Philippine Mahogany Thrives Under Legal Attack

It was a great publicity man, one P. T. Barnum of circus fame, who is alleged to have first uttered that sage remark: "Speak well of me if you can, speak ill of me if you must, but for God's sake, SAY something."

Two years ago Philippine Mahogany, a beautiful, useful, and worth-while wood, was struggling for greater acquaintance with the cabinet-wood-using trade of the United States, and not getting along as fast as its strong adherents believed its quality and usefulness justified.

They kept wishing their product might travel more rapidly on its journey into popular esteem. Yet, the last thing they were wishing for was a law suit. They would not have believed that a legal entanglement was what they needed. Which simply shows that you don't alrvays know what is good for you; and likewise proves that sometimes what looks like trouble is a blessing in disguise.

For along came the folks who make the old-timey sort of Mahogany lumber, and brought charges before the Federal Trade Commission, claiming that this lumber from the Philippines was being fraudulently called Mahogany, and asking that they be restrained from so doing.

The Federal Trade Commission issued a mandate last July directed against a humber of American firms who had been selling and advertising Philippine Mahogany, forbidding them to do so any longer. These folks kept right on doing as they had been, and they asked for a re-opening of the case. ft was granted, and there was rnore testimony, in which Philippine Mahogany scored heavily, and seemed to have proved that they have as much right to call their somewhat different wood Philippine Mahogany, as the maker of Peanut Butter, or Apple Butter, or any of the many other new butters, have to use the same name that has always been used to designate that which was made Irom cow-Jurce.

Anyway, they are now awaiting the decision of the Commission, and the Philippine Mahogany folks believe it is going to be in their favor. If it isn't they are going to fight it out a whole lot further.

The big thing that happened, however, was the publicity the case gave this product of the Philippines, which the old Mahogany folks speak of so disparagingly. They got into all the papers and magazines, and millions of people who never heard of it before, read about it, and got interested. The attack has done more for Philippine Mahogany than it had ever done for itself, and it has spread in a rvonderful way during the last year, while this case has been going on. There was never a time when the Philippine Mahogany busi'ness was one half as good as it is today, and many of the wise ones in that industry give most of the credit to those who started the attack on them.

They know now that Barnum knew his stuff.

(Continued from Page 16) selves. His was no stewardship. His trade came asking for certain materials. If he did not sell them, someone would.

Naturally, he became a building material merchant. Get this story, as an illustration of how a dealer often takes on a new line. I know of a certain railroad that rebuilt a string of depots. The building material was bought for each depot from local lumber dealers. But the plans, and material bill came from the railroad headquarters a long way off. Every one of those bills called for a certain building material that no dealer on that line carried in stock. They tried to secure substitution, but it wouldn't do. They must have what was specified. So a dozen dealers on a short line of railroad put in a stock of that material, and they have been carrying it and selling it ever since. Their competitors had to stock it because they had it, and so the thing grew.

The dealers found something else they had never experiinced before. They found men representing certain lines ofbuilding material who were right in the field offering to help them sell goods. They were offered intelligent selling helps of all kinds in addition to personal assistance. In other words, men who have never in their lives had any help or even any suggestions from the manufacturers of their chief line of stock, found men who were willing and anxious to put -business on their books, and money in their pockets. The long and short of it is that they accepted.

Within the last few weeks a trade exten sion man called on the architects of Cali fornia, and asked each of them-"Why don't you specify more wood," and the everready answer was-"No one ever asked or helped us in so doing."

And THAT is the whole story. Except one thought or two.

Generally when you hear this subject discussed, the assumption is that when a dealer ceases to be a lumber dealer, and be;omes a building merchant, he sells less lumber. I don't agree at all. The opposite is in fact the case in every instance in my judgment. He doesn't sell less lumber. He sells all the lumber he can. But he sells a lot of other things besides that bring him a profit, and that make his lumber bring him more profit. THAT is the real way of looking at it. The man who sells HOMES gets- a lot more profit on the lumber that goes into that home than the man who simply sells the lumber could possibly get, because. he doesn't have to quote a per thousand price.

It is my opinion, founded on close investigation and long experience, that the building merchant sells more lumber and gets more for it, than he would if he were in that same location and operating an old-fashioned lumber yard.

And the smaller the business the more certainly is this true. There are thousands Anq rne smauer rne Duslness tne more certarnry ts 'I-nere of retail lumbermen today who could not live on the business they do selling lumber. But when they also sell ciment, the lim6, the hardware, the roofing, the building paper, But cement, lime, the the insulation, the paint, the varnish, the paint brushes, the built-in ful the paint, paint furniture, the wall board, etc., etc., he CAN afford to do business there, and give his trade the kind of service that they appreciate.

There is every argument on earth against the old-timey lumber yard, and the chiefest on€ is that he didn't and couldn't give the trade 1927 btrilding service, and the business that can't keep up with the times must go.

One more thought, Dr. Compton: I disagree with you that the retailer is no longer a lumber partisan. I believe that in the majority of cases he still is-I KNOW it, in fact. He will turn out and fight to the death against any ordinance that cuts in on wooden construction, regardless of the fact that he may be strongly active in other construction, and he will do it anfrnrhere you find him.

I think the retailer is still a true and loyal lumberman. I find him so in my wanderings, and believe this is a general condition. He had to progress, that's all, and the road of progress took him in the way he has gone.

If his apparent lapse of direct loyalty to the manufacturing industry will serve to awaken that industry to the need for a great and immediate merchandising effort, th€n I am glad indeed that the impression prevails.

I repeat now what I have said thousands of times before, by word of mouth and in type; the lumber industryMUST some day learn that God did not make one rule for them, and another for all other men, anC all other men understand that they MUST CREATE A MARKET FOR THEIR PRODUCT.Yet the lumber industry is overridden today with manufacturers whoare not lifting their hands nor spending anything like a sensible amount of money oreffort, to do the work that must be done.

And the lumber industry suffers, andwill continue to suffer, until somehow, some day, it will learn that there must be the same effort made to MARKET lumber that there is to MAKE lumber; that both are difficult and expensive, but that to do one and not the other is pure idiocy.

In the meantime my friend the dealer is progressing, trying his best to keep up with other merchants in other lines, and by his improved and increased service, bring glory to the lumber industry, and profit to himself;

Reception

II. C. Treff, Chairman

G. B. Bosworth

Frank Curran, Sr.

R. G. Haley

W. F. Hayward

R. E. Imhofi

W. L. Leishman

Paul Maull

E. A. Nicholson

A. J. Todhunter

T. V. Walker.

Business Program

H. T. Didesch.

(Continued from Page 28)

Convention Committees

II. T. DIDESCH, Chairman of General Arangements.

T. R. MEI{RELL, Vice-Chairman of General Arrangements.

I[. P. Dixon. Ex-Officio I\{ember All Committees.

Registration ud Information

Robert Horkin, Chairman

J. G. Calori

I[. E. Hanson

C. L. Jacobson

L. E. Nale trf. O. Pillsbury.

Banquet

J. A. Farnsworth. Jr., Chairman

H. V. Cowan

R. S. Osgood

F. J. Peil

O. A. Topham.

C. P. BENNETT AND N. C. GUDE NATIONALLY KNOWN LUMBERMEN VISIT COAST

Two lumbermen who live the rvidth of the world apart, yet who _are-very closelv identified in business, are 'now touring_ the,Pacific Coast together, and looking into their particular phases of the lum6er business.

^ lh.y ?.9_C. Peto Bennett, of London, England, and N. C. Glde, of Manila, Philippine Islands. 'Mr.--Bennett is one of the Directors of Millars' Timber & Trading Company, London, which firm owns the Findlav, Miller T'imber'Coripany,.and -the _Kolambugan Lumber-& Development Company, of Manila, and other parts of the Philippine Islands.