Wallboard Manufacturer Sounds Note of Progress in New Merchandising Service Offered

to Dealers

By O. Alexander

Times have changed-but-

Human nature is the same.

In every age there have been men who stood for progress-and those who stood "pat," resentful of changes and improvements.

There is an amusing legend about the first homes that primitive men built.

As they struggled with their rudely constructed huts, mud and rain-soaked, two men named Doxius and Epergos sat on a hill-top watching their efforts.

The ancient Doxius said: "The huts are good enough."

Epergos said: "Nothing is perfect. Everything can be bettered."

And Epergos went to help primitive men to build better and more substantial homes, with Doxius trailing behind remonstrating and complaining.

Only a hundred years or so ago the same type of men as Doxius ridiculed the stearh engine, the bath-tub, and the sewing machine.

In our own age we have the Mr. Pip and the Mr. Pep of the lumber industry. Mr. Pip stands back and says: "What is the use in looking around for new business or new products to handle?"

Mr. Pep says: "There is no limit to the business lumber dealers can do and the profits they can make."

Some dealers are probably saying right now: "What is the use in expecting to do much business in the cities for the next few years? Farmers are the only ones that are building and repairing.. Building is all 'caught up' in the cities."

Rural building naturatly will be stimulated by the better financial condition of the farmers. They are in a better position now to go ahead with much-needed repair work and new construction than they have been for the past four years.

Nevertheless the statistics of concerns whose business it is to follow building trends show that dealers who pay no attention to business in the cities for the next few years will lose out.

The United Business Service says, for instance: "The natural increase in population with a corresponding number of new families established, will call for residences for about 300,000 more families than last year.

The Irving Bank-Columbia Trust Company of New York says: "The demand does not seem to have been met for medium price apartments and singte family dwellings and new construction .' doubtlessly continue, particularly since interest rates are low." And medium price apartments and single family dwellings offer an outlet for the products handled by the average dealer!

In addition to the houses required for new families there will be unlimited opportunities for the dealer who will make an effort to sell his materials for repairing and remodeling work in the cities.

WORKMEN'SCOMPENSATION

Concerning our standing and reliebility

It is only logical to presume that the people who have improved their homes for 20 or 30 years are now ripe for a change in their surroundings especially where plaster has cracked or fallen.

There are any number of people who, because of the servant problem or financial conditions, prefer to live in smaller quarters. In every city there are hundreds of homes that can easily be converted into two-apartment houses giving the owner an opportunity to make the rent from one apartment pay the overhead of the entire house.

Dealers and contractors who are typical of "Mr. Pep," the modern merchant who is progressive and alert, can work together to good advantage. It is "the contractor" whom people consult about building and remodeling. They look to him for expert advice and he will be a great asset to the dealer who is attempting to build up :. constant, consistent business.

Dealers will find manufacturers glad to co-operate with them in their efforts to develop trade. Some manufacturers, I find, have already made investigations to determine the possibilities in the building industry for the next few years to come.

One manufacturer has always impressed me as actually putting into practice the motto "Service before Self." The Upson Company of Lockport, New York, well known makers of Upson Proces.sed Board, have built an enviable record for co-operation with their trade.

For that reason f arranged for a personal talk with the officers of the company, feeling that the judgment of a concern like theirs would be both helpful and interesting to the readers of California Lumber Merchant. I wanted to hear what an alert manufacturer who constantly "keeps his ear to the ground" would have to say about building conditions and the plans they had made to help their dealers and distributors meet the situation.

"We have found," said Mr. W. H. Upson, Secretary and Treasurer of his Company, "that contractors have been doing a little investigation on their own. One prominent contractbr said just recently: 'If my new building contracts fall off 10 per cent, 20 per cent or even 30 per cent I believe I can replace every cent of that lost 'business, and possibly more, through solicitation of repairing and remodeling contracts. In fact, I do not know but that repairing and remodeling on the whole is better than new construction because ordinarily I work upon a contingent basis in repairing and remodel-