Northwest Hordwood Associotion Sees Boom Times; Lounches Dynomic Progrom of Annuol illeeting

Special to The CALIFORNIA LUMBER MERCHANT

Hardwood leaders from the entire Pacific Coast gathered at Longview, Wash., this Fall to take stock of their expanding industry and see what the future holds for them. More than 80 gathered at the beautiful Monticello hotel, representing every facet of the industry and trade from timberland owners to furniture manufaq1u1s15-l6ggers, kiln operators, pulp and paper producers, sawmill operators and distributors. Southern California was well represented by leading wholesalers.

High spot in the meeting was the launching of a quality coltrol program headed by the three-time past-president, Emmet J. Nist, of Seattle Box Company. This undertaking envisions a study of every phase of timber growing, selective logging, sawing and finishing, drying and distribution. Nist announced his committee as follows:

H. I. McMunn, former methods engineer, Weyerhaeuser Company, Longview (retired) ; James Brooks, Western Hardwoods, Inc., Port Gamble, Wash.; Joe Burkle, superintendent, Educators Mfg. Co., Tacoma (schoolroom furniture) ; Robert McGregor, West Coast Hardwoods, Ltd., Vancouver, Canada; Milan A. Michie, Stahl Lumber Co., Los Angeles; Everett M. Olsen, J. O. Olsen Mfg. Co., Eugene, and Ed Slattery, Slattery Hardwood Co., I-os Angeles.

Nist pointed out that by bringing representative California wholesalers into the program, the exacting requirements of their furniture and other buyers can be passed on to the producing mills to bring about more consistent standards of quality to meet precise specifications.

The first step will be the immediate revision of the Association's study of "The Management of Red Alder in the Pacific Northwest" (first published in July of 1957) and to make free copies available to all interested. The staging of the second of a seiies of grading schools will be scheduled for next Spring.

Following the meeting, the Association organized two sawmill clinics-at Longview, November 2-3, and at Everett, No-

A New Order ls Born

At the annual meeting of the Northwest Hardwood Association, Harry O. Mitchell, secretary-manager since its founding, launched a new organization: "The Ancient Order of the B.O." It has all the ear-marks of Hoo-Hoo, with that organization's weird nomenclature out of "Alice in Wonderland," and it should, since Harry is the official "Caterwauler" of the Seattle Hoo-Hoo Club. "Caterwauler," by the way, is derived from the old Danish rootwords meaning a he-cat and "he who howls."

Harry related how it came about. He told of having a boat .on the Columbia River during the depression years which had been dubbed the "Halitosis" by reason of having been built near the out-pouring of one of Portland's trunk sewers into the Willamette River.

Last Spring, he acquired an ancient, beat-up, former rumrunner and undertook to rebuild it himself. But before that job was done, he invited Dr. Donald H. Clark, the dignified authority on forestry and forest economy of the University of Washington, to help him navigate it from its old moorage on the Duwamish River across Elliott Bay and through the government locks into his new moorage at the Salmon Bay fishermen's terminal.

Despite the old, rusted engine, they took off with a load of high-test gas and ran down the river like a bat out of hell. But, right smack in the middle of Elliott Bay, the critter quit with an over-heated engine, burned-out exhaust line and noxious fumes filling the cabin. Right then and there, Harry decided to name the boat the "Halitosis IL" (Puget Sound skippers in sail call all power boats "stink-potters," so it was appropriate.)

Nothing to do but seize a pair of Indian paddles, squat in the lowJying stern and work like galley slaves pushing that tonand-a-half hulk half-way across the bay to a safe haven. And there she lay for a week until Harry could make emergency repairs and take her on to his new moorage.

Weeks of toil in odd moments away from his arduous job with

Donold Clork, Secrefory Horry O. Mitchell, President Poul Borber on fhe plotform q5

Speoker

K. R. Michel reporls o 37% increose in NHA membership this yeor vember 5-6. Both were well-attended, with Fred Malcolm, in charge of Sawmill studies of the U.S. Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin, as instructor, and John Sullivan of Simonds Saw Company, Portland, dealing with the selection and care of saws and trouble-shooting in the mill.

Paul A. Barber, Oregon Alder-Maple Company, Willamina, Oregon, was elected to a second term as president. Henry G. Campbell, manager of Pacific Denkmann's Pilchuck tree farm at Arlington, Wash., was elected vice-president, and K. R. (Mike) Michel of Michel Lumber Co. (wholesalers), Oswego, Oregon, as treasurer to succeed Harry P. Caldwell, Seattle broker. who was honored on his retirement after over four years' service with the Association's distinguished service award.

Milan A. Michie, vice-president, Stahl Lumber Company, Los Angeles, was elected to the board of directors with James the Northwest Hardwood Association brought about a luxury cabin cruiser, with shining new brass and chromium parts, mahogany flying bridge with western alder on the instrument paneland an engine that ran like a well-oiled watch.

Then Harry invited the president of the association, Paul A. Barber, up from Willamina ,for a brief visit, to go on a cruise with him. They navigated the locks and sped merrily out into the sparkling waters of Puget Sound, cruised around a rbit and returned. But just outside the upper locks, they ran out of gas and were caught cold in the Lake Washington Ship Canal with traffic nrilling around like unto the Sunset Strip.

Another trial with paddles seemed to be the solution. But Harry haii forgotten his cabin keys and both paddles and oars were locked up. Paul, with rare resourcefulness and initiative, seized a sawed-off broom lying in the stern and, like the Crusader of old who whipped his enemy with a broken sword, actually paddled the craft to a nearby marina.

As they pulled in, Paul remarked: "I've heard a lot about ships being blown out to sea but I'll bet this is the first time one has been swept in!"

Harry related these experiences before his hardwood colleagues assembled at the Longview convention and proposed the creation of a new order-"The Order of the Broken Oar." Quipped Don Clark, out of Robert Service, the poet-laureate of Alaska:

"And he rowed her ashore, With a rbroken oar, And sold her to Dan McGrew," from "The Hermit of Sharktooth Shoal." He stressed the fact that the "oar" quoted should not be pronounced with a "w" as Service intended it!

Harry presented Paul with the selfsame broom, gaily wrapped up in tissue paper and a ship's hawser and dubbed him "The Master of the Sawed-oft Broom." Ife presented Don with an impressive captain's hat, embellished with scrambled-egB gold, and named him "The Captain of the Broken (w) Oar."

Brooks, president, Western Hardwoo_ds, Inc., Eort G19bl9, Wash.'\tctor L. Nelson, president, Goodyear Nelson Hardwood Lumber Co., Inc., Sedro-Woolley, Wash., and L. R. Smith, president, L. R. Smith Hardwood Co., Longview and Los Angeles, were returned to another three-year terms a-s directors. Harry O. Mitchell, Seattle public relations counsel, was retained js secretary-manager and commended for his service since the Association was incorporated in 1955.

Dr. Donald H. Clark of the Washington Institute of Forest Products, technical consultant for the Association, was elected "Mr. Hardwoods of the Decade" in recognition of his long years of devotion to the hardwood interests of the West'

Key-noter for the meeting was Roch Bradshaw, recently retireh as publisher of "Crow's Lumber Digest," who had- just returned fiom several months in Europe observing the latest develooments and trends in lumber and wood and veneer manuficture.

Bradshaw charted the ups and downs of the American furniture industry over recent years and pointed oqt,lrow it is geared to hardwoods. He cited the good year of 1955 and said that 1959 had been a peak year. "It towers far above the one reached in late 1955. 1959 has established a startling record and this high rate of production has been reflected in the demand for western hardwoods," he said.

He pointed to uniform quality and quality control as basic to success but added that these factors are no longer enough in today's competitive battle. "You've got to study your markets, study your customer's needs and find out how to satisfy him better than your competitor," he declared.

"There's no mystery about merchandising. It's just doing things to make.your. customer._want.your prod.uct more than ike uniform quality and quality your competitor's. It's things like uni{orm a control. The fir industry has been learning this I industry ing lesson and recent years have brought about such things as double-end trimming, waxed ends, and end-printing and branding, as well as packaging.

Dr. Donold H. Clork (qt mike) wos nqmed "Mr. Hordwoods of the Decqde." Others qround the toble ore Jock Pfeiffer, Horry Coldwell, Emmei Nisl ond (ot end, with secrefory)

"The fir industry's markets are going to feel the effects of tishter monev and higher interest rates. IJnder such conditions, it"would not-be surpr:ising iffir mills in a position to make the switch were tempteh to iwing over to hardwoods occasionally to take up the slaik. Furthermore, as long as western hardwoods are enjoying a strong and steady demand, other operators may feel inllined- to get into the hardwood business with new mills. This would mean not only more competition for logs, but more competition for customers. And.,certainly these p-otential.new opeiators, if they are smart, will turn out a product of high, consistent qualitj' and will do a top job of merchandising and selling.

"We are about to enter the 1960s, a period touted as a boom(Continued on Page 114)

CHRISTMAS EVE IN SONORA, 1859

St. James Episcopal Church in Sonora is one of the most beautiful landmarks of the historic Mother Lode. Built in 1859 within a stonds throw of the Big Bonanza Mine, it is still in active use.