NLMA Meeting Airs Serious lndustry

mI. HE recent NLMA meeting in Phoenix brought to light many of the ills plaguing the industry. And believe us, they are serious.

The formation of the Western Wood Products Association-an amalgamation of the WCLA and the WPA-has occasioned individual and industry disagreement as to the functions of the national and the regional associations.

We compliment the cool heads who suggested the formation of COIN (Committee on Industry Needs). This 25-man group of industry leaders appointed five subcom' mittees of five men each to study various aspects of the relationship between NLMA, National Wood Promotion Program, and the regional associations. Until the recommendations of this group are acted upon by the NLMA and other affected groups, ..!{g can oxpect only a watered down version of the very efiective NWPP to be con' tinued.

We deplore the interruption o{ this and other industry programs by what we can only describe as pig-headedness, jealousy and misunderstanding-due mostly to the lack of efiective communication-between industry leaders as well as between stafi personnel of the various associations. We l,tARK T0W1{SEI{0, president of the National lumber Manufacturers Association, urged lumbermen attending NLMA's annual meeting to take a more active part in the association affairs and tind out more about what NLMA is doing to promote industry's objectives that benefit all.

National Wood Council Also Meets

|ALIFORNIANS will be interested in hardly dare hope that the "industry leaders,t' manufacturers all, will recognize the existence and availability of distributors and users of their materials as members of their team.

U the fact that the National Wood Council, meeting November 7, in conjunction with the annual meeting of the National Lumber Manufacturers Association, heard reports on local level wood promotion activities from Bernie Barber of the Fresno Lumber JACS; Al Bell of the BaY Area \liood Council, and Jim Cooper of southern California's Wood Information Bureau.

This hnril-hitting sl.ory expses with no holils barreil the serious blund'ers now taking place in our inilustry. It is atwther in our continuing series ot exclusiae on-the-spot neu)s stories couering ma,jor industry euents.

The meeting also heard, in no uncertain terms, from Fred Davis, head of the New York State Association of Building Inspectors, and chief building inspector of Garden City, N.Y. He outlined the abuses existing in his and neighboring communities with respect to fraudulent grade marking (see other stories in this issue), which results as a consequence of inadequate strpervision of lumber grading agencies because com(Continucd on Page 86)

The gathering, whose membership and purpose were outlined in our July issue, was genuinely impressed with the remark' able job being done in southern Califor' nia by the Wood Information Bureau. This operation was fully described in an interview article published in our March issue. It seems destined to set a pattem {or local level wood promotion throughout the nation and Canada. Jim Cooper got a richly deserved standing ovation at the concltrsion of this presentation.

Bernie Barber briefly described the annual, highly-successful mill woods trip for architects, engineers and building officials, arranged by the Fresno Lumber JACS.

Al Bell outlined the progress being made by the Bay Area Wood Council in providing a selected list of specifiers with an all inclusive Wood Information Book.

At this same meetinS, Earl Cox, O'Mal' ley Lumber Company, Phoenix, described the unusual exhibit and demonstration ar' ranged annually by the Arizona Wood Council to educate the public to the ad' vantage of wood over other building materials.

Also shown was a "Handy-man" film, one of a series of 13 developed by the Pittsburg Lumber JACS, which is being shown on local educational TV stations.

Last, but not least, Leo Gable, general representative of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, and a resident of Long Beach told of the organization and operation of the Carpenter Apprerrticeship Program and contests, and pointed out ways that industry could cooperate {or mutual benefit.

The Hoo-Hoo Advisory Committee, chaired by Hoo-Hoo International VicePresident Al Bell, and recorded by HooHoo Executive Vice-President Bob Holder, and held immediately following the \\'ood Council meeting, brought recommendati<;ns (among many) for a 'oKnow-How" package plan for local Hoo-Hoo Clubs to be distributed by International Hoo-Hoo.

Holder described changes to be expected in forthcoming issues of the order's publication "Hoo-Hoo Log and Tally," designed to become a true medium for interchange of ideas among lumbermen for the benefit of their clubs and the industry. It is our opinion that the Log and, TaIIy will become a valuable tool not only for program chairmen, but for all lumbermen.

Chairman Tom Gallagher, of the Southwest Pine Association in Albuquerque, liew Mexico, with Secretary Bernie Hartung of National Lumber Manufacturers Association, are to be congratulated for a fine agenda, ably presented.

Future issues of the Mercharut will analyze some of these programs in more detail for the benefit of our readers.