Cement and the Retail Lumberman

The election of W. S. Dickason, of Kansas City, to the office of Snark of the Universe of Hoo-IIoo, brings to mind a work Mr. Dickason has been engaged in for many years in rvhich the lumber dcalers of California will probably be interestecl.

Mr. Dickason is exeeutive head of one of the great re_ tail lumber firms of the middle west, The Dickason_Good_ man Lumber Co., of Kansas City, and is noted for the force_ ful and progressive character of his merchandising.

And for m&ny ygals he has waged. a continuous and. re_ lentless x'ar on the methods generally employed. by the cement producers of his territory -and most other terri_ toriesfor merchandising their product. He takes the stand that the usual methods employed for cement distribution makes the retail lumberman sirnply a convenience for the cement producers, does not give him sufficient profit o:r his cement sales to make that portion of his sales carry their fair share of his business, and forces the lumberman to handle and sell cement for the convenience of his cus_ tomers: He objects bitterly to the cement folks coming along and selling cement in his territory and slipping him a small t'commission', on same. He believes a lumberman should handle cemeut just the s&me as he handles lumber: should buy it, stoek it, sell it for a profit that makes it carry a fair share of his business burden, and do so without com_ petition from anyone but other legitimate d.ealers of the territory, also free handed in their sales.

And Mr. Dickason has impressed those ideas so eonsistently and forcefirlly upon the lumber dealerq of the middle west that he has a great following in that way of thinking. It is not at all improbable that his work has resulted in many changes being made by some of the cement firms that sell the middle lyestern territory, along the lines that he ad.vocates.

We have heard. the same story from many California dealers that Dickeson has been telling in the middle west. The cement sales do not cauy a fair share of their business burden, and the sale of cement is more of a customer eonvenience as a general thing, than a business proposition. And cement methods are just,about as popular with lumber dealers in Californian as they are in most other territory.

IUhtch End of the Telescope?

By Jack Doinne

Faint heart never won fair dividends.

The man who doesn't believe he CAN-seldom DOES.

Self-confidence is the general manager-the pusher-tlc director-of the master mind.

It decides the thing than CAN be done-and spurs, drives and inspires the man to do it.

It is the breeder of courage; the foundation of resolve; the stimulator of energy and genius.

It revels in competition; sneers at gifts; ,,pooh_poohs" the insurmountable; just goes along bull-headedly uod do"* the things that folks sa/ can't be done.

^-k"^{"^gjm, one wh_ol€ mind, one doubt-proof heart, and ONE GOOD BACKBONE is all that any man ever needed to clo ANYTHING.

If there everwas a time in your life when you had a REAIr chance to achieve something big-it's NOW.

Yesterdays never are as wonderful as tomorrows. The world keeps on. ft progresses-doesn't backslide.

You may have whatever your performance deserves. The only patent on possession is merit and. service.

There is only one thing that can keep this fiom being a great building year; only one thing that can prevent a splen- did.effort to properly-hous-e this nation; that thing is US. rt slmply depends on how hard we try, how well w:e serve, how intelligently we sell.

Are YOU well started on yOUR, share of the problem?

'Which end of the telescope are you looiing at the situation through ? If you look through the conect, the small end., you're all right; it's TELESCOPIC. But too many folks are using the wrong end; they see the prospect microscopically.

Before you say that there isn't a chance, that it can't be done, that money is too tight, that the obstacles are too great, take a look at the telescope ar?d see if you aren't looking through the wrong end.