Obttuarles

Lewls Nelson Mlller Sr., retired vice chairman and treasurer of Miller Manufacturing Co., Richmond, Va,, died April 4, 1988, in Richmond after a lengthy illness. He was 75.

Born in Richmond. Mr. Miller was graduated in 1932 from Virginia Military lnstitute and received his master's degree in business administration from Harvard University. In 1936, he joined the family-owned Miller Manufacturing Co., where he remained until its sale in 1980.

He also was chairman of the board of S.D.G. lnc., from the mid-1970s until last year.

Mr. Miller is survived by his widow, Deborah, two sons, a brother, a sister and five grandchildren.

Treatcd Wood Sempllng

(Contlnued lrom page 37) most important checks the treating industry can perform to firmly establish the reliability and credibility of pressure treated wood with building materials suppliers and consumers. Practically without exception, once the owner or manager understands who we are and what we do, we are welcome and, in fact, encouraged to check their stock of pressure treated lumber and take whatever core samples we need. Generally the owner, manager or yard personnel are present at least part of the time to observe the sampling procedures, ask questions, and become better informed and more confident in the product they are handling and selling.

Hechlnger Sellg ilow Power

"Easy does it" is the goal of do-ityourself gardeners. At least that's the way two veteran garden shop employees at Hechinger in Newport News, Va.. see it.

They see increased sales of electric and gas edgers as well as garden tractors. A secondary trend is the increased number of women buying garden equipment.

"Starting last fall, people began buying more electric sidewalk edgers and now we're selling gasoline edgers, too," said Maudrease Oliver, sales manager. "The belt-driven gas engines used to go for close to $225, but when the price dropped $50, sales went up."

Oliver and Judy Colwell, department manager, sell tractors from as small as eight horsepower for $900 to as large as 18 horsepower machines that can pull a tiller, disc, plow or harrow. These sell for about $2,200.

They credit increased tractor sales to an increase in customers from the comparatively rural Yorktown and Glouster areas, but they have no explanation for the number of women customers apparently doing more yardwork.

"l would say 800/o of them come in alone. They buy mowers, mowers that they can start easily. They also buy fertilizer and grass seed and leafblowers," Colwell says.

Sales tickets range from as little as $2 to as high as $2,200 for the tractors.

Many times a customer, or whoever happens to be around, can't resist coming over to see what's going on as cores are being extracted. A spontaneous hands-on "short course" quite often emerges on the spot.

Unfortunately, not all pressure treated lumber meets the standards nor is subject to AWPB quality control. The main "fly in the ointment" in destination sampling is trying to explain why some lumber is not subject to our sampling because it comes from a plant that elects not to participate in the industry's quality control program.

Reliable pressure treaters cannot buy better promotion for their product than to identify it with their industry's quality control program. This helps create confidence in their product at destination points. Their consistently high quality product will shine in comparison.

The treating industry's need for comprehensive control and a recognized quality mark is ever more imperative as the market for treated lumber continues its explosive growth. In recent contacts, I have found building officials, chief building inspectors, plans examiners or other key personnel in practically every major city building inspection department in my territory hungry to be better informed about pressure treated lumber and its quality markings.

The lack of uniformity in the wide array of tags, stamps, NER numbers, guarantees, and warranties promotes confusion, erodes confidence, and defies logicalexplanation to the lumber dealer, building inspector or architect, let alone the consumer.

The AWPB cloverleaf on the stamp or on the end tag is everyone's assurance that the pressure treated material has been produced under their triple-tiered quality control program. This program should be supported by retailers, building inspectors, architects, builders and remodelers. Retailers should insist on the AWPB Quality Mark on each piece of lumber or plywood they buy to provide assurance of quality and performance all the way to the consumer.

Tenneggee Sales Up $f M[||on

Building material dealers and hardware stores accounted for $l million of the $4.8 million jump in net taxable retail sales in Tennessee during the spring.

New housing, remodeling, decks and landscaping accounted for much of the sales increase, according to Jim McCleaf, manager, Wickes Lumber, and Ron Bracey, retail sales manager, Lowe's, in Murfreesboro.