Joe Williams Says Business is Good with Pratt & Warner

The whole editorial force of The California Lumber Merchant paid a visit the other day to the "built-in furniture', plant of Pratt &'Warner, in Los Angeles, and were greatly surprised at the improvements that have been made during the past twelve months in the manufacturing equipment, plant, and efficiency of this splendid factory. It is doubtful if there is anywhere a more interesting woodworking plant than this one.

They make only a few items of built-in things, but they make a very high quality of them, and make them in copious quantities. They make bathroom cabinets with plate glass fronts, disappearing ironing boards, and disappearing breakfast nooks. These facts have been recited before in these columns, and are frequently repeated in their advertising. But it is the manner in which they transform plain white pine boards and hardlvare into attractive, useful, practical, and useful items of furniture than can be packed into the smallest possible nooks, that makes the business attractive.

Rudyard Kipling went through the packing houses in Chicago years ag'o on his first visit to America, and he said that the most interesting thing to him was to see those pigs, one minute so wonderfully alive, and the next minute so thoroughly dead and manufactured into eatables.

At Pratt & Warners the interesting thing is to see ono minirte a pile of prosaic boards coming in one end of that mill, and a very few minutes later complete and beautiful furniture-solid and substantial in every particular-going out the other end.

That new breakfast nook would win the admiration of anyone. When completed it occupies a panel on the wall that is five feet wide, six feet and eight inches high, and four inches thick. From the irrterior of this panel there folds out: an ironing board of adjustable height; a sleeve ironing board; a clothes hanger I two comfortable seating benches for two people each, a practical breakfast table. The benches can be used for sitting down to iron, as well as for eating at the table. One or both benches can be dropped at a time.

Everything they turn out is made from clear, well finished white pine boards, even the backs of the ironing boards, the hardware is all good and substantial, the workmanship is careful so that every piece that goes out is strong and practical, and the entire product is of the quality type.

And the quantity is great. They have special machines for every job, most of the machines being of their own manufacture and not known elsewhere. There is no lost motion in the plant, the jobs going straight through, and being handled efficiently, dexterously, and intelligently. They use about fifty men and women in the plant, and they have their system down so that they use every bit of the lumber that comes into the plant, thus eliminating waste.

"We defy anyone to produce stock of the quality that we do with anything like our speed and efficiency,, said Joe Williams, the hustling sales manager of the company. And watching the plant work we were in no mooil to doubt his statement.

Pratt & Warner own their own pine timber near Exeter, operate their own sawmill, cut everything to the sizes they use best at the Los Angeles plant, and they ship the entire product of the plant to Los Angeles for completed manu_ facture.

It is a very interesting institution.

SUGAR PINE LUMBER'COMPANY FURNISHES EXHIBITION SAMPLES

The U. S. Forestry Division has in the course of con_ struction a very wonderful exhibit of forest products, at Exhibition Park, Los Angeles. The exhibit .r,i,iff U. ."-: prehensive of California *oods, showing samples of vari_ ous growths, cross sections of trees etc]

In the sugar and white pine department they are placins a large va.riety of sugar and white pine slabs, sictioni boards and other samples that heve 6een donated by the Sugar Pine Lumber Cbmpany, of Fresno.

This exhibit is being installed as a permanent institu_ tion, and is being presented to the Park.

Superior Oak Flooring ComPanY Issues Beautiful Booklet

A booklet of delighful character and interesting througho,ri h"r just been iJsued to the trad-e by-Th" P,"p-"-19: 9:f fioori"g Company, of Helena, Ark'. It lt 21 p"q:-t, ill "oln"r, tf,e cover in handsome art work.and colors' and the 6oof.-'lffu.tiated throughout to show the process..in detail bv which "superior Brand" flooring is made' 'r here are ;il";;;';;.;.h';;;;'t-ent in the plint, and in the back of fi;iltk tft"t tft.iy tt""e shown hbw this great.flooring is made, there are directions and diagrams showtng how rt should be laid for best results.

- i i; " Lo"f. that every dealer should have in his office'

RAY DANAHER A SAN FRANCISCO VISITOR f;;b"-""her, of Detroit, is spending a few days in San Franiisco attending to business matters' Mr' L'anaher ls i";;;;i;d i" tn. ivlichigan-California Lumber Co' with iil;i;-;;;"f*turing operitions at Camino and was formerly located at San Francisco.

H-a-f-d-W-O-g-il-5

frorn

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