Add Your Voice lo Industry's Affoirs lfhe -NAC

H-E-A-R and T-H-E-R-E:

Optimism in the future of the industry remains strong as dealers continue to build new vards or modernize existing plants to meet the merchandising challenges of the new I decade. Marvin Compton has closed his Sharps Park Lumber Company and is building a new yard about a mile south of Sharps Park which will display a new trade-style: Pacifica Lumber

Remodeling plans are afoot at Bruce Bauer's San Carlos yard Easton Lumber and Supply (LeRoy Coperton) of Fresno is now doing business in its completely new yard located approximately two miles from the old headquarters on South Elm (a complete report of the opening will be featured iu an early A-LMA-NAC)

Noah Adams Lumber Company's modernization of its Fairfield yard is rapidly nearing completion Merner Lumber Company l-ras made several handsome changes in their Palo Alto store Diamond-National reports their Grass Valley yard is now being remodeled and will feature an attractive new interior and sport new fixtures and light- itg The new Diamond-National yards at Redding and Fairfield (which will be similar to the recently opened Concord building materials center) are expected to be ready for operation by the end of February The l(ing Lumber Company's Delano yard has completed its modernization and is now.in full operation, as is the Modesto Lumber Company's Salida yard.

Associotion Membership

Future Of Your Indusrry

ARTHUR MARTIN, manager of the lumber and building mategials division of Hales and Symons, Sonora, and member of the Lumber Merchants Association board of directors, retired on January 1st after some 40 years in the industry. Together with Mrs, Martin, he is now enjoying the sunshine of Palm Springs but plans to shortly return to Sonora those who know Art can be assured he will remain active in civic afiairs-his presence and support will be missed within the industry and we extend to him our warmest appreciation for his many years of active participation in industry afiairs and wish him many enjoyable and healthful years.

Component Construction Clinic

The character of the building materials industry continues to be reflected in new techniques and methods of operating, as is well known by those dealers who are planning to increase their share of the market in the years ahead, which hold widely heralded promises of ner,r' construction records. One such facet of the cl-ranging industry is the well-publicized manufactured house, which has come a remarkable way in the 68 years si.nce the first prefab was sold in lVlassachusetts-notwithstanding the absence of a major technological break-through in home fabrication.

An index of the manufactured-home progress is indicated by the more than 9/o share of the new coustruction market which it scored in 1959-u'ith a unit production increase ol 20/o over a year earlier, of rvhich one firm produced some 45,000 units.

Although fabricated homes are not today a really rnajor factor in the Northern California market, with the arrival of major prefabricators on the \A'est Coast and the implementation of their aggressive merchandising policies, it can be expected that competition from this area will steadily mount and that an increasing number of dealers will be faced with the problem of combatting it.

Our industry is strong and alert and lve doubt the lumber dealer is going to "roll over and die." If l-re decides he is interested in remaining as a major factor in the housing market. he will offer his customers the tools to meet competition in any form in which it may appear. In this cor.rnection, some Lumber Merchants Association members are already offering their customers pre-cut materials and components, generally restricted to trusses (we learned o{ two more last week), while others are developing small land tracts or actively building.

Our industry has not remained idle-thanks to the active participation of industry-minded dealers r'r'ho have supported their associations-and for the past several years the Lumber Dealers Research Council (popularly known as Lu-Re-Co) has been engaged in extensive research orr components which are constructed in the dealer's yard and, in turn, offered his customers. Such components offer the builder flexibility of design with significant reduction of "on-the-job" labor costs-certainly an attractive combination.

In an endeavor to bring its members the complete component story, the Lumber Merchants Association, in conjunction with the Lumber Dealers Research Council, will sponsor a two-day clinic at Rickey's Studio Inn, Palo Alto, February 16 and 17th.

As the clinic unfolds, the entire component picture will be explored-market, competition, codes, techniques, costs, etc. Additionally, field trips will be made to firms now manufacturing components so that dealers can acquire firsthand information. Full information on this important meeting has been sent to all members.

While it is undoubtedly true that component construction is not for all dealers-many will continue to profitably merchandise other phases of the market-each dealer will certainly want to have in hand full facts on which to base his decision. The Clinic is the place to get such information and we urge dealers to recognize the trend before it becomes a major threat. It is fairly well accepted that a tecl'rnological breakthrough in housing is inevitable and our industry must be prepared to meet it.

LMA BOARD of DIRECTORS MEETS

The Board of Directors of the Lumber Merchants Association met in San Francisco on January 22nd to review the Association's activities and plan new dealer programs for the months ahead. The Board received a comprehensive report on the National Retail Lumber Dealers Association sixth annual Building Products Exposition held in November in Cleveland, and previewed plans for tl-re forthcoming 7th annual Building Products Exposition which will be held in San Francisco, November 13th-16th. A final review was also given the Lumber Merchants Association component construction clinic scheduled for February 16th17th at Rickey's Studio Inn, Palo Alto.

A Convention committee was appointed to plan programs and entertainment for the forthcoming Lumber Merchants Association 20th annual convention to be held April 24th-26th at the Ahwahnee hotel, Yosemite National Park. Members of the Committee, under the chairmanship

(Continued on Page 20)