NNCNTANA NEWS

R. V. PETERSEII executive secletary

A SERIES of association workshoPs

fI 6u;1, around the low-income construction program of the Farmers Home Administration has been developed in coopera' tion with Farmers Home Administration personnel. To be presented at area meetings a.ound the stateo the program is designed to explain and elaborate to dealers "ttd brrild"t. the loan possibility afiorded by the expanded construction financing program of Farmers Home Administration.

Increasingly important is recognition that the customer is king and that his whims as to how and when he does his shopping are becoming more and more the determining factor in dictating business hours for the building materials dealer. Gone are the days when the lumber dealer could say o'Come and get it when I choose to be open for business." Custo' mer preference will determine whether a dealer must cater to ofi'hour shopping. In light of today's concentration upon the d-i-y market, it is obvious that greater ef' fort is being made to fit business hours to customer convenience rather than to dealer tradition. Every retailer must consider the varying factors applying to his own businessthe nature of his market, the type of employment and the work schedule of his clientele, the nature and variety of products he ofiers for sale, the service {actors involved. In the frantic scramble {or larger shares of the consumer dollar it is important to minimize the hurdles and obstacles blocking customer access to the building material store.

The fast-buck, fly-by'night construction operators are again afield. And again it is time {or local dealers to suggest to customers the necessity and the economy of consulting with home-town merchants on home repair and improvement projects.

The shape of things to come in the field of construction may well not be limited by the shape and size of dimensional lum'

We3tern Lurnber ond Building llolcriols mEnCHANI ber but by the flexibility and variety of' fered by the burgeoning field of plastics. Growing by leaps and bounds, plastics production has been spurred by innovations in many fields including construc' tion. Experimentation with plastics in' cludes movable, expandable housing units; continuous building with foamed'type plastics; new components for residential construction. Foreseeable is the day when the lumberyard as such will have joined the steam Iocomotive and the fountain pen as topics for "do you remember?" discussions.

We extend welcome to new member Eblen Lumber Co., Manhattan, Montana. We hope our members will stop and get acquainted with Louis Eblen when in his neiehborhood.

Stote Honors 1834 Lumber Mill

A lumber mill built on the Russian River in 1834 to help prevent the Czarist takeover of northern California has been honored in ceremonies dedicating it as the state's newest historical landmark.

The fortified structure once located at present-day Mirabel, west of Santa Ro-qa, was also the state's first water-powered sarvmill to produce commercial lumber. This qualifies it as the birthplace of the state's $3 billion-a-year timber products industry, accordins to a committee of historians.

Pqlco Demonsfrcfion Foresf

The Pacific Lumber Company's Demonstration Forest has opened for the 1970 tourist season. Entrance is at the Pepperwood North interchangg U. S. 101, a few miles south of Pacific's manufacturing complex in Scotia, Calif.

One of a chain operated by industry under the auspices of the Redwood Region Conservation Council, it is open Z days a week, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Forest attendants will be on hand to answer questions or guide groups along the nature trail.

Thof's How lt Goes!

Dealer Van Service

Salesmen for DOORS lNC. initiate a rack program with dealers and customers. Following salesmen's calls, the new van service arrives regularly to maintain the racks. Items carried by the van include a full line of specialties; plant-ons, sculptured legs, finials, spindles, posts, as well as stocks oJ adhesives, vinyl outside carpeting and filigree hardboard and compohentsl Let us bring this efficient, new service to you.