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Reseqrch Chief Nomed for Riverside Fire Lob

Clive M. Countryman, research forester with the U. S. Forest Service experiment station in Berkeley since 1941, has been appointed Senior Scientific Officer in charge of the forest fire laboratory now under construction at Riverside, California.

Countryman, who now resides at 717 Laurel Drive, Walnut Creek, will transfer to Riverside upon completion of the laboratory, expected sometime before July 1, 1963.

"Countryman is one of the outstanding forest fire behavior specialists in the United States," Dr. Keith Arnold, director of the forest experiment station, said in announcing the new assignment. "He is well known to fire fighters throughout the West, especially to members of local fire services who are active cooperators in fire research, including the California Division of Forestry and Los Angeles County and City Fire Departments."

In his work at Berkeley, Countryman has helped develop a system for appraising fire damage in southern California. In cooperation with Mark Schroeder, research meteorologist, he devised a new system for rating fire danger which is now used by all firecontrol agencies in California. Countryman and other members of his research team have originated many of the tools used for research on fire behavior,

At the Riverside laboratory he will lead field and Iaboratory studies of environmental conditions that influence forest fires and the behavior of fires under different conditions. This research wiII include controlled experiments in specially designed laboratory facilities and a wide variety of field studies at outdoor research installations throughout California.

O'Brien "Blueprinl" for Sound Slore Monogement

The O'Brien Corporation is now distributing an important 15-page "Financial G u i d e" booklet to its dealers; a simplified financial "blueprint" to meet the needs of today's independent paint outlets.

According to J. J. Crowley, president, the booklet represents several years of research throughout the firm's dealer organization to find the financial patterns leading to successful operation of the independent paint store.

Crowley, who feels that the future of the independent, experienced paint dealer is good, adds that too often the owner-operated store contributes to the possibility of business failure by neglecting or overlooking the sound financial principles outlined in the new guide.

"Probably the most vital of the chapters in the guide," Crowley states, "is the one entitled 'Break-Even Point.' It covers all the important bench-marks representing the dividing line between profit and losssuccess or failure."

The introduction of this chapter points out that: "Every business must sell a considerable volume of merchandise just to break even, and profits are not realized until sales exceed this amount. The gross profit percentage and expense breakdown of the particular business determine the break-even point."

Dealers are then shown how to evaluate their break-even position through easilyunderstood formulas and with the aid of charts.

The preceding chapters in the Guide cover: Initial Capital; 'Working Capital; Cash; Accounts Receivable; Inventory, and Accounts Payable.

The chapters following the "Break-Even Point" cover: Price-Cutting; Expenses; Ideal Expense Percentages; Salaries; Rent; Accounting Records; Credit and Collections, and What To Do In Financial Difficulty.

Complimentary copies of Financial Management Guide have been mailed to all dealers who have signed up for membership in the recently organized and fastgrowing O.A.LD.O'Brien Associated Independent Dealers.

Non-members may purchase copies of the Guide for Z5-cents each'

According to Crowley, the O.A.I.D. program is a clear-cut concept of total marketing-management practice designed to help the independent paint dealer "cash-in" on his natural abilities by providing better service and technical know-how than his competition can ofer.