Association's Warning Nips Phony Check Racket

Our thanks n The Lumber Associntion ol Southern Cali' lornia lor their permission t'o reprint this cops and, robbers tale lrom their buLletin.

As a direct result of your Association's warnings, Eagle Rock Lumber Company employee, Jim Morrow, became suspicious of an order they received on June 25th.

The customer had followed the pattern described in your Association Bulletins, indicating he planned to have a truck pick up the order on Saturday. Eagle Rock Lumber checked out the address given by the suspect and found it to be false.

Sergeant Kamp of the Los Angeles Police Forgery Division was then notified. He requested that Eagle Rock Lumber go through with. the order, accept the cashier's check and allow the police to follow the truck in the hope of recovering the other stolen merchandise as well as apprehending the culprits. This was done and last Saturday the suspects kept their appointment, picked up the order and left Eagle Rock Lumber with $2,600 in merchandise and the police in very careful pursuit. Three or four unmarked cars were used with both policemen and policewomen dressed in sport clothes, etc. In true cloak-anddagger tradition, the suspects spent over two hours parked down the street and watching for a ootail."

When finally convinced they weren't being followed they headed off on the San Bernardino Freeway. A flat tire on the heavily overloaded truck caused a delay in Covina. In the process of trying to get the tire repaired the driver spotted the police o'tail." He hopped a cab for Los Angeles but was quickly apprehended.

After interrogation he admitted his role and implicated his cohorts who were at Big Bear Lake. The male members of the police team went on to Big Bear Lake where they arrested another member of the gang. He in turn implicated the ringleader. Police found the printing press and photographic equipment used by the

CALIFOINIA turltlEl rilEtGl{AlilT gang to make the fake checks and to fashion their phony identification cards and drivers' Iicenses. Sargent Kamp said they had enough phony ID's and cashier's checks to hit another ten or fifteen lumber yards and they apparently planned to do just that. He was high in his praise of your Lumber Association (L.A.S.C.) for assisting in the capture of these forgers. wood windov fromes / extefior door frcmes glidemoster sliding door fromes / prc-Iit window units double hung or sliding wood windows solid or fingerioint interior iombs

Eagle Rock Lumber had their material all safely back in their yard by 9:00 P.M. Saturday and, of course, they hadn't given any change in cash for the $3,000 cashier's check given them by the suspects. Naturally, there was considerable handling of lumber and material involved but Eagle Rock Lumber feels this was well worth the effort. They would like to acknowledge the cooperation of the following suppliers who graciously agreed to accept the special material ordered out back for credit without handling charge: A-1 Louvre Window, Diamond'oW" Supply, Ed Fountain Lumber Company, Parko Plumbing Supply and So-Cal Building Materials Co.

Much of the stolen material has already found its way into cabins under construction at Big Bear Lake. Howevero a goodly stack of unused material was recovered and will be returned to those yards victimized. The gang has confessed and agreed to assist in identifying the stolen goods.

Hedlund Nqmes LaFronchi To Sqles Post

Hedlund Lumber Sales has announced appointment of popular Bay Area lumberman, Ed LaFranchi, as its Greater Bay Area sales representative. Ed, a past president of Oakland Hoo-Hoo Club 39. will headquarter at 2000 Asilomar Drive in Oakland, phone 655-2586.

LaFranchi sterrted his lumber career with Hill & Morton, Inc. in Oakland. and served as salesmanager before and after the second war. He was one of the princi- pal founders of Pacific Forest Products. Inc., an Oakland wholesale firm estabIished during 1947, and was manager of the company when it was liquidat"a IO years later. Ed then represented Clay Brown & Company in the Bay Area for three years, and more recently has been operating his own wholesale lumber business.

Dr. Fred Dickinson Nomed Reseqrch Group President

Dr. Fred E. Dickinson, director of the University of California Forest Products Laboratory in Richmond, California, was elected president of the Forest Products Research Society during its annual meeting held in New Orleans, June 16-20.

Dr. Dickinson succeeds outgoing president Tony Deazey of Anaconda- Forest Products, Bonner, Montana. who wielded a well-organized gavel during his tour of duty for F.P.R.S. the past year.

Rocket Chemicol Goes World-Wide

Rocket Chemical Co. has achieved worldwide distribution status for its WD-40 rust preventive by signing Nichimen Co., Ltd., o{ Osaka, as exclusive Japanese agents.

Cy Irving, Rocket Chemical president, said his firm supplies the ingr,edients oI WD-4O to production plants in Europe, the Far East, South America and the Caribbean.

Irving said WD-40's global pattern includes distribution centers in Great Britain- world-wide sales program augments the company's domestic distribution, available to jobbers and manufacturers representatives in 40 states, including Alaska and Hawaii," Irving said.

Chile, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Australia and theooThisPhilippines.

The basic elements of the rust preventive are produced in bulk at the firm's San Diego plant, then shipped to aerosal plants in Los Angeles and Houstono Tex.