Where The Public Go Dollars

It will probably interest the average lumber merchant to know just where the dollars go that the average man and woman in this country spend every day.

The United States government made an investigation to find out, and the results are very interesting, indeed. The Distribution Census did the trick. They selected eleven cities in eleven different districts of the country. and their survey experts gathered the facts.

The whole thing was done by the Bureau of the Census under the auspices of the United States Chamber of Commerce, and a recent issue of "The Nation's Business" gives all the facts, after the figures collected had been completely assembled, analyzed. and recorded.

They went to work to discover r,r'hat the average $1,000 spent in the average city is exchanged for. And the figures given are the proportion that each item of expense grabbed out of the thousand.

Here are the conclusions:

The biggest finger in the pie is that of the food department. Out of every $1,000 spent, as shown in this survey, $275.42 went for eatables. Of this total, the grocer got $115, the restaurant $63, the retail meat man $40, fruits and vegetables got $8.56, dairy products got $16.80, the confectioner got $15.34, and the baker got $15.14.

Stores other than department stores came next on the list, grabbing $148.68 out of the average thousand. And the items were as follows: Men's clothing, $36.10; women's clothing, (this may be a surprise, being less than the previous item), $34.09; boots and shoes, $2I.67; drygoods and notions, $21.26; variety stores, $13.48; custom tailors, $9.96;

Joint Meeting At San Jose

President Harry A. Lake of the California Retail Lumbermen's Association was the principal speaker at a joint meeting of the San Jose and Peninsula lumbermen and the Peninsula Hoo Hoo Club held at the Hotel Sainte Claire, San Jose, February B.

J. C. Ellis, Menlo Park, president of the Peninsula Hoo Hoo Club, presided at the meeting, which was held follorving dinner at 6:3O p.m.

R. F. HAMMATT BACK FROM TRIP

R. F. Hammatt, secretary-manager of the California Redwood Association, returned to San Francisco, February 11, from a ten-day trip on association business.

millinery, $5.24; furs and fur clothing, $5.11;hats and caps, $r.77.

Then came the department stores, rvhich corral just $145.94 out of each average thousand spent.

Next comes the automotive industrv, which takes frour each thousand the public spends, a total of $117.06, divide<l as follows: Automobile agents, $69.92; gas and oil, $32.51; accessories, $14.63.

Please note that we spend nearly as much for auto accessories as we do for our bread and cake, etc., even thouglt we have to each of us eat several times daily.

Now here are some items that will interest the lumberman. Out of the average thousand come the follorving items:

Building rnaterials, $34.05.

Furniture and furnishings, $48.61.

Electric appliances, $8.99.

Plumbing and heating supplies, $7.95.

Paint and varnish, $4.O9.

Drug store, $36.m.

Hardware store, $19.36.

Cigar store, $11.88.

Stationer, $8.99.

Jeweler, $13.46.

Ice, coal and wood, $22.22.

There is plenty of food for thought, comparing a lot of these items. And there is still more food for thought in looking at these items from a merchandising viewpoint. This probably is the first time that such figures as these were ever secured, compiled and distributed.Now that rve know how much money we get, and horv much each of the others get, maybe there is something we can do about it.

NEW MANAGER AT HULL BROS. YARD

H. R. Cozier, formerly of Arcadia, has been appointed manag'er of the Hull Bros. yard at Reseda. Carl Cooper will continue to have charge of the office.

LOUIS E. SIGUR DIES

Louis E. Sigur, assistant advertising manager of the Southern Pine Association, died suddenly at his home in New Orleans on January 31. He had been associated with the Southern Pine Association since Februarv 1919.

WESTWOOD LUMBER CO. RESUMES

The Westwood Lumber Co., Wheeler, Ore., has resumed operation on a one-shift basis after being idle for several months.