Certified Lumber

By C. W. Pinkerton, Whittier Lumber Co., Whittier

During the past year that the California Retail Lumbermen's Association has been promoting the idea for furnishing Grade Cdrtificates through the retailers to the consumer, I can say that the certificate is now in use in about 35 towns of the state. As to how the individual retail dealers feel regarding this plan, I have no late information.

I do know that some of the dealers are having quite a little success and I imagine those dealers are the ones that are .pushing and selling the idea to the public. This certificate will be of no assistance to the retailer who simply has it and makes no effort to use it. In our experience, the dealers here in Whittier rvho are using the certificate are having very good results. One builder alone in selling the last two houses built, claims that the certificate was a very deciding factor in making the sale.

There has been a great deal of interest displayed through all the country from the retail trade regarding the certificate, some retail organizations going so far as to make application to the California Association for permission to use the certificate through theirrorganizations. _The idea has been presented to various Building & Loan Associations and also to their state association, which passed a very strong resolution endorsing same and recommending that

w. c. ("BUD") coNNoR, s. F.RATLRoAD MAN, IS OLD TIME SOUTHERN HOO-HOO

For the past year Mr. W. C. Connor has been stationed in San Francisco as Pacific Coast Agent for the C. & E. I. Railway Company, which system he has been connected u'ith for the past twenty-three years.

Mr. Conner has been taking a very active interest in HooHoo matters, and it may interest the California Lumber trade to know that Mr. Connor has been a very active and loyal Hoo-Hoo for the past twenty-eight years and during all that time has been very actively identified with the lumber industry.

He came from*fouston, Texas, where he has been in the railroad business all of his life, and he joined Hoo-Hoo in that city in 1899. His Hoo-Hoo Number i.s 6948. The well known sawmill torvn of Budconnor in East Texas, was named after Mr. Connor by the well known Texas lumber magnate, John Henry Kirbv, and for many years Mr. Connor was one of the best known Hoo-Hoo in Texas. In addition he is a very likeable and worth while gentleman, and is delighted in keeping up his lumber associations.

their individual members make it one of the requirements for a loan.

We also know of several instances where this certificate has been used in settling questions of grade between the contractor and architect or contractor and owner. As this is purely a voluntary question between the state association and the individual retailer, the issociation has no available funds for publicity purposes, which throws the burden of publicity on the local dealer using the forms. I am strongly of the opinion that if the retail dealers who believe in the idea would collectively raise a publicity fund to be expended through some one source that it would be but a very short time until the public would be demanding a certificate instead of the retailer trying to sell them the idea.

It is also a very strong argument that a retailer can use in making a sale, getting away from the old, time-worn question of price, which is about the only selling talk that the retail lumber industry has ever used with the public. I believe that it is time for the retail lumber dealer to awaken to the fact that he owes an obligation to the p,ublic to sell them material best suitqd for the use to which it is to be put, rather than to sell it on a matter of price alone.

J. WALTER KELLY MADE DISTRICT DIRECTOR OF THE NATIOiI{AL ASSOCIATION OF RAILROAD TIE PRODUCERS

J. Walter Kelly. salesmanager of the Chas. R. MeCormick Co., San Francisco, has just been made district direc' tor of the Pacific Coast district of the National Association of Railroad Tie Producers. His district covers Washington, Oregon and California.

CLAIMS ON WEST OREGON SUPER FINISH AVERAGE LESS THAN I% CENTS A CAR IN 1926

The following record made by West Oregon Lumber Company, Linnton, Oregon, manufacturers of the famous West Oregon Super Finish, was recently brought to our notice, and it is so remarkable that we merely reproduce it without further comment:

Total cut 1926 . .B0,144,139 ft.

CarShipments.. ..1214

TOTAL CLAIMS ,.....$I22

Averagepercar ....10c

Cars of Finish .. .442

CLAIMS ON FINISH ... ... .$6.40

National Committk

As pa r t of its program tr ers to c oopera t e in carryin t he staff members of the Utilizat ion of the Departn a number of conventior quantity surveyors Mr. 1 Committee, delivered an ac. annual meeting of the Ame veyors in Washington , D. 1 outlined the Committee's pro_ construction industries and !surveyors could save their clie1 money by specifying short-len!:. ber and otherwise take advantal ommendation as a means of effeL omy in the use of wood. While tL this cou ntry are still struggling to 1 he said the principal European countr. a service for many years and the high , zat i on in effect in those countries must le to the attitude of the quantity surveyors fying cons u mers. While the average laym ways be in a position to appreciate the finer , struction design, a demonstration of the savin 5 and cents as a result of following the Committe1. mendation, will appeal to all of them, and the CJ. · surveyors, keeping i n close touch with the program, will b e i'n an excellent position to rende r this service.

On behalf of the Amer ican Institute of Quantity Surveyors, Mr. C. L. Weeks, the"Chairma n of the Conventi on , requested that the members be kept informed in regard to the Committee's work, and the wholehearted co -operation of the Institute was pledged.

-90 Percent or More Red Heart

-100 Percent Oil Content

Genuine Tennessee Aromatic Red Cedar, accurately manufactured, tongue and grooved and end matched Costa no more than unknown brands Made by George C. Brown & Co , Memphis , world's largest manufacturer of Tennessee Aroma.tic Red Cedar.

Sealed in double-face fibre board cartons against dust, dirt , dampness or damage in shippin2' or storage.

For cir rn lar and quo t ation addr ess:

.• at • other

• is one of · forests, one 1ng enterprises

.:ave one use for Jr flooring, one use used in the make up \ vainscoting in our kit< are used for shelving in Jrs of ironing board cabinets

'b reakfast nooks, also for fixing 1, for counter tops, show windows, ture frames, display tables, drawer JOttoms and how many of us on seeing foom, dining room, office or reception room ..i walls and ceiling have not marveled at the .rects?

., my contention that the panel manufacturers have

.:1rely overlooked their largest and most feasible agencies for getting their product before the consumer-that is, the retail lumber yards. I have also cpme to the conclusion that the retail lumbermen are now passing up a very profitable part of the lumber business that by all means belong to them. It is surprising to learn how many of the retail yards stock wall board, patent shingles and other material to take the place of lumber, and these various materials are selling. When you go into the retail yard office and show any signs of interest, you will find that they are prepared to give you all kinds of folders, pamphlets, and other forms of literature telling you why you should use these products. Most of this literature is supplied by the manufacturer free of cost to the retailers, and the cost of same is charged to sales extension work.

On the other hand, it is surprising to learn how few of the retail yards stock laminated panels, and those that do stock them, as a rule, have no literature of any kind describing the various uses to which they are adapted, and furthermore many of the salesmen are not familiar with the grades and uses of laminated panels so that they can talk intelligently to prospective customers.