TeII Lumbet Manutaetuters To PIay BaII With Dealerc

Directors of the National Lumber Manufacturers Association climaxed their 1954 annual meeting, Nov. 8-10 in Washington, D.C., by electing Judd Greenman, Vernonia, Ore., as NLMA president for 1955 and voting to expand the association's public relations program.

The directors also enlarged the association's Forest Policy statement by calling for an end to the "concept of federally 'created and financed valley authorities." The resolution de,clared that state and local governtnents have a responsibility to solve their own water resources problems. In other resolutions, the association called for readjustments in federal payments to compensate state and local governments for taxes lost on federal lands, urged lumbermen to continue to grow "successive crops" of timber, meanwhile expanding the use of private forest land for hunting and fishing wherever possible; commended slum clearance and neighborhood rehabilitation programs, voted to continue the association's activities aimed at improving paint performance, and approved changes in the widely used basic design standard, National Design Specification.

As NLMA president for 1955, Greenman succeeds James R. Bemis, Prescott, Ark., who was elected chairman of NLMA's board of directors, succeeding Ralph R. Macartney, Klamath Falls, Ore. Greenman, a native of Kansas City, Kans., is general manager of the Vernonia Division of the I-ong-Bell Lumber Co., and has 50 years'experience in the lumber industry.

L. D. Kellogg, president of the L. D. Kellogg Lumber Co., f nc., Alexandria, La., was elected first vice-president of NLMA, succeeding Greenman.

NLMA's three-day meeting was attended by about 200 lumber manufacturers and their wives-the second largest attendance in the association's S2-year history.

Principal speaker was Elizabeth Gordon, editor of House Beautiful, who said the lumber industry must gear its thinking to new concepts in home design-concepts of "abundant living"-itl order to increase its markets. She challenged the Stanford Research Institute's prediction that the size of the average dwelling unit will remain at about 1,000 square feet from now through 1975. Wood is a key factor, she said, in emerging American architecture that has exploded the box concept of house design.

Miss Gordon urged lumber and wood products manufacturers to work on these six points "where you are weak":

(1) Restyling of moldings, joint systems and window and door frames; (2) achieving big window openings without heavy wood mullions and muntins or steel supporting members; (3) developing better details for interior storage walls; (4) showing people how to use wood for secondary building, such as sun shades for west walls, wind breaks, fences and garden houses; (5) developing structural lumber of sufficiently good finish to give good appearance when exposed; (6) encouraging fresh uses of wood materials, rather than remaining tradition-bound.

Another highlight of the meeting was a panel discussion in which R. E. Saberson, director of the Merchandising Institute, St. Paul, Minn., warned that "the time now has come when lumber must be merchandised as well as produced." He said he had polled 650 retail lumber dealers and found these to be their most serious complaints against lumber producers:

(1) Dealers are unable to get the proper assortment of lumber items to meet customer demand, lumber manufacturers are concerned primarily with "log utilization," while producers of competitive materials are tailoring their output to consumer buying habits. (2) Dealers are concerned about the "distressing breakdown" of established distribution channels and many lumber dealers have found it impossible to maintain a satisfactory markup because of this, he claimed. (3) Dealers want uniform grade marking of lumber. (4) Lumber dealers are unable to explain to their customers' satisfaction the fluctuations in lumber prices from month to month, lumber manufacturers must stabilize their prices the way producers of competitive materials have done, Saberson maintained. (5) Dealers are plagued with an "undependable, irregular" supply system because of low mill inventories and long shipping delays. (6) Lumber manufacturers are not giving retail dealers as much "selling help" as producers of competitive materials.

The merchandising expert reminded the lurnber manufacturers that "what happens to the retail lumber industry happens to you." In today's period of high competition, he asserted, the retail lumber dealer has a better chance of survival than the lumber manufacturer because the dealer handles many building products beside lumber.

Estimates of the F. W. Dodge Corp, were cited that total construction activity in 1955 will be up about five percent over 1954. Dodge looks for the number of housing starts to be up four percent and the dollar volume of home construction to be up even more, indicating that larger homes or the use of more expensive materials are planned.

Mrs. Richard M. Nixon, wife of the vice-president of the United States, was the guest of honor Nov. 8 at a tea given by the wives of lumbermen attending NLMA's annual meeting. A special feature of the annual meeting was the premiere (Please turn to Page 517

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tlith the HYSTER Swing Shift

Endloader Attechmenl

Here is the conrbination of Hyster XA-60 Lift Truck and S* ing Shift Iindloading Attachrncnr thirr today is reducing the cost of handling lurnber, particularly from boxcar to yard, and frt>rr 1'ard to truck.

'l'his neu attachnrent picks up a load of lumber by gripping it by tlte eud (see left) and deposits tbe load accur:rtely on another pile, or on a truck. flecause of the "Suing Shift" featurc the lift ttr.lck ()perator can rlrove the lo:rd sideu'a1s u'ithout rrraneuvering s ith the trrrck.

Rcc:ruse thev carry c:rp:rcitv lurrrher krads or.er the roughest gnruncl, Hvster Lift 'frtrcks todav arc cutting costs for lr:rnber handlers evcrywherc. I'he Hyster XA-60 and ZA-u0, equipped s itl.r the right job-handting attachnlent, often rnakes possible arre harrdling oper;rtion in nrovir]g st()ck fr()rlr boxc:rr t() st()r:rge stacking or tnrck in anv s'e:rther !

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