The Old-Timey New-Fashioned Valley Lumber Company of Fresno

"You might mention the fact in your article that we are following the teachings of Jack Dionne to a large extent in that rve now carry paint and hardware and give a generpl building service in the way of applied roofing and flooring and plan service and all that sort of thing which were corisidered heresy by the old-time lumber man. The fact that we have been in business since 1883 does not in any way in- ' timate that we are unreasbnably old-fashioned or dead on our feet. If anything, we are trying to keep a little ahead of the times." So wrote W. K. "Billy" Kendrick, in sending these pictures.

Yes, Sir ! This Valley Lumber Company, with its fortythree years of experience, is indeed one of those retail lumber concerns that bears all the earmarks of the {amous "Mr' Pep" himself.

From the General Manager down to the office boy they are convinced of the fact that opportunity has a habit of lighting on the shoulder of the fellow who is running to rniet hir, and they expose themselves to the advances of opportunity on all occasions.

In 1883, when Fresno was in its infancy, F. K. Prescott, and C. S. Pierce started the Prescott & Pierce Lumber Company, whch later became The Valley Lumber Company.

F. Dean Prescott, the present General Manager of The Valley Lumber Company, is the son of F. K. Prescott, one of the founders, and the character which his father built into the concern in its infahcy has been continued in its application by the son, so that the spirit of the firm has chinged but little, although its physical properties have burgeoned and bloomed.

Today the plant of The Valley Lumber Company, at Fresno, is one of the most workmanlike and businesslike retail lumber institutions in the State of California.

Please note the accompanying picture marked "Main Office." It will be noted that the large building in the rear of the lumber company office bears the hame of a pipe concern. Since this picture was made The Valley Lumber Company has leased that building from the pipe concern, and transformed it into another service department. They have painted it their uniform grey color which covers the remainder of their plant at Fresno. It is 50 by 150 feet in size. This they have made a special warehouse and salesroom for their lines of roofing, wall board, plaster board, hardwood flooring, and several other eommodities, and the additional space gives them enlarged opportunity to show and push these side lines.

They have another special warehouse in which they stock, display and sell a complete jobbing line of Glidden Paint, and a big line of builders and heavy hardware.

They sell every sort of building material needed in Fresno, and they sell building service likervise, having a department that applies roofing, hprdware flooring, etc., thus giving finished service to the builder. Their stocks of lumber and all other materials are complete and at the service of the public.

In fact it would be more truthful to say that The Val(Continued on Page 45)

(Contintred from Page 44) ley Lumber Company makes a business of furnishin-g building seni'ice than of furnishing building materials, for they hive gone deep into the thought of saving the builder the trials ind tribulations attendant upon building.

The Valley Lumber Company is not a one man concern. It could not be, and grow and develop at it has done. But it is headed by'a pow:erful man who believes in his organization, who ielecls the right sort of men and then looks to them for results. Such a man is F. Dean Prescott, one of the most useful and respected men in the retail lumber business in California, who guides and directs the destinies of The Valley Lumber Company. He has been with the concern through his entire business career.

And he has with him men who have devoted their energies to the company for long terms of service. W. K' "Billy" "Kendrick. is chief of these. He has been with the company for seventeen years, and is manager of the Fresno yard'

(They have a itting of yards in near-by towns') 'Smiling iliU""Kendrick wou-ld bL a good nick-name for this very energetic and popular young man. A thorough lq-lgt- man, a fine mixer, and a most useful citizen ls thls rur' Kendrick.

There are other good men and true, who have served the company well., Erriest Verble is to the co-untry yards what Kendrict is to Fresno . L. L. Walker is office manager and credit man, a veteran lumberman. Nelson.Dennis, manage.r of the roofing department, has been eighteen years wlth The Valley iu-bet Company. Morris Pool, yard superintendent lt Fresno, has been with the company sevente.en years. Lee Jack, the collector, has been eleven- yea-rs ]vlth ih" "o*p"tt!. 'ih"te are four men on the sales force in Fr;;,'Toin Bone, John Thornas, Ben Nofziger, ald Flovd Tilden.

Ttti V.tt"y Lumber Company plant at Fresno continues to sto* and develop strictly aioirg the service route, and "f"i"-r oart second to that of no-other institution in the i"?"iooti."i ;;d growth of the City of Fresno, lhlough itt. pt6""tttnent of-the Gospel of Better Homes and Better Ciiififirii, made with better building materials, and better service.

Testimonial For Redwood

The following letter was received at the San Francisco offices of the Redwood Sales Company, from W' H' Richardson, San Francisco, Superintendent of Construction, Pacific Division, of the Postal Telegraph-Cable Company. lt is a splendid testimonial for California Redwood' Redwood Sales CompanY, 216 Pine Street, San Francisco, CaliI.

Gentlemen:

Referring to your letter of January 2lst, 1927, file H.-S 5948 relatiie to the redwood poles in the line operated by this Company along the Santa Fe right of- way between Mojave, Caliiornia ind Albuquerque' New Mexico, a distance of 795.5 miles.

These poles are California Redwood' set in 1889 and after ser'trice of-thirty-eight years our inspection shows only twenty-five polej oui of a total of. 25,456 poles to be repiaced, a-percentage of one-tenth of one percent.

The poles on this line measure 5"x5" at-the top'and 8"x8" it the butt and now carry ten overland circuits' When the line was constructed we strung two 30Gpound copper wires, but we now maintain four 300-pound circuits, five'210-pound circuits and one 573-pound circuit.

This lead has oftentimes been referred to by our General Superintendent of Plant, J. J.LX":h, of New York.City, us "'A living ,monument tb ihe California RedwQod."

I'do not.know-of anything further I can say as a testimonial for the Californii Redwood as the above facts speak for themselves.

Yours ver-v trulY, W. H. RICHARDSON Superintendent d[, Construction. jd:vf

Plan Extensive Promotion Campaign For West Coast Hpmlock

Seattle, Wash., Feb. 24.-A special meeting for all mills manufacturing West Coast hemlock, whether Bureau members or not, is being called by the West Coast Lumber Trade Extension Bureau, this city, at the Winthrop Hotel' Tacoma, Wash., for Wednesday, March 2, at 1:30 P'M' This meeting, according to the announcement, is for the purpose of arranging for a special trade promotion camp"ign fo, the benefiiof West Coast hemlock to be started at once.

"The original plan of our advertising and field work"' the Bureau stated, "was to emphasize Douglas fir during the first year's campaign and then one at a time, give adequate attention in national publicity and direct sales work tt the other three important species, West Coast Hemlock, Western red cedar and Sitka spruce, according to their relative production and marketing importance' This meeting is to establish coordination in our sales plans and efi=orts with all 'West Coast hemlock manufacturers' rvhether Bureau members or not."

"During 1926 the Bureau was concerned to get the readers of national publications to think about the Pacific Northwest as the place from lvhich to expect a continuous supply of good tuitaing material. This we believe has been tc"o*plished. The campaign being followed now f.or 1927 covers advertis'ipg and field work to educate builders on the uses of ttr.e four important'Pacific Northwest softwoods. We- arC therefore breaking down our campaign into a series of special drives; West Coast hemtoct, ti*U.r grades, sash-and door stock,.flooring, box matlriat, etc. "Each of ihese special items will be the subject of special field work and advertising."

(Continued from Page 43) lrq.g.!t ratc fron lhigring poiat to Ellhert rt atz%e- put l9t trr luppocc d'at inctcad of qt,m0, thir rhipmcnt rcighcd only 55,000 lb!. in rhich cvent thc frcight tould cost 953,75 or $1..?5 lar than tar catirnatcd. In rcrnitting, buycr rould rcod rcllcr thc nrid fncight bill for 1453.75 aad hir chcct forthc balencc U(Xl1.25 to malc a total of f195.00. fn Doc&ct 426, thc arbitration comrntAcc of the National-Amcri6an Wholcsdc Lumbcr Arsn, Inc., stated in their dccirion: 'It ie a clcerly cstablirhcd ctrstom of thc Flr Trade, of which buyerr gcnerelly are .rarc, thc tcrm X. o b. mili barir' includcr comto Scllcr for rmdcrwcights to 6nal dartinatbn."

If dipoclrt rcighcd cracdy er crtirnete4 'Ore buyor tould pay frcight cbrrgsr ol $95.00. In rcmitting to rcllcr hc tould rcturn paid frcight bill fc il95 er part p!y- ltcnt end rcnd hir chccl for f060 to nelc un tlre total amount of invoice.

Thc 5,000 lbr. erc Lnor.n ar 'UndG(- rcightr.D Bccaurc thir lurabcr rar in ruch rtripping condition that tt wctshcd lcec than thc rcgulrr crtimatcd weight tbc rcllcr cn- joycd e reving in frcight emounting in thir c8!c to 41125 I thc shiomcnt.

In carc thir driprncnt weighcd 65,flXt lbr. tbc ortre S,lXXl lbr. are Lnorn al .Ovrrrcightr.] Thc cxtra frcight chargcr rcrulting thcrcfrom arc abrorbcd by th- rcllcr, end thc ritrntion would bc cxecily rcvcncd l.tlrc buj'cr rcnding chcck for 19t8.?S, or l{!.25 lcss than thc mill veluc of 1960.00.

'F" O. B. Mill' Purcharcr fn ouch carcr, thc buycdr order rcads: "F. o. b. Mill-.undcrwcightr or overwcishtg for buyer'r accounl" oi, ar ir morc icn- crally t}e curtom. 'F. o. b. Mill-.oo rcightr." rci;htr ud abrorbr any ovctrdhtr to finel dcdinetion or ratc agrccd upon

When lumber is 'purchase{ .f. o. b. raill it it rith thc cl,ear -undcrstanding that thi price namcd ir for thc lumber l6adcd frcc on board. car! at thq mill; that the btrycr rllumcr aU risk of ovcrwcights and cr\ioy! any raving in undcrwcights. In olhcr yor{rr thc mill ir not in any way intcrcrted iTthc amount of freight charges on cuch rhipmmtr.

On ordcn rcadi.g 'F. q, b. t0.--oo wcightr,o thc mill rdinquirhcr dl htcrcrt in t!9 frerght chergcr asrcncd egaimt ttrr rhigmcoL

Right hcrc, howcvcr, l,ct trr rcrrcat thrt thc purcharc of lumbcr 'F. o. b.-fill-{o wcightr' can'bc rucccrrfully practiccrt only by tfiocc crpcrienccd buycrr in clore touch rith thc quelity of timbcr and thc condi- tionr uadcr thich thcir rnill coalcctionr manufacfirrc tfic aroduct; and wbo arc tilling -to opcltc on thc lat of lvcnrgcr .r to thc rhipping wcight of the rtoct-tbich will bc loadcd on luch ordcn.

Occarionally, our attcntion ir drara toia" stanccs wherc a dighnt buycr bcliwcc hc cao layc monctr by inrirting on purchaeing ccrtain cdcru'F o. b. mill-+o-wcightr.f, Rocently an ealtcrn alcalcr bouSht rcvcrat cen of Hcmloct boardr thir wai. To hie arr- prirc he found that inrtcad 6f tcichinr lcr than the rtandard rcisht, thc -rhiincot reighed coneidcrably morc rith thc -rcrult that thcsc boardr colt morc pcr f dcllvcrod than similar rhipmmtr on -which hc trr quotod dclivcrcd barir. Why? Bcceurc thcre rar no iacentivc for thc rnill or ant guarantcc on its part to pay aay pa*icular ettcnuon to thc rcisht of *ock purdrarcd F. o b. Mill-ao weighu."

Final Settlement Mcthods fi.. rcllcr: tFrcight bill rhovr lc ovcrcherse in nte.

__Thc-thrcc dirtinct types of wholceatcrr' Final Statcrncntr on West Coast lumbcr atd rhingle rhipmcntr and the usual mcthods of fiCudng cech typc are givcn in the following crampret.

(f) Ylhcn stock ir bought at lf,ilt Barir and erpcnsc bill ic figurcd correctly: Estimated wt. ..45.(XX) lbr.

(3) \lrhcrc ltocL i! bought et t dGtteccd pricc and crtimatcd frcishtLu bccn dcductcd from invoicc, rcttlcmcnt ir figurcd ar fol- lovr:

Advanqc payracnt 93,t,t5 ftlt g{ duc rcllc.

On any of the abovc rctttcmeota a[ory- !noo!, arbitraries, rcpacking, curtona chargcs; rcconrigning and othcr itcmr gco- crally undcrstood to bc for rcllcrtc account, rhould be dcductcd: Est rt .{5,0fl}lbr. Act. rt. .39;500tb&

Uddcrrcigbt ". . 5,5fi)Ibr. @'rBlle..f56.9g 2Vo digcotuunaArbitrary 39,500 lb* @ 2c... 7.5 case of Bhortagcs, th. *fril wcrsht should be figured on thc amount of turnScr, or the nurnber of atringlce, actually reccivcd. vt on 196 M @ 18O Ibs......35,2E01b..

Amount invoiced. 200 B Extra Clr.'shinrler @ lZ.q pcr M Mill. Shortagc, .l UAct. wt. pcr E/B .35,5q) lbs.

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I4t'c gct thlr rtraight bcforc rc go any frrthcr. On ordc6 rcadirg, "F. o. b. baria', thc rcllcr ir entitlcd to thJ balcGt of un&r-

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MORRITL & STUff6T(}l{ TUMBTR 60.

Pctlnd, (}cjn

Ftr Lamtnated

FINISHING LUMBER

Avoid lors on account of warping, chccling, and splitting of your Fir finieh lumber by placing your ortder with us for

GUARANTEED "MORSTURG" I.A}TINAIED FIR FIT{IIiH

Eithcr in caight carloada or in mircd can with Doore and Panclr

CALTFORNIA SALES AGENTS F1OR

H.ARBON PLYWq)D CO. Hoqgirr, WrrL lluufrcrur,cr of, r(irryr

Y.tr a Flt Lmbetef Prelr