Vagabond Editorials

(Continued from Page 7) lend our best efforts to keep our prices in moderate lines." But when I looked down I saw the dust of hypocrisy on his kt'rees, and I knew he was only vocalizing.

A friend of mine *rit.J, "lr"ir", with my opinion that our return to normalcy will NOT be of slow and tedious character, but will be rapid. He says that the world is so tired of going half hungry, and half naked, and half sheltered, and half crazy with worry, that once it finds itself owning a job, and can feel a few sheckels in its pocket, it witl jump into the air, crack its heels, let out a war-whoop -and start buying.

One of the biggest ,,r;r;"; clouds that hangs over the lumber horizon, is the rapid tendengy of the population of this country toward decentralization. And decentralization means the plentiful use of lumber. It means smaller and more scattered buildings, without city building restrictions; and people so situated use plenty of the old original building material-wood.

For a generation our entire tendency was toward centralization. The city held out its glowing arms to the country boy and girl, with its greater comforts, its improved conveniences, its enlarged social possibilities, its broad opportunities for education, and for amusement, etc., and they flocked in. Today they are focking the other way. And the return of prosperity will increase rather than diminish that *""i"":. *

Things have changed in the rural districts. They have the world at THEIR door also, now. Electricity washes their clothes, furnishes lights and Power' brings them the world's entertainment over the air, as well as the world's news, furnishes them refrigeration. The nearest country town has as good movie shows as the biggest city' There are good roads everywhere' The world comes to the door of the rural citizen. And, added to these advantages that once pertained only to city life, he has all the advantages of the country. Decentralization will wax large in the next ten years. And the use of lumber should naturally follow. ***

Mr. Man who drives an automobile; have you the faintest idea of the comparative motor oil consumption of your car at high and low speeds? Betcha a dime you haven't. Just read of experiments conducted for the purpose of obtaining that info. General Mo,tors took thirteen cars, each of a different standard make, and tested them. It was found that they vary widely in this respect, but that the average of these thirteen makes of cars consumed seven times as much oil at 55 miles per hour as at 30 miles per hour. Some used slightly less than seven times.. Others much more. One car-unnamed-used twenty times as much oil at 60 miles per hour as at 30. So, if you sometimes think your oil consumption is off, think back on the speeds you have run, and it may be explained. one of the great ."* ,l:"L"ls tnat the depression has brought vividly to light in, almost innumerable instances, has te do with the inheritance tax. Here is a sample. A rich man dies, and his inheritance tax amounts to a huge sum of money-in cash. The estate is left to his family, with the exception of some large cash bequests. Desiring to keep the estate intact, the trustees decide to borrow the money to pay the inheritance tax, and the cash bequests. That was two years ago. Today the estate, consisting of high quality stocks and securities, cannot be sold for the amount they borrowed. They tell me that has happened everywhere. It is being strongly agitated that instead of the inheritance tax being payable in cash, it be paid in KIND. If there are bonds. the Government would take its percentage of the bonds-not cash. This would have saved the destruction of many fine estates in the past two years.

I read in an "a*,"rti"ilg **-t" that the National Funeral Directors Association are contemplating an immediate advertising campaign to cost $500,000. You don't suppose they contemplate inducing people to die by their advertising, do you? Then, what the -?

Many men write -" "O*a lr"igt t rates, particularly since I have been occasionally discussing the truck situation.I think the railroads would be wise indeed to voluntarily reduce their rates, generally. And I think they will be forced to do it whether or not they want to, by this very truck competition. It may be temporary, and may last only until the truck situation adjusts itself somewhat, but I think they must and should, cut their rates. Freight rates are today too great a part of the delivered cost of mostcommodities'

I think, likewise, that the railroads might do many thinking things that would improve their position. I think they should study and seek ways and means of making their service more elastic, in order that they might as closely as possible compete with the more intimate service that the trucks are able to furnish. I've watched the empty freight trains and empty passenger trains for the past two years, and wondered why they did not develop temporary and emergency rneans of getting freight and passengers into those trains. Mind you, I never said that I think the railroad folks the wisest people in the world. I am inclined to believe that they need a few jolts to keep them on their toes. All of which doesn't interfere with the fact that I want them to have a square deal.

The continued unreas;;, high cost of a Pullman berth creates continued animosity agai.nst the railroads. There is not now and never was any justification of the Pullman rates. And as long as the public reads of some official-just two jumps removed from a switchman-getting a King's salary, sympathy for the trucks will be engendered.

Opinions on "Cullud Fun"

"Please'mail a copy of 'Cullud Fun' to Mr. Charles B. Ffervey, Manager, Samarkand Flotel, Santa Barbara, California.

"Mr. Ilervey saw my copy of this book and asked that f have one sent to him. As he hails from Mobile, Alabama, and is himself a 'Cullud' story teller of considerable ability, believe this offers a good recommendation for the merit of this work.

"I have an idea that Mr. Ilervey, because of his position, might be the means of considerably swelling the circulation of 'Cullud pqp'."-1,. G. Burns, Bookstaver-Burns Lumber Co., Los Angeles, Calif.

"'Cullud Fun' is . ""r;" ".rl""aron of Negro stories. r have already had three copies, but find that I will have to order a fourth copy so that I may have one for myself."P. A. Dame, Creo-Dipt Co., Inc., San Francisco. ***

"Have enjoyed reading many of your 'cullud' stories in The California Lumber Merchant, and wish to put on record my appreciation of the many new ones included in your new book, 'Cullud pql'."-pleyd Elliott, Chas. R. McCormick Lumber Co., San Francisco.

"Many thanks for the *,a*t*r"d copy of 'Cullud Fun'. Having been born and raised in the South, I can fully appreciate the many Negro stories you have collected together.

"After reading a few of the jokes I can almost imagine f am again the barefooted boy in the foothills of the Ozarks listening to the banjo and the conversation of a bunch of the 'cullud' folks."-C. W. Buckner, ffarbor Plywood Corporation, San Francisco.

"It is a pleasure to congratulate you on your recent new publication,'Cullud Fun'.

"They say the Irish are clannish and can appreciate only Irish stories. If this is true, knowing me as a full-blooded 'Mick', you can appreciate what follows.

"All my life I have been listening to stories brought over by the'Nolan Clan', and those that were manufactured and gathered by their offspring, and I have enjoyed many a good laugh, but I have never had as many laughs at one sitting as I have had in reading your book. Enjoyed it so much one evening that I chuckled through it again the next evening. It is now going the rounds of the household, and if you are not being flooded with testimonial letters, I can produce a few more for you, even to having one written in Gaelic.

"Enclosed is my check for another copy which will be placed in the Parish Library."-Al Nolan, The Pacific Lumber Company, San Francisco.

"'Cullud Fun' is gr""t.* ; ,:" gone the rounds of the office and everybody has enjoyed it very much."-E. A. Goodrich, Union Lumber Company, Los Angeles. *** t'Anyone who has any sense of humor at all, who is not in possession of a copy of 'Cullud Fun' doesn't realize what he is missing. It's a kick."-Robert S. (Bob) Grant, Western Door & Sash Co., San Francisco.

Prize-Winners in Fir Plywood State Retailers \|fill Hold Annual Contest Announced at Los Angeles, Nov. 3-4-5

The prize-winners in the nation-wide architectural contest conducted by the Douglas Fir Plywood Manufacturers have been announced by the Association. The judges were Arthur L. Leveless and David J. Meyers of the Washington State Chapter of The American Institute of Architects, and G. L. Bartells, research director of Douglas Fir Plywood Manufacturers. The professional adviser was Charles H. Alden, F.A.I.A.

The prize-winners and the entrants given honorable mention in each class of entry follow:

Class I, Attic Bedroom: lst prize, $150, Chapman & Frazer, 88 tsroad street, Boston, Mass. ; 2nd prize, $100, Louis Page, Jr., and Harold Jessen, P.O. Box 396, Austin, ,Texas; 3rd prize, $5O, M. ts. Adler and R. Mitre, D2 Madison avenue, New York, N. Y.;4th prize, $25, I. H. La Rowe, Manteno, Illinois; 5th prize, $25, Thomas A. Cressrvell, 1320 Farwell avenue, Chicago, Ill.; 6th prize, $25, F. D. Chapman, 207 Main, Evanston, Ill.; honorable mention, Howard A. Griffith, Jr., 1110 Nashville avenue, Sheffield, Alabama; William B. Ror,ve, 715 Parkside avenue, Buffalo, N. Y.

Class II, Basenrent Recreation Room : lst prize, $150, William H. Harrison and Walter C. Myall, 315 Architects Bldg., Los Angeles, Cal. ; 2nd. prize, $100, Arthur S. Davis, 6217 S. Carnpbell avenue, Chicago, Ill.; 3rd prize, $50, HerBert E. Duncan, 7233 Park avenue, I(ansas City, Mo.; 4th prize, $25, Howard G. Elwell, 6211 Vinevale, Bell, Calif.; 5th prize, $25, Arnold I. Lorenzen, Box 36, Curtice, Ohio; 6th prize, $25, Alfred F. Schimek, 601 N. Spring avenue, La Grange, Ill.; honorable mention, Fred R. Hammond, 7O2O Waterman avenue, St. Louis, Mo.; Joe Kelly, 5352 Franklin avenue, Los Angeles, Calif.

Class III, Combination Kitchen and Breakfast Nook: lst prize, $150, Henry Titus Aspinwall, So. Sta. Plaza, Great Neck, N. Y.;Znd prize, $100, Harold H. Ehlert, 487 Margaret street, W., Detroit, Mich.; 3rd prize, $50, E. B. Hussey, 1733 Milvia street, Berkeley, Calif.; 4th prize, $25, Isaac W. Williamson, 813 Cherokee avenue, S.E., Atlanta, Ga.; 5th prize,$25, Harry Kirke Wolf e,2ll5 E. 55th street, Seattle, Wash.; 6th prize, $25, Muriel E. Nicolais, 5225 Wilshire boulevard, Los Angeles, Calif.; honorable mention, Everett C. Bradley, 304 Union avenue, West Haven, Conn.; Primitivo Castrillo, 115 Washington place, New York. N. Y.

Class IV, One-Room Camp Cottage: lst prize, $150, Frank F. Polito, Room lnl, 6 N. Michigan avenue, Chicago, Ill.;2nd prize, $100, James W. Beyvl, 11110 Glenboro drive, Cleveland, O.; 3rd prize, $50, Dean W. Axline, 1803 ,North Wilton place, Hollywood, Calif.; 4th prize, $25; ,Rollin L. Rosser, 23 Forsyth street, Boston, Mass.; 5th prize, $25, C. R. Hoskins, 727 North' Catalina, Pasadena, Calif. ; 6th prize, $25, Chapman & Frazer, $8 Broad.strget, Boston, Mass.; honorable mention: Robert M. Little, 605 Espanola Way, Miami Beach, Fla.; Alfred F. Schimek, 601 North Spring avenue, La Grange, fll.

At a recent meeting of the board of directors of the California Retail Lumbermen's Association, November 3-4-5, were selected as the dates of the 1932 annual convention. The conv€ntion will be held at the Hotel Alexandria, Los Angeles.

The program committee is arranging for an interesting program both for the business sessions and entertainment features. On Saturday afternoon, November 5, the University of California and the University of Southern California will play their annual football game at the Olympic Stadium, Los Angeles, and all lumbermen football fans who attend the convention will al.so have an opportunity to take in this football classic on the last day of the convention.

1932-33 Official List of Registered Contractors Ready Oct. 1

Carlos W. Huntington, Registrar of Contractors, Sacramento. Calif.. announces the new 1932-33 official list of registered contractors will be off the press and ready for distribution by October, 1932.

This complete and only official listing is given both alphabetically and geographically, as well as a classified listing of contractors, a reprint of the contractors' License law and brief discussion of the functions of the contractors' Division of the State department of Professional and Vocational Standards. It also contains important information concerning the various state laws regulating contractors, which is of vital interest to all those closelv allied to the construction industry.

The directory will be supplemented at regular periods with lists of additional licenses issued, as well as notices of suspensions, revocations and reinstatements.

Those desiring a copy or copies of the publication may write to the Registrar of Contractors at Sacramento.

Extension Class Starts Oct. 13

The University Extension Class for lumbermen will be held in Giannini Hall, University of California, Berkeley, starting on Thursday evening, October 13, at 7:3O p.m. Professor Emanuel Fritz, of the School of Forestry, rvill be the instructor. Those who wish to enroll can do so at the offices of the Extension Division, 1730 Franklin Street, Oakland, 12 noon to 5:30 p.m., and 7 p.^. to 9 p.m. daily except Saturday, and at 310 California Hall, Berkeley, 9 a.m. to 5 p.-. daily and 9 a.m. to 12 noon, Saturday. The cost of the course will be $1 for enrollment fee and $6 tuition fee for each semester of 15 lessons.

Taylor Sublett, Strable Hardwood Co., Oakland, is chairman of the committee of East Bay Hoo Hoo Club No. 39, rvhich organized the class.

Walter Best Appointed

Country Club Manager

Walter Best has been appointed manager of the Rio Hondo Country Club at Downey, Calif., and invites his many lumbermen golf friends to come out and try their sporty golf course. He was formerly purchasing agent for the Southern California Hardwood Co. and was identified with the lumber business in Los Angeles for many years.

Box Manulacturers To

Meet at Klamath Falls

The first general meeting of the National Association of Wooden Box Manufacturers, Pacific Division, since its organization in June of this year, will be held at the Willard Hotel, Klamath Falls, Ore., on October 13 and 14, 1932.

The first day of the convention will be devoted to a round-table discussion of problems of interest to the industry. The delegates will also have an opportunity to visit the manufacturing plants at Klamath Falls.