The Stained Shinsle Situation in California

By H. P. Kendall, Pres. Creo-Dipt Company, Inc. North Tonowanda, N .Y.

California has been the most backwaid State to take up stained shingles; principally because it has been what is known as a cheap shingle market. The consumer, builder, architect and lumber dealer have been satisfied to use the cheapest grades of shingles because that's what they have been used to using.

Until the last few years when certain companies in the stained shingle industry through advertising and sales worked gradually educated the people to the advantages and economy of using the best grades of shingles, in California the most common practice of treating shingles was to apply a brushcoat of anything that rnasqueraded under the name of shingle stain, after the shingles had been laid.

The shingles general used were ilZ Star-A-Stars, which were often times shipped into that market green, watersoaked and full of sap. This grade of shingles will not accept a stain, either by brushcoating or dipping, which will last over three or four months. The stain cannot penetrate the shingles for the pores of the wood are already full of water or sap and then, too, this grade is largely flat or slash grain.

At that time 90 per cent of the red shingles used were of the cheapest grades, but with the case of the Star-A-Stars, which we all know, is a very poor grade, the name is very misleading and a large number of architects, contractors and speculative builders not familiar with the grading rules, thought that a Star-A-Star was ohe of the best shingles you could buy.

If this is true of people who make building their business you can easily understand that the layman who knows nothing about building materials would haturally think that a Star-A-Star was the best shingle that was manufactured. What do you think his line of thought wis when the shingles on his roof began to curl and split and leak? He wasn't aware of the fact that this was all he coulcl expect from the cheap grade of shingles that he used ahd the cheap price, which he paid for them. All he knew was that they were wooden shingles and that they had failed him and that in his opinion a wooden shingle roof was about the poorest roof you could put on.

Of course, in every locality there are people who care nothing for quality but buy their materials on price only, but we know that the large majority want quality. The A,merican people are the greatest body of quality buyers in the world and it only requires an educational program to convert California into a splendid market for the best grades of red cedar shiggles,

We are doing our best to do this, not only through our advertising but through personal calls on architects, contractors, speculative builders and lumber dealers, educating them to the advantages and economy'of using 100 per ceht vertical grain, all clear stained red cedar shingles.

The result is that today Southern California, especially, is rapidly changing over to a 5/2, lCI per cent vertical grain, all clear shingle market, the Star-A-Star is dying out. Three years ago 90 per ceht of our shipments into the California market were 6/2 XXX, 100 per cent clear and vertical grain, today 90 per cent are 5/2 XXXXX 100 per cent clear and vertical grain.

The demand is constantly developing for the large 24 inch Royals, both for roofs and sidewalls. Of course, these shingles and all the shingles that we make are 100 per cent vertical grain and all clear. The Royals measure fu-inch in thickness at the butt. On sidewalls they are laid '10 inches to the weather and on rools 7f inches to the weather. When they are applied with a good nail, 50-years is a conservative estimate of their life.

Every lumber dealer, if for no other reason than to protect his own industry, should lend his heartiest co-operation to educate the people to use the best grades of red cedar shingles.

Not only in California but throughout the United States, very determined efforts are being made by certain agehcies to prohibit the use of wooden shingles. At the present time an ordinance excluding the use of wooden shingles in San Francisco is before the City Couhcil and unless extreme measures are taken this ordinance will be passed.

If the best grades of wooden shingles had been used in San Francisco, there would be no cause for an ordinance and the enemies of the wooden shingle would be unable to point to old shingle roofs that are curled up and split, as fire hazards. For a shingle that is 100 per cent vertical grain, will not curl-it will lay flat and snug and it is, therefore, not a fire hazard'

The lumber dealer who thinks that it won't make much differehce to him if they do prohibit the use of wooden shingles is mistaken. These people are not going to stop at wooden shingles, if they are successful in having them ruled out, their fight is against lumber and all its allied products.

The May issue of the Southern Lumberman carried the following irticle, which is very much to the point.

Anti-Shingle Efrorts"

"While the lumber industry is congratulating itself over the fact that it is. just preparing to lauhch an extensive bnd' expensive campaign for the purpose of increasing the use of lumber and other forest products, it might be worthwhile to notice that a movement is on foot to raise a fund of $500,000 for the field work of the National Fire Protection Association. The resounding title of this associatioh might indicate that its purposes are public spirited and worthy of general support, but the fact is that ohe of the principal objects of the association is the advocation of anti.shingle ordinances all over the country. Secretary Wentworth of the association is one of the most notoriously biased enemies of shingle roofs and is the proud author of the slogan: "Wood shingles are not a roof covering: They are a crime."

Of course, everybody who has looked into the matter 4t ' all is aware of the fact that wood shingles are responsible for a very inconsiderable part of the nation's fire loss and that more thah 96 per cent of the fires originate in the interior of buildings. The anti-shingle propaganda, however, sounds plausible and it is astonishing how easy it is for the itinerant propagandist to incite cities to the-enactment of anti-shingle. ordinances.

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W. L. FORSYTHE A SAN FRANCISCO VISITOR

W. L. Forsythe, Vice President and General Manager of The \Mestern White Cedar Company, of Marshfield, Oregon, accompanied by Mrs. Forysthe, spent several days in San Francisco during the early part of June. Mr. Forsythe called on the Bay District trade with V. A. Dimmick of the Dimmick Lumber Co., who represented them in California.

V/ES-CO COMPANY MAKES NEW INSTALLATION

rhe wes-c' Br",*IJHiLllTl. just compreted installation of an incinerator and slow speed blower system for the Yuba City Box Co., at Yuba City, California. The principal feature of the job is that it is all overhead and above the floor rvhich is a great improvement over the old installations.

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It might be argued that the manufacturers of lumber are not vitally concerned in the welfare of the shingle manufacturers, but this is a narrow and shortsighted way to look at the situation. The entire lumber industry should, simply as a matter of principle, resent the persistent efforts to restrict the use of any forest product, particularly by unfair means. Aside from this, it is easy to see that if the antishingle zealots are successful the day may not be far distant when they will undertake a similar campaign against any form of wood construction. The lumbermen should look out for these attempts at discrimination wherever they spring up and should be particularly on guard if the proposed fund of $500,000 is raised."

Lumbermen can prevent these people from getting a foothold in their community, in the form of an ahti-shingle ordinance which may later develop into a strangle-hold on your business by selling the best grades of wooden shingles, with rvhich no fault can be found.