Urge Cafifornia Lumbermen to Build Demonstration Homes

The entire Pacific Coast region will play a significant part in the success of the National Small Homes Demonstration in 1938, and promises to be an integral part of the drive for 10,000 small homes of wood as a result of the presentations by Dr. Wilson Compton and members of the National Lumber Manufacturers Association stafi in lanuary and February.

Dr. Compton came to the coast to attend parleys of four major lumber trade associations, West Coast, Douglas Fir Plywood, Western Pine and California Redwood. He brought with him Harry IJhl, secretary of Timber Engineering Company, and Charles R. French, newly appointed director of information of N.L.M.A. At the request of California lumber groups, Dr. Compton sent Mr. French to California from the Western Pine meeting in Portland to conduct an intensive survey of California housing, during which he discussed the small homes piogram with more than 300 lumber dealers, builders, newspaper and magazine editors.

Dr. Compton, Messrs. Uhl and French first spoke to Redwood lumbermen in sessions at Eureka and San Francisco. On Monday, February 14, Mr. French spoke to 75 lumber dealers in Los Angeles, to 20 more in Fresno the following day and on February 16 to a group of 5O in Oakland, besides contacting smaller groups in the Monterey Bay and San Francisco areas.

They described the National Small Home Demonstration Laboratory Community of eight model homes in Bethesda, Maryland, suburb of Washington, D. C., upon which the 32 nation-wide house plans and variations are based.

Mr. French told lumber dealers and builders there was no need for a new housing industry to wa.ve some magic wand to satisfy the need for low cost homes. Existing components of the housing industry, including lumbermen and building materials dealers, contractors, realtors and financial agencies, have in their hands the key to success in reaching this vast market. But up to this time, he declared, the existing housing industry has dealt with less than a third of its possible market-the 68 per cent of families with annual incomes less than $1,500.

He described the campaign set up for l93g by the Na_ tional Lumber Manufacturers Association, National Retail Lumber Dealers' Association and associates, urging that California building groups move into the program to show prospective home owners by furnishing a sample home with a price tag that under the FHA purchase plan it is just as easy to own a home as it is to buy the family automobile.

As a result of the visit by the flying squadron led by Dr. Compton and Mr. French's statewide tour many dealers are known to be at work already with contractors and builders to assure the fullest possible participation. He assured California dealers that a special effort wotrld be made to accommodate the national campaign to designs suitable fot western as well as eastern, midwest and southern construction.

The San Francisco office of the National Lumber Manufacturers Association, 85 Second Street, will assist the National headquarters in the distribution of its plans, literature and consultation of the National Small Homes Demonstration program. J. E. Mackie is the NLMA'S pacific Coast Manager.

Sampson Company Adds New Equipment

Sampson Company of Pasadena, manufacturers of Sampson window and door screens, ironing boards and blinds, recently installed considerable additional equipment, including a Yates three drum spiral sander, a power clamp, two copers, an automatic planer knife grinder, a 72 inch screen wire shear, a sander for sanding Louvre door slats, and special equipment for the manufacture of movable slat blinds.

The ironing board department now occupies an entire building, and the roller screen department has moved to the second floor. The growing demand of out-of-state business has made it necessary to increase production.