Wooden Box Manufacturers of Pacific Coast Meet at San Francisco

The first 1931 tri-annual meeting of the Pacific Coast .division of the National Association of Wooden Box Manufacturers was held at the Hotel Sir Francis Drake, San Francisco, Calif., on February 18 and 19.

J. M. White, Long-Bell Lumber Sales Corporation, presided at trhe meeting, and in his opening addre'ss stressed the necessity for closer cooperation among manufacturers in improved methods of man,ufac.ture, as well as distribution of their product. He outlined the situation in the industry and drew a 'comparison between the increased shipments of fruits and vegetables from California between L927 and, l9D, and the production of wooden containers during the same period, indicating that substitute containers have replaced wooden containers to such an extent that while the increase in commodities has been a very decided one, the increase in the demand for wooden boxes has been only slight. Mr. Wrhite pointed out in efiect that it would be necesbary either to develop more economical , methods of manufacture and distribution, to bring the cost of the wooden box to the shipper more in line w'ith the substitute containersn or to develop new markets for wooden boxes. He stated that the war among the manufact'urers of different kinds of shipping containers is just as much a fact as was the World 'War, and unless we get ready for a real fight, we will be whipped before we start. He stressed the value of the Association, and urged all members to use their best efforts to induce manufacturers who do not now belong to the Association, to become members and support the valuable work which it is attempting to carry on,

R. H. Morehouse, Chicago, Ill., Secretary-Treasurer of the National Association of Wooden Box Manufacturers, reviewed briefly the work which is being carried on by the Association from the Ohicago headquarters, and referred particularly to the Association's activities in opposing t'he introd'u,ction into railway tariffs of fibreboard boxes for the transportation of dynamite and other explosives: and he also emphasized the need for designing new and improved wooden 'containers to meet the very growing demand for small individual packages, remarking that the chain stores had educated the buying public away from bulk purc,hases, and towards a desire for fruits, vegetables and other food stuffs packed in small individual ,containers; also, that the market for such containers is becom'ing more and more evident in the large Eastern centers of population.

A. H. Gordon, Secretary of the Pacific Coast Division, reviewed briefly the various topics included in the Docket to be dealt with at the meeting, and indicated that in the matter of trade promotion, the efforts of merchants and lumber associations to increase the use of wooden boxes for the shipment of mer'chandise into the lumber producing areas appeared to be failing of effe,ctive results in most sections, due particularly to the fact that the initial cost of substitute containers is less than that of the wooden containers.

Among the subjects dis,cussed at the meeting included: railroad tariffs, grading rules and specifications, legislation, and new uses for wooden containers. The following were elected to serve on the Executive Committee for 1931 : James Clifford, R. L. Ferall, W. G. Hyman, Herman Paine, C. D. Terwilliger, J. M. White and C. R. Wisdom. The Grading Rules and Specifications Committee elected for 1931 include: C. H. Daggett, F. H. Hart, J. W. Rodgers, C. F. Setzer, C. A. Webster, J. M. White, and C. R. Wisdom. It was voted to hold the second tri-annual meeting of trhe Pacific Coast Division of the Association at the Hotel Sir Francis Drake, San Francisco, Calif., on June 17 and 18.

'fhe registration was as follows:

R. W. Chaffee, Acme Steel Co.. San Francisco, Calif.

Heath, Angelo, Angelo & Son San Francisco, Calif.

Austin Chester, Angelo & Son San Francisco, Calif.

W. S. Johnson, Associated Lbr. & Box Co., . San Francisco, Calif.

Warren F. Myers, Calif. Bbl. Co., Ltd..San Francisco, Calif.

O. C. Haslett, C;lif.- Door Co.. .-. Diamond Springs, Calif.

H. E. Cole, Calif. Fruit Exchange......Sacramento, Calif.

J. S. Canning, Calif. Pine Box Distrib..San Francisco, Calif.

B. F. Scott, California White & Sugar Pine Mfrs. Assn San Francisco, Calif.

C. D. Terwilliger, Clover Valley Lbr. Co.. Loyalton, Calif.

C. W. Kempter, Clover Valley -Lbr. Co.. Loy_alton, Calif.

A. D. Osborn, Clover Valley Lbr. Co.. Loyalton, Calif.