BERCUI.RICIIARDS TUMBER CO.

Manufrctureru of PONDEROSA PINE - SUGAR PINE

DOUGTAS FIR - WHITE FIR, - INCENSE GEDAR

Sowmlll of Oregon House, CaliJ.

Tbuppy nn! Srosperoud

.umber & Building Moteriols Co.

WHOTESALE ond JOBBING

Ponderoso ond Sugcr Pine Fir ond Redwood sHorwEtt sT. sAN FRANCISCO tllssion 7-2576

John \(/. Fisher Lumber Company \7CLA Askr ICC to Make Study of Oreson Features Modern Merchandising And No. California Freight Car Shortage

Portland, Ore., November l&-Retail lumbermen throughout the nation will be interested in the steps just taken by the West Coast Lumbermen's Associaiion to solve the freight car shortage tvhich critically hampered orderly movement of lumber to consuming areas through much of 1950.

Still reeling from the efiects of the most s€vere freight car shortage in history, lumbermen this week invited the federal government to take a hand.

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The West Coast Lumbermen's Association has filed " p.fo- ') tion with the Interstate Commerce Commission at \t'ashington asking that agency to make a full and complete study to de. : termine whether the Southern Pacific is giving adequate service to Oregon and Northern Califronia shippers.

This is a drastic step, and lumbermen point out it n-as taken only after efforts over many years had failed to get the Southern Pacific to provide Oregon and Northern California shippers with sufficient freight cars.

The federal agency is being asked to make a full inquiry- into the damaging lack of freight cars and hold public hearings throughout the territory affected. :

At the continually improved and modernized retail lumber yard of the John W. Fisher Lumber Company in Santa Monica, California, there is likewise a continual effort at improving their merchandising methods. To be different, to be unique. to furnish customers rvith original ideas for their building and remodeling efforts, these are the chief aims of the management of which the popular Tom Fox is president and executive head.

During the past year many changes and improvements have been installed in the Fisher plant, of rvhich trvo nerv and distinctive conference rooms desert'e special mention. These two large rooms are paneled in a r.ariety of rvall surfacing, allowing the visitor to get a splendid and practical idea of horv the materials look when in actual use. In these decorated rooms they take a lot of the mysterv out of the characteristics of various rvoods. These rooms the company have placed at the disposal and use of their customers and contractors. Here they may meet and discuss and arrange their building plans. This idea has met rvith the approval of their customers in a big u'ay. and the service has undoubtedly built business for the concern.

In addition to all the staple lumber and building material items needed for a modern building business, the Fisher yard carries in stock many specialty items, including curly Redwood, scores of different hard and softwoods both in lumber and panels, as well as a varied stock of building and insulating boards and materials.

Whatever the builder .may decide he needs for his building, remodeling, or repairing, he can find right there at Fisher's. ft's a nice plant, doing a nice business, and setting the pace in modern merchandising of building materials.

The West Coast Lumbermen's Association petition says the freight car shortage has been more or less severe for the past 45 years. It has been particularly acute in 1947.l94E, 1949 and this r-ear. The petition points out that mills in Washington state have not suffered from a car shortage to any extent in recent ).ears.

The loss to lumber mills in 1947 was placed at 99,400.000, said WCLA. The petition cites needless unemplo;,'rnent; enorrnous losses in money to all segments of the industry; severe disruption of orderly marketing; artificial and unnatural inflation of costs for such products; the abnormal accumulation of inventories; and losses of orders that could not be shipped for lack of cars.

The petition charges the railroad has not distributed cars equally to all parts of its system, to the damage and detriment of Oregon and Northern California shippers.

A grave menace to national safety and security is seen by the petitioning lumbermen as a result of the shortage of freight cars which in the event of total war could reach calamitous proportions.

The West Coast group point out they have exhausted all reasonable possibilities of obtaining relief after protracted negotiations with railroad officials before appealing to the ICC as a last resort.

The State of Oregon, through George Flagg, public utitities commissioner, will support the petition of the lumbermen. W. C. McCulloch, Portland traffic attorney, and K. C. Batchelder, traffic manager of WCLA, are handling details of the lumbermen's action.

nxpcnas Office Spcce

Mahogany Importing Company has taken on additional office space on the fifth floor, 621 South Spring Street, I-os Angeles 14. The increased space provides for several private offices.

Elected Administrative Vice President Activities of Fir Plywood Association

Lockport, N. Y.-The board of directors of The Upson Company has announced the election of James J. Upson as administrative vice president. He will continue his present duties as secretary of the ComPany.

Mr. Upson joined the company in January 1946 after service in the Pacific war theater as a lieutenant senior grade in the U. S. Naval Reserve. He is a graduate of the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce at the University of Pennsylvania and previous to that attended Culver Military Academy and the University of Buffalo.

He is a member of the U' S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Industrial Conference Board and in Lockport is on the board of directors of the Industrial Management Club and is a member of various local organizations including the Lockport Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club.

Stricdy Promotional, Says Schrader

Tacoma, Wash., Nov. 7-Plywood sales promotion today is both legal and successful, and whether there was agreement among manufacturers to control prices in pre-war years is ancient history.

,That was the pronouncement here by O. Harry Schrader, Jr., managing director of Douglas Fir Plywood Association, the trade association for the 51 fir plywood manufacturing firms of Washington, Oregon and C.alifornia. His statement came after the Federal Trade Commission issued an agleed order agairist the association and 15 plywood companies to "cease and desist" from certain practices which the Commission found existed a part of the time between 1935 and 1941. Plywood firms starting operations during the past l0 years were not involved in the civil action.

"There is nothing for the fir plywood manufacturers to 'cease and desist' from either singly or collectively," Schrader stated emphatically. "Production is at a record rate of over two billion feet a year, plywood is a preferred building commodity and manufacturers are spending $1,000,000 annually to expand markets for the future."

Plywood manufacturers will continue and enlarge the advertising-trade promotion activities through their industry association, according to Schrader. "The sole objective of this trade promotion is and always has been . . . to stimuhte demand for plywood. There is no conspiracy and there will be none. Activities of the association are strictly promotional . . . strictly in accord s'ith the letter and the intent of the law."