The Mail Order Man

Even today we still hear reports of mail order hou$es taking home bills away from dealers by selling in their territory. In the old days that was common, but much less so now.

It is interesting to consider why the dealer should lose business to the mail order man.

'What ctid that other fellow, off somewhere, d.o to get that ord.er

X'irst, he ADVERTISED something that the consumer was interested. in. He never got that order by running a card in the local paper, saying: "'When in the market for lumber, call on us," did he? Not on your life.

Ele advertised a IIOME-a complete home ready to be built and permanent onee it was built. THAT was what interested the fellow who patronized him. IIe advertised. that way because he KNE'W that that was what the customer was interested in.

The mail order business has Iived simply because the mail order man has mad.e a business of studying the'situation in the line he wants to sell, and then DOES what his juclgment tells him must be d.one in order to meet the public d.emand..

Lots of retailers woir't get out of their rut, even though they see the possibilities in io doing.

The mail order man ALWAYS caters to the public denand.

THEN, what did the mail order man do? IIe says in his ad: "AII possible advice and. assistance are given the customer while the house is beins erected. The customer is AIJWAYS RIGHT.,,

You see? He is talking SERVICE. He promised to take a lot of builtling trouble off the buyer's shoulder, antl that interested him. Now, the local lumber dealer can AT,WAYS furnish his trade at least as much for his money, both in materials and SERVICE as the mail order man ean, Itrl EIl IS ON THE JOB. It's when he isn't on the job that the mail ord.er man gets the business.

The local retailer is a NECESSITY. The community needs his wares as much as he needs the community CASH. Just exactly. But not every retail lumbernan is alive to his opportunity. Many of them fall by the wayside because of their indifference to the rights of the public.

A few years ago the retail lumberman sat in his ofrice and waited for business to come to him. TODAY he is a HUNTER;. IIe goes out gunning for business with a cloublebarreled. shotgun; one barrel his stock, the other his publicity-service.

You can't get them with the ffrst barrel alone any more. You've got to "give them the other barrel." That's how the mail ord.er man gets AT,Lr his business; with the SECOND barrel.

You must SERVE if you would SEIrIr, and the biggest part of your job is to inform the customer what you can d.o for EIM to EIS advantage.

PIIBITICITY is a great opportunity for the lumber merchant, but it is more than that.

IT IS AN OBIJIGATION IJAID IIPON EIM BY CEANGED CONDITIONS.

California Uses Many Bridges Built of Wood

California road building authorities are reporting excelIent results in the use of creosoted Douglas fir piling antl timbers in the construction of highway bridges.

Here is a photograph of a bridge at Sheldon, Sacramento county, in which creosoted. fir piling and timbers have been employed throughout. ft is a neat looking job ancl is calculated to withstand the wear and tear of the heaviest an,il fastest highway traffic.

'The bridge is 300 feet long antl the eost of construction, by using creosoted wood instead of' subdtitute material, effeeted a substantial saving for the taxpayers of Sacramento county.

But the big advantage in the use of creosoted fir is in the atlclecl life it gives to the bridge. A structure of this kincl is sure to stand-even under the strains and stresses of heavilyloaded trucks-fully 40 to 50 years. The creosoted treatme4t prevents decay and the length and strength of the fir fibers keep the bridge from wearing out. In fact, there are many wood bridges in the West today, built 30 to 40 years

Could a coal and railroad strike tie up your business?

We hope it won't, but if it should stop your logging operations for a week, a month, or even Ionger, would you be able to lay up all your locomotives and cut off thir item of expenre?

If you have a M. A. C. Model 4-40 Rail Car, /ou Garvery easily.

This car will handle men, euppliee, rails, section crew8, tieg or any other load up to 6ve tons faeter than a locomotive-and at a small fraction of the expense. With it you do not have to keep a locomotive steamcd up during a shut down to do chores about camp.

Woodcn Highway Bridge in Sacramc,nto County ago, standing up well under the unnatural demairds of automobile traffic, although designed before automobiles and trucks were eyen thought of.

Sacramento county is going in strong for the use of treated fir. Another notable example in that county is the Antelope bridge-a distinct credit to the ropd builtling authorities there. Many other California counties are adopting this means of saving money and adding length of life and sirvica.bility to their bridges.

rRANK PABAMMO, BACK FnOM TnIp TO ![ORTE, REPOR,TS ITfiLI,S LOADED WITH ORDEBS

Frank Paramino, of the Paramino Lumber Co.. has returnetl to San Francisco after a ffye weeks'business trip to the Northwest. Mr. Paramino visited Reedsports, Willamette Valley, Portland, Centralia, Tacoma and Seattle lumber districts. IIe made the trip'by machine and took several pleasure trips, including a trip to Paradise Inn in the Rainier National Park.

Mr. Paramino reports business very good in the North.. The mills have more business than they can handle, stocks are broken and depleted, and business is very hard to place. The recent rains in the Northiyest will relieve the situation to sone extent, as most of the logging camps have started operating again. However, he states that there will be a log shortage until spring as the forest fires played great havoc ancl it will be necessary to replace many bridges anal cqusiderable other repairing before logging operations willget back to normal.

Figure up the time you have been ghut down during the paat year and eetimate the cost of doing odd jobs with a locomotive during thege idle periods This expense alone would go quite a way on the' purchaee price of a Model 4-40 Gas Rail Car. Thit ic jurt one of the ways it will lavc you dollarr. Write us for other waya in which it will cut down expenses and for full information.

spEctFIcATIoNs

Cepacitr-10,000 lbc.

Srroodr-4 to.20 milcc pcr hour in cithcr dircction, four - cpccdc forward and f:our cpecda rcverrc, equippcd with gcar driving trangmision.

Mginum GradeVith 10'000 lb. load, tcn per ccnt. Driv+On all four whcelc.

A:lcr-Chromo Vanadium Stecl with all working parts complctely cnclorcd.

Crcan 4hrome Nickel Steel running in oil.

Bcaringr-S. R B. Ball Bcaringa and Timken Rollcr bearinga thrbughout. Thcre arc no babbit or bronzc bearingr to give troublc.

WbiCr---Cart Stccl, 24 in. dia., 6 i,". facd.

Frrn+All Stcol.

Cab-Metal conrtruction or madc to order.

Skagft

M.A.C.

Mr..Paramino was aaccompanied ,by Mrs. Paramino. Utility