Exhibit 18


                    LETTER RE:  CHANGE IN ACCOUNTING PRINCIPLE


To the Board of Directors of
The Interlake Corporation


Dear Directors:

We have been furnished with a copy of The Interlake Corporation's Form 10-Q
for the quarter ended June 30, 1996.  Note 2 therein describes a change in
the method of amortizing the beginning of the year unrecognized
postretirement benefit net actuarial gain or loss as a component of net
periodic postretirement benefit cost from the "corridor approach" as defined
by Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 106 (FAS 106), over a 15
year period, to amortizing such gain or loss over a 5 year period.  It should
be understood that the preferability of one acceptable method of amortizing
the unrecognized postretirement benefit net actuarial gain or loss over
another has not been addressed in any authoritative accounting literature and
in arriving at our opinion expressed below, we have relied on management's
business planning and judgment.  Based upon our discussions with management
and the stated reasons for the change, we believe that such change
represents, in your circumstances, the adoption of a preferable alternative
accounting principle for amortizing the unrecognized postretirement benefit
net actuarial gain or loss in conformity with FAS 106.

We have not made an audit in accordance with generally accepted auditing
standards of the financial statements of The Interlake Corporation for the
three-month or six-month periods ended June 30, 1996 or July 2, 1995 and,
accordingly, we express no opinion thereon or on the financial information
filed as part of the Form 10-Q of which this letter is to be an exhibit.

Yours very truly,



Price Waterhouse LLP
Chicago, Illinois
July 26, 1996