THtr SOUTHLAND

By WAYNE GARDNER executive vice

AI-fraOSf everyone has had the urge ./L on passing a piece of well designed and properly finished furniture or panelins to reach out and touch it. There is so-mething about the natural beauty that creates in* all of us the desire to lightly rub our fingertips over the smooth surface. While thus caressing the object it's not unusual to close the eyes and for a very brief moment there is a love affairyou an animate human being with an inanimate piece of wood.

But that's what makes hardwoods so desirable.

Some 60 of our 100 commercial species of trees in this country are hardwoods. Yet few if any of us could name more than l0: some l/6th of the total. There is a sound redson for this, of course, in that very few are used in products where they can be seen and truly apprebiated. The balance are used for other purposes.

This beauty is a gift of nature and is truly lasting. Hardwoods offer the craftsman an opportunity to express

Hardwoode

(Continued from page a) pieces; net thickness, width and length that will be required.

Most wholesale hardwood companies have a price list of dimen- himself not only in the quality work that he oroduces but also in the species of *ood that he chooses to work with. There is literally an infinite variety of colors and grains that are available. sional sizes milled to S4S (surfaced four sides) standards. These lists contain the prices of lumber plus the waste plus the milling. They also have price lists S2S, surfaced two sides. This list is the price of the lumber plus the price of surfacing the lumber on two sides. Then they have prices of lumber in the rough. If someone is waiting on a customer, it would be preferable to find out how he wants his lumber, surfaced or rough.

It's illogical that a retail lumber dealer would handle all the species. It is more logical to assume that each retailer would have in his inventory some of the more commonly used species. And bevond that. know where some of the other species are available. This of course assumes that one or more people on the staffhas some knowledge of hardwoods; that some literature is available; with color ohotos which can be shown to the prospective buyer to assist him in making a selection.

If you need to increase your hardwood knowledge, and your hardwood sales, call the Lumber Association of Southern California to talk with your hardwood wholesaler.

In either instance you can get literature and help, to help you sell more hardwoods and create some new areas of orofit.

If we in the lumber business would maintain a direct line of communication between the customer and the retail level counterman and the hardwood distribution yards, there would be an increase in the confidence of all three.

If a counterman in a retail outlet wants to better his approach to his customers as far as selling him hardwood products, it would probably be a very good idea to visit some hardwood distribution yard to see how lumber comes in, what can and cannot be done and to visually see how hardwood is produced and merchandised.

If you are an employee of a wholesale hardwood distributor yard, on receiving an inquiry, you should assist the person at the retail level, making the inquiry so that the sale to the end consumer is as economical and satisfactorv as possible.

We in the lumber industry have been very negligent in maintaining a line of communication between the ultimate consumer and the source of supply. Using a few of these hints would be a good thing for the entire lumber industry.

Redwood

D. C. ESSLEY & SON

wholesale lumber

Our new address: 7125 Telegraph Rd., Montebello, Ca. (213) RA 3-1147 (213) RA 3-2746

Hatfield to Keynote Meet

Oregon Senator Mark Hatfield will be the keynote speaker at the Lumber Association of Southern California's annual Management Conference, being held Nov. 13-16 at Palm Springs' Spa Hotel.

One of the most knowledgeable men in the U.S. Senate on the forest products industry, his keynote speech will follow the formal opening of the meeting, Nov. 14, by LASC v.p. Seth Potter. The unofficial opening of the conference is Nov. 13, with a cocktail party sponsored by president Frank Purcell and v.p. Potter. It is open to anyone registered at the convention.

Thursday afternoon's session will be devoted to a panel of experts from their fields of land use, real estate, savings and loan and banking and will discuss possible limiting factors on the future of construction in the Southern Californitr area. It will be chaired by Stanley Brown, Chandler Lumber Co.

For those who expect to survive Thursday evening's Mariachi and Margarita dinner dance, Friday morning's business session will be topped by Joe McCracken, knowledgeable exec. v.p. of the Western Forestries Assn. He is well known in the industry for his work with the independent sawmills in Northern California, Oregon and Washington. A panel discussion following will be moderated by McCracken and will have an expert on paper, the export and import markets, one on plywood and another on timber availability.

Programmed activities end with the Friday luncheon, which will have a speaker and a brief ceremony honoring the new and old officers. From then on, its fun and games, golf, tennis and what ever you can get away with.

Greer New DG Div. Chief

Coleman M. Greer has been appointed president of the Feather River div., DG Shelter Products, Auburn, Ca., according to Robert C. McCracken, president of Di Giorgio Corp.

Greer now will have operating and profit responsibility for the activities of five Northern California sawmills, producing in excess of 150 million board feet of lumber annually for the construction industry and for remanufacturing by other operating divisions of DG Shelter Products.

More L-P Acquisitions

Louisiana-Pacific has sold its Corrigan, Tx., plywood plant to Champion International and in return has acquired a sawmill, Dubois, Wy., and planing mill in Riverton, Wy., and a particleboard plant in Arcata, Ca., that Champion recently acquired from John B. Crook, former chairman of Sierra Pacific Industries, in a companion transaction. L-P also acquires a sawmill in Browning, Montana.

No figures were revealed in the transactions.

First call Hobbs Wall for wholesale Redwood and Redwood split products, Douglas Fir and White Fir, Ponderosa and Sugar Pine, Hemlock and Cedar lumber. Depend on us to follow through with the right grades at the right prices!