Home Planning Institutc

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community or group which may want to do the same thing.

We are planning to extend the experiment to another Western center where the retail lumber dealers are organized to carry it on I to another 'that has a strong local organization of builders; and to yet another town in which a university with a strong architectural school is located. In the latter place the design is to have the university sponsor the program as one of community education.

That is, we are making a kit of good tools with which various types of community Home Planning Institutes may be formed. It is our purpose when results from the Portland pilot plant are all in, to have this kit of tools put in a portfolio on Home Planning; duplicated in quantity; and made available at cost of publication to retail lumber dealers, Savings and Loan Assoc'iations, groups of real'tors, to any companies or orgnizations who will use it in home planning by the people of their own community.

The Western Retail Lumbermen's Association and the National Lumber Manufacturers Association are cooperating with the West Coast in this Portland tryout. We will naturally turn to ,the lumber groups of manufacturers and retail distributors throughout the United States, in our extension of the plan. But, like the gentle rain from heaven, it will be available to anyone who will take it and put it to work. By that means, we expect to obtain for this program a really wide, national application. That is one reason why we started in mid-summer of 1943, before anyone could predict when private home building will become possible. We would like to have many thousands of American families ready and pulling at the leash. Present indications are that there will be little difficulty in obtaining wide application of the idea. We are now embarrassed by requests for information and material before we are prepared to furnish it.

The results of the two months start in Portland indicate an alert public response. Advertising the Home Planning Institute has brought close to 900 inquiries and the enrollments for classes are nearly 200. Each class is limited to 50 with its overflow of wives and sweethearts; and it has been necessary since the plan took efiect to start an additional class about every week.

Obviously, this program cannot be diverted to the promotion of particular building materials. 'We are out to plan and build homes. We believe that West Coast timber products, lumber, shingles and plywood will get their share of business out of every thousand additional homes that are built; and we invite the cooperation of other building materials in supporting and extending this kind of home planning. We don't believe that lumber will lose ground by taking the lead in the movement.

All of this is about a very simple idea. It is also a very old idea. Home planning has been going on in the world ever since the first chilly evening in ,the Garden of Eden. But, however old and familiar, this 'is something that we can do, in each community, as a common sense preparatiorr for the change-over from war to peace. There are many portentous postwar problems through which we can not yet see our way. Here is something that can be done ,by the plain business folk in every American community. But the aggregate of two or three thousand community efiorts to resume home building may go a long way in solving a lot of postwar problems.

Stuart Smith, formerly associated with Ed Fountain Lumber Co., Los Angeles, and now with the OpA, Lumber Division, arrived in San Francisco November 8 by Clipper from Honolulu, where he had been for the last three months on Government business. He spent a few days in San Francisco and Los Angeles and went on to Washington.

Jack Wood is chairman of the Christmas Fellowship Fund of East Bay Hoo-Hoo Club this yeaq and is now receiving subscriptions to this fund.

"Shares of Happiness" are $1.50 each. Checks should be sent to J. B. Wood, E. K. Wood Lumber Co., 2lll Frederick St., Oakland 6. Calif.