The Sunshine On The Peaks

By TACK

DIONNE

We have just closed the most beautiful season of the year-the Season of Unselfishness -for that's what the Christmas season is.

Its the season when folks whose thoughts are right, and whose hearts are right, practice more than at any other time the beautiful philosophy of giving joy to others.

And the man who hasn't sensed the Christmas season in that light, has missed the Spirit of the Christ that pervades the Christmastide.

And now, we look forward.

We have done with 1923. Because-"with all its cares and frets, all its aches and pains, all its faults, mistates, and blunders, it has passed forever beyond the reach of my recall; save for the beautiful memories sweet and tender that linger like the perfume of roses in the hart of the day that is gone, I have nothing to do with yesterday."

From a business standpoint, it has been a splendid year, and at its close the entire people of the United States were enjoying probably the most consistent, the.most general, and the most stabilized period of prosperity in history.

To the lumber industry in particular, it has been very kind. The lumberman in general has much to be thankful for, as he looks back of the year 1923.

And 1924?

It will be a good year. There will be much prosperity. There will be much building. In spite of its being "Presidential year," it promises to be fundamentally sound, and free from disaster.

It promises to the lumber industry in general, a splendid opportunity. But to the lumberman INDMDUALLY, it will-like any and every other year-be ver5f largely WHAT HE MAKES IT.'

A clever man can make a garden bloom in a desert, and the other sort of man can starve to death in the midst of plenty.

1923 was the best year the lumber industry ever knew, judged from a standpoint of their own performince, and their own handling of their business.- They have learned much in the school of bitter experience, have the lumber producers. They have still much to learn, it is true, but their progress has nevertheless, been mighty.

They still fly for cover at the first sign of a business storm, just as they used to do. The difference is that they get over their scare sooner, and come out from cover quicker.

They still cut their own price to sell lumber they don't need orders for, just as they have done since time immemorial. But they don't go as far with it, and they don't get near as panicky.

Result-the breaks, and reactions are not of the size and volume they used to be, don't last as long, and don't hurt as much.

The dealer has had a good year. He has done more and better merchandising than ever before. Nearly every lumber dealer everywhere is doing SOMETHING to induce people to build things, instead of spending their money for other things. \ille can remember when hardly ANY lumber dealers ANYWHERE really SOLD anything.

1924 CAN be a very great building year. It SHOULD be. We believe it WILL be. And the reason we believe so is because the lumber folks will do even better merchandising in 1924 than they did in 1923. We have the foundations of a great building prosperity this year. The manner in which we handle the opportunity will determine the extent of the building wave. Many great economic and financial elements are boosting building.

Reasonable and consistent prices, steady volume, and intensified building service from the dealer to the consumer, will largely tell the story.

But remember, its the sunshine on the peaks that we want to keep our eyes on, NOT on the shadows in the valleys.

Let's overcome the "hoo-doo" of Presidential year, and make this one be marked by unusual prosperity.