\(/est Coast Association Accomplishments in 1931

Bv J. D. Tennant, President, \Uest Coast Lumbermen's Association

Digest of Address Delivered at the Annual Meetins ofthe \7est Coast Lumbermen's Association held at Tacoma, Wash., Jonuary 29,1939

"I should like to repeat again some of my remarks. of a year ago, 'Where Do We Go From Here?' I am saying this in the same friendly spirit that applied a year ago' and I would likewise like to repeat the recommendations at that time, that we develop an industry organization as complete as possible to study our marketing opportunities thoroughly, and to so organize our manufacturing and sales policies that a profit may be had from our efiorts. The day of the individualist is passed in modern industry. The forces of competition will take market afler market away from us unless we organize and consolidate our plans to fight aggressively as a unit for a place for our products t'W" have in the West Coast Lumbermen's Association the necessary framework on which to build the kind of an organization most suitable to our common manufacturing an-d marketing needs. The Board of Trustees represents each district, with three additional at large to serve the industrv as a whole, and three other trustees representing special gror.tps, such as millwork, cedar lumber, and treated timber products. The trustees serve without compensation; arl faithful workers who may be depended upon to give profitable and interested attention to the problems of the industry.

With your secretary-manager, Col. W. B. Greeley, and working-under his direction, is a staff of men and women trained-to furnish service in manufacture and grade supervision, traffic negotiations, statistical records, engineering guidance, trade extension activities, literature writing, advertising and publicity. All of these are the proper functions oia group organization working for an industry.

By careful planning and sound administration, Col. Greeley has carri6d our Association's work through two. years of most difficult and trying times; through a period of shrinking income-due to the depressed conditions surrounding our industry-and yet the year just closed-finds us with-a sound financial structure and with some $30,0@ on hand This has only been accomplished by the means of a detailed and rigid budget system worked out to a definite conclusion twelve months in advance'

Your Association during the past three years has become a most efficient collector and disseminator of important facts. During the year just closed we have trad three major {act-finding and fact-explaining jobs, and these were handled by Colonel Greeley and his staff.

These three important undertakings were:

1. Collecting facts to enable a group of western lumber manufacturers to meet with and properly present to the presidents and traffic vice-presidentq o! the seven western iailroads, the economic position of the West Coast lumber industry and its needs for a reduction in freight rates.

2. For the United States Tariff Commission-in March Colonel Greeley appeared before the United States Tariff Commission in Washington, D. C., and after giving direct testimony, was asked to prepare in the form of a brief the facts and charts presented. The brief totaled with the charts about 100 pages of type written material which was practically composed of all of the facts dealing with the financial position, operating conditions and sales opportunities of our mills, loggers and timberland owners of westertr Washington and western Oregon.

3. For the Timber Conservation Board-in June Colonel Greeley appeared before the Timber Conservation Board in Washington, D. C., to present another brief entitled, "Problems and Needs of the West Coast Lumber Industry," in an effort to help the government to get a correct understanding of the principal difficulties of the West Coast lumber industry. Out of this understanding is expected relief in some measure from the present restrictions of the Sherman Anti-Trust legislation.

Colonel Greeley was called on to make an address December 6, 1930, before the Western Division of the Chamber of Commerce of the United States at Portland, Oregon, on the problems of the West Coast lumber industry. In this talk-delivered before business experts, he made an analysis of the lumber industry's problems and pointed out that stability could not be obtained without consolidation of properiies or permitted concerted action by individual owners.

Colonel Greeley developed the thought in this address that there is a big difference, in public interest, between" the natural resource industries and the other industries which should be cohsidered in the law of the land. He pointed out that the lumber industry carried reserves of materials in which the public has a present and a future interest, and that, in his judgment, changes should be rnade by amendment to the anti-trust larvs to permit an industry such as lumber to regulate, with proper hnd legal safeguards, its own production. He said, "I regard it as timely for the business interests of the country, as represented by the Chamber of Commerce of the United States, to develop a workable Dlan whereby the natural resource industries can fneet thi public ott a common ground of mutual interest and benefit.'.' A plan, as sugg'ested, has since been developed by the Chamber.

We are hopeful that with the national Chamber of Commerce and many other important groups now lined up in favor of an amendment which will permit group planning of production by these industries that the necessary changes will be made in the anti-trust laws this year. If and when this relief comes, we may take the credit for a large share in- s_tarting powerful political forces operating in sympathy with the needs of the natural resource induitries.-

Retail Dealer Cooperation

The Association's program in connection with retail lumber dealers has been to assist in every way possible in their local merchandising problems. This has been done through visits of fieldmen, distribution of literature and the publication of the Association's newspaper, "Big Trees." -

We have been forced, due to the necess-ity for economy in our Association budget, to discontinue I considerabl'e part of our field work, and our monthly retail dealer newsPfper. -In the meantime-or at least until the trade promo- tion efforts of ours may be begun again-I would iecommend directly to all lumber manufacturers in the West Coast territory, that they make every individual efiort possib_le,through their sales connections, to encourage inaividual retail lumber dealers to go out and get business by farm-to-farm and house-to-housi solicitation with adequate service in estimating and figuring jobs. This program has been emphasized in recent months tfrroughout-the] western part of the country before retail dealei groups by Mr. Flartwig in the name of your Associationl t stroufa tite to have all of us take a personal interest and push the idea of retailers developing new business particularly in the spring and summer of. 1932 because we are facin!, at this time, another period of low volume of building. All West Coast manufacturers should instruct their salei representatives to study up on this matter and pass the infbrmation gained along to their retail dealer friCnds.

Lumber Distribution Code

We need to work closer with the retail lumber dealer, and we need to encourage him in the belief that we are willing and anxious to work with him as an Association.Our Association, following the lead of Southern Pine and other regional assqciations, and the National Lumber Manufacturers Association, on October 28,by a unanimous vote of the Board of Trustees, approved in full the National Code of Lumber Distribution which was developed in conference between representatives, manufacturers-, distribut. ors and retail dealers, as a trade practice code for the lumber industry.

I should, therefore, like to recommend to the members of the West Coast Lumbermen's Association, that each of us follow directly and in every particular the articles of the National Lumber Trade Practice Code. Otir Trustees believe that if our mills, individually, will approve and live by this Code in their sales, that the leiding retail lumber dealers of the country, most of whom are mlmbers of the various retail associations, and active in support of the code, will find it possible to place their ordCrl with Association mills in return for this protection in their own local territories.

Purchases of lumber by cities, counties and states at times have been large but the general tendency in public works during recent years has been toward the use of materials other than wood. We can see this almost on every hand in our own state, county and city buildins oroBlarys.. It is our thought that siles efioris witn iu^UUc officials would be far mole effective if backed up locaily by groups of interested retail lumber dealers, as-well ai fv manufacturers and their employes. In this connection therl is a point that I think we have too long overlooked and that is the interest that those employed wlthin the industrv should take in matters of this ki;d if properly presented to them, and the benefits that might be-obiainidl I am sure, would be most surprising to us all.

Fir Plywood Advertising Beginning Second Year

The Douglas Fir Plywood Manufacturers are now enter- ing th.eir sec.on-d year of national advertising. Advertising rnsertrons of the new campaign are scheduled in twenty magazines going to architecti, contractors and builderi. carpenters, woodworkers,- speculative builders, display men, concrete operators, manufacturing designers and eiec-utives, manual trainin-g_ ins-tructors, etc.-in fact, every importani wood-using field will be reached. Approximalely 34,000,- 000 sales messages will be delivered,-or more ihan'four tlmes. as many as were provided by their advertising last year.

An igrportant feature of the year,s program is a series of cash offers and contest awards in tfe v:arious consuming fields, totaling $6500, to be paid for practical ideas incor-- porating the use of Douglas fir plywbod in home decoration,. building construction, cabinet work, carpentry, etc. In addition to its advertising and sales promotional activi_ ties, the industry's laboratoiy reseaich ind technical fact- finding cam-paign, inaugurated last year, will be continued.

Douglas fir plywood.mills spoqsoring the cooperative in_ dustry -program. are: Aberdeen Plywood Compiny, Aber_ deen, -Wash.; Aircraft ?lywood Company, Seattlej Wash.; Buffelen Lumber &^_ Manufacturing- Company, f""o-"i Wash.; Henry McCleary Timber-Co*prtv.'McClearv. Wash.; M and M Plywood C_ompany, Lbngview, Washli p]rmpia Veneer Company, Olyripii,' Was:h.; O..go" d Washington Plywood Company,-Tacoma, Wash. ; peierman Manufacturing. Comqany, Ja!9ma, Wash.; plilock Cor_ poration, Portllld, Ore.; Robinson Manufacturing Com_ pany, Ev_erett, Wash.; Vancouver Plywood Compariy, Van_ g_o_uvgr, Wash.; Washington Veneei Company, Oiympia, W.1_sh., and Wheeler, Osgood Company, Ticoma, W"rfi. __-"Remodeling old homes and busineis buildinss is verv likely to be t!: mainstay of. 1932 building trades-activit[J, and because Douglas fir plywood is an Jdeal modernizine material we think 1932 is made to order for widenine iti markets," states A. R. Wuest, chairman of the "*."iti"" committee of the industry's cooperative organization. -