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I would like to luse The Merchant Magazine to express my appreciation to all those wonderful people in our industry who sent me those reassuring notes, the get-well cards, the plants and who also made the telephone calls.

I have long felt that the people in the industry were among the nicest people you could find any place in any industry. The huge outpouring of all of these people in responding to the notice of my heart attack really substantiated to me that there is no nicer group than those we have within the industry.

It's going to be a few weeks before I am back behind the desk and on the telephone ona full time basis. The concern that everyone has shown was just more positive re-enforcement that over 20 years ago I made the right decision when I was asked to become apart of the Lumber Association of Southern California and the industry as a whole.

Wayne Gardner, C.A.E. Executive Vice President Lumber Association of Southern

California l9l5 Beverly Blvd., Suite 202 Los Angeles, Ca. 90057

We ore pleased to note Wayne is now back at it on a part-time basis and is making an excellent recovery-ed.

Alive And Well

I noticed in the News Briefs section of your April issue that we were referred to as "the now bankrupt Hyampom Lumber Company." While it is true that we have been operating under Chapter ll Bankruptcy, we are continuing to run our custom kiln drying and milling facility in Redding on a double-shift basis. We are currently processing in excess of two million board feet per month through our three double-track dry kilns and in excess of three million board feet per month through our two surfacing and sorting facilities. We have both a 6 x l5 inch fourside planer and a 25 inch double surfacer. Last month we shipped over 2 million board feet by rail and truck.

So, as you can se€, we are not what most people wouldrefer to as "bankrupt." As part of our Plan of Reorganization we have sold two unprofitable operations, the sawmill in Hyampom and a concrete block manufacturine plant here in Redding.

Since divesting ourselves of those two unprofitable operations, we have been able to pay in full one class of unsecured creditors and have begun making pay- ments to the last class of unsecured creditors with the intention of paying them in full.

We have every reason to believe that we will be successful in working our way out of Chapter I I and the improvement in the lumber market gives us reason to be optimistic that we will reach that goal sooner than expected.

We know you do not want to give false impressions, but it is our feeling that many people will be misled by the wording in the April issue.

Steve Beebe Manager Hyampom Lumber Co. P.O. Box 4754 Redding, Ca.9ffi9

Surplus Give-Away Pays Off

The problem of slow moving inventory can be solved by donations to schools and non-profit organizations for a tax deduction.

The National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources redistributes surplus supplies from manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and business firms to member institutions. Business donors are eligible for a tax deduction and the recipient gets the goods free except for shipping costs.

Operating out of a 120,000 sq. ft. Chicago, Il., warehouse, the organization distributed more than $10 million worth of surplus to schools last year. More than 4,000 items were contributed, ranging from hardware, paint and floor cleaners to wiring, electrical supplies and other materials used by school maintenance departments, according to Norbert C. Smith, pres., who founded the organization in 1976.