PDRSONAI,S

Sterling Wolfe, vice president MarquartWolfe Lumber Company, Los Angeles, completed a pre-holiday coverage of the northern mill territory in the rain early this month. He was on a procurement trip securing 1962 early shipments.

Harvey Koll, Snark of the lJniverse of the Concatenated Order of Hoo-Hoo International, is one busy man! He travelled north to Vancouver on December 7 where he visited with past Snark Dick Scott and members of the local Hoo-Hoo. On his return he stopped over in Eureka, California, where he was met by ex-Snark Dave Davis, attending a meeting on the evening of the 8th t1t1{rK(lr[ with lumbermen in the Northern California area.

Harvey also spent a two-day field trip as guest of Los Angeles' huge Metropolitan Water District, visiting facilities of the installation along with other business community leaders. Stops were made at Parker Field headquarters at Parker, Arizona, and at Mayfield and Eagle Mountain pumping stations in Arizona. Then on to Hoover Dam, returning via Las Vegas. (There's water in Las Vegas?)

Fresno retailer, Charlie Dart, and Mrs. Dart, recently returned home after a month's vacation in the Far East. A past director of l-MA and owner of K-Y Lumber Company in Fresno, Charlie and Mrs. Dart toured rnost of Japan, the P,hilippines and part of the mainland around Hong Kong and environs.

Union Planing Mill exec., Jack Little, and the missus, recently returned to Stockton after vacationing in the East.

Eric Wagner, vice-president of Del ValleKahman & Co. in San Francisco, spent two weeks visiting accounts in the East last month.

Robert Blackshear, formerly with North Pacific Lumber Co. at Decoto, has joined California Plywood Co. in Emeryville as an outside salesman, according to Cal-Ply president Pat Cardin.

Elliott McCluney has been named manager of the J. W. Copeland Ashland, Oregon, branch, according to company officials. McCluney was fotmerly with Home Lumber & Coal in Boise, Idaho.

Ray Schach, Crescent Lumber Co., Crescent City, made ,his yearly safari to Idaho for elk last month and managed to run head on into the season's first big blizzard. Bttt they've got rough winters up Crescent City way too, so Ray and his six companions dug their way out and went on to bag the limit.

Enjoying every minute of retirement and wintering in Palm $prings are "Doc" and Mrs. White. The former head of Christenson Lum,ber Company and his bride expect to return to the Bay Area around t,he first of April.

Jim Rogers, president of Aborigine Lumber Company, Fort Bragg, spent the Thanksgiving Holidays at Longview, Washington.

Atkins, Kroll & Co.'s Portland branch manager, Herb Schaur, spent the first of December revisiting his old haunts around San Francisco where A-K maintains its headquarters office. A native Californian, Her'b was transplanted in Portland several years ago when he left South City Lumber to trecome branch manager for Atkins, Kroll.

Aloysius A. Kelley, unofficial mayor of Alameda and secretary to Bill Chatham of the Alameda Estuary Skindivers Association, spent the Thanksgiving Holidays up Medford-Eugene way visiting friends and old business associates.

Palo Alto wood-mover Knute (Comdr. Knute, that is) Weidman spent the last two weeks of November protecting us on active duty with the Navy Air Conps at Norfolk, Virginia. Feel safer now, fellas?

Ray Tierney spent the first week of December calling on Harbor Lumber Company su'ppliers in northern California and southern Orgeon.

Matt Smith, former officer of the Ralph L. Smith Lumber Co., and Mrs. Smith, returned to their Berkeley home early last month after a three months vacation trip throug,h EuroPe.

Blue Diamond gypsum wallboard possesses all of these qualities to a high degree.

Blue Diamond uniformity is valued highly by gypsum wallboard craftsmen as an aid in fast production of smooth surfaced walls and ceilings.

Mr. and Mrs. Ed. Spangler and family spent the Christmas Holiday season down south of the border way vacationing in Mexico. Ed is manager of Auburn Lumber's Dixon Lumber Company branch.

Dick Nishikawa, manager of Atkins, Kroll & Co.'s imported lumber and plywood division, announced the addition of Dick Osmundson, formerly with E. L. Bruce Co., Inc., Oakland, to the stafi, eftective December l. Osmundson will be calling on jobibers in the Midwest and Rocky Mountain region as well as northern California. A native of Minnesota, Dick began his plywood career with Harbor Plywood after his WWII discharge from the Navy, rising to the position of manager of Harbor's Oakland branch. During 1952, he joined California Plywood Co. in Emeryville, remaining there until 1957 when he ioined the Bruce organization.

Walter Anderson, for the past several years associated with Willow Glen Lumber Co. in San Jose, joined the retail division of Southern Lumber Company in San Jose last month, according to owner Ed Phole.

Some 150 lumbermen and their ladies faced each other across tables laden with turkey and allied delectables at the Central Club's annual Christmas party, staged this year by the Modesto. California dealers. \risitors were welcomed at the home of the Stanislaus Lumber Company by Jim Gartin and his crew of Santa's helpers. An "ol tirne orkestry" ground out melodies to harmonize ra'ith the tunes of clinking punch glasses.

A lecture was given by Mason E. Kline. sales engirreer of the Union Lumber Conrpany, San Francisco, before the Purchasing Agents Association of Northern California. The group found his talk entitled "California Redw'ood" to be both interesting and informative.

B. E. "Bert" Bryan, president and general rnanager of the Strable Hardwood Company, Oakland, has been appointed HooHoo State Counselor for California bV J. E. Martin, nrember of the Supreme Nine.

Recerrt visitor to New Orleans was H. B. Hewes, president of the Clover Valley Lum- ber Company, San Francisco. While in Louisiana he visited his old home in Jeanerette.

September Construction Expenditures Amount ?o $5.4 Billion

Value of total new construction put in place in September, 1961, amounted to $5.4 billion, according to preliminary estimates of the Bureau of the Census, U.S. Department of Commerce. This was a small increase over the revised estimate for August, 1961 ; normally a slight decrease is expected between August and September. Spending for total new construction in September, 1961, was five percent above the September, 1960, level.

Total new private construction expenditures in September, 1961, amounted to $3.7 billion, matching the revised August, 1961 level. On a seasonally adjusted basis, August and September expenditures were also approximately the same. The September, l96l level was five percent greater than in September, 1960.

Construction was begun on 125,300 housing units in September, 1961, compared with lD$0O in August and 102,600 in September, 1960, according to preliminary estimates of the Bureau of the Census, U.S. Department of Commerce. The drop from August to September was somewhat less than the decline which is normal between these two months.

Privately owned housing starts totaled 120,440 units in September, down 5 percent from the revised August total of 126,400 but 24 percent above the 96,900 units started in September 1960. On a seasonally adjusted basis September privately owned starts were at an annual rate of 1,360,000 units, up 3 percent from the revised rate of 1,321,000 units in August.

Nonfarm housing starts numbercd 123,700 units in September, down 2 percent from the revised August total of 126,700 units, but 23 percent greater than the September 1960 total of 100,600 units. Private nonfarm starts in September 1961 were 118,800 units, compared with the revised total of 123,600 in August. On a seasonally adjusted annual rate basis, September private nonfarm starts totaled 1,343,m0 units, up 4 percent over the revised August rate of 1,296,000 and, 26 percent above the September 1960 rate of 1.067.000.

Veterqn Lumbermqn Perry Dqme Retires

Thr, retirement of Perry Dame, marketing consultant for Vancouver Plywood Company and a well-known figure in the plyrvood industry throughout the United States, is announced by Donald L Plummer, Vanply's general manager.

On November 30, Dame completed over 40 years in the sales and marketing of building 1>roducts. In 23 years with Vancouver Plyrvood he rose from salesman to sales rnanager of the mill now known as Fort Vaticouver Plywood Co. When the mill became a co-op, Dame became sales manager of the new national sales organization knorvn as Vanply and later was named marketing consultant.

After graduation from Wabash College, Indiana, Dame served in the chemical warIare division of the U.S. Army in World War I. After military service he was a salesman for Creo-dip Stain Shingle Co. in Ner'v York; transfers with this company later took him to Kansas City and then to San Francisco. He joined Vancouver-Plyrvood in 1938.

He and Mrs. Dame will soend the winter in Southern California.