Frank N. Burnaby Addresses

Los Angeles Hoo Hoo Club

Frank N. Burnaby

Frank N. Burnaby, president ofthe Sun Lumber Co., Beverly Hills, was the speaker atthe Los Angeles IIooHoo Club luncheon on Thursday, February 9. Mr. Burnaby's address is as follows:

Cooperation

The success of a business depends upon the friends that business makes or the confidence that business inspires by adhering to a policy of fair dealing; courteous treatment and the like.

Such statements as that just made usually refer to business intercourse betrveen seller and buyer, and undoubtedly apply in that connection, but today I want to advance the idea that the success of the lumber business as we find it at present with over supply all along the line, depends almost entirety on our ability to make friends and establish confidence among lumber dealers who compete with each other.

We should consider any transaction a failure that does not make a friend of our competitor, and in ,all our dealings with our fellow lumbermen we should conscientiously apply the latest model of the Golden Rule, viz., "Do unto others as they would have you do unto them."

It seems to me that it has been clearly demonstrated every day for the past four years that the proverbial snowball has a much better chance than a lumber business operating in a community where the proper kind of friendship and cooperation amongst competitors does not exist.

We can preach to the contrary all we like, but after all there is a lot of truth in the common expression that grade for grade "lumber is lumber." Therefore, price is and always will be a large element in making lumber sales.

Lumber seldom really competes with other commodities, and $5.00 or $10.00 per M., one way or the other, will almost never create or discourage a sale so long as there is reasonable uniform- ity in quotations.

Our first aim, if we are going to gef a fair price for our merchandise, is to develop the proper degree of friendship and cooper- ation among each other.

Most trade associations perform many services but whether it is admitted -or not, their main.object is io maintain selling prices that insure fair returns on the investment of their membersl-. Uniform ^cost systems; market or sales reports, etc., all have this end in_view, bqt there seems to be no danger of priie control being overdone to the point of, being burdensome to the public, for just as soon as an unreasonable price level is reached there is too much incentive for volume and the whole structure topples over.

This I know to have been the experience of many trade associations.

It does not take a Solomon to know that a commercial business conducted at a loss for more than a very short period quite naturally drifts into miserly, grasping, unsound business practices, such as the lowering of quality, indifferent service and the like; all of which in the case of lumber result in inferior buildings and higher building costs through the mediums of excess waste and extra labor.

Another serious result of this type of business policy is the general discredit to lumber and the lumberman and so, if the lumberman of today is going to justify his existence from the standpoint of profit to himself or service to his fellow man, he must first of all bo a good competitor.

In alt this Golden West the lumberman has every physical element in his favor. All authorities reporting on trade conditions predict a boom year for business over all this great country of ou,rs, but particularly emphasize the bright prospects for the Pacific Coast States.

Virgil Jordan, Chief Economist of the National Industrial Con. ference Board predicts that 1928 will make 1926 and, 1977 look like "hard times and depression."

Another authority predicts that by 1940 California will have the largest populiation of any state in the Union.

Call allof this sort of thing propaganda, politics, or plain bunk, if you wish, and give it the "glass discount" of 90 and 10, but it is an absolute cinch that the most optimistic man we @Jn find tod_ay will look back five years from now and say that, ,,As far as Southern California is concerned he was a rank pessimist.,' _ Let's .take advantage of this certain "demand" for our product and not kid ourselves about the "supply" of loggers, sawmills, boat operators, wholesalers and retailCrs, because- as' a cotored g.entteman would put it, "supply" is one thing "we ain't got nothing else but."

Instead, let's face the situation and frankly admit to ourselves. at lest, that our one and only chance for reaionable profit durinc the next few years in any branch of the lumber game is honesl sincere and conscientious cooperation through our Local, State and National Associations.

-.Following Mr. Burnaby's talk, there was an interesting discussion on the subject in which many of the lumbermei present participated.

Overlooking Beautiful Union Square

No drab walls r 8laring iFeet llght! aonoy gucats of tha Plaa-tbs hotcl that f&6 Su Frudlo't fuoa domtm lwkt Jc Dier ln chrgG of nenuc t lf,fe are Slecialieb in Supplying the Trade with

The pneumatic cushion type of tire reaches its great' est usefulness in the new Goodyear Supet'Pneumatic Cushion. Made in dl sizes, from the five'inch to the twelve-inch, it brings easy riding and maximum resilience, plus miles of additional wear.

The tread of this tire is very much higher than that of ordinary tires, which, with its durable compounds, nssure long, economical mileage. In combination with Truck Tire Service it will show a surprisingly low cost pet mile.

FREE MEALS OFFERED FOR ANY DAY SUN DOES NOTSHINE AT POWERS, OREGON

Marshfield, Oregon-Feb. 16, 1928

Mr. Jack Dionne, The Calif. Lumber Merchant.

318-320 Central Bldg., Los Angeles, Calif.

Fellow Texan:

Mr.A. H. Powers, Sr., one of the founders of our Coos Bay Lumber Company, and the writer, just noticed the last section of printing on first page of "The California Lumber Merchantt' which cohcludes with "which covers the entire Southwest and Middlewest like the sunshine covers California."

In a friendly way may we say that a liberal quantity of sunshine breaki r.ro.s the line into Southwestern Oregon, and that we are enjoying in this unusual backward month, many days of sunshine amid some early blossoms, the green forests and beautiful green fields.

At the little City of Powers, free meals are offered for any day of the year the sun does not shine, (and it is not a real estate promotion either), although the city is located more favorable than most places, was selected for and remains our Logging Department Headquarters.

_ Thank you for the privilege of presenting some of Oregon's claims for patronage of fourists.

Very truly yours,

By: K. W. HOLBERT.

P. S.-The rvriter retailed boards in Dallas, knowing T. H. Morrow quite well. At least one other Texan is in our ofifice.

San Diego Hoo Hoo To Hold Concatenation In Imperial Valley March 10

Frank Park, vicegerent snark of the San Diego District, announces that a concatenation will be held in the Imper- .ial Valley on March 10. Frank Clough, Albion Lumber Co., on a recent trip to the Valley signed up 10 kittens. More kittens are also expected to be signed up. The concatenation will be held in the desert near Calexico at about four o'clock in the afternoon, after which there will be a dinner. W. S. Cowlings, Frank Clough, Frank Park and B. W. Byrne, vicegerent snark of the Los Angeles District, met at Calexico on February 26 to make the final arrang'ements. The concatenation rvill beknownas the "Cowlings Cactus Concat," in honor of Bill Cowlings, junior Hoo Hoo on the San Diego nine. "Bill" is going tojoin the benedicts during the month of March and his fellow Hoo Hoo members in the San Diego District are naming the concat in his honor.

The San Diego Nine will put on the Concatenation while the Los Angeles members will have charge of the dinner. A big crowd is expected to attend this unique concat and large delegation of both the San Diego and Los Angeles Districts are planning on attending.

Fresno Lumberman Returns From Europe

Aaron Nfaisler, of Maisler Bros., Fresno, recently returned from a trip to Europe which occupied four months. He went over with the American Legion, iisited practically every country in Europe during his stay, and got a special thrill in flying from Paris to London a short time before he sailed. He visited Portland and other Northwest points on the way home.

ARIZONALUMBERMEN TO MEET ONMARCH 16, 17 AND PHOENIX

The annual convention of the Lumbermen's Club of Arizona will be held on March 16, 17 and 18 at Phoenix, Arizona. The headquarters of the club will be at the Adams Hotel. Secretary R. V. Baker announces that an interesting and instructive program has been arranged for and a large attendance is expect- ed. The West Coast Lumber Trade Extension Bureau are arrang- ing to put on a playlet entitled "The Old Lumber Yard Versus the New Lumber Store."

H. M. McCalla, general manager of the Foxrvorth-McCalla Lumber Co. and pioneer lumberman of Phoenix, is president of the Lumbermen's Club of Arizona. John Wood, vice president

L. J. WOODSON rS NORTHERN CALTFORNTA REPRESENTATIVE FOR NE\^/ PLYWOOD ORGANIZATION

L J. Woodson, 112 Market St., San Francisco, hap been appointed sales representative for Northern California for Pacific Coast Plywood Manufacturers, Inc., Seattle. He will, of course, continue to handle the products of the Wheeler Osgood Company.

Mr. Woodson has just returned from a trip to the Northwest, in the course of which he visited the plants of each of the four companies which have organized the concern named above, and the head office in Seattle, making his headquarters in Tacoma, where he conferred with the Wheeler Osgood Company.

EASTERN & WESTERN LUMBER COMPANY'S PRESIDENT RETURNS TO PORTL-AND

W. B. Ayer, president of the Eastern & Western Lumber Co., Portland, who was sojourning for some time at Santa Barbara, and in the Ojai Valley, returned to Portland' at the end of February.

WESTERN LUMBER COMPANY'S SALES MANAGER IS SAN FRANCISCO VISITOR

John N. Elder, sales manager of the Western Lumber Company, Westfir, Oregon, was a recent visitor to San Francisco on business for his company.

of the Bisbee L.umber Co., Lowell, is vice president, and R. \r. Baker, Phoenix, secretary-treasurer. The following are the directors of the Club: Irving Jennings, Jennings Lumber Co., Douglas; Frank Edens, Edens Lumber Co., Cottonwood; J. R. Halstead, J. D. Halstead Lumber Co., Phoenix; W. A. Lamphrey, Prima Lumber Co., Tucson; J. H. Mulcachy, Mulcachy Lumber Co., Tucson.

A large delegation of Southern California lumbermeri are planning on attending the convention.