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NEW t(lv{ C()ST GRADE 0verlay with special purpose core!

HERE tT l5! nannonlrEata lower cost...yetwith the same resin-impregnated overlaid surface".the same resistance to wear, weather and water...the same defiance to grain-raise and checking.The new special PurPose core and back of"C" grade veneers...and a single-sided overlay on a solid face.'. make a new low cost possible. Also available with overlay on both sides at comparable low cost. We call it Special HARBoRITE, and you'll call ir wonderftl!

Avoilqble in stondqrd ond speciol sizes qnd thicknesses.

Sales ofices and warehouse stocks in: adding to its strength at all levels. "The industry very definitely is on the way up to greater accomplishments.

FAMOUS MARII{E GRADE 0verlay with solid wood core!

YOU KNOW lT AS "HAR8OR|TE"...the original overlaid Iir plywood...the leader of its field. Norv we're calling it HARBoRITE Saper-Grade. You've probably alivays called it "super", because it's the finest marine grade plyn'ood...the core is all "B"grade veneers or better'..plus tough, abrasionresistant overlaid facings on t\!'o sides. ir,rnsonrct' Stper-Grale is recommended for all building, marine and industrial uses that require a flawless solid woocl core!

Also speciol sizes in lopped qnd verlicol grooved siding.

Let's keep it that w:r/," he said.

Mr. Blackstock, reporting as treasurer, said finances rvere in thoroughly sound condition, despite new demands on the budget.

Paul V. DeVille, of Canton, Ohio, chairman of the Committee on Women's Congress Houses, said he never had knolvn of a project that generated greater enthusiasm on the part of everyone concerned, including the building products manufacturers who provided materials for the homes. He said the project would continue to reflect credit on the retail lumber industry for many years to come. lle also expressed the Association's thanks to National Plan Service for the contributions it had made to the project.

Phil Creden stated that the Exposition had made unprecedented progress in three short years and had proved beyond all question the tremendous respect that the rest of the construction industry has for the retail lumber dealer.

Martin C. Dwyer, Exposition director, told the directors they would find something important happening every minute the Exposition was open and that the manufacturers' exhibits not only were more numerous but also far higher in quality than in previous years. Beyond that, he said, he would let the Exposition speak for itself.

He added that the record-breaking dealer attendance that was expected could be attributed largely to the excellent work of Attendance Chairman W. B. Kennedy, Jr., and to the help of many of the managing officers of NRLDA's federated associations.

The Association's new 1957 president, Paul Ely, reported that a series of conferences with a group of manufacturers had brought three tangible results, with more to come.

He identified those as the decision to give all-out promotion to the NRLDA Display Panels as a means of improving'the effectiveness and reducing the cost of manufacturers' point-of-sale displays; the help in meeting the industry's need for a solution. of overall management problems, such as U. S. Gypsum Company's new movie entitled "Profit Management," and

HHF Adminisfrotor Cole Urges Privqte

Housing and Home Finance Administrator Albert M. Cole urged the housing industry to direct all its energies to implement Government actions toward sustaining a continued high level of homebuilding and home improvement. "A corollary of freedom is responsibility," Cole told the board of directors of the National Retail Lumber Dealers Association in Chicago. "Although the Federal government has a continuing share of responsibility in housing, the major share belongs to private industry. You representatives of free enterprise are the prime movers. You must do all in your power to maintain and, if possible, increase your batting average in the housing field."

Mr. Cole told the group:

"I strongly urge you to analyze your markets as sharply as .possible. f recommend, among other things, that you study them more carefully in terms of Government programs and actions designed .to help you do your job -but I do not recommend that you think of such areas the offer of the manufacturers to aid in stepping up NRLDA's program for training dealer employes.

He predicted that more substantial help would be forthcoming from the producers when they became convinced that dealers would make good and profitable use of the help that is offered to them.

Housing and Home Finance Administrator Albert lVI. Cole assured the directors that he and his agency would do everything possible to help improve the flow of mortgage money, but pointed out that mortgage funds now are less competitive than other long-term loans. He said there is a strong and impatient demand for new homes and that he looked for good production in 1957-between 1,000,000 and 1,200,000 units started, rvith 1,100,000 as a reasonable goal which would represent a sound volume of housing a'ctivity.

The Housing Administrator congratulated NRLDA for its alertness in building and promoting the Women's Congress Homes, and for being the first to translate the principles laid dolvn by the houservives from paper to three dimensions. He said the building of the houses would create interest that would serve well the interests of both dealers and the public.

NRLDA's Past-President Norman P. Mason, commissioner of the Federal Housing Administration, predicted that 1957 would be a more active year than 1956 with respect to FHA-insured homes, both in dollars and in number of new units insured. He said the new interest rate, recently announced, should make things better because the action would promote the feeling that things are going better in housing.

Mr. Mason singled out FHA's program to provide housing for the elderly as a major program for the new year. He also said that FHA was about to publish a complete revision of its Minimum Property Requirements in one volume, in place of the 22 books now used. Local variations will be continued but all will be contained under the one cover.

NRLDA's national affairs counsel, J. H. Else, said dealers could expect Congress to give close attention to pro-

lndustry to Do rhe Job-With Govl. Help

as 2h and 221 housing for the renewal of our cities, or cooperative housing, housing for the aging, and home improvement through FHA Title I financing as Government projects.

"They are YOUR projects. Government can assist, but private industry will have to do the job."

Referring to the recent increase authorized in the FHA interest rate as the latest of government steps to make more home financing available, Mr. Cole said this is in line with a "firm and consistent policy of the.Eisenhorver Administration that the Federal government should encourage and stimulate industry, large and small, to provide goods and services consistent 'ivith an ever-rising standard of living-but never to compete 'ivith private ir-rdustry in so doing.

"fn other words, the building, lending, and allied industries l-rave the primary responsibility. Your Government will continue to helo."

posed changes in VA interest rates, revisions to the TaftHartley Act, and extension of the Federal Wage-Hour Act to retail employes, but said it vl'as impossible to predict at this time what the outcome might be. He added that NRLDA had urged Congress to repeal the 3/. transportation tax and that there rvoulcl be Congressional hearings on repeal or extension of excise taxes during the ner,v year.

"We believe that the most important action that the next Congress can take is to establish with Congressional authority the principle of a flexible, mortgage interest-rate pattern to be applied to FHA and VA mortgages under the proper supervision," Mr. Else said. "Only through some such procedure r.vill money continue to be attracted into the FHA and VA mortgage field. It seems completely logical to insist that FHA and VA mortgages should have their right to bid for money along with all other types of investors.

"Unless extended b1' the Congress, the GI home-loan prog'ram r'vill expire in 1958. There is already a drive on to provide legislation to extend this program beyond the present expiration date. The position of the National Association has been that VA and trHA Home Loan programs should be cornbined, and there should be one system of government mortgage guarantee or insurance under the FHA program."

J. C. O'Malley, chairman of the Committee on Materials Handling, reported that, because of a desire to extend the benefits of the Materials Handling clinics to dealers everylvhere, NRLDA had retained a materials handling director, Robert Brorvn, and had appointed a Committee on Materials Handling.

In addition to conducting a survey of materials handling practices, the committee will analyze and disseminate information about new developments in the field from all sources, and will continue meetings with lumber manufacturers which already have laid the groundwork for rich benefits in the future. He said the Materials Handling program would be conducted for the benefit of all yards, large and small.

The chairman of the Committee on Education and Merchandising, Watson Malone III, said that his committee rvas endeavoring to devise plans for channeling to the grass roots of the industry the great wealth of information available for educational purposes, and that manufacturers of building products were extending valuable help.

Mr. Libbey reported that the Committee on Education had concluded that the Retail Training Institutes conducted by NRLDA's federated associations were basically sound, either for beginners or as refresher courses for more experienced employes, and that the curriculum was sound when kept r1p to date, as it has been. He said the chief problem concerning the committee was horv to convince

WEST COAST DEAIERS qt the third onnuol Exposifion of the Nqtionol in Chiccgo. December l0-I3, included these photogrcphed by The CAIIFORNlA Lu,l BER |rIIERCHANT: Top pholo, in ponel at left: Desn Vofrubo, Chondler lumber Co., Von Nuys, Colif.; Mrs. Votrubo; Herb Crqwford, Hillsdole Builders Supply Co., Scn Mofeo, Colif .; Mrs. ond Cqrl lrovis, Wilmqrs, Inc., Son Jose, Colif. Second photo: Tom Gomble of rhe Potlqrch Yords, Inc., Spokone, Wosh,, ond two of his monogers-Deolers Cressey ond Fisher, Third photo: Tom Fox. of lhe John W. Fisher Lumber Co., Sonls Monics, Calif,, tolk3 o linle shop wirh Tom Gamble of rhe big Porlqtch lineycrd compony of Woshington, in front of the disploy boorh of tho Wost Coqrt lumbermen's Associolion.

In the photo ot the immediote leff, The MERCHANI's camcro colches Son Moteo deoler Crawford inside o boxcor looking rcminiscently qt s "torgotfGn" retoil yord item-flooring boords. The Hillsdale lumbermon soid flooring used to be q "best-selling" item in oll lumberyords until opplicotors grobbed most of lhis mqrket more dealers that a trained employe is the most valuable ass€t they can have, so that more of them will get the full advantages of the 30-Day Courses and other programs offered in the industry.

Don Campbell, chairman of the Standards committee, urged the board to go on record approving minimum size standards for lumber, the minimum sizes to be related to moisture content. "The objective," he said, "is not to impose moisture content restriction on all manufacturers of lumber or to make seasoning compulsory but rather to indicate at what point in the seasoning process the sizes apply and thus place everyone on an equal competitive basis at the producing level and give some protection to distributors and users of the product."

The board then approved a resolution authorizing the preparation of a policy statement to be presented to the American Lumber Standards Committee.

Mr. Northup assured the board that NRLDA is prepared to represent the industry in current transportation problems involving demurrage and increased freight rates.

The chairman of the Lumber Dealers Research Council, Clarence Thompson, reviewed the Council's completed projects and described new research projects being considered by the Council, including a profit-planning study and an interior partition spline study. He also proposed that thought be given to study of non-standard construction methods.

Everett B. Wilson, director of public relations, reported that two new Dealer Operating Guide chapters were in the course of preparation, dealing with "Accounting" and '1Unit Cost Estimating." He said that those two chapters would complete the Guide and that attention then would be given to revising some of the chapters already prepared, including the chapter containing the Merchandising Calendar. The purpose would be to broaden the scope of the Calendar so as to make it applicable to more types of consumer trade.

He said that two new workshop packages are being prepared for the use of the federated associations. They will deal with "Getting Along With Customers" and "Retail Store Layout." fn addition, two color-slide programs are being prepared for use with ,consumer groups and in the 30-Day Courses. The subjects are "This Is the Retail Lumber Industry" and "What to Watch for When Building or Modernizing a Home."

Mr. Wilson also'reported that consumer magazines continue to show increasing interest in the retail lumber dealer as the place to send their readers who wish to build, and that the NRLDA was cooperating with several major publications on editorial material.

Highlights of the Exposition

Orrie W. Hamilton, executive vice-president of the Southern California l{etail Lumber Association, and his good wife Louise celebrated their 38th wedding anniversary while attending the National Retail Lumber Dealers Association Exposition in Chicago Dec. 1O-13. Following the close of the dealers' "big show," Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton made a fast trip to Detroit to visit their married daughter and her family there.

A strange sight on blustery, wind-blown Michigan Avenue during the Chicago Exposition-a typical wintry Chicago day of swirling snow and gale-like wind-was sun-bronzed Jay and Mrs. O'Malley of the O'Malley Lumber Co., Phoenix, Ariz., bucking the blizzard on their way to the Loop from their Conrad Hilton hotel, and looking as uncornfortable and out-ofplace as glazed brick in*a lumberyard.

If any three exhibits at the Exposition had to be ranked in their order of popularity, they were, in order: the Kochton Plywood & Veneer Co. display (where luscious turkey, baked ham and prime rib of beef was served free to dealers each noontime and where long lines were formed) ; the "Profit-Maker Model Store" put up by a national industry trade paper, and the Bennett Z-Way Panel Saw demonstrations at that firm's booth, which ALWAYS had a dozen or two dealers watching the technique in action. This "popularity" must prove that lumber dealers place Proteins before Profits or was it that retail lumbermen just naturally gravitate toward FREE food ?

Following the close of the board meeting, the directors traveled to Munster to witness the official opening of the three Women's Congress Homes, and to inspect the completed homes. Housing Administrator Cole, FHA Commissioner Mason and Miss Annabelle Heath, assistant administrator of HHFA, joined NRLDA's officers in the opening ceremonies.

Dealers at 3rd annual Exposition eye-witnessed the "inside story" on six major advances in dealer-fabrication techniques in the Component Parts clinic program. Top billing in the "show," which started at 10 a.m. daily, included:

(1) New flexible "interior partition spline system" completely assembled from pre-cut parts, showing dealers how (Continued on Page 70)

ORRIE W. HAMILION (for lcfi), execulive vicc-prerident of tfte Southcrn Colifornic' Retqil lumber Arrociction, on cfiliotc of the NRIDA, ger € close.up ot one of the llqterish Hondling demonrlrolions-here the locding ond unlooding of q boxcsr Jock Pomeroy, exGculiv€ vicepresident of the Lumber Aicrchqnts A33ocistion of Northern Californio, wos olro qn inlcrcrtcd observer ot the Exporition, but hir rtoy in Chicogo woa more linited and we re' g?at we werc unoble to cdrch up with him for q photogroph qf lhe deqlerr' big show