The California Lumber Merchant Started 32 Years Ago tlt

Hisroriccrl Review of News ond Personoliries in Coliforniq ot Thor Time

By JACK DIONNE

THE CALIFORNIA LUMBER MERCHANT was born July L, 1922, making it thirty-two years old. On this July day, 1954, I sat and rambled through the early pages of the magazine, and found it intensely interesting looking at the lumber industry of California as it was then. And it occurred to me that many of the oldsters in the business, and perhaps many of the younger folks also, might like to know what was happening, what was doing, who were the personalities shown in those pages printed 32 years ago. So here goes just a brief publisher's-eye view of that time of long ago: l\{ention of C. Storvell Smith and his association brings historical recollections. In those days when the "MERCHANT" rr'as starting business, Ponderosa Pine rvas called California White Pine, and so was the lumber association' Along came the Federal Trade Commission and iorbade' them to call Ponderosa, White Pine, because botanically it is a Yellou' Pine. So the old association disappeared and the Western Pine Association came into being, and California \\rhite Pine was known no more. >krF*

We have often heard and read that the timber industry \r'as very slorv in starting reforestation. The July 1922 pages of the "MERCHANT" declare that to be false. C. Stou'ell Smith of San Francisco, secretary of the California White and Sugar Pine l\fanufacturers Association, makes a glorving report of the efforts of the Pine people of California to regrow their forests and perpetuate them.Also, the Union Lumber Company of San Francisco announces that it has been practicing scientific reforestation of its timber lands for 12 years. (That has them starting this work 44 years ago). Otis R. Johnson makes the announcement. The article states that other Redwood manufacturers are also active in reforesting their cutover lands. Who says California timber o\lrners 'ivere slow getting started ?

As a matter of fact, in 1922 when the "MERCHANT" startecl. most of the wooden construction in California was done rvith green Douglas Fir, but much of the trade didn't call it Fir. It r'vas generally called "Oregon Pine," or just "O.P." The "MERCHANT" campaigned against the use of this term, used Douglas Fir exclusively in its columns, and very soon "Oregon Pine" had gone the rva;" of "California White Pine" and was known no more.

There are plenty of young men in the lumber industry today to whom the above historic facts will probably come as something of a surprise.

The first check received by the "MERCHANT'I came from R. C. Merryman, of Los Angeles, a former lumberman and at that time associated with Fruit Grorvers Supply Company. It was r $2 check for a year's subscription. A photo of the check appeared in these coiunrns.

The first illustrated *'rr,"* ot*" -oa".n retail iumber store in these columns concerned the plant of the BentleySchoenman Lumber Company, in Glendale. It shol,ved a modern display and sales room. (That yard has been one of the Hammond Lumber Company string for many years.)

The first annual .o,rlu., L, r.rr,t page of advertising received by the "MERCHANT" was from Gus Russell, Santa Fe Lumber Company, San Francisco. It called for a page every month, and has been running that n'ay to this day.

Trvo other lumber concerns advertising in the "MERCHANT" in July, 1922, have been continuously in these columns from that day to this: the W. E. Cooper Lumber Company, of Los Angeles, and the Wendling-Nathan Cornpany, of San Francisco.

Other concerns advertising rvith us that first month that still do so are Union Lumber Company, San Francisco; Holmes-Eureka Lumber Company, San Francisco; Western Hardr.vood Lumber Company, Los Angeles (until thel' sold out a year ago) ; M. R. Smith Lumber & Shingle Company, Seattle; Long-Bell Lumber Company,. Kansas City; Bradley Lumber Company, Warren, Arkansas, and E. L. Bruce Company, Memphis.

. Strange, isn't it, that a majority of the concerns advertising in the first "MERCHANT" when it started in July, 1922, are still with us? Lumber firms have long lives.

What about Califr.l,. ,,i-o.r* ur.o.iutions r.vhen u,e started ?

The California White and Sugar Pine Manufacturers Association has been mentioned. The California Redwood Association, San Francisco, was going strong, with R. F. Hammatt as secretary. There u,'as a Southern California Retail Lumber Dealers Association, headquarters Los Angeles; F. S. Morgan, secretary.

There was a California Lumbermen's Association rvith ofifices in San Francisco, a statewide organization that tvas therr in the course of reorganization. Fred Conner of Sacramento rvas president, and E. D. Tennant n'as secretary-manager and working on reorganization. Jack Ferger rvas president of the already old San Joaquin Valley Lumbermen's Club at Fresno.

In San Francisco, the Douglas Fir Club was a strong wholesale organization, headed by W. C. Ball. The Central California lumber retailers had their own club, of which H. S. Fuller, of Lodi, was secretary. The Orange County lumber dealers had their association. with C. W. Pinkerton as president. The Lumbermen's Exchange of Los Angeles rqas made up of the large retailers of the city, with Henry S. Patten president and Henry Riddiford secretary. One of Mr. Riddiford's big jobs rvas keeping up_ with statistics concerning the water shipments of lumber into Los Angeles harbor, which was some job in itself, and he was a storehouse of information. In the six months preceding July, 1922, 703 million feet of softwood lumber came into Los Angeles by boat. material that have become giants since then. Western softr,'i'ood plywood, for instance. No mention of same. Why? The stuff hadn't been born yet. Some softlr,ood panels for door manufacture were being made but piyrn,ood, as we knorv it in 1954, did not exist. Philippine X{ahoganv u'as in its infancy as a California building material. And there lvere others missing.

Hoo-Hoo .uu. .o-i,r| "o i,..rrl throughout the state, after several years when the order was in the doldrums nationally. An article in the July pages of the ,,MERCHANT" gives the lion's share of credit for holding the line in California during those lean years to two San Francisco stalwarts, Frank Trower and Dick Hiscox, both ex-Snarks of the Univeise. "They stood like a stone wall," reads the article. Everett G. Griggs of Tacoma, Washington, was Snark of the lJniverse, and Charlie LeMaster, of Fresno, was Supreme Arcanoper in charge of the California area. Parsorr Peter A. Simpkin was Supreme Chaplain of Hoo-Hoo, and a leader in putting the organization back on its feet with his eloquence. John C. Light was heaci of Arizona Hoo-Hoo. David Woodhead r,r,as Snark in Los Angeles; Homer Maris in San Francisco.

'fhere u'ere interesting doings in Los Angeles in July, 1922. The Hammond Lumber Company was operating "the biggest retail lumber yard in the world,,' selling, among other things, an average of one million feet of softu'ood lumber every weekday. Harry Mcleod was manager.

At Los Angeles harbor, there was something new. Thev were building a very large steel and concrete sawmill dorvn there to cut logs to be brought dou,.n in rafts from the Northwest. (This enterprise was short-lived.)

An average of 100 million of feet of lumber a month rvas entering Los Angeles harbor by water: 85 million Fir and l5 million Redwood.

Up at Kelso, Washington, the Long-Bell Lumber Com-. pany 1\'as starting construction on the biggest sawmill. to cut two million feet of lumber dailv. Kelso became I-ongvierv later.

In July, 1922, White Brothers, of San Francisco, already old in the hardwood game, r,vere advertising: ,,Finish your home in Hardwood." E. J. Stanton & Son, Los Angeles, u'ere advertising that they had been in the rvholesale pine business for 30 years, and were the oldest in the area. D. J. Cahill was spreading out his Western Hardrvood I-umber Company and helping make Los Angeles a great hardwood consuming center.

The retail lumber industry of the whole state of California, in July, 1922, was rallying in a drive to kill a bill before the legislature that would have outlawed the use of rvooden shingles on California roofs. Gus Russell, of San Francisco, spearheaded the retail effort, which met .ivith full success when the voting time came.

In July, 1922, Shad O. Krantz ran the "N'IERCHANT" as Managing Editor, having left the West Coast Lun.rbermen's Association, where he was Advertising Manager, to do so. Ed Martin had opened our San Francisco offrce, after a term with the Forest Service and several years selling West Coast lumber in the Northu'est. Bill Black joined the "ME,RCHANT" a year later.

A final historical note. Just the other day an old friend in the lumber business asked me holv long I've been a lumber journal editor. I had to admit my age in order to give him the facts. I established THE CALIFORNIA LUMBER MERCHAN'| in 1922. Ten years before that I had established THE GULF COAST LUMBERMAN. still going strong in Houston, Texas. And for five years before that, I was editor of an old Texas lumber journal. Making 47 years in all, continuously in this business. Vlany years longer than the service of anv other lumber' editor now in the harness.

This closes a review of the lumber business in California in July, 1922, when the "MERCHANT" made its bow.

Tenfotive Plons fo Expond Home Morfgoge Credit Progrcm

Washington, D.C.-Housing Administrator Albert N{. Cole met here with representatives of leading lending institutions to make tentative plans to initiate an expanded voluntary home mortgage credit program as provided in the proposed Housing Act of 1954. The program is included in both the House and Senate versions of the Housing Act of 1954 and therefore will be included in the act as agreed to by the Senate-House conferees who are now considering the two versions.

The act calls for the creation of a National Voluntary Mortgage Credit Extension Committee which will be headed by N{r. Cole as Housing Administrator but which will consist of representatives from private industrytwo representatives each from private financing institutions, builders of residential properties, and real estate boards. Serving on the national committee in an advisory capacity will be a representative from the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Home Loan Bank Board, and the Veterans Administration. Regional committees will also be set up.

The function of both the national committee ar.rd the regional subcommittees will be to facilitate the flow of funds for residential mortgage loans into areas or communities where there may be a shortage of local capital for sucl.r purposes.

Conspicuou, to. th"il ulJ.rr."

*trott . pages of the "MERCHANT? in JuJy,1922, were some items of building

"This is a private in<lustry program," 1\{r. Cole said. "Both the national committee and the regional sub-comr.nittees will be made up of private industry representatives. I, as chairman, and the advisory members from the Federal Reserve Board, the Home Loan Bank Board and the \,'eterans Administration will be there to assist private industry to do the job."