Cooperative Business

By Edward H. Casc, Sccretary Pomona Valley Lumberrnents Agsociation

The lumber merchant of the Pomona Valley still looks back with dread on the dreary days of yesteryear when he sold, and sold and sold his merchandise and in the final check up, found that he had worked hard but had made no profit.

These were the days when he would not speak to his competitor and was ahvays sure that he was not ethical in his dealings.

He was certain that he cut the last bill because the customer told him that he was twenty dollars high and although h'e knew he was giving away all of his profit and some of his handling with it, he generally sold the bill and trusted to some luck that never turned up to help him out'

Then came co-operative effort. which permits him to get together with his competitor, discuss his problems and figure out ways and means to overcome his difficulties. He even discusses prices and works out with his competitor a basis wherein he may sell his merchandise at a profit which will enable him to show a return on his business, commensurate rvith the same investment in other lines and which will also be competitive with near-by metropolitan centers.

By eliminating hatred and rrialice aforethought from his mind, he has had more time for good healthy thought in his business so he has modernized his plant and his methods because he is now spending less time in hatred and more in constructive effort.

So, by co-operation, he is making money merchandising his lumber and building materials and is happy in the realization that the Golden Rule is applicable in his business relations, and if things don't go just exactly right, he can get together and talk it over to correct it.

Two heads are .always better than one, so he has improved his handling, his book-keeping ideas, his show room and windows. His yard has changed some in its layout'and he is keeping up with the times because nowadays through co-operation he is enabled to meet and listen to the biggest minds in his business discuss the very problems he is worrying about and bring the-m to a solution.

After.six months experimenting in co-operative effort in the Pomona Valley, the lumber merchants have met and pronounced themselves satisfied with the results and have voted to make the organization permanent, and to extend their endeavors to stabilize the whole building industry here.

Contrary to the general idea when we started to operate, we did not camouflage or "hide our light under a bushel" but were frank and clear in our statements. By word of mouth and by newspaper ogcerpts we advertised our association freely and maintained a genuine pride in our membership in the organization.

The effect was soon felt for although we had some little opposition (mostly from sources that lvere uninformed of oui endeavors and which we always took the time to hunt out and correcJ), we have reached a point where prices are firmly established on an equitable basis and a large percentage of the trade are ordering out without estimating their bills.

We are certain that this is the result of our campaign to create a confidence in our customers that rve will treat them right.

Opposition of the contracting trade is rapidly disappearing when they realize that we are stabilizing their business also, for they now realize that when'they go to figure a house bill, that it is extremely probable that every bit of competition is figuring on the same basis as they are because we have eliminated the errors and stifiened up the price cutter who has been selling at p loss.

We are working to protect the honest buyers, whom we designate as the man who purchases his merchandise at a fair competitive price without the effort of trying by every hook or crook to break down fair legitimate prices.

In every locality is some one or two lvho do this, and who succeed in most cases where no co-operative effort has been made, in buying their needs at considerable under the right prrce.

This is a rank injustice to the good contractor in that locality as it puts him out of competition righ't away if the other man starts with a lower lumber figure, so we have endeavored to eliminate these unfair methods by strictly maintaining at all times the list 'tve have worked out and found to be fair to us and to them. In this manner we are stabilizing the contracting trade here.

And so, in Pomona \ralley we are going on with our efforts, satisfied that we are doing a good work in trying to stabilize the industry which most of us have laid out as our life's work.

Progress of the Hardwood Industry on the Pacific Coast

(Continued from Page 20) of a million to over a million dollars each in ordeq to adequately serve the trade territory of the coast with the great varieties, sizes and grades demanded. These large wholesale warehouses have been followed by an educational campaign to acquaint the public with the modern uses and finishes of hardwoods. One of the features of this advertising program has been the building material exhibit in Los Angeles. Here architects and prospective builders from all over the Southland study the hardwood opportunities. Over five hundred western retail lumber dealers have been aroused through this program to the necessity for increasing their kpowledge of hardwoods.

With the fine spirit of co-operation existing between the manufacturers, wholesalers, woodworking factories, and retail lumber yards, and with the economies that will be ef: fected in distribution together with a more general public knowledge of hardwoods through exhibits and advertising, the smallest homes as well as.the more pretentious can all achieve that distinctive quality, characteristic of the better western architecture