Rip Wouldn't Believe It

An original-thinking young lawyer-businessman named Dillon Anderson made a talk recently that had lots of business thinking in it.

He talked about what a modern "Rip Van Winkle" would think if he had fallen asleep 20 years ago-in 1938and just awakened. Rip, according to this speaker, would think we were all nuts if we talked about our present situation being a recession.

In 1938 we had been in the big depression for more than eight years. One out of every five workers was unemployed. The national income was under 90 billions of dollars. Today it is over $430 billion. Half the automobiles in the country in 1938 were over ten years old, and looked like Noah's arks. There were no television sets to speak of, few high-fidelity sets, no jets, plastics were unknown. Things looked sad.

Looking at the country today, Rip Van Winkle would refuse to believe in a recession. He would say: "You are {oolish people; you ought to be ashamed of yourselves. People never had it so good." And he might add: "You are so spoiled by the miraculous events of recent years that you have forgotten the lesson every generation must learn -wealth can only be provided by work and resourcefulness. If you are to prosper more, you may have to work a little harder."

And Mr. Anderson remarks on his own hook that he has no understanding of economists or others "who explain how the government is going to produce a turn-around and foster another boom. I do not even understand how the government has anything of value except what it takes away from

Los Angeles June Building

Sefs 552,433,125 R.ecord

New construction in Los Angeles last month topped all prior June records with building-permit valuations ol $52,433,125, reported G. E,. Morris, general manager of the Building and Safety Dept. This compares to $49,346,194 in the same month last year, the previous June high.

The city's {irst six-month figure hit $304,884,661, a $26 million gain over 1957's same span of. $278,860,079.

Los Angeles County and the 21 cities served by the County Building Dept. dropped to $22,095,817 from the $29,172,602 recorded in June 1957. County Engineer John A. Lambie said the 1958 drop reflected the decline in tract houses compared with last year.

The city's largest gain was in the West Los Angeles area, with the San Fernando Valley also showing a slight gain.

those who produce. I am old-fogey enough to believe that the government has no source of wealth to put into the economy except what it takes out of the economy."

He added: "When we accept the fact that there are ups and downs in the free-business cycle, we are free to contemplate and strive for the next upward swing. I believe that when it comes it will come surging upward from the productiveness of American industry, commerce and agriculture, and not from artificial tinkering by the bureaucrats

lnferest ond Dollqr Volume ot Home Show Surprises Everybody

General Manager Carl F. Kraatz reported exhibitors handling major items at the recently ended Los Angeles Home Show did better business than a year ago, while five and 10-cent products did worse than in 1957. He announced sales averaged around $1,500,000 per day on the floor for an ll-day total of approximately $16,500,000. This was nearly $3,000,000 more in sales than '57.

Kraatz predicted that post-show buying that often continues for a year will hike the overall business volume to around $45,000,000. Last year, the figure was $41.250,000.

Equally significant, he pointed out, 1958's attendance was the iecond highest in the l3-year Home Show, hitting 221,536-4,000 over 1957. Most expositions of this type have been ofi from tS/o to 2O/o throughout the country.

Alcoa, which unveiled its revolving aluminum and glass beach house. said it received so much interest that it has signed a contractor to build the unique $25,000 structure. Geoplex Enterprises, Anaheim, California, which introduced the plywood dome home, sold one the very first day and reports spectacular interest in the dwelling as an extra room, mountain or beach hideaway,

The plumbing industry and firms doing new .kitchens reported the highest interest in years in major jobs of remodeling bathrooms, adding new baths and remodeling kitchens. Furniture companies did outstanding business. The same demand was reported in new items like portable dishwashers, wood folding doors, short wave units that open doors, air conditioning units that fit into confined California attics, etc.

Kraatz confessed he was surprised over the increased attendance and thought the dollar volume might indicate an increased surge in the economy of the construction industry as a whole.

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

Biggest Boy Arecr Do-lt-Yourself Show Crowds Expected Ocfober 16

The 6th annual Greater Bar- Area l)o-It-Yorrrself Shou, rvil1 be held C)ct. 16-26 t the Oaklarrcl l.-_rposition Brrilrling, Oaklan<I. California. Accorclirrg to Procltrcer 'I'ecl Bcntleil. the shou'is the largest annrral attractior.r in the San !'rancisco-Oaklancl region, lith a total of nearlr' 500,000 r-isitors chalked up o\-er its 5,_vcar l.ristory. Ilasingiris precliction on the successful recent I.os -{ngeles shou,, 13entiey feels that this shon' u-ill set a one-en!{agement recorrl.

"The number of nerv exhibitors irr Los Angeles \\.as at an alltinre.high.," Bentley saici, explaining this-by the neerl for ne'n' aclr-ertising and pronrotion in thE fac,e oi declining Dtl Sl ness.

Bentlel- also noted that attet.rdance increases c:ln be explained bl' the econom.ic sitrration : tight morley, high labor costs and increasecl leisure tin.re, all bf u.hich-haye contri_

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blted__to loF"g this the biggest do-it-yor_rrself upstrrge since \\iorlcl \\,'ar II.

'fhe.early dates of the [,os Angeles sl.rou' har.e given tl.re stirlT three extra r.nonths to work on the Bav Aiea shon,. and .four major lte\\- attractions are being s-et up for the special e\.ellts area, either exclusive u'ith the show or being premierecl there.

'\n extensive aclvertising ancl publicity car-n1;aigr"r is also beir.rg planned, rrtilizing all ar.ailable nreciia in tjreirea. The stalT aclvance guard is nor,v working in Oaklanrl.

Past exhibitors har-e inclucled most of the top names in lrain_t, lumber! po\\'er tools, l'al1 ancl floor cor erings anrl garclen supplies, as u'ell as otirer honre-impror-ement fields. Inquiries should be directed to Do-It-Yourself Show. c/o Auditorium Manager, Oakland Exposition Building, 918 Fallon, Oakland, Calif.

Seqled Redwood Siding qnd Poneling Now Offered by Arcqtq Redwood

The procltrction of ARCO Woodlife-sealed reclrvoocl siclings.arrcl paneling \r'as annorlncecl July 15 by Arcata Recl'n'ood Contltany's u'estertl sales rnanager, I-lo,vd Hecathorn, in lire rvith tlre firnr's contirruing effoits to benefit recln.oocl tuscrs u.ith the latest methods of quality manufacturing and ur erchanrlisirrg.

'l'he u'ater-repellent se:rler, when applied to reclu,oocl sicling ancl paneling, (1.i elinrinates the nee<l for back. encl ancl erlge prinrinS, (2) nrinimizes \\'ater marks or surface checks .rn e-rposerl woo<l, (3) modihes re<lu'oocl's natnral rveathering l)rocess and (41 cioes not alter tl-re natural alrpearat.tce of the rvoocl.

r\rcata 1{e<1u'oocl's nelrr treating plant is the latest acldition. to _the _con.rpan1.'s frrlly integratecl 50-acre plant at llrainard ancl its tn'o nrills at Arcata ancl Orick. Tlie Humbolclt county operation, rvhich has an annual productioll o{ approximately 35.000,000 b.f ., includes complete renranufacturing facilities as lvell as ten clry kilns and a rccerrtly installed encl-eclge glue operation (e LM lllllSZ).

what goes UNDER,NEATH rnalces tlae big ilifference in flooring,too!

WAVE GOODBYE TO ..WAVY FLOORS''

You don't know what trouble is, until you've had a costly call-back caused by "wavy floors".

Today, with the popular use of thinner vinyl tiling, underlayment must have llnished floot smoofftness. A base any less perfect will distort floor covering surfaces-wild grah patterns and defect outlines will telegraph right through.

To meet this new need, Pope & Talbot has engineered a particleboard underlayment wifft finished floot smoothness. This new board has no grain; no defects. And it often costs less than the problem materials now in common use. Specifynew POPE & TALBOT PARTICLEBOARD. Available now for immediate delivery.

Los Antelas disttibutots: PENBERTHY LUMBER CO. 5800 S. Boyle Avenue Los AnQeIes 58, Calit.