PARTICLEBOAR.D!

AMPINE o smoother, finer textured, precision mon ufoctured product.

A new landmark has appeared on the scene along Highway 49 in California's historic gold rush country directly to the east of Stockton.

It is the ten acre complex housing American Forest Products' new particleboard manufacturing plant at the AFP Martell wood conversion facility.

Dominant among the five acres of buildings is that housing the giant press itself -- so high, as one wag puts it, "there's snow on the top year'round." The two million pound pressa product of The Washington lron Worksextends 20 feet underground and, from that low point to the top of the housing, approaches the height of a five story building.

When in full operation the facility will be producing 115 million square teel 1s1o" basis) of particleboard annually and provide employment for approximately 1 00 persons.

American Forest Products' particleboard will rank among the finest in the industry due to a combination of the ultimate in plant equipment and the fact that the principal wood residue to be used in manufacture is western pine.

Some Thoughts ot the 50 Yeor Mqrk

fN researching through the back issues of ?i.e L Merchant and talking to a great many people in the lumber and building materials business in connection with the preparation of this 50th Anniversary Special Issue, we were impressed again and again with the continuity that is so much a part of the business.

Wendling-Nathan Co. of San Francrsco was in volunre l, number I, on page ,lO. In this issue their advertisement is on page 43. (God'bles's 'em.) A story on page 46 was headlined 'oArizona Retail Lumbermen in Big Annual Meeting," and listed such familiar names as J. G. O'Malley, Phoenix; H. S. Corbett, Tucson; and J. W. Tardy, Douglas. Coverage of this year's Arizona convention is on page 16.

A story on page 18 of our first issue related the industry's reactions to a speech by the Secretary of Commerce that called for a house cleaning by the lumber industry and which had informed the o'thunder struck lumbermen" present that if the industry didn't police itself the government would. He also called for 'ostandardization of items, so that the consumer who ordered a two by four would know just exactly how wide and how thick it should be."'fhe Secretary of Commerce? Herbert Hoover, still seven years distant from his years in the presidency.

Even the o'new" phenomenon of Women's Lib showed up in that first issue. In a full page article Miss Alberta Ruth Brey, ooactive vice president of The Brey-W'right Lumber Co., Porterville, o'And we believe that the more ways we show people for USING building materials, and the more skillfully and impressively we bring those things to their attention, the more materials they will buy."

Calif.," wrote that the young ladies "can sell a home from the Plan Service more quickly and more efficiently than any man you have in your office. Just try it."

Our amazing founder, the late Jack Dionne, who was a charismatic figure decades before the term gained popularity, devoted his first editorial of thousands-to-come to the subject of "Modern Merchandising."

He said in part, "We believe that the pros' perity of the lumber industry depends upon tbe efiorts of the lumbermen to induce people to invest their money in necessary and useful buildings, rather than in less valuable things.

What Jack I)ionne said fifty years ago is no less true today ald may even be more imperative today when the average family spends an ever smaller percentage of its disposable income on shelter.

In our present age of 'oFuture Shock" it is instructive to note an undercurrent of continuity exists, even if it does lack a high degree of visibility.

Our continuity of fifty years of publishing has been made possible only through the support and interest of our readers and advertisers and we are well aware of it. To you, our thanks and best wishes and the hope that we may continue to serve the industrv for at least another fiftv years.

NieSerr F'OreSt Pf OdfrCtS Fort Bragg, Cattf. Reliable Wholemle D*tibution

Having just passed our 100th Day Anniversary, ws join the industry in congratulating TH E MERCHANT on 50 years of service to the lumber fraternity. Thanks to my many friends-both customers and suppliersfor their support in helping me launch this business.