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Show P- LUMBER PRICES DISCOURAGE" fK:l The country is suffering through lack &;Y . of building, and for a long tiine'a remedy W1 k has been sought. A signed article in a . ' recent issue of the Salt Lake Tribune says I - . it is lumber prices that discourage build- '"'V ing, and adding to that the taxes that at once are heaped upon the home builder 'r t. - he concluded that there is a general ten- , v .j dency to penalize the home builder. He $ 'j then shows how the handicap surround- i ing the home builder could be removed 'i' and recites the following: "These handicaps in the home builder build-er could be removed by constructive legislation leg-islation if our legislators were endowed f? ,, with" mor vjsjon. ' 1. By creation of a state building fund cr, where money for home building purpos- ep, ecvald be obtained at a moderate rate oXJnterest, :tu ' 2. Exemption from taxes of all homes gi to tlie value of $3,000 until fully paid for. 3. Estabishment of municipal lumber iCcs yards where buiding material could be p5. fe&LM ut cost. m &&&i ' This may ali)tear paternalistic especial- " T'Tt uull0er dealers and money lenders -lS Mwch coinaint about high prices of , building material is heard daily, and yet t the dealers claim they are losing money. I have before me a circuar issued by the organization known as The Loyal Legion of Loggers and Lumbermen, Portland. Oregon. It gives many interesting details about the lumber trade on the Pacific coast, such as hours and wages of labor. a3 compared to that paid in southern lumber lum-ber camps and mills. It also tells of prices pric-es recently (January) obtained for lumber at the mills. When compared with the local lo-cal price list thep are quite interesting. The evident effort and sacrifices made bv those who produce the .lumber to get the industry on its feet again, have been nullified nul-lified by the stupid high price .policy of aneddling dealers. The circular, among other things tells of prices actually received re-ceived f. o. b. mill, stating the price per thousand. The price for No. 1 board 1x12 is quoted at $16 per thousand; No. 1 dimen-' sion, $12.75 per thousand; No. 2 dimension dimen-sion $5.00 per thousand. The official price list issued by the local lo-cal lumberyards February 1 quotes No. 1 fir board' 1x12 at $45 per thousand; No. 3 dimension from $40 to 58, according to length and size. If th exhorbitant freight rate is added to the mill price, there still remains a comfortable margin for handling. Local prices on lumber have been reduced lately, but most dealers-would dealers-would hesitate if a man of ordinary strength would offer to pay $1 for all the lumber he could carry away on his shoulder. shoul-der. Much has been said about high wages wag-es for building mechanics. When retail prices come down ati the same ratib as the wholesale, wages will adiust themselves them-selves in onformity with prevailing cost of living." |