l,lV 61a&oiife Sbrul

Age not B2 guarantecd---Some lacb Sianaa t have told for 2O yets---Some Less

The Wrong Ploce for Her

The colored woman from the South had gone North with her "white folks" to nurse their small children in their summer home, and when Sunday came around she headed for the nearest church, went in, and was promptly seated by an usher. It was a stiff-backed church, and the congregation were inclined to be highbrow theologians. But she knew nothing of this. It was just "chu'ch" to her.

The preacher started the delivery of a very powerful sermon, and when he warmed to his work this woman from Mississippi forgot she wasn't back home. Suddenly the congregation looked in shocked surprise when they heard

SCRTA Mulls lmportont Topics

The regular monthly luncheon meeting for owners and principals of retail lumber yards was held at the Biltmore hotel December 14. Several important matters which had arisen since the conference at Palm Springs in November rn'ere discussed, announced Orrie W. Hamilton, executive vice-president, Southern California Retail Lumber Association.

her voice ring out: "Amen ! Preach de Word o' Gawd !" They had not more than recovered from this when she shouted: "Tell de truf, Pahson, tell de truf 'bout de Lawd !l' But when she shouted: "Tell, it, Pahson, tell it good ! Tell de truf 'bout de Word o'Gawd!" she looked up to see a Deacon bending over her. He said: "You'll have to stop that noise !" And she shouted:

"Ah cain't he'p it! Cain't you see Ah'm gettin'religion?"

He said: "Then you'll have to go outside. THIS IS NO PLACE TO GET RELIGION!"

Mel J. london in AGC Office

The Northern California chapter of Associated General Contractors, Inc., announced the election of Mel J. London to its board of directors. London, vice-president in charge of marketing for Calaveras Cement Company, has served on several A.G.C. committees during the past year. He joined Calaveras in 7945, became sales manager in 1948, general sales manager in 1951, and vice-president in 1953.

CONSTRUCTION AWAR.DS THROUGH NOVE'NBER BEAT ENTIRE YEAR 1953

The year 1954 had already set a new all-time record for construction contract awards, Thomas S. Holden, vicechairman of F. W. Dodge Corporation, announced last month from the Dodge Los Angeles office. November building and engineering contracts in the 32 eastern states. as compiled f rom Dodge Reports, brought the eleven_ month total for 1954 to $17,941,320,000, more than the figure for the entire year 1953.

November awards totalled 91,499,950,000, the highest November total in Dodge's 63-year history and nearly 8o/o ahead of November 1953. The figure for eleven months of 1954 was llo/o ahead of the corresponding eleven-month period of 1953.

Residential building showed by far the greatest gain, 28/o ahead of 1953 for the eleven-month period.

Commenting on these trends, Mr. Holden said: ,,This record contract volume reflects the mounting demand pres_ sures resulting from rapid population growth and high pro_ ductivity of the economy. Current record_ltreaki.rg con_

-P. R. Burris Mill Valley, Calif.

struction volumes are no more than keeping pace with current demands for most classes of structures, and are actually lagging behind current demand in at least two categories, schools and highways."

Biggesr Building Boom Srill Aheqd

(Continued from Page 4) needed in the next 10 to 20 years, we must begin norv to find ways of providing proper community facilities such as schools, trunk sewer lines, fire and police protection and hospitals. will rise the real not be-

Today's soaring birth rates-an estimated 4,100,000 new Americans 'ivere born in 1954-are plain proof that .rve neecl many, many more classrooms today to house our children. By 1950, that need will have risen to 700,000 classrooms unless rve act now. Congress has made a start in the right direction last year by providing in the neu' housing bill a provision allowing FHA to insure mortgages on houses to be used temporarily as school rooms. This year, certainly, rn'e hope to make greater progress on a program that will help builders and communities to obtain adequate schools and other community facilities.

I am confident that the home building industry to meet these challenges of the future, because opportunity, the real housing boom, lies ahead, hind us.