"Retail Buyer" Takes ExcePtion to Editorial

The following anonynorrs letter was rcccived just rccently, and is reprintcd for the thought thet it conains. The nanc of the pub[cation originating thc editorid, (not ttc C' L- U.) is omittcd.

August I lth, 1924. comes in.

EDI'TOR, California Lumber lUerchant, Fay Building, Los Angeles, California.

Dear Sir:

A few days since a friend shorved me an article, printed in a recent issue of. .., headed"Unjust Claims."

This editorial was u'ritten purely from the standpoint of the wholesaler or the mill man, and indicated ihat when prices u'ere low and trade was dull, the average retiiler looked rvith more than justice in hi_s eye af everything that was delivered to him, and took every opportrrnity to make claim on grade and tally, rvhether same was justor not.

.lhe editorial was exceedingly well written, but to the writer's mind, confused badly "cause" and "effect."

It is undoubtedly true that rvhen conditions as described above prevail, there are more claims received bv mills and wholesalers than under other conditions, ULt ttris should not be laid to the immoralitv of the buyer, except that in during such periods the buyer miy have a greater opportunity to judge carefully the material he receives than rvhen his yard is exceedingly busy and material is moving out almost as fast as it

The rvriter of the editorial in question did not into consideration the fact that rvhen prices ar' Pnces are tremely lorv, the mill man is endeavoring to. cul cloth io fit his coat. He is using cheaper labo more anxious than he should be to get every cent he can out of the product of his logs, and in r cases, he is so anxious to get the money f"-t tht. ment, that he puts anything onto the car that resembles the items on the order so that he may somethins from the value of the goods.

The wiiter has had shingle man9fac-turers thJbecause they were sellin-g shingle-l-for much than the cost of production,-they deliberately t productton' they delrDeratety the shingles thinner and shorter thanthe G Rules allowed.

Takine it all and all the editorial is very unfa the retail trade. Lumber speaks for itself ; it is .oia i" sealed packages and at any time a,clai made there is ivery"opportunity tb judge fro stock itself rvhether or not it is what it purports

In iustice to the California retailer, will publiJh in an early issue the above version of bittr. case, evenif it Ue poorly presented?

Your very trulY'

For 13 years thir onpcny hlt bccn n*' ing truclrrr rcrmtain rtagpl city' ilcr city aDd drect nihray hrrrcr" ttr trrdo and burcr havc nr& good frm bggbg campr to thc [ghte* ddivcry rd&.

Buih by wedcrn ncn YfroLoow wcdcrn conditionr; thcy ut tuPcrior fd wor& rmder therc condition