West Coast Meeting

Tacoma, Washington, Ianuary 27, 1945-A detailed program for postwar cooperation of Pacific Northwest lumber manufacturers and the 22,,W retail lumber dealers of the nation was offered here today by Leonard I-ampert of Minneapolis, 1944 president of the National Retail Lumber Dealers Association, to members of the West Coast Lumbermen's Association in their annual meeting for election of trustees and officers.

Other scheduled speakers of the morning and luncheon program were Governor Mon C. Wallgren, WPB Lumber Director Phil Boyd, President Dean Johnson, SecretaryManager Col. W. B. Greeley, and Washington, D. C., Manager H. V. Simpson of WCLA and Carl Rishell of the Timber Engineering Company, Washington, D. C.

The program was focused on responsibilities of the lumber industry for supplying war needs and in preparing to meet postwar wants of veterans for jobs, homes and farm buildings. The lumbermen heard WCLA President Dean Johnson point out that "our industry, through ne,cessary government controls of the distribution of our production, has probably been more completely divorced from its normal retail and industrial markets than has any other major industry." Competing materials, he said, have not been so divorced. He warned that "in due course, possibly not far distant, the problems of postwar conversion will suddenly descend upon us and be our No. 1 problem."

The postwar program of the National Retail Lumber Dealers Association, according to Mr. Lampert, was the result of numerous national conferences. Under the heading of "Joint Postwar Planning for Lumber" the program presented five major suggestions to lumber manufacturers: "1. Tell 'Good Lumber' story to consumers through advertising. 2. Establish a research program for scientific and improved wood construction. 3. Get back to manufacturing good lumber to yard specifications, through the proper channels of distribution. 4. Develop local building code service for dealers. 5. Cover annual retail lumber conventions with men competent to tell what is new in lumber."

The NRLDA postwar program, as outlined .by Mr. Lampert, also urges "dealer helps" from lumber manufacturers in the form of movie shorts on lumber, more and better consumer literature standardized in size for effective filing, educational programs for lumber yard personnel, and a cooperative consumer research program for dealers and manufacturers.

A major project now being sponsored by the National Retail Lumber Dealers Association described by NIr. Lampert as nationwide expansion of the Home Planners' Institute program lanched in Portland 18 months ago by the West 'Coast Lumbermen's and Western Retail Lumbermen's Associations, for consumer education and promotion of War Bond sales. Others, he said, were a new advertising and publicity service for lumber dealers, a revival of "Home Magazine," which had a prewar circulation of over a half-million, and technical projects for improvement of the retail lumber business.

Mr. Lampert was introduced by W. C. Bell, managing director of the Western Retail Lumbermen's Association, who sounded the theme of unity within the building industry as a localized pattern for world unity and peace. Both speakers appeared at the Portland and Eugene, Oregon, meetings which supplemented the Tacoma meeting, to reduce travel and to save hotels from overload.

Dean Johnson, Portland, Ore., was reelected president. C. H. Kreienbaum, Shelton, Wash., was named vice president for Washington; G. T. Gerlinger, Portland, Ore., vice president for Oregon; Jud Greenman, Vernonia, Ore., treasurer, and Col. W. B. Greeley, Seattle, Wash., secretarymanager.