National Retailers Hold Annual Meeting

The 22nd annual meeting of the National Retail Lumber Dealers Association which was,held in Washington, D. C., adjourned on May 10 following fouf days of group and general discussion on a note of confidence over the future outlook of the industry and with a determination to press forward with the National Small Homes program and once again demonstrate that the way to build low-cost, quality housing is to get out and do the job.

Roger S. Finkbine, president of the Wisconsin Lumber Company, Des Moines, Iowa, was elected president, succeeding Don A. Campbell. Other officers elected were: Carl Blackstock, Blackstock. Lumber Company, Seattle, Wash., vice-president; George LaPointe, Jt., O & N Lumber Company, Menomonie, Wis., treasurer, and Frank Carnahan, Washington, D. C., secretary.

W. C. Bell of the Western lIomes Foundation, Seattle, Wash., outlined the work of that group to stimulate home construction in the Pacific Northwest.

Among the resolutions adopted were: (1) Condemning the adverse publicity appearing in the public press and radio broadcasts which adversely afiects the building industry. This criticism is declared to be wholly unwarranted by the facts as assembled and made available by the statistical departments of the government and duly publicized by the Public Relations Division of the national association; (2) Commending the work of the Merchandising Institute, stressing its value to the industry, also praising the work of the officers and directors of the Merchandising Council, and particularly Paul Collier and Hawley W. Wilbur; (3) Expressing appreciation of the generosity and cooperation of the National Lumber Manufacturers Association in the campaign to promote low cost construction through the National Small Homes Demonstration conducted by the two groups as a joint enterprise; (4) To Secretary Frank Carnahan and the Legislative Committee for their skillful and untiring work for getting the House of Representatives and the Senate amendments to the Federal Housing Act extending Title I and Title II for another two-year period; (5) Expressing the industry's appreciation of the splendid work of the retiring president, Don A. Campbell, who is credited with having "crowned his regime" in directing the policies of the association with the development of several new departments of enterprise and service to the industry.

Ih reporting on FHA legislation, Secretary Carnahan was most enthusiastic about prospects of greatly increased activity under Title I. He felt that the association had sold the FHA on the necessity of being more liberal towards financing of small homes under Title I, Class III of the new legislation.

H. W. Wilbur, president of the Merchandising Institute, reported to the board of directors that on the basis of the ten months the Institute has been in existence it has been very successful and is fulfilling the hopes of all concerned as a means of helping do a better selling job.

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