White Brothers Complete Fifty Years of Useful Service to State

' WIIITE BROS. MODERN PLANT AT FIT'TH

In 1872 two brothers, Asa L. White and Peter White, born in the lumber regions of "Way Down East," established in San Francisco the firrn of White Brothers to handle the buying and selling of hardwood lumber, wagon materials, spokes, hubs, buggy shafts, etc. In those days wagon materials were a very considerable part of their business, although the bringing in of cargo€s of Walnut, Oak, Ash and Hickory lumber from the Atlantic Coast around Cape Horn in the old clipper ships was also one of the principal activities. As time went on and the manufacturing of furniture, house building, etc. increased in San Flancisco, the wagon material end of the business was gradually dropped.

The year 1922 was the fiftieth anniversary of the concern. From small beginnings the house has grown to be the largest of its kind West of Chicago. It is frequently remarked that the stocks of hardwoods carried by White Brothers of San Francisco are the most diversified of any in the United States and it is a common saying with the trade that "White Brothers have it, if it exists."

One of White Brothers' ideals has been the carrying of a large stock in order always to have lumber on hand when required by their customers' They recognize that San

Did You l(now

that this firm cells high grade Sugar and White Pine, Red Gum, Oak, and cabinet woods as well as Pacific Coast Forest Productsl

How do you lilcc our "Shingle Sen'ice)"

AND BRANNAN STREETS, SAN T'RANCISCO.

Francisco is two or three thousand 'n-riles fro,m the hardwood producing centers and it is therefore necessary. to have on hand it all times large quantities 'for immediate use,.

Now that every home has a hardwood floor and most houses of any prelention have some hardwood inside finish, the immense siocks carried by White Brothers are of added value to the building and other ha:dwood consuming industries of the Pacific Coast'

In fifty years a great many changes natu-rally take place in the perio'nnel Jf a businiss. Asa L. White, who lai-d the foundations of the business in the early days, is still the president although the active conduct of the business now^is in the hands-oi ttis son, Wm. T. White, vice president, and his nephew, C' H. White, general manager. In the present orginization, holding executive positions, are a number oi otd employees who have been brought 9P with the house. Among these is Owen L. Gibson genial secretary, who is now rounding out his twenty-seventh year; iouis N. David, the yaid superintendent in his iwenty-first year, and John A. Howatt, sales manager, with the firm fifteen years.

The entire organization has been carefully selected' and trained so thatlt is thoroughly conversant with all the needs of hardwood consumers. It has a thorough knowl' edge of markets and business conditions in the hardwood tride and this 'coupled with one of the forrndation- principles of the establishment-the ceaseless effort to give service to their customers-makes the organization a most efficient one.

The connections with producing centers, built up through all these years, havl placed White Brothers in a most lnviable position in regard to supplying -the whole'sale needs of the hardwood trade. In addition to the Ameri'can woods frorn the Mississippi Valley and the North Central states their connections are very close with Central America, Australia, Siam and other parts of the wbrld which produce the fine imported woods required by the cabinet maker and shipbuilder.

In starting their second fifty years White Brothers believe they ale on the threshold of a .wider and grander sphere of service and activity. Their immense stocks are' riady for the builders and the manufacturers of this wonderful Pacific Coast which is now entering an era of unprecedented advancement arrd prosperity.