"Hoo Hoo Now in Position to Render a Service"

By M. M. Riner Kansas City, Missouri Snark of the l-Jniverse, Concatenated Order of Hoo Hoo

It can be easily understood by everyone that the associating together of human kind is essential for development. No individual lives unto himself alone, no city is sufficient unto itself, and no industry, regardless of its magnitude, is successful beyond the service it renders to those r,vhom it serves.

When one engages in the retail lumber ltusiness or any branch of it, the primary object is to be successful, and to be successful confidence in his organization must be established in the community. This can be accomplished only by rendering a service to the community, and the word "service" means much in this regard. In the first place, he must have material of quality and his sales must be made on the merits of the material he proposes to furnish. When a business is developed on a price basis only results are never satisfactory. Many times the retailer or others engaged in the different branches of the industry are forced to carry very large investments in order to meet situations that confront them in the conduct of their business, and all are or should be vitally interested in the development of the community they seek to serve, and only in proportion to the service rendered do these investments prosper..

Now, there have been Retail Associations throughout this country for forty vears and more. The getting together of the dealers has been beneficial to the communities, and they have rendered a remarkable service as an association. There is no one who has given this matter any thought but would accept it as the truth. The influence of these organizations is limited usually to the district they serve, although the work they have done has been heralded throughout our country to the extent that we now find many such associations everywhere. The manufacturers have found that it is to their interests to have associations and they, totr, have rendered commendable service to the public through the distributing agencies of the industry. They have standardize sizes, standardized grades, and by many other things they have contributed to the welfare of the public.

The National Manufacturers' Association now has established in the city of Washington, D. C., a Research Department, the function of which is to gather data atrd information relative to our timber supply and timber resources, the merits of the different species of wood for commercial purposes, and to educate the public as to the merits of the different species of wood available in their particular localities, and for the first time the dealer finds himself in the position of being able to obtain authentic information to pass on to the consumer, and if the hoped for results are to be obtained the distributing agencies throughout the country will make use of this most important information.

Hoo-Hoo was organized in 1892 as a social organization and like all others of its kind ran its course, and it was found if it were to render any real service it must have a definite program. Today we find this organization with approximately 11,000 members in good standing residing in fourteen countries on the face of the globe, including our neighboring country Canada and ourselves, with 87 6lubs, six in our neighboring countr;l Canada, 81 in our own country, all rendering more or less service to the communities where ^!hey serve. In addition to this, we have 148 key men, officers or identified with Hoo-Hoo, constantly on the look-out for legislation or for ptopag"trda that is either in favor or against the use of wood as a structural material. These men are in direct connection with the head office of Hoo-Hoo and with the Research Department of the Manufacturers' Association. In all we have 1008 men, either officers of the organization or officers of the different clubs throughout o,ur country and our neighboring country Canada, who seek to promote the use of wood where it ihould be used.

. It has been my_pleasure to just complete a trip in the interests of Hoo-Hoo through Arizona, ealifornia, -through to_Vancouver, visiting Albuquerque, San Diego, Los A-ngeles, Stockton, San Francisco, San Jose, Eugene, Ore.; Portland, Tacoma, Seattle, Vancouver, B. C.; Spokane, Denver, Buffalo, Toronto_,_M_ontreal, Quebec, Boston, Washing!9n, D. C.; Nevvark, N. J.; Elizabeth, N. J.; Nerv york arid Youngstown, O., where there have come before me examples of excellent work being done by these clubs in the interests of our country and the lumber industry. Space will 1_o_t_ permit m9 lo go into detail, but beginning with the first "Wood-users' Smoker" at which morelhan 2:500 were pris- ent, held in Kansas City a li_ttle more than a year ago (and you will pardon me using Kansas City as a basis; Iheie is no.intention on my part to emphasize Kansas City or its activities, but in justice to Kansas City the fact shbuld be made known) at which "Wood-users'Smokers', Mr. L. R. Putnam of the Southern Pine Association delivered a most enthusiastic address, since which there has been a number of other "Smokers" assembled all over our country. the last being in Buffalo, where more than 6000 sat in #a where the merits of wood were discussed before those present. There a.re.many of these clubs that I might .p"uk of, but space is limited. Suffice it for you to know thit the most successful business men- in the industry today engaged in the different branches of it are coming to understin? that there is a program in Hoo-Hoo that ii worthy of their attention and support.

N9*, it is-quite evident that any adjustment of supply to the demand by re.ducing the annual output of the -ittuiac- turers will not sdlve the problem. There is only one .way to solve it and that is to increase the demand.- The Research Department of the National Manufacturers, Association has made the statement that trvo hundred billion feet

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