HAMMOND LUMBER COMPANY

17 Kittenc Initiated At Stockton Concat

The first general meeting and Concatenation of the newly reorganized Hoo-Hoo Club No. 62 of. Central California was held at Hotel Stockton, Stockton, Calif., on Saturday, November 6.

The president of Club No. 62 is R. E. Dunn, Valley Builders' Supply, Modesto, Calif., and Marion B. "Slim" Nelson, Hales & Symons, Sonora, Calif., is secretary.

All arrangements for the meeting and Concat were in the capable hands of Charles G. Bird of Stockton.

The Sacramento degree team, led by Mitch Landis, put on the initiation and they did a fine job. All of the team could not be present, but other members of Hoo-Hoo filled in, including Lewis A. Godard, San Francisco, former member of the Supreme Nine, and Charles Brace, Stockton.

Seventeen Kittens were initiated, and two old members were reinstated, and 39 members were present.

The dinner speaker was Elliot Taylor, Registrar of Admissions, at the College of the Pacific, Stockton. Having just returned from visiting the Balkans and the Mediterranean area he was able to give an interesting picture of conditions there.

The Kittens were the following:

Earl H. Botts, Valley Lumber Co., Lodi, Calif.

Estel W. Bright, United Lumber Yards, Modesto, Calif.

Jack Crane, Hobbs Wall Lmbr. Co., San Francisco, Cal.

Robert V. Dawson, Stockton Box Co., Stockton, Calif.

Robert E. Dunn, Valley Builders Supply Co., Modesto.

Robert S. Fuller, Valley Lumber Co., Lodi, Calif.

Donald J. Giottonini, Valley Lmbr. & Supply, Stockton.

Francis W. Grexton, Stockton Box Co., Stockton, Calif.

George E. Ground, Ground Lumber Co., Modesto, Calif.

Tom Jones, San Joaquin Lumber Co., Stockton, Calif.

Oran W. Lyons, Valley Builders Supply, Stockton, Cal.

Harold W. Munson, Cash Lmbr. Co., Stockton, Calif.

James R. Ridgley, IJnion Planing Mill, Stockton, Calif.

Ewing R. Stewart, United Lumber Yards, Modesto, Cal.

Carl E. Ulrich, Valley Bldrs. Supply, Modesto, Calif.

Donald O. Wells, Ground Lumber Co., Modesto, Calif.

Vincent Wilson, Central Lumber Co., Stockton, Calif.

Former members reinstated were Robert Forgie, Stockton Lumber Co., Stockton, and George E. Ground, Sr., Ground Lumber Company, Modesto.

Small Income Group Buys Bulk of Homes

The notion that home ownership is confined to families with high income is now thoroughly disproved by factual data, says Frank W. Cortright, Executive Vice President of the National Association of Home Builders.

Home ownership, as a result of the progress and production achieved by private home builders is now largely a matter of desire, rather than size of annual income, Mr. Cortright declares. Citing Bureau of Census figures for non-farm families, he points out fhat 82 per cent of all homes purchased last Srear were acquired by families with annual incomes of less than $5,000. About half of these families had incomes of less than $3,00O per year.

"Facts about the sale price of new houses are also a revelation. In spite of the infationary trend of the nation's economy, 80 per cent of all new homes were sold last year for less than $10,000, 40 per cent for less than $5,000. Low and middle income families can and do purchase homes when they decide to do so.

"Further evidence," says Mr. Cortright, "that home ownership vs. renting is now largely a matter of choice in this country is the fact that we find similar proportions of home owners and tenants in various low and middle income groups. For example, among families receiving from $5,000 to $9,999 per year 48.2 per cent owned their homes and 51.8 per cent rented. In the group earning from $3,000 to $4,99 the balance was exactly fifty-fifty."

Home ownership generally is on the increase. Seven per cent of all families in the $3,000-$4,99 bracket purchased new homes in 1947 as against six per cent in the group above $5,000 per year.

"As a matter of fact," Mr. Cortright said, "according to the U. S. Department of Commerce data, as much money was spent in 1947 for cosmetics, tobacco and alcoholic beverages as for all residential rent including the rental value of owner-occupied dwellings."