Work and Wager Mix Well at tMA Convention

Irrt lirrt' \'illlge (lolf Ct.,rrrse. In tlre cnllol'ay rlivi,.ion. tlrt' u inncls n t'nt somelhins as follou's: l)ick (lross { lt't's cht'ck that handicap agairr- Hurlsott ). lialph Lamon. I)elt'Palrish. Ht'rlr \\"intlrraltl. lloh l)t'rrr. l)on (llt'mrnt'r. Al StockIorr. Horner llavl'ard" l)orr \\ralker. Terl \lrrllrerr. lrn,l I.,'s Hrt\,

(llostst lo I,hr' lrin tras lirt'rl l,t' .{lt'r Gall,raitlr. tht' krn;lt'st rlt'irc arr'altl rrtrrt to'li'rl \Iatlrcrls arrtl J,'r'rr li,,rrrrittgt,,rt lrtrrlt'rl tltt, lnosl sc\r'ns isir lri lrt' t'rucl t tltrl'ing his safuri urorrrrrl llr,' nrilr'-ltislr lottt.r'. .Jitn lioss took llrc ritri'iorts lton,tr r,l tht lri!-lrr'.1 lrolt t I I nrightr- srr irsr r arrrl (.hll "(.lrir'I \ arr.ll,ilr'1"' (.r'os: got t'xt t'1,liottallt 1t,,ot' rrrilelg,'arr<l us l n'sttlt la. ituitrrlt'rl lltt cot t'tt'rl "-\lost Iict'r'-r"' llolrltr'. Lihal. alorrg n ith his dltl Charlit'" Sr. an<l l)rrli (.lar ton ,f Chas. C. I'leck l-rrmlrt'r [-o.. fah,,r' \iallcr-. lt't't' ofirliul hosts ftrr t.lre LN'lA anrrual. 'fht threc rlarr- anrrual 'rr u,* llso tht' st ettc oi the "1'hn1lging oI tht'guarrl.'' (]harlit: l)arl stt'pping rlon rr a[tt'r t hig-hlr suc('ess{rrl lear ls plt'sident to lrt' replact'd }ry Salinas dt'aler lLrrncr' l{avu'arrl. lu'acl o{ thc lrig Honrt'r '1. Haluald ]-rrnrbt'r' (lo. r'hain opt'ratiorr. Anolltcl lrie chtrin opt'rator Irom tht' [ar sotrth t'nrl ,,f LJIA's tt'rlitort. Art -\lastt'rs. lrrcsi<lt'nt oI Tht' l(irrs Lurnlrer

C0NVENTI0NEERING ARE (1) Tom Gray, Evy and Bob Patterson of Central Valley Builders Supply. (2) Jerry Bonnington and Watsonville Lumber's Earle Johnson. (3) Hudson Lee of Lee Lumber, Reno, Homer Hayward and Joe Schram. (4) Roger and lVlildred Schuyler. (5) Anne and Paul Ward and Earl Tatman. (6) San Bruno Lumber's Al and Therese Stockton and Art and Gwen Wall. (7) Yaeger & Kirk's Steve Yaeger and Charlie Wiggins of Don's Lumber Yard. (8) 0wen Crick of United Lumber, Reno, Elmer Lewis and Brey-

Wright Lumber's Frank Baxley. (9) Art and Jean Masters with Cookie and John Hoover. (10) Elaine and Bud Barber. Dick Kennedv and Mrs. Louise Barber. (11) Virginia and Larry Whittaker. (12) Cappi and D0n Mark, Hales & Symons. (13) Les and "Mike" Hayes, Boise Cascade, Reno. (14) Bob Perry, Alex Galbraith and Cecil Rouse. (15) Truckee-Tahoe's Chal Cross, Bob Raymer and Len Viale. (16) Minton's Lyle Schafer, Anne Schram and Nancy Hayward. (17) Armin Speckert of Speckert Building Supplies and LMA pr man Joe

Schram. (18) Santa Cruz Lumber's Les Ley, Gene and Ruth Bell of Clovis Lumber Co. (19) Ed Young and Vern Garehime of Garehime Corporation. 00) New

Directors: Nlike Symons, Hales & Symons; Art Post, Delano Building Materials; Mark Kennedy, Gilroy Lum" ber Co.; Roy Parson, San Luis Mill & Lumber Co.; Lew Silvera, Silvera Lumber Co.; and Armin Speckert, Speckert Building Supplies. (21) Virginia Ruth, Dorothy and Ray Nelson and Parlier Lumber's Earl Ruth. Despite parties, it was a hard-working convention.

Company. Bakersfield. was elevated to a vice-Jrresidency and Al Stot.kton" San Bruno Lurnbcr Co.. \r as unanimouslv t'lected trcasurcr.

Although thcre wt rc st,r'crtrl exr:ellcnt programs. the thing that imprt'ssed us thc Inost rlils the vast improvtnrent in dt'aler participation in tht'st' programs. Nlonday morning. for instarrct'. morc tliatr 50 tlt'alt'rs atterrdt'rl arr open meeting of tht' l,MA lroard oi direr:tors. Anrl ther rlidn't just attend. tht,t- rvt'rc vor.al. At tht' samt. time. somc l5 rnnnufactun'rs and suppliers met in an adjoining room to n'restle rvith tht' knottr- problems of distribution and dealcr relations.

\LBN'IDA president Georsre Stein. head (Continued on Page. 74)

OFFICERS & EXECUTIVE COMMITIEE

P rcsiden t

Homer M. Hoyword, Homer T. Hoyword Iumber Co.

Vice-presidenl

Arthur E. l{osters, The King lumbcr Co.

T reosu rer

Alfred H. Stockton, Son Bruno Iumber Co.

Executive V;ce-President

Directors Of Lma

Tom Hondley, H&H Supply lcv Silvero, Silvero Iumber Co.

Mork Kennedy, Gilroy lumber Co.

Roy Porsons, Son Luis Mill & [umber Co., Inc.

Arthur Port, Delono Building ,r{oleriols, lnc.

Bob Schlotthoucr, Willord [umber & Supply Co., Inc.

Armin Speckerl, Speckert Building Supplier, Inc.

Mike Symons, Holes & Symons, In(.

CONIINUING BOARD OT DIRECTORS

Bob McBrien, 4546 El Comino Reol, Suite O, Los Altos rysHomillon Knott, Yosemite Iumber Co. lro E. Horton, South City Lumber & Supply Co.

Chorlie Dort. K-Y Iumber Co.

Duone Bennell, Meod Clork lumber Co.

8ob Butcher, 5on lorcnzo Iumber Co.

Chorlie Crosr, Sr., Truckee-Tohoe Lumber Co.

Fronk Heord, Motroni-Heord Lumber Co.

NATI ATER

Fronk Heord, Moironi-Heord Iumber Co.

WGerold Derr, J. M. Derr Iumber Co., Inc, tloyd Corter, Sierling Iumber Co.

Bob Adoms, Nool Adomi Lumber Go.

Duone Bennetl, Mood €lork l-umber Co.

Eill Bittenbender, Eitlenbender Iumber Co.

Corl Dietr, longfellow Iumber Co.

Cloyd Gorner, Son Jooquin Iumber Co.

R. B. Gortin, Home Iumber Yord, In(.

R. J. Gehring, Seryice Iumber Co.

Eorle Johnson, Wotsonville Lunber Co.

Robert Kimble, Sequoio Iunber Co.

Arlhur Mosters, Thq King Iumber Co,

Hudson lee, lee Iumiber Co.

Howord McCulloch. Yosemiie Builders Supply

Herb /r{cCoslin, Form & Home Supply l-yle Schofer, /{inton s Lumber & Supply tronk Wotson, South City Lumber & Supply Co.

M0RE THAN SIXTY convention early birds played the beautiful incline course, and would y0u believe Al Stockton (1) is about to put the ball on the green?

(2) Alan Gray, Ed French of Burton-French Lumber and Cr0ss Lu-mber's Dick Cross. (3) Pete Parrish, Neil Keefer and Jim Froggatt 0f Homer Hayward Lumber, and Larry Whittaker. (4) Safety awards: Howard Graulich accepting for Homer T. Hayward Lumber Co. (5)

More safety awards: Earl Ruth accepting for Paul Ruth of Reedley Lumber Co. co.chairmen Charlie Fowler and Armin Speckert presenting awards. (6)

Lenore and Ham Knott, Ralph and Suzanne Lamon.

(7) 0utgoing directors, Clair Hicks, Hicks Lumber Co.; Frank Heard, Motroni-Heard Lumber C0.; Bob Butcher, San Lorenzo Lumber Co.; Bob Patterson,

Central Valley Builders Supply; Charlie Cross, Sr,, Truckee-Iahoe Lumber Co.; "El" Haunschild, Chas, C. lVeek Lumber Co.; Charlie Fowler, Builders & Consumers Lumber Co.; and Jim Ross, Central Lumber Co. (8) Bob Raymer, Service Lumber's Bob and Lorraine Gehring. (9) Bob Whitney, Joe Graef and Dick Edmin. son of Rich Brothers Lumber amid Drettv surroundings. (10) Big turnout as the deaters aitended an 0pen meeting of LMA's board of directors. ('l l) Hick Lumber's Clair and Elsie Hicks with Linda and Clair Jr. (12) Truckee-Tahoe's Charlie and Sylvra Cross with Bernice and Tom Yancey of Yancey Lumber Co. ('13) LMA secretary Janet Johnson and PL's Bud Robey. (14) Mark Kennedy of Gilroy Lumber, Craig and Betty Gaffney. (15) Executive Committee' Bob McBrien,

Duane Bennett, Ham Knott, Al Stockton, Homer Hayward, Charlie Cross, Sr., Art Masters, Charlie Dart and Bob Butcher. (16) NLBMDA president George and Mary Lenore Stein, and LIV|A exec veep Bob McBrien. (17) Bill Grieve of BMD and NLBMDA president George Stein, chaired a special meeting 0f manufacturers and suppliers rn a "how to solve" session. (18) Can't turn 'em out for business sessions at Tahoe? Don't you believe it! This is just part of the turnout for the Monday mornrng manufacturers and suppliers sessi0n. (19) Genevieve Bonnington. Betty Gaffney, lVlarie and Jim 0akley. e0) LMA 0fficers: Charlie Dart, outgoing prexy; Homer Hayward, president; Art lVlasters, vice-president; and Al Stockton, treasurer. (21) Safety award to Roy Parsons, San Luis Mill.

Van Matre

. U.DO.IT TUMBER CO. Downey, Colif.

Is currently selling ofi their inventory and equipment and plan to cloge down their operation after 25 years at their present lo'cation. The buildings will be demolished and replaced by an auto painting firm.

'oThe property has just become too valuable to operate a small yard, so I've decided to close and retire,t' echoes V. A. "Van" Van Matre, a veteran of almost half-a-century in the business.

Van Matre started in the lumber business in 1920 with the Griffith Lumber Co.o which sold ofi their chain vards in 1922. A. C. Bowers and S. S. Skidmore purchas. ed the Downey yard and re-named it Skidmore & Bowers Lumber Co., where Van Matre worked until 1936.

At that time he and Lawrence Manning founded tlre Van Matre-Manning Lumber Co. in Downey. Manning died in 1953, and three years later Van Matre and his son, the late lVilliam F. Van Matre, re-opened the yard as Van Matre U-Do-It Lumber Co.

The firm later opened a branch yard in bwney and in 1959 opened another yard in Orange, Calif. The Downey branch was closed in 1963 and the Orange operation was sold to Rossman Mill & Lumber in 19&, o'First off, I plan to do some fishing and relaxing at my mountain cabin near Bishop, Calif.," concluded the retiring lumberrnan.

"Van" plans to leave for an extended trip in January, visiting friends in New 7.ealand, Australia; Ceylon and Bombay, India. He then hopes to continue around the world.

TROJAN TUMBER CO.

Anoheim,

Colif.

Closed and liquidated their remaining equipment and inventory at public auction June 6.

t'The last two years haven't been too good, and we decided we could get a better return on our money elsewhere,tt commented owner Paul Campbell, adding that comp€tition ln sotthorn California had bcotno excessive for both lumber yards and contractors.

Trojan was in operation for 21 years. The yard was located in Burbank for 17 years, moving to Anaheim in 196I.

A volume yard, they specialized in framing and dimension stock to tract and apartment builders. Until recently the yard averaged gross sales of $150,000 per month, moving over lL/z million b.f. of lumber monthly. During the past year, sales dropped ofi by more than half.

Homebuilding in toulhern Half ol (alilonia

A comparison of three-month period which reoresented the crest of the boom with the m6st recent three-month period for which figures are available for 14 southern counties.

What's Happened to Home Building in Southern California by

Conrod C. Jomison,

TN THE 27 months since the all-time I peak of residential building activity was reached in January of 1964, new dwelling unit starts in southern Califor. nia have dropped sharply and persistent. ly. The decline during 1964-66 to date have been one of the steepest in the history of the area, and certainly the most severe since World War II. However, there has been some evidence of a bottoming-out tendency since last fall.

Homebuilding activity in southern California is now at the lowest ebb since Worl{ War II (1945).

Palnful as this situation may be to many builders, lumber and building material dealere, lenders and others, it actually represents a favorable development.

Residential starts outran the basic re, guirements of our rapidly expanding

vp ond economist, Security First Notionol Bonk, los Angeles

population during trro full years-mid. 1962 to mid-I964. Allowing several months between start and completion of the typical residential building, it appears that completions of dwelling units were at an excessive level in relation to basic requirements from the spring of 1963 until the spring or summer of 1965.

During the two years of over-building, an excess inventory estimated at 75,000 to 80,000 family dwelling units was built up in the southern half of California. That excess was equivalent to about six months production at normal rates.

In relation to the total housing supply of about 4 million dwellings, the excess amounted to about two percent.

The surplus of housing has leveled o4 and has started to subside. In otler words, the worst is over. The residential vacancy factor for southern California as a whole topped out in mid-1965, and since then has declined steadily. This improvement probably will continue.

The greatest excesses in the 1962-64 residential building binge tended to be in the apartment category, which is where the sharpest cuts have occurred. From a peak rate of 151,800 dwelling units per year in multiples, volume has dropped recently to 39,900 units a year.

Despite the cuts in homebuildingi, however, it is noteworthy that southerrr Califorrria built more new dwelling units last year than any state in the nation except California iteelf. Thie has been true, of cour6e, for many years.