Hardwood Producfs Associafion

John Martin, president of the Mobile Home Mfgrs. Assn., then spoke on the growth of his industry, relating new developments, techniques, some statistics and a profile of their customers.

The annual panel on Transportation and Steamship problems was chaired for the fifth year by the able Jerry Linares, who summed up the discussion by noting that IHPA should consider a fact-findins committee to tackle the problems that the group annuafy discusses.

He observed that the shipping, railroad and port people all sufier situations that are not being corrected; wetness, packaging, strapping, poor loading on vessel and lack of industry cooperation in seeking more favorable rates being noted as examples. Observers felt that these problems were correctable with coordinated action. Much of the problem was held to be at the point of loading, with the observation being made that if the consignee would refuse wet cargo, it would force the shipper to eliminate the condition.

Polymer chemistry developments and the willingness of manufacturers to experiment with new products and new finishes were noted by Friday afternoon lead-ofi speaker Paul E. Leary, Reliance Universal, Inc., who noted that consumer protection legislation afiecting toxic ingredients used will result in a number of large changes being made. The industry will spend more on finishes in the next ten years, he forecast, than ever before,

Akira Yamato, Consulate General of Japan, Los Angeles, noted major shifts made last year in U.S..Japanese trading and that Japan still worried over some of the rhetoric used in the U.S. expressing trade difficulties exist. ing between the two nations. He said that they expected trade between the two to come into balance by 1973. Re. marking on the current recession in Japan and the govcrnment moves to stimulate the economy, Yamoto noted with optimism the recent talks between President Nixon and Prime Minister Sato.

Joseph O'Mahony of the U.S. State Department, made a strong case for a liberal trade policy, asserting that jobs within a nation increase as their imports increase and that nations should specialize in what they do best. Changed conditions now call for new policies, such as President Nixon's wage/price controls of August 15, O'Mahony stressed, urging that we must all react to real causes, not symptoms.

A zinger of a dinner-dance Friday, followed by golf and tennis the next day, wrapped up another most succ,essful convention.