Looking Back

It was only a few days ago, seemingly, that we tore the cover off the new calendar and cautioned our stenographer to remember that it was'25, not'24.

It doesn't seem long since then to those of us who have been thirty, forty or fifty times over the Michaelmas Pass-we have done so little. Butihis yeir contained its usual number of twenty-four hou-r {ays-; the world 111ud. its accustomed revolutions; nations rose and fell; champions were made and unmade; our heavyweight boxing champion Lr.r, pro*ised to fight someone some time; pris_ons closed on innocent *.r,^the style in Fords changed; clanging-ambulances told of loved orr.r'h.rrgi"g by the silver thrEad on"t_ih. gray shadow; and whispering wireJt""jht news of the death of someone dear to us'

But in the dark fabric of the year the loom of good deeds has woven its golden threads.

Perhaps a few more good deeds do-ne- hy t:, a- few.more_glints of.gold i-;; o\ rn weaving,'would have held back the whirl of time a little, ;;;il h.r" *"de our year seem a little fuller and a little more satisfying.

Perhaps the best thing w-9 gan w-ish you-and ourselves-is that in the year to come we may all be a little kinder'

Founder of Hoo Hoo Passes Awarr

Bolling Arthur Johnson, Order of Hoo Hoo, passed Saturday, Decembei l9th.

63, founder of the Concatenated away at his home in Chicago on

Death was caused by heart failure, following the shock ,of Mrs. Johnson's sudd'en death, on the 17th. Mr. Johnson /h^7 been summoned home by telegraph, from New brleans, / ?nd, fpon viewing the remains of his beloved, swooned, and breathed his last within fifteen minutes.

Bolling Arthur Joh19o_n was a national lumber figure, gaining prominence chiefly through his association iri the Iumbermen's order, Hoo Hoo. Witt a half dozen other me1, at Gurdon, Arkansas, in1892, the Concatenated Order of Hoo Hoo was conceived and the original ritual written. He has been active in the affairs of th*e order ever since, and at his death held the highest office, that of Seer of the House of Ancients

Funeral services were held at Chicago on the 2lst.

Course In Drying Hardwoods

- Madison, Wis., Dec. l9-.-Drying hardwood lumber green from the saw will be a featuri oittre short course in"kiln drying of lumber to be given at the Forest products Laboratory at--Madison, Wisconsin, from January lg to 30. I.t.h1s usupll-y been necessary for the laboratory to use air dried stock for its demonstiation kiln rrrrr", olvirrg to the fact that there are no commercial sawmills- in cloie prox- imity t9 Madison. For the coming course the institution succeeded in ge-tti-ng a quantity of oak logs, which will be sawed at the laboratory _mill. The lumbei will be put into the kilns imrhediately after its manufacture.

To date reservations for the January course total slightly more than half of the number-that cin be accommod"ated.

As uzual, -?ry different lines of industry will be repre- sented. So far these include manufactureis of automobile bodies, caskets, chairs, electrical equipment, freight cars, lumber, millwork, office furniture and iefrigeratorl

West Coast Lumbermen's Association Adopts New Lumber Standards New Basic List and Approves By-Law Amendment

West Coast Lumbermen approverl an important amendment -to the by-laws of the association, adopted a new basic list, and announced that the American lumber grades and sizes, standards proposed by Secretary Hoovei, will become- effective January I, 1926, at their monthly meeting held at Tacoma, December 18.

The amendment to the by-laws unanimously recommended by the association trustees provides that after February I, 1926, no mill shall be eligible to membership whose grades fall_below a grading test-to be determined by the trustees of the associition, ind that any mill falling down on this test for a specified time shall be dropped frori membership.

By this means it is hoped to assure lumber buyers that association grades will be up to standard at all times.

The amendment will be voted on at the annual meeting of the association, and if adopted the new plan will be a{"- vertised nationally by the association, and-each advertisement will carry a fully list of members.

The new basic list will be efiective March 1 next. president.E. D. Kingsley announced that 64 per cent of the membership of the association, controlling SO pe, cent of the cut, had agreed to adopt the new standards.

Straight-From-the-Shoulder Talk About the Mail Order Bugaboo

Stories of the ruthlessness of the mail order man have never appealed to us; we have never been able to awaken in our breast any pangs of sympathy for the poor down-trodden dealer who is being preyed upon by the mail order "pirate."

When a dealer says to us,-"The mail order pirate is eating us up, 1q!r1t shall we do about HIM," lve find only one replv, and that is,-"N.'t.. mind about HIM-let's take a look at YOU."

Friends and Countrymen,-there is only one rvay to meet and beat mail order competition practically and intelligently, and that way is NOT by using some foolish club or another.

THE ONLY SANE WAY TO FIGHT THE MAIL ORDER FOLKS IS NOT TO FIGHT THEM AT ALL but simply to improve the building industry to a point where there rvill be no room for the mail oider man. The presence of the mail order lumber firm as a factor of any importance whatever in the lumber industry, is prim_a facie e.vidence of a large lack of intelligant methods among the lumbermen, and that's all there is to it.

" If the lumber -merchant in Yourtown, Calif., is giving his trade the kind of intelligent service that they need an4 w_ant, then the mail order man CAN'T SELL A NICKEL'S WORTH OF LUMBER IN THAT TOWN.

Turn the statement around, and it says that if the mail order man is selling in Yourtown, Calif., it means that the lumber merchant there is NOT on his job.

We make the broad, sweeping statement that the cleverest of mail order firms can't sell their buildings in any town, in anv state, where the lumber merchants are the kind of merchants that they ought to be.

\Me have heard them say that rve don't feel the mail order competition down here like they do in the middle rvest, but our opinion is that the-rule applies-everywhere.

Let the lumber merchant advise himself constantly of his customers' needs and prospective needs; let him equip himself rvith plans_ and sugges-tions for properly- supplying ihose needs; let him ask-a reasonable price and offer a satisfactory service; let him deport himself so that his townspeople will hold a respectful opinion of his business sagacity and a friendly feeling for his personal characteristics; let him kgeP _\t9__c_t5;!omer constantly advisid of what he has to offer; let him considerthattheCONSUMERisKING; and-Friend Dealer-the mail order business will become in that town, but a dream of the past.

We believe and have always believed that the mail order business is simply the result and direct outgrorvtl-r of old-fashioned, indifferent, non-serving, sleepy methods of selling building malerial. Such service as the mail order man offered was so neiry that it was hlailed witL deligfrt by the consumer whose idea up to that time was that a local building man meant a sleepy dealer, sitting in an unpainted and dreary looking place of businesi, waiting for someone to discover a need for his goods, and come and take them arvay from him.

When the mail order man offered him completed buildings with minimum troubleHE GRABBED AT THEM ! And then the dealer awoke suf;frciently to cry,-"1tr7o11.rr

Hellzbellz! We know several hundred retail lumbermen who will tell you that since they adopted modern methods of marketing building material they have never heard of such a thing as mail order competition. Why, you can't even interest a live BUILDING MEReUeXf in the mail order man. He has solved that old problem-at HOME !

And the mail order lumberman thrives today, and will continue to thrive, only where he finds the ctistomer dissatisfied with his local building service.

If it had not been for the competition the mail order folks made, we don't know whether or not rve folks on the firing line who have been preaching MODERN MERCHANDISING would ever have been able to awaken the retail lumber industry to its opportunities.

We submit and will continue to submit, that there is only one basis on which the moclern business man can hope to succeed, and that is the basis of FREE AND ABSOLUTELY LEGITIMATE COMPETITION, OFFERING RIGHT GOODS AT RIGHT PRICES, AND FURNISHING THE RIGHT SERVICE TO THE CONSUMER, WITHOUT COERCION,-and that is the sovereigh remedy for all retail ills.