Now---The Greatest Housing Market of All Time Calls Lumber Dealers to Action Goal ---4501000 Homes in 1937

By George \fl. LaPointe, Jr., President Nationol Lumber Deolers Association

The annual convention season is again upon us. No dealer can afford not to attend his regional and state conventions this year. The programs are too important. They affect directly every dealer's volume and his profits. That is why I have chosen the above title for this message. I have been tremendously impressed this past year with the wonderful opportunity before us in the construction of housing-so much so that I have felt it offered a direct challenge to the building industry to make an intensive drive to supply the homes in the low cost field where the need is so great. I have felt that unless something is done at once to concentrate on this program, we may be confronted with a kind of competition which, once having been initiated, may have a direct effect upon our business.

fnnumerable times this past year we have seen stories in our leading.newspapers about plans of prefabricators, mass production advocateso and social workers, for solving the housing shortage of the country. These plans have been presented to the President of the United States. and publicized throughout the nation. Some of them have been so radical that they have fallen of their own weight. Others have been impossible of substantial fulfillmBnt,largely due to technical and marketing difficulties and lack o-f public acceptance. But throughout it all I have felt the challenge to our industry, which in the past has built homes to co-nform to the demands of the home-buying public. Unless we as building material dealers get up on our toes, we may awake some day to see our markets going to others rvh-o are more l_g_giressive and who sense the opportunity now offering. We dealers well know that rt is p-ossible ior the building industry to build good homes at moderate prices, using existing methods of construction; we know, too, that all experimentation in the prefabricatron field has not been able to demonstrate that mass production either at produc- tion or building site can compete with individual constructron.

Thro-ughout the year we have seen repeated attacks upon the building industiy-statements to the efiect that ii is incapable of supplying the low-cost housing field. We know, of- course, that this is not true-but does the public know it ? I think it is directly up to our industry to show these ' proponents of mass production and prefabrication that we as a group can and.will build good homes at low cost for the moderate incorne group.

We have alreaily p-oi,qted the way in the recent demonstration near Washington, the nation's capital. Three demonstration houses were erected by the lumber industry for the prime purpose of denronstrating to the public the-very thing others hacl said could not be done. This demonstration has proved that the.problem of providing substantial hous- ing for the low income classes in this country can be solved by the lumber dealers, local contractors and others; that intelligent planning makes it possible to erect these homes, paying local labor prices, local material prices, and observing standard construction practices and sell them at a profit, and at a price that the low income group can afford to pay. The project also developed that the home-buying public has a most keen interest in such houses, and hundreds of demands were made that the industrv build more of them.

Small house planning was first undertaken by the Federal Housing Administration, whose experts designed and released to the public in a'booklet entitled, "Principles of Planning Small Houses," a group of several low priced homes ranging in price from $1200 to $2500. When the booklet was first released. there was considerable doubt in the minds of many builders that the houses could be built in the price range stated. The National Lumber Manufacturers Association decided to test the plans of the F. H. 4., and build three of the houses near Washington. The result was three modern, attractive small frame houses. Two of these, including the land, all graded, sodded and with shrubbery, were sold for $3520, and the third, for $3980. One of the houses is a comfortable four-room frame cottage; the second is a two-story four-room house with a dining alcove; and the third is a six-room Colonial. The houses are complete, with all the usual conveniences. They have basements, are papered throughout, and have heating plants. Within two weeks from the time the ground was broken, the contractor who was doing the job had 343 applications from prospective buyers. The'contractor was so swamped that he was finally obliged to refuse flatly any additional applications.

Here was demonstrated what could be done. and it was proved that the public was demanding just such homes. IJnquestionably, this same demonstration would show similar results if undertaken in other communities. So what are we going to do about it?

Through our national, regional and state associations, we inaugurated a "LET'S MAKE IT A THOUSAND" program. Immediately after the announcement of this program the entire industry became enthusiastic about it. A joint meeting between officers of the National Lumber Manufacturers Association and the National Lumber Dealers Association was held early in December. Federal Housing officials sat in and plans were set in motion to build one thousand such demonstration projects in one thousand communities. Ground will be broken on March lst, and the plans are to open the houses simultaneously on May lst, with a nation-wide radio hook-up.

Lumber dealers throughout the country will be invited to partiiipate in this prog'ram. Their cooperation is urgently neecled to make it a success. The regional and state associations have planned to make the program one of the high spots of their conventions. Displays of the low cost homes will be available for viewing by the dealers. Housing officials will be on hand to explain and to lend every assistance. Your lumber association executives will also ation will send representatives who conducted the success- ful project in Washington to the conventions to give firsthand advice.

This program will be a splendid contribution of the organized lumber industry to the solution of the housing problem,. and I h_ope every lumber dealer in the country will participate. Let me urge you to attend your local regional and state association conventions. Learn first-hand what your associations and the Government are doing to help you sell building materials.

. Following are the conventions at which dealers may get information on the program : association, Hoter

Mountain States Lumber Dealers Association, Antlers Hotel, Colorado Springs, January !4-16.

Middle Atlant;c Lumbermen,s Association, Bellevue_ Stratford Hotel, Philadelphia, January 19-21.

Northwestern Lumbermen's Association, Auditorium, Minneapolis, Minn., January 19-21.

Ohio Association of Retail Lumber Dealers, Deshler_ Wallick Hotel, Columbus, O., Ianuary fu22.

West Virginia Lumb_e_r & Builders Supply Dealers Asso_ gi_atjon, Daniel Boone Hotel, Charleston, W. V".

25-26.

Southwestern Lumbermen's Association, Municipal Audi_ torium, Kansas City, Mo. lanuary 27-29.

Iowa Association-of Lumber & Buildine M rliseum, Des l\{oines, Iowa. Februarv2-4.

Lumier Buildine rowa.f\ssocratlon ot L_umber Building Material Dealers, Coliseum, Moines, February2-4.

..Michigan Retail Lumber Dealers Association, Civic Au_ ditorium, Grand Rapids, Mich. Februarv 2-5.

Illinois Lumber & Material Dealers Association, Stevens Hotel, Chicago, February 9-ll.

Retail Lumber Dealerl Association of Western pennsvl_ vania, Fort Pitt Hotel,_Pittsburgh, pa. February l}_lr.'

Tennessee Lumber, Millwork-& Supply Deal6rs Associ_ ation. February 12.

Wisconsin Retail Lumbermen,s Association, Auditorium, Milwaukee. Feb. 16-18.

_ Virginia Lumber & Building Supply Dealers Association, John Marshall Hotel, Richmond, Vj. -Februarv 1g_20.

Western Retail I-umbermen's Association, blympic Ho_ tel, Seattle, Wash. Februarv 18-20.

--Kentucky R_etail Lumbei Dealers Association, Brown H9!"1, Louisville, Ky. February 23-26.

Nebraska Lumber Merchanti Association, Fontenelle Hotel, Omaha, Neb. February 24-26.

- -AhblT1 .Building l\{aterial' Institute, Birmingham. AIa. March 1O-11.

New Jersey Lumbermen's Association, March 1g-19.

Florida Lumber & Millwork Association. March 19_20.

Lumbermen's Association of Texas, April 14-16.

Thus at these meetinCl o{ thousands of buildirrg material dealer.s.will be presente.d a housing plan which in"my opin_ ion will result in a nation-wide home building progi"*'or, such a scale as we have little dreamed of. "AttJna l,oui conventions and get the story first-hand ! Get into the picture and let's show the country that we as dealers will not have it said that we cannot take care of the countrv's housing needs. LET'S SHOW THEM !

Owen L. Gibson Retiren

Owen L. Gibson, secretary-treasurer of White Brothers, hardwood dealers. San Francisco, retired pecimber 3l after 4O years' service with the company. He startpd'as office boy and worked up to the position he held fqr fn4ny ypars.

Mr. Gibson is succbeded as secretary-treasHrer by C. S. Lean, who has been about ZO years with the;firfn,

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