West Coqst Lumbermen Told lllust lnvest llloreAnd Still llore in Advertising, Promotion, Reseqrch

Eliot H. Jenkins Elecred Presidenu Outgoing President Fqir{rurst Soys

"Lumber Must Fighr

or Become Secondcrry Induslry"

Eliot H. Jenkins, Springfield, was elected president of theWest Coasi Lumbermen'i Association at the conclusion of the 48th annual stockholders meetings in Portland, March 24-25. Jenkins (above) is president of Booth-Kelly Lumber Co. Other -officers 'include Nils Hult, Junction City, Ore'; C. Henry Bacon, Jr., Seattle, Wash., and Robert Murp_hy-,--McCloud, Calif ., - vice-presidents for their states ; William Swindells, Portland, secretary; William Garnett, Tacoma, Treasurer, and H. V. Simpson, executive vice-president. A star-studded list of speakers told 250 lumbermen gathered from Oregon, Washington and California that - stepped-up promotion program, improved quality, and expanded research must be undertaken to keep lumber competitive with other well-financed building materials.

Victor A. Lundy, nationally known young arc-hitect fro.m Sarasota, Florida, urged lumbermen to capitalize on the proven qualities of riood, its beauty, flexibility and versatilitv. to achieve wider use.

Robert M. Ingram, Aberdeen lumberman, president of the National Lu-mber Manufacturers Association, warned the Douglas fir millmen they could no, longer take markets for granied, but must invest more and more money in adverti"sing and promotion and research to achieve a better product-if they were to exist as an industry'

Another speaker, Mortimer Doyle of Washington, D.f,.., executive viie-president of NLMA, told lumbermen their only hope of survival in this rapidly changing economy' which his seen innumerable substitute materials take over lumber's historic markets, was to strengthen their regional trade associations such as WCLA. No single mill can do the job alone, he warned in a hard-hitting speech.

Iack Fairhurst, San Rafael lumberman, in his report as outgoing president commended WCLA on addin-g 4Q-n-ew membeimills this past year, but said the task of unifying the industry behind a consistent program of lumber promotion has just begun.

"We must fight," Fairhurst said, "or become a secondary industry. Competitors are spending mi-llions to introduce new'products into the home-building field alone."

The association stockholders elected a 47-man group of directors to guide their activities during the ensuing year. Directors elected for California include W. A. Constans, Anderson; John B. Crook, Arcata ; W. C. Knauer, Burney, and lack Fairhurst. Eureka.