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our efforts, plus unfamiliarity with the growing use of plywood in new applications has made it dififrcult to reach many buyers except through a media such as television.

"Our other purpose is to help the lumber dealer, our best distribution channel, to move his stock. Briefly, we'll be persuading people to buy plywood, and then persuading them to buy through lumber dealers."

Ritchie pointed out that the television campaign is an addition to the industry's overall promotion and is financed with a special fund built up witlr an assessment voted by DFPA members last spring.

The association's total annual adver- tising budget is about $2.5 million, rvith another $4 million going into other forms of promotion and research.

WPA lssues 9upplement No. 2 to'61 Rules

The Western Pine Association has published a second supplement to its 1961 Grading Rules.

Effective October 1, the supplement incorporates changes and additions to the WPA rules decided during the group's recent semi-annual meeting in Portland.

Included in the supplement:

1. An explanation of "MC 15"-_ stock bearing this symbol has been surfaced at 157o or less in moisture content.

2. Old, paragraphs 34 and 35 are now combined in a new paragraph 34, with a standard for "MC 15" set forth in new paragraph 35.

3. Addition of working stresses for "MC 15" stock in stress tables for Douglas Fir and Larch and for Western Hemlock.

4. Rules for Scaffold Plank in Douglas Fir and Larch, virtually identical to the same rules provided by WCLIB.

5. A crook table for framing in all species.

Copies of the changes may be obtained by writing for Supplement No. 2, Western Pine Association, 510 Yeon Building, Portland 4, Oregon.

Building Compony Executive Wqrns Agoinsi Interesl 'frops'; Urges Builders to Provide Low Prevoiling Rqtes

A leading home manufacturer has warned home buyers again-st high interest "traps" in purchasing the increasingly popular unfinished "shell" homes and also urged builders to recommend "livable" and "finished" models with low prevailing interest rates.

W. Hamilton Crawford, president of Crawford Corpora- tion, Baton Rouge, La., whose ShellCraft subsidiary sells a nine-model line of shell homes in all stages of completion through franchised builders, was a featured speaker-(Sept. 22) at the National Association of Home Builders two-day Regional Conference in Fort Worth.

In the past six years, shell houses have taken over an estimated 8 per cent of the single-family housing market. The fastest growing segment of the building indu-try, with an annual volume of $75 million. shell homes are available in several stages of completion. The "basic" or "unfinished" home is completed on the outside and includes walls, floor and roof ; the livable model includes installed plumbing and heating systems, partitions and interior doors. The finished model is completed throughout.

Crawford told the NAHB builder-members that the present 6 per cent add or interest rate in six-year financing for the basic shell, a common rate in short teim installmeni buying over a several month duration, is inequitable when applied to the housing industry. It is unjust when compared to only Sr/a per cent interest on a 3O-year FHA loan on the purchase of a livable shell model, he declared.

As an example, Crawford cited the case of a shell home purchaser who pays $2,830 for the unfinished or basic model, but then needs $2,275 for materials, excluding labor costs. In order to finance the $5,105 total, the purchaser must pay $130 monthly including the 6 per cent add ott interest, for a total of principal and interest of nearly $6,800.

In contrast, Crawford said, a livable shell home, including labor and materials, can be purchased for approximate- ly $5,900. These models, he said, include kitchen cabinets, heating, walls sheetrocked, and installed electrical wiring, doors and plumbing. At 5r/4 per ceent interest over 10 years on an FHA loan, total interest would be only $1,697 on monthly payments of $65.

Crawford added that certain livable shell homes, when raised to FHA standards, now qualify for 5rl per cent FHA loans, while the basic shell models do not. Crawford's ShellCraft llomes generally make available a 5 per cent add on interest rate for the basic shell. On this add on type of financing, only kind available for the basic shell, Crawford's 5 per cent rate is the lowest in the industry.

The home manufacturing and home finance firm executive said the nation's builders should urge the FHA to encourage home ownership in this lower priced mass housing market.

Oronge County "Wood Choppers"

The industry has its "Terrible Twenty" group in the Southland, the "Dubs, Ltd." up North, and now joining the ranks is the Orange County "Wood Choppers," a group of lumbermen golfers who get together monthly for an afternoon on one of the nearby courses,

Willowick Golf Course in Santa Ana was the scene of their meeting on October 26, when low net and trophy winner Joe Sinnott "chopped" out a net of 60. Low gross honors went to Bill Meredith, Ed Terrell and Joe Petrash, each with 78's.

Others trying their skill were Dick Hoover, Jim Martindale, Leigh McWilliams, Russ Flynn, Russ Hughes, "Mac" McWhorter, Jim Nelson, Cornell Norby, Bob Gaylord and Walt Taylor.

Thrifiy Retoilers Pick Up Looded With Plywood, at GcrJocrd Hardboqrd, Prices From Our Worehouse Pqrticle Boqrd qnd Lumber

Wood Associotions Form

A new intra-industry technical committee, made up of representatives from the west's three biggest timber industry trade associations, has been formed to handle questions of mutual interest. The announcement was made by John M. Hess, Technical Director of the Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Other associations represented on the committee are West Coast Lumbermen's Association and Western Pine Association.

The committee's first major goal will

Joint Technicol Group

be development of valid basic stress values for all major western wood species. This function has been performed in the past by the U.S. Forest Products Laboratory.

FPL has withdrawn from this field and Hess said the associations have agreed that the logical place to handle technical questions on wood strength is through a competent and objective group of industry representatives.

Current stress values will be reevaluated with data being collected in a sampling of more than 50,000 western trees by the U.S. Forest Service and FPL, Hesse said. The present values were set up in some instances with information gathered from comparatively few trees.

Hess said the FPL has agreed to supply this information, plus any older data that will be oertinent to a reevaluation of wood- strength.

Hess has strongly recommended the closest possible liaison between the committee and FPL. which he described as "the most competent authority in the field."

Each association is represented by executives of three member firms, plus a technical expert. The technical staff members will gather information to be acted upon by the committee, whose members will consult with the association boards of trustees before final decisions are made, Hess said.

The committee members are: WCLA-Alan Smith, Weyerhaeuser Co.; T. A. Deal, International Paper Co.; W. R. Garnett, St. Paul and Tacoma Division, St. Regis Paper Co., and T. K. M"y, WCLA Technical Director. WPA-J. D. Bronson, Boise Cascades; A. J. Agather, St. Regis Paper Co.; Herbert McKean, Potlatch Forests, Inc., and Carl Rasmussen, WPA Technical Director. DFPAL. A. Lundquist, International Paper

Co.; T. L. Bentley, Anacortes Veneer, Inc.; K. L. Morrow, U. S. Plywood Corp., and }Iess.

Trqde-Tech Student Wins Scholorship

William Berry Leonard, 18, of Burbank. has been awarded a $250 scholarship to help him continue his mill cabinet studies in the Building Trades l)epartment of Los Angeles TradeTechnical College by the Los Angeles Committee for National Forest Prpducts Week, October 15-21.

The scholarship was presented to the Trade-Tech student at a luncheon sponsored by the Los Angeles Com- mittee for National Forest Products Week at the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce banquet room on Monday, October 16.

William is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Nelson Leonard, 1135 North Cordova street, Burbank. He graduated from John Burroughs High School last June with a B average in his wooclshop major. During the spring semester, William participated in the construction of the Los Angeles Trade-Technical College model home, built annually for the past five years on the college's campus by students enrolled in the construction trades. He will also assist with the building of this year's model nome.