THE CALIFORI\IA LT]MBER MERCHANT

Forty Years . . o

By Jack Dionne

E ORTY YEARS AGO, The California Lumber Merchant l' first saw light of day. It's been a long time. During those forty years this journal has followed the lumber industry of the West through countless ups and downs. It saw panic, the years of the Great Depression that followed, World War Il-and it weathered the storms.

It began publishing on the lirst and fifteenth of each month and has never changed. During those years many lumber magazines made important changes in their schedules, while still others disappeared from the scene. Changing from weekly to semi-monthly, and from semi-monthly to once a month happened to a long list of lumber magazlnes.

Pardon us for bragging, but it seems only fair to report that during those forty years we uever missed an issue and never failed to meet the payroll and other expenses promptly. Even in the depths of the depression we never failed or faltered. There have been a number of fine men who contributed their share to make the magazine both useful and popular. '

We have gone through periods when the lumber business was so good you could sell full page contracts over the phone-ind through other periodi when we couldn't sell iny ads at anv price. The history o{-the lumber industry has provided -countless changes, and -the l\ferchant has laborid to keep in step. And, thank the Lord, it is still here, still useful, reipected-and still ambitious.

Let us closi this short history with a story. The first year of the Merchant's life, I made a sPeech to a- large-convention of retail lumber dealers. I was introduced by a grand gentleman of those days who, introducing me,- said: - "The" gentleman I am introducing to you reminds me ,rery muJh of Abraham Lincoln. He reminds me of Lincoln in iwo ways: he is twice as ugly, and he hasn't half as much sense." And thus, I got my first introdttction to a' group of California lumbermen.

(For Tcble of Contenfs, See Fqge 78)