Pacific Coast Hardwood Distributors Convene at Del Monte

James Ahern Elected President

Jarnes Ahern, of the Emerson Hardwood Co., Portland, Ore., was elected president of the Pacific Coast Wholesale Hardwood Distributors Association at the 14th annual convention of the Association, held at Hotel Del Monte, Del Monte, Calif., on Friday and Saturday, January 31 and F'ebruary 1.

Norman Sawers, J. Fyfe Smith Co', Ltd., Vancouver, B. C., was elected first vice president; Al Frost, Frost Hardwood Lumber Co., San Diego, was elected second vice president, and Ray Anderson, General Plywood Co., Seattle, was elected secretary-treasurer.

Friday Session

The convention opened on Friday morning at 11 a.m. with President C. H. White in the chair. President White addressed the gathering as follows:

The first meeting of the Pacific Coast Hardwood Dealers was held here in Del Monte, January 18, 1924,

During the previous December Bayard Byrne of the Western Hardwood Lumber Company of Los Angeles had attended a meeting of the San Francisco Hardwood Club and had broached the subject of a Coast organization. The idea was received with enthusiasm. A day was set and we went to Del Monte.

This present Association is the result of that first gathering. Your humble servant was the first president; D' J. Cahill was vice president, and Ted Higgins was secretary. Ted was a good secretary, too. The records of our first convention are very complete. It is interesting to note the names of those attending. They were as follows: Los Angeles, Calif.

E. E. Taenzer .. ...American Hardwood Co'

C. R. Taenzer .. ...American Hardwood Co'

Chas. W. Bohnhoff Chas. W. Bohnhoff

Clarence C. Bohnhoff Chas. W. Bohnhoff

W. E. Cooper ....W. E. Cooper Lumber Co.

C. M. Cooper .W. E. Cooper Lumber Co.

Roy Stanton .... .E. J. Stanton & Son

Henry Swafford E. J. Stanton & Son

D. J. Cahill .... .Western Hardwood L,umber Co.

B. W. Byrne .....Western Hardwood Lumber Co.

Oakland, Calif.

Geo. H. Brown

Strable Hardwood Co.

Portland, Ore.

P. J. Ahern Emerson Hardwood Co.

E. E. Hall Nicolai Neppach Co.

San Diego, Calif.

Jerry Sullivan, Jr. Sullivan Hardr,vood Lbr. Co.

San Francisco, Calif.

R. E. Ford Cadwallader-Gibson Co.

Gus Dieckmann .. ...Dieckmann Hdwd. Co.

S. L. Forsyth ... .Forsyth & Co.

J. E. Higgins, Jr. .. .J. E. Higgins Lbr. Co.

E. A. Howard . E. A. Howard & Co.

Henry Kirchmann, Jr. . .Kirchmann Hardwood Co.

Homer B. Maris Homer B. Maris

Otto Wahlefeldt . E. F. Niehaus & Co.

Felix Richards .....Richards Hardwood Lbr. Co.

C. H. White .....White Brothers

Seattle, Wash.

K. C. Hopey ...Cadwallader-Gibson Co.

Vancouver, B. C.

J. Fyfe Smith ...J. Fyfe Smith & Co., T.td.

The Grim Reaper has taken his toll from among these first delegates. Those who have passed away are: E. E. Taenzer, Ray Ford, Otto Wahlefeld, Felix Richards.

The only firms among those first attendants who are out of business now are: E. F. Niehaus & Co., Richards Hardwood Co., Dieckmann Hardwood Company, and G. II. Brown Hardwood Co.

I am sure we all look back with extreme pleasure to that first meeting. Never before had Pacific Coast hardwood competitors met in such an atmosphere of cordial friendship. The bars were let down and ideas and confidences were exchanged far into the night; aye, into the morning of our second day.

Those were the prosperous times in our industry. We felt better than we have felt now for a long time. The good feeling toward one another engendered at that first gathering has lasted throughout the years, and not one of us will deny that our lives have been spiritually enriched by the rvarmth and fellowship starting from that first convention.

We have had many meetings since then, all the way from San Diego to Vancouver. We have passed through good times and bad times. We have run the gauntlet from complete individualism through the attempted organized regimentation of N.R.A., and back again, at least for a time, to running our own businesses.

As I said before. I believe we all feel better now. Busi- ness seems to be better, and during the past year we have had time to think about our own affairs. Thanks to the United States Supreme Court, we have not had to make any sudden air trips to Washington, nor to worry ourselves sick because our competitors were violating the code and nothing could be done about it. It seems to me that the year of 1935 has been one of fairly contented convalescence.

Of the future, we cannot say much. We do know that business is improving. Whether this improvement is due tion of dues and the arranging for this convention. In this connection, I want to pay a tribute of appreciation to our able and affable secretary, Bert Bryan. He is a wonder. He has done all the work and with the very unselfish assistance of John Haring has made all the arrangements for this convention. For the entertainment, which is something else, our thanks are due to that great connoiseur of art and music, ar.rd friend of mankind, llomer Maris. These gentlemen hope you will enjoy the fruit of their efforts.

Altogether, this year's gathering seems to be a pro- to the new deal, or in spite of the new deal, is a matter of opinion, colored by the politics of each individual.

We are in the midst of a presidential election campaign. Let us hope that this year will be different from other election years and that the upswing of business will not be interfered with by the bitterness of the campaign, or by any acts of Congress now in session.

World conditions are precarious and we don't know what to expect. However, we are happier now than we were a year ago. Let's have hope and courage and we will 'win out to better days.

Speaking as the president of this organization, I can say that no great questions have arisen for decision by our membership. My tenure of office has been a sinecure. The only work of this administration has been collec- pitious occasion. Let's take heart again and carry on to recovery.

Messages regretting their absence from the convention from D. J. Cahill, Western Harwood Lumber Co., Los Angeles, and J. Fyfe Smith, J. Fyfe Smith Co., Vancouver, B. C., were read by the secretary.

Reports of business conditions were given by members from all the different territories, and without exception these were optimistic regarding the outlook for the hardwood business on the Pacific Coast.

A permanent committee was appointed to handle the situation governing overlapping territory, and to take care oI any Association business developing in California during the ensuing year. The members of the committee are Jerry (Continued on Page 13)