Suorom s Qruutings ALIFORNIA SUGAR & WESTERN PINE BURTINGA'IAE, CALIFORNIA AGENCY,Inc.

Northern California representative for Walton Plywood Co., of Everett, Washington

Not entirely nerv to the California market, Bennett Veneer Factors, Inc., of Portland, is a leading West Coast veneer supplier. Ted Bennett continues to serve as president of both corporations. Robert Armstrong is vicepresident of the Portland company and in charge of that division. Since entering the veneer business some ten years ago, T. D. Bennett has developed his company services to include timber investment and analysis. Timber ow-ners use Bennett services to determine the feasibility of adding a plywood unit in conjunction with sawmill facilities to convert their timber more efficiently.

Prior to establishing Bennett Veneer Factors, Inc., Bennett served in several organizational and executive capacities rvithin the lumber industry. He received his first experience in lumber back in 1934, in a logging crew at Delleker, California. During World War II, he served as a contract officer for lumber and plywood assigned through the Secretary of War office in Washington, D. C. After the rvar, Bennett established West Coast offices for a Swiss-Austrian timber holding concern and devoted his time to purchasing timber and milling facilities in addition to chartering ships for lumber transport. During that period, Bennett also became interested in several Northern California companies, among them Dunsmuir Lumber Co., of which he was vice-president.

Associated rvith Bennett in his new California operation are two other well-known names-Miss "Mike" Michael and Jim Garoutte. "Mike," one of the few women to reach an executive sales position in the lumber industry, will be well-remembered for her good work with Fairhurst Lumber Co. and Robbins and Pacific Western Lumber Co. Garoutte has had many years of building materials experience. He helped handle plywood sales in the San Francisco office of Dant & Russell until that office was closed. Before joining Bennett Veneers, Inc., he acted as a mill representative in the Northern California area.

Del Volle, Kqhman & Compony Moves Los Angeles Offices

Announcement was made last month by G. B. Rosenstein that new offices for Del Valle, Kahman & Co., Los Angeles, had been established at lO52 West 6th Street; telephone: MAdison 6-6831.

According to Allan E. Boal, Southern California manager of the importing concern, this move became necessary to take care of the expansion of personnel and sales. "We are showing a steady growth in this area and, in order to properly service the dealers, it became necessary to move to a more central location," Boal said. A full line of imported plyrvood, hardboard and lumber is distributed to the dealer trade by this firm. The nerv offices are located just west of the downtown district in Los Angeles.

S. F. Hoo-Hoo Club Recdy for Record Christmqs Porty - Dec. l7

The San Francisco Hoo-Hoo annual Christmas luncheon, a highlight of the Club 9 year, wiil be staged December 17 in the Colonial room of the St. Francis hotel. Honored guests will be 50 boys and girls from the San Francisco Boys Club who will be treated to an afternoon of fun (including a visit from St. Nick) following the luncheon.

Once again, Gamerston & Green's Joe Pepetone u'ill do the Santa Claus bit, with the aid of Jim Hall, Jr., who, as Santa's assistant, is in charge of rounding up 50 presents for the kiddies. This year's party will be coordinated by Ben Ward, general chairman. Other committee chairrnen include:

John Prime, ticket sales; Bob Nelson, finance; Bob Kilgore, entertainment; Fred Ziese, in charge of children and transportation; Jack Dollar, publicity, and Dick McKannay, official procurer of the Christmas tree.

l- erlon6L{,1

Hamilton Knott, head of the Yosemite Lumber Co., Fresno, and president of the LMA, returned home late last month from a two-week Hawaiian vacation.

Ed Fountain, of the I-os Angeles lumber company of the saffre name, spent several days last month at the sawmills hunting lumber and ducks. (.Editor's note: ???).

36 members of the Srvedish Association of Homebuilders toured San Francisco in mid-November, climaxing a U.S. tour. They remarked on the similarity of design of homes in Midtown Terrace. Trvin Peaks. with their own home styles. Ernst Engkvist, Sweden's largest builder; Eric Forss, chairman of the Building Association of Stockholm, and C. Toll, president of Toll Building Company of Sweden, r,vere in the party, which was hosted by Richard Doyle of the Associated Home Builders of S. F.

Bob Taenzer, president of American Flardwood Co., Los Angeles, returned from a 3-week business trip to New York City, Pennsylvania and the Southwest, also attending the National Hardrvood Lumber Assn. annual in Chicago.

Harry Whittemore, head of the Los Angeles Lurnber Co. and Southern California executive for Fairhurst Lumber Co., and Ray McKendrick, Mike Walsh and Ross Lashley of his staff attended meetings in E,ureka, Nov. 8-10.

TPL's Jim Farley and Mrs. Farley drove to Elsah, Ill., recently to help their son Kim celebrate his 21st birthday at Principia college. They returned home Nov. 1 by way of St. Louis, Mo.. r,vhere thev visited friends.

Milton Whiiing ancl iee Kutch, executives of Kaibab Lumber Co. of Arizona, were recent visitors in southern California and attended the Rams-49ers football game with George Myers, Pacific Coast representative of the rvholesale firm.

Meet Our 'Stor Reporter'

Would you like to meet our star reporter? Well, walk to the nearest mirror and shake hands with yourself. YOU are the one who can best report to The CALIFORNIA LUMBER MERCHANT what is happening to you and the many daily events in your area and, as our Top Reporter, we are counting on you. Because we are all in the same business, with the same problems and goals, we would like to get together with you every 1st and 15th to swap experiences. Let us know what new merchandising or promotion have been successful for you; tell us rvhat expansion activity you plan, what ideas you may have for better business and increased sales; what unusual or amusing things may have happened lately. We'd like to hear about your familyr 1zour employes and, if available, we'd like to see the photos you may take, too. Please send your news to us at Room 508, 108 West 6th St., Los Angeles 14, Calif.

Sacramento, spent a .iveek in Portland on business last month.

Milt Taenzer, vice-president of American Hardwood Co., Los Angeles, leaves Dec. 14 on the President Cleveland for a 6-week trip to the Orient, with stops in Japan, Hongkong and the Philippines, where he will visit mill operators and suppliers. He and Mrs. Taenzer will retnrn to southern California Jan. 23.

Bob Rushing, salesmanager of Giustina Bros. Lumber Co., Medford, Ore., visited customers in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Las Vegas during November.

Ken Conway, the southern California man for Holmes Eureka Lumber Co., San Francisco, postcarded The Merchant from Darby, Montana lwhere it was 28 degrees, clear), and returned to Los Angeles later last month from his 3-week, 2800-mile annual hunting trip to Utah, Idaho and Montana with his trailer full of game. He bagged three deer and a 200-1b. bull elk in the Selway Primitivb area of Idaho after a 9-hour pack trip deep into the pine forests. For proof, Ken has a photo of the elk with his guide, Jack Lykins, owner of Bear Creek Camp in ldaho, Lykins' son, and himself sporting two guns and three weeks' whiskers.

Jack Dollar, his wife and their daughter Lisa spent Thanksgiving week vacationing at Palm Springs-far, far from The Robert Dollar Company of San FranCisco.

W. A. Howe, salesmanager of American-fnternational Hardwood Co., Los Angeles, returns Dec. 2 from a short trip to the Philippines and Japan, reports Y. L. Panagos, secretary.

Hallinan Mackin's Larrv Owen returned to San Francisco from an extensive business trip to Canada and the east. Ports of call were accounts in northern Ontario. Ouebec, Montreal and Toronto; Cleveland, Toledo and Youigstown, Chicago and-home !

Fleming AND Hightower, of the Fleming & Hightower retail lumber concern in Los Angeles, are on ihe move: Tom Fleming and his wife spent part of last month in Acapulco and Mexico City. "Slim" Hightower and his rvife will be returning to the yard right after the New Year's holiday from a long West Indies cruise during r,r'hich they visited Hava-

Dou sn! Dourg I filost filewy @btistmas

na, Central Americar-r ports, and r.vill spend Christmas in Georgia r,vith deep-Southern friends and relatives.

Roy Sjolund, heacl of llull l)og I'allet Co., Nervark, Calif., has been spending his rveekends recently thinning the ranks of our feathered friends in the San Joaquin Valley region.

I. S. Brown, president of Industrial Lumber, Glendale, reports a lorv score in the 70s during a recent round of golf at Brookside Park in Pasadena; much better than his home grounds at Oakmont Country Club in Glendale.

Buckley Door Company's "Woody" Yeates has been duckhunting his weekends ar,vay up in Colusa connty.

Loraine and Sterling Wolfe mixed business (a full u'eek calling on northern California mills as salesmanager of the I\{arcluart-Wolfe Lumber Co. of Los Angeles) rvith pleasure (attending the dinner dance of the Hoo-Hoo clnb in Ukiah).

Jim Hall, Jr. of San Francisco's James L. Hall Co. spent two recent weeks calling on sources of supply in Oregon and northern California.

Mary and John Fredericks have returned from a survey trip through northern California and the Pacific Northwest for Hallmark Lumber and Plywood Co., Van Nuys. of which he is president.

Seth Butler, Winfree & Tynan's "junior salesman," and his r,vife Myrtle vacationed at Palm Springs the last two 'iveeks of November.

Grqce & Go. Rqises Von Wyngqqrden

Jan van Wyngaarden, head of the imported plywood division of W. R. Grace & Co., San Francisco, was recently appointed chief of the imported lumber division as .ivell. lt had been headed by Henri Muth, lvho rvill norv devote full time to the lumber exDort division.

Kelly-Von Vleer Plywood Sqles Srcrred in Son Frqncisco

Three 'rvell-known figures in the western forest Droducts industry announce thd formation in San Franciico of a plyu.ood sales company, Kelly-Van Vleet, Inc. Officers are Robert N. Kelly, president; George R. Van Vleet, Jr., vice-president, and Mrs. Mabelle J. Van Vleet, secretarytreasurer.

The firm's personnel control extensive timber holdings and, because of the business backgrounds of its officers, 'rvill offer a unique combination of services to plyr,vood mills r.vho prefer to market their output through independent rvarehouse jobbers. At the san're time, the Van Vleet timber holdings will enable the firm to be of substantial assistance to cooperating mills in raw material procrlrement.

Kelly has a broad background in plywood sales and production. He formed his own plywood and lumber sales and distribution firm in 1945. Three years later he joined Douglas Fir Plyrvood Association to open its eastern field promotion office in New Y<lrk City. Then he moved to the former M&M \\roodworking Company, transferring to Portlancl, Oregon, in 1950 as iales mat iger until thE company's merger rvith Simpson Logging Company in 1955. Subsequently, Kelly purchased an interest in Sierra Plyrvood Distributors and Douglas Fir Plywood Distribu- tors in San Francisco. The firms were sold to Textron, Inc., and Kelly joined that firm last January.

Van Vleet,widely known in western lumber circles, grew up in timber and lumber operations working at everything from "whistle punk" to logging crew manager and finatly independent timber operator-. Mrs. Van Vleet anc nnauy rnqcPenocnf frmDcr oPerator. has a wide background of experience in buying and selling timber, and in operating lumber mills and logging companies.

"The company will sell the output onlv throush recognized indeoenden only through independent Kellv said. :lly

CALENDAR of COTIING EVENTS

December

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA LUMBER SEASONING ASSN. Meeting, Dec. 5.

of firms it represents warehouse jobbers,"

Offices are located in the Flood Building in San Francisco.

How Lumber Looks

All segments of the western lumber.and plywood market displayed weakness in the period ending November 28, reported Crow's Lum-' ber Market News Service, Portland. Early seasonal storms hampered demand through the east and midwest and retailers were endeavoring to hold invenfory at a minimum until January 1 for tax purposes. Weather in the producing areas was comparatively mild for this time of year, favoring both log and lumber production. Mill shutdowns were becoming more and more prevalent, however, based on the low market for nearly all grades and species, and in the belief that seasonal curtailment will firm prices during the Winter.

Shipments of 479 mills reporting to the National Lumber Manufacturers Assn. in the week ending Nov. 16 were 6.1/o below pro-