S||UTHWESTENil PONTI.IilD GEMEIIT GOMPAIIY

1034 Wilshire Blvd.

Los Angeles 17, Cclilornic Phone MAdison 6-6711

Chollenge Hurled lo Lumber

(Continued from Page 2)

4. Expanding NLNIA's present public

Industry

relatious activities.

5. Encouraging high school and college students to seek careers in wood technology.

With so many obstacles already overcome, lumber man- ufacturers nor,v have an opportunity to gain a rich share of expanding housing, school ar-rcl highu,a! markets.

Admittedly, product pron-rotion is'expensive. But it is a matter of spending nloniy to_ make -o.i -oney. Some pro- ducers have rro hesitancy aborrt cutting theii price on a carload of lumber to move it. But they-refuse th" pro-o_ tional funds that u'ould sell this car at its original p.i.._o. nlq'ner.

Tl.ris concentration on price. not only hurts their pocket- books, it harms tl-reir reputatio's as iesponsible man'fac- turers. Their prices u'ill be. regarcled only as a starting point for haggling arrd bargairririg.

A lumbern.ran who has to rneet a claily payroll, ancl rvho looks at all of the trade promotion being *r.i"a orr by our irrclustry-throu.gl-r assoiiatio.s and b"y inclivi<lual'corn- panles-can arrtve at only one conclusion as to the present plight of the lumber industry.

Either \\'e are not cloing enough promotion-wise for u,oocl as- a comnloclity, or rvhat we are ci,_,ing is wasteful ancl in_ effective. I believe it is the forrner 6..o,r.. I have seen :_o,^r".extremely fine association and individual company acl\'ertrslllg' ancl promotion of wood species.

The co'rsiste't clecli'e i' lumber sales a'cl the tragic loss of lumber profit is rationalizecl in r blame nousi'g starts. pure logic woulct :i:i'iJ,rJ'?il;i 'Yl;: poi't to reduced hrusing starts as the reason fo. poo. i.r-- ber sales, then we must also give improved housing starts all the credit when lumber sales are good. Carrying such logic further, we may then conclude that our advertising and promotion is worthless, wasteful and unnecessary, ancl that our future depends on the rise and fall oi housing starts. To believe this is illogical, in my view.

It is my feeling that the proper conclusion relative to poor lumber sales can only be that we are not selling wood as a commodity, and that what we are doing for wood in species promotion is not adequate to make the public "wood" vs. competitive materials conscious.

The National Lumber X{anufacturers Association has worked long and hard to bring a national wood merchandising program into being. The decision now rests with the industry. While we hope the decision rvill be "yes," every NI-MA officer ancl director will accept in good faith the verdict of tl-re federated associations con.rprising the membershio of NLMA.

Our goal is to prove to the buying public, through modern merchandising methods, what we already know to be true: that lumber and wood products are the finest building materials available on the market today.

We will srrcceed if we try. We cannot delay any longer in making the attempt.

Bullefin on Porticle Boqrd Uses

Jfre usg ol sAn' particle board for floor underlayment in residential and commercial frame structures is iflustrated and described in detail in a "case history" bulletin issued by C.F.L Boards, Inc., 8445 Castro Vailev Blvd.. Castro Valley, Calif. Other C.F.I. Boards offices- are located in Studio City, Calif., Portland, Ore., Tacoma, Wash. and Denver, Colo.

(Tell them Aou sarD it in The California Lumber Merchant)

Cargo

TRUCK & TRAIIE

Shipments from Relioble .of DOUGTAS FIR . I

L.C.L. REDWOOD from Yqrd ENGETMANN SPRUCE

WHllLESALE PRODUCTS COMPANY

Wilshire Boulevqrd (Suire 2OO)

Beverly Hills, Colifornio o Prompt delivery by our trucks o Immediate service on "will calls" o Complete milling facilities

Large diversified stocks of foreign and domestic hardwoods-our yard.

New, modern dry kilns

Centrally located o Competitively priced

"Sold fhrough quolified iobbers only"

PTYRONldeal for cqbinet doors, shelving ond underloyment for plcstic overloys. Monufqctured in, 4x6 ond 4x8 ponels with your choice of three quolity surfqces: