. In the second half year there should be a good deal of copra, but it is then entirely possible that the present demand for spot oil will not continue, for by that time America’s own supplies of oils and fats will be replenished. It is a significant fact that although imports into the United States of oils and fats in the past two or three years have been increasing by leaps and bounds, the only important commodities not sharing in the increase have been coconut oil and copra. More and more, copra and coconut oil are feeling a competition of other more cheap ly produced oils and fats, and the higher prices go the narrower becomes the use of coconut oil and copra. It is very necessary, therefore, to watch the situation closely, for there can be no assurance about prices in 1937, although for the first few months at least the prospects look favorable. Annual Meeting The annual meeting of the Chamber of Com merce for the election of three directors in the board of nine, and for other purposes, is set for 5 p. m. Friday, January 29. The secretary has mailed notices to all active members and inclosed proxies that should be executed and mailed back to him in the event a member will not be at the meeting. Tell It to the Judge Only occupied vehicles are allowed on the Escolta. No cruising taxicabs one way. Cars and carromatas, ’ware one way streets unless going the right way. Tuesdays and Saturdays are market days. There’s plenty of traffic, and the fine for ob structing it—P2.50. But speeding is an offense, too. The moral of And Sudden Death is enforced by the curt words “P20.00”. Calesa ponies that are hurt or lame take their drivers to the Municipal Court of Judge Locsin at Bonifacio and Aduana, if the vehicle squad is nearby. Yet with only 10 men, the job is only begun. Parking had better be done according to rule, because if not, it gets in the hair of the traffic squad. They want to teach all drivers the new ways. Once the lesson is finished, know your stuff or else I Average Metal. . . (Continued from page 32) (By United Press) NEW YORK, Jan. 19.—The market for man ganese and chromite continued firm today, prices temaining at the levels established last month. Closing quotations today: MANGANESE: 22.4 per pound, C.I.F. South African, 48-51 per cent, 30. Brazilian, 46-48 per cent, 25. CHROMITE: Long ton, C.I.F.— Indian, 45-47 per cent, $16.75-17.00. Russian, 48-50 per cent, $19.00-195.0.

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