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.1546 El Comlno R.al, Sult 0 lor Altor, Colit.9&!n (4r51 94r-1617

'TiHE joys of the holiday season are t now behind us and the rush of personal and business activity that accompanies this season has quieted to a distant rumble.

What lies ahead for our industry in 1971 ? We can be certain of more campufl unrest, power struggles and actions of the militant gtoups, strikes against major manufacturers lby unions, Ta *i*.

The uncertainty will continue to plague us. The experts in the housing field indicate that three million plus units are required in the next seven years just to meet the nation's growth. This sounds great to the lumber industry. FHA and the Veterans Administration have reduced the interest on home loans. The federal govdrnment is shifting priorities from defense spending to the housing industry. Considering all of the above it appears that we can't miss having a profitable period ahead.

Now consider the continuous strikes by unions for higher wages, more benefits and a shorter work week. Consider the continued unemployment rise. Consider the increasing demands on welfare agencies. Who will have the money to purchase a new home or apartment? Where will the home owner find money for remodeling? Is the picture rosy or gloomy for'the coming year? Even the economists are divided in their forecasts for the 1970's. There are multitudinous factors that must be considered, one against the other. Just try for a moment to thinl< of all the facts that will favorably affect our industry and at the same time think of those facts that will offset the favorable, The task is so complex that you feel as though you should throw up your hands in sunrender. ***

T'lre cold, hard fact governing the suecess of your business will depend on the interest you put forth. As individual owners or manag'ers of lumber yards we have no alterrrative but to aialyze our business, take a very critical look and decide nowio we stay and fight or fade away? ***

Ours is a vastly expanding industry tfta.t is undergoing changes more rapidly than the hemline on women's dress€6" As independents we must provide the service demanded by tbe consumer and plan for expansion-more lines of merchandise and service. If we donl this could easily be the year of increased expa.nsion by la,rge chain stores. The independent must aggressively pursue his established goals without leLup. ***

Collectively we must establish a unified front to fight against federal and state legislation which may be in- jurious to our industry and press for legislation that the industry needs. Ag a group we must be a power to reckon with through our associations. One voice uttering one word in the forest is"insignificant, but one hundred voices uttering the same word changes to a roa"r.

The gaze into tlre crystal ball is not as bleak as it may reem. Only as bleak as you make iL

MR. DEALER - Put yourself on the path to ,$ profits with a high margin line of REAL 'i1 WOOD do-it-yourself "Put-Ons" by Wood- land. From the exciting new Espana Wall

Decor shelving units to intricate wod carv- ings with that hand-carved look, Woodland $ offers the widest range of profit making wood specialties to be found anywhere. Write or ',f$ give us a cal! today for free literature and fg prices. We won't put you on about the great :ii potentlals of stocking Woodland products. ;E

The New Nome: Nicolet

Nicolet of California, Inc. is the new corporate name and successor to the well known West Coast manufac' turer, Protective Paperg Inc. which continues as a division of the new csrporate entity.

Remaining at their Hollister loca' tion, Nicolet is cunently expanding its manufacturing and warehousing facilities. In addition to maintaining and upgrading its growing line of quality construction pap€re, Nicolet will accelerate its efforts on the broad Iine of fine asbestos products manuIactured by Nicolet Industries, Inc. at its Pennsylvania and Ohio plants, according to company spokesmen.

Higgins' Unique New.Kilns

A new kiln complex, the only one of its kind in the world. is now in operation at the J. E. Higgins Lumber Co.; according to Jack Higgins, vp. The unique complex features a com- bination of fine, infinite air velocity contrtls, variable speed controls, heating devices and baffies specially suited to the variety of hardwoods and softwoods Higgins processes and distributes.

The four kilns at their Union City, Calif., complex can handle 135,000 board feet simultaneously. They were designed to improve the qudity of drying needed for processing fine Iumber and to insure proper seasoning of the rare hardwoods Higgins features.

A special feature is a minikiln that can custom dry smaller quantities of fine hardwoods that present special drying problems.

The new kilns replace those destroyed last year by fire at Higgins' San Francisco yard.

Goming next month:

THE MERCHANT'S onnuol ho rdwore / housewore issue