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r vou heard the last from this column in the December issue of The Merchant, but I've good reason to write just one more column before heading for sunny (I hope) southern California.

That reason is to introduce IMA's new executive vice president to you. He's James E. Norton, a fine trade association executive.

JIM NORTON excculive vice presidcnt

of the Lumber Merchqnts Associotion of

Norlhern

Coliforniq

4tl6 B €lnlno bcl, Sulto 0 lot Alt6, Collf. t4022 (.r5t ?al.r6rt

UilIIED Tl| SERUE Y(lU BEST!

A lfnitcd staff of veteran lumbemen experienced in handling the requirements of the retail dealer

United h their effort to provide prompt etficient seruice on rlrlcsrle orders from our

United inventory of prime softwood lmhr maintained with the retail dealer's needs in mind.

A native Californian, Jim Norton brings an excellent background to his new position with LMA. He has had five years experience in the advertising agency business as a copywriter, account executive,'account supervisor, etc, For the past three years, Jim has been executive director of the Santa Clara County Bar Association.

In talking and working with Jim, I've reached the conclusion that the Bar Association has many problems comparable in type and scope to those of the retail building material dealer. In both cases, some business has been lost to others--state agencies and commissions reducing the need for attorneys, discount houses cutting into dealer business.

Jim is well aware of these problems and as you will soon see, he's well equipped to help dealers do something about them via better merchandising and marketing.

Aside from his trade association work in recent years, Jim has developed a keen interest in the production of motion pictures for school and industry. He has also become a most proficient yachtsman and currently reigns as Commodore of the South Bay Yacht Club. He's a past president of the Pacific Inter-Club Yacht Association and past Vice Commodore of the San Jose Sailing Club.

Jim Norton lives in San Jose (a next-door neighbor to Santa Clara County Assemblyman John Vasconcellos) with his wife, Barbara May, who heads the Physical Education Dept. at Homestead High School, Sunnyvale.

He spent the last weeks in December visiting with dealels throughout northern California and will be riding high in the saddle when LMA's Top Management Seminar takes place January 12-14 at Asilomar. PIan to attend this meeting and welcome Jim aboard. He's going to provide you with fine leadership.

Bob McBrien

By R. V. PETERSEII executive viee president

HIS IS the season when everY radio, TV, and speaker system exhorts us to the philosophy of o'peace and goodlwill." We have no dispute with the message, or with the intent behind it. Rather, we applaud it-even though there may be a detectable background of commercialism.

We do feel that it should serve as ex' hortation to adopt this as a 365'day'a'year philosophy. The benefits would be mani' fold: individual peace of mind, improve' ment in public image, meaningful customer relations-and even soothing sales performance statistics. The "peace and goodwill" attitude is too frequently lost in the hurry and flurry of daily activity and the loss only leads further from the route of con' siderate, ethical, compassionate conduct in every daily contact. How much betterand how necessary-to extend the season of goodwill over the entire twelve months of every year!

Added responsibilities, in the form of presidencies of their respective Chambers of Commerce, have been accepted by Emmett Madden, Livingston, Montana, (4.W. Miles Lumber & Coal Co.) and by Everit Sliter, Somers, Montana, (Sliter's) of the Kalispell Chamber. Our congratulations.

To Bob Slettedahl, Lumbermen's, Inc., Shelton, Washington, our congratulations on his election as executive committeeman for NLBMDA District 5 at the recent an' nual NLBMDA meeting in New Orleans. We anticipate continuation of the efiective representation of our interests so ably provided by Brooks Robinson, Grogan-Robinson Lumber Co., Great Falls, Montana for the past three years. To the note of appreciation forwarded to Brooks by Ross Kincaid on behalf of Western Building Material Association, we add our thanks.

Georgio-Pociftc Price Rollbock

The nation's largest plywood maker has ordered an unprecedented rolhack in some softwood plywood mill prices, a rigid "holil the line" policy for others, and strict limi. tations on markups at the wholesale level.

William H. Hunt, executive vp. of Georgia-Pacific Corp., said his company "hopes the industry generally will see fit to take similar action."

The action set G-P's mill price on the index grade of sanded plywood (quarterinch AD) at $110. This is an $8 rollback from industry prices published Dec. 9 by independent market reporters. It is an unprecedented action in the industry.

Despite rapid price increases in recent months, attributed by Hunt to "some speculation" as well as the long-anticipated increase in market demand, some plywood quotes are still below their postwar peaks of 20 years ago and the highest-priced items are only about ten percent above their old peaks.

The rollback in sanded prices leaves most grades and thicknesses in their normal relationship above and below the quarter-inch "index grade" with the exception of three-quarter inch panels, which have a difierent cost factor and will be somewhat above that level.