TONETY?

no! just pafticular!

We're never lonely, because we are free to choose our own company. "Captive" distributors are the lonesome ones; because they're confined to the lines that control them. We give you a choice of the right materials for each job, backed by over 42 yearc of specialized service in supplying Southern California builders.

72,7OO Housing Stqrts in December

Work was started on 72,700 housing units in December 1960, according to preliminary estimates of the Bureau of the Census, U. S. Department of Commerce, in comparison with the 95,600 units begun in November, and the 96,400 units in December 1959. Total starts in 1960 reached 1,281,400 units, compared with 1,553,500 in 1959.

Privately owned housing'starts totaled 66,200 units in December, representing a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 990,000, down \8Vo f.rom the estimated annual rate of 7,212,000 in November, and,32/o below the December 1959 seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,451,000. Private starts numbered 1,240,000 in 1960 compared with 1,516,800 in 1959.

Nonfarm housing starts in December amounted to 72,100 units, d,own 247o from November and 23%o below December 1959. In 1960, nonfarm housing starts totaled 1,259,200 units, compared with 1,531,300 in 1959. Private nonfarm starts in December reached 65,600 units, representing a seadonally adjusted annual rate of 980,000 units, down L87o fuom the estimated November rate of

1,199,000 units and 30/o below the December 1959 estimated rate of 1,401,000. tr'or the full year, 1960 private nonfarm starts totaled 7,217,8O0 units, compared with 1,494,600 units in 1959. The sharpest declines from November to December in housing starts took place in the Northeast and North Central regions, while the Western states noted an increase in starts.

L. A. Hoo-Hoo-Ettes Reody to Fete Bosses

Los Angeles Hoo-Hoo-Ette Club No. t has its plans in readiness for the 1961 annual Bosses Night, upcoming early this month at Rodger Young auditoriurn, Los Angeles, on February 8 in the Coral Room. The social hour is scheduled for 5:59-6:59 p.m., with dinner to be served at 7:00 p.m. to allow ample time for the awarding of door prizes and the excellent entertainment that will be on tap. The tab is a modest $5 per person.

Lorraine Theetge is the general chairman for this year's event, and the planning committee had its initial meeting Jan. 5 at the home of President Sallye Bissell. Camellias will be featured in the floral decoration scheme.

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Ed Fountoin lumber Compony lltruck by $t 5O,OOO Fire; Csreful Plonning Averts Discrster

It's a pretty dismal feeling to be shaken out at 5:00 a.m. and told your wholesale lumber yard and laminating facilities are ablaze, especially on December 30, just when a new year is dawning and the future looks bright.

On the way to view the holocaust, a thousand questions gallop through the mind: Did the fire wall work? Were our stacks far enough apart? How much of it is gone? How long will it take to get back on the road? Can we?

Resaw and planing tacilities seen from this view were protected by concrete fire wall, even though structure above, nearby, was d+ molished

,tranuary 3, 1961

Then, as Ed Fountain drove into his yard at 6218 So. Hooper Ave., Los Angeles, and saw flames shooting 200 ft. in the air, some of the questions had immediate answers.

It looked as if the whole planing mill and laminating plant were gone. E iremen were playing water on the stacks of lumber which hadn't caught fire. At least the lumber lids had paid off.

Lumber lids seen ln background, developed by Ed Fountain, permit stacklng with wide aisles, Firemen could play water on the lids from all sides to pre- vent fire-sDread wlthout damaging the stock. Stacks were also accessible for movement by lift-trucks to prevent fire-spread

Thousands of feet were saved because the firemen had wide aisles to work in. There wasn't an overall shed to spread the fire. fire ofrce was spared, too, because it was separate and a safe distalce from the potential hazard of lumber stacks.

Once the fire was contained, it became obvious that much of the laminating plant had been saved anrd only limited damage done to milling machinery, Concrete fire walls had protected most of the valuable equipment. A recently constructed fire door, sepa- rating sections of the laminating facilities, had spared at least half of the valuable presses. The door also stopped spread of fire to a scarfing shed which could have led to fire through hundreds of clustered residences nearby.

Careful planning by the local fire department was also signifi- cant in limiting damage. The Los Angeles County F ire Depa.rtment

Flre wall pre. vented tire from spreading to remainder of laminatlng plant and nearby residences. Heat of the fire tempered presses in forward section of the plant where timbers were still under compression. Timbers were merely chatred on the surface

To Our Customers and Frlends:

Frtilay mornlng, I)ecembor 30, 1960, & very hot ffre ilestloyed apprordmately one-half of our Lam-Loc plant anil a portlon of our lnventory. Clever work by the Los Angeles Sherlfls Arson Detall has establlshed the fact that lt was started by e plece of paper belng rlropped or ln some way getlng close to tho hot water hester used ln tho glue room.

Our oompotiltors ln tho la,mlnatlng buslnes have been very g:enerous ln ofierlng help, a,nd lt now appearn thst nono of our customers wlll be hconvonlenced. We can elther ffll the ordors ourselvoe, or oall on other lamlnators for help.

We do not bellove our wholosa.le lumber buglness wlll b€ affectod at a,ll. Our lnventory ls slmost entlrely lrrtact and wo h.ave m&de arramgements for a.ny nec€ssary dnhg untll our equlpmbnt is running agaln.

Wo havo a good stock of Lam-Loc pecky codar Panollng, and can fiIl ordors lmmediatrely. We antlclpato belng back ln productlon on tlris ltem before our stock le exh&usted.

We partlcularly wlsh to tha,lrk alf thoso who have offered thelr holp. ft has been proven aga.ln that lumbermen are a frlen<lly crowd, end we havo been lttorally snowed-under wlth ofrers of asslst&nce.

Whlle tho dameg:e ls great, it appears now that we wlll remaln ln opera,tlon tt&s usual.tt

Slncerely,

Dd Fountaln Lumber Co.

By Dd Fountaln

has on file a disaster plan for every major facility in the area. This permitted fast a^nd effective action in placing trucks, hoses and fire crews.

The damage, estimated at $150,000, had been conffned to one section of laminating presses, a sawdust collecting and storing facility, various small tools, a stack of Lam-Loc pecky cedar and several stacks of clear dry Douglas fir.

Meanwhile, calls were received from dozens of lumbermen offering tleir facilities and assistance. A further check revealed that wholesale inventory was completely intact and it would be necessary to have only milling done by others. A good supply of Lam-Loc pecky cedar had not been affected by the fire. Laminating facilities could be back in limited operation within two weeks. The results could have been much worse. A complete business could have been wiped out. The cost might have been in the millions.

These same facts face every lumberman. Ttre investment in prevention is worthwhile. Planning in case of flre does pay ofr. Rigid rules of yard tidiness can avert a disaster.

Ed X'ountain will attest to each of these points with conviction.