NAWLA's Western meetings

A TTENDANCE records fell as the A North American Wholesale Lumber Assn. held its Fall series of meetings in the West.

Eugene and Portland, Ore., both set area records for attendance, as did Seattle. Other meetings were held in Redding, Ca., Medford, Ore., San Francisco and Los Angeles @ictured here) Vancouver, B.C. and Albuquerque, N.M.

Unlike last year's meetings when wage and price controls dominated discussions, economics and the prognostication for 1974 drew the most attention. At the Los Angeles meeting, a serious group heard Stephen Hunt, Gibraltar Savings and Loan's youthful v.p., marketing and research, tell them that today's decline had the potential for a hard landinga crashin 1974 that could be worse than 1966, with a correspondingly slower recovery. Looking more like a surfer with his long blond hair hanging almost to his collar, economist Hunt made a cogent, if unnerving, compilation of what he sees as the best thinking extant. This includes 1.6 million housing starts for all of 1974, an under-current of uncertainty in consumer spending, with no real chance

Story at a Glance

Economics and crystal ball gazing '74highlight wellattended NAWLA meetings in the West a number set attendance records ... some forecasts are pretty grim.

for anSr/z7o prime rate till mid-1974. In addition, he sees inflation as being "out of hand" and more trouble from ecologists. In sum: "a recessive economic period."

NAWLA exec. v.p. Jack Mulrooney warned the lumbermen that' plywood and gas shortages were all too real and that credit should be carefully controlled. He also noted that the AuTex System "is not being made to work. They need more information in it to make it meaningful. "

Earlier Phase controls still affect business as the IRS continues to audit for violations. The extent of punishment for wrongdoing, if any, is yet undetermined. Mulrooney advised cooperation. "It helps in the final result." he noted.

PGL's Whopper Warehouse

More than 1400 dealer customers, suppliers and employees attended the official grand opening and first annual trade show at the Palmer G. Lewis Company's new Auburn, Wash., distribution center. Some 62 supplier display booths showed new products and lines.

Adjacent to the 103,000 sq. ft. warehouse is a 12,500 sq. ft. corporate office building. The warehouse has 23' ofvertical clearance plus inside rail car track unloading. In addition there is over 67,000 sq. ft. of paved outside storage area.

Besides the new Auburn Distribution Center. PGL operates 10 PGL branches that have over 300,000 sq. ft. of covered storage, a grand total of over 400,000 sq. ft. of warehouse space in their four Western state trading area. This does not include their lNTo owned subsidiary, Pacific Yard Service, which operates two warehouses in Oregon.

Big Dubs Doings

The Dubs Ltd. is a San Francisco Bay area group devoted to the joys of golfing, the l9th hole, and is comprised almost exclusively of those directly connected with the lumber industry.

Recently, wives in tow, they held their annual outing at Rancho Canada in the picturesque Carmel Valley. A prize for everyone was the order of the day and the goodies ranged from golf balls to golf bags.

FIRST Al{l{UAt PGL trade show in new 103,000 sq. ft. distribution center. You're looking at only a portion ol exhibit area. Middle: Flintkote was out in force at 7 hour show: Wilson Harvev, Joseph Askins, Richard Smith'-Harry Mclntosh, and William Kemp. Lowei: (leftto right): Mrs.-JackVolker' R.ob.ert O. Petersirn, oresident of PGL, Jack Vblker, president of Wholesale Building Supply Inc., Oakland, and Mrs. Robert D. Peterson.