What Cooperation is Doing for the Millwork Business

By Managing Director H. T. Didesch Millwork Institute of California

After having operated somervhat over three years, the MILLWORK INSTITUTE OF CALIFORNIA has become a marked influence for good thruout the millwork industry of the state and nation. Its roster of memberd now contains 147 Active members. located in 43 cities of California; 18 Associate members in 17 other states; and 1 Associate member in Canada. The mere fact that so many of the important millwork manufacturers in Eastern states are paying dues to the Institute for copies of its' circulars and bulletins, is ample proof that its activities are of real consequence to the trade.

Institute headquarters are located at Los Angeles and all activities of a state-r'r'ide character are carried on from that point. Nine local Branch organizations, six of which maintain a full time secretary, operate in the following districts:

M. I. C.-Alameda County Branch, at Oakland

M. I. C.-Humboldt County Branch, at Eureka

M. I. C.-Los Angeles County Branch, at Los Angeles

M. I. C.-Orange County Branch, at Santa Ana

M. I. C.-San Francisco Branch, at San Francisco

M. I. C.-Santa Barbara Branch, at Santa Barbara

M. I. C.-San Diego County Branch, at San Diego

M. I. C.-Sonoma County Branch, at Petaluma

M. I. C.-Stockton Branch, at Stockton

All Branch organizations operate under their own government and determine their own activities but the program of each ties into the general program of the state body.

With this physical strtrcture, which is gaining strength steadily, plus a well defined program of activity, the Inititute is actually carrying out the high mission which it undertook at its inception, viz: "An educational organiza- tion of independent and competing operators, devoted to elevating the status of the industry, and pledged to de- liver to the consumer the highest quality of product at the most economical cost."

Omitting those intangible or indirect benefits which follow as a natural complement in working together for improvement all along the ranks, the specifiC actfuities and accomplishments of the Institute are as follows:

(1) Regular and sustained contact, state-wide in scope, attained thru the tri-annual meetings of the membership, trips of the managing director, and exchange of informition between Branch organizations.

(2) Adoption and use of five Standard Trade Practices. Their observance guarantees to the buyer that his com- petitor is receiving no unfair advantages and that the seller is conducting his business in accordance with recog- nized principles of economy and service.

(3) Compilation and distribution of annual of the industry of the state under the title "The Dollar." statistics Millwork

(4) Compilation of composite costs, credit data, individual cost experiences on a variety of subjects, and other information of general interest. These data and informa-

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