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We hope to be able to cnnounce our expqnded line oI Eubqnk wholesale millwork in the necr future.

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NOW_MORE THAN EVER-THE PREFERRE BUILDING MATERIAL-FOR PERMANENI SATISFACTION

DOLBEER A CARSON LUMBER CO.

Faith in businessFaith in one's selfFaith in other peopleFaith in our countryThat is the powerThat moves the world.

-lhuss Barton ***

For all good scrapbooks to remind us in days to come of these days that are now, let us not forget the following pair of remarks by two of our war heroes:

{<{.* i<{<*

When MacArthur entered Tokyo and took over, he inspected the American embassy, so long in Jap hands. On one of the walls he spied a big picture of George Washington. Looking up at it, MacArthur remarked to his companions: "George must feel better no\ r."

The other has been *", *Oir"ized in the public press, but I want it in these fi.les. I mean the advice that Admiral Halsey radioed his pilots immediately after Japan capitulated. He said: "It looks like the war is over. Cease firing. But if any enemy planes appear, shoot them down in friendly fashion."

And now, as the late Senator Joe Bailey used to say when he got ready to give his opponents a verbal fit, "We are approaching a very distasteful subject." We are going to talk about the recent effort of the higher up OpA gang in Washington to take over the home building industry; take it over root and branch under the artful guise of protecting the builder of homes against possible inflation. I have seen some dreadful things done during the past several years; lots of blunders and confusion that were excused because there was a war on. And in all cases, even the most outrageous, I kept my temper. Many's the time I have been sore tempted to turn loose a lot of diatribe and billingsgate a la Harold fckes; but I restrained myself.

{.*tr

But when I first got hold of this proposal of OpA to loosen up material and building restrictions of various sorts, but to put a ceiling on home construction-on every minutest detail of such construction-when I realized the monumental gall, the unbelievable impudence of that rule or ruin idea-I just closed my office doors and made a speech with only myself to listen. I blew off steam until I got cooled off some. f know l called the perpetrators of this proposed outrage everything men could be called except apples and oranges. Those words f overlooked.

Here we have been fighting the war in this building industry the best we knew how. With other industries we have done our bit the best way we could, without squealing, without kicking. We took the bitter. with the sweet. Knowing the huge volum6 of dammed up construction that would be pending when the war ended, we assumed and never doubted that as soon as possible after peace came, restrictions and regulations not conducive to safety, would be removed, and the building industry, the lumber industry, and all the allied industries of construction would be turned loose to furnish the public with housing and with employment. Personally, I never doubted that it would be done. And then to have this effort made to grab the industry, wrap it around with bureaucratic red tape, and delay, and confusion, and unwholesome and unnecessary regulationswas just too much.

I soon found that I had no patent on indignation over this matter. On my desk as I write are a pile of printed and written opinions on this subject. Some of them fairly burn the paper. T[ey are from builders, editors, business men. All of them are seething with righteous indignation.

{<**

As one newspaper editorial puts it, these "master minds" in OPA are trying to institute "unrestrained bureaucracy setting up the familiar merry-go-round of regulations, techniques, orders, collection of information, examinations, reexaminations, operating instructions, trade consultations, inter-agency committees, parallel programs, consumer education, compliance programs, and not the least significant 'appointment of new personnel.' If recruitment fails, reassignment of personnel from other branches or divisions, is contemplated." Just one great, big, horrible hurdy-gurdy under the auspices of the bureaucrats, instead of an orderly, intelligent, practical effort on the pdrt of American business to attack a vital business program, and put millions of men to work.

{<**

The plan drawn up by OPA's Building Materials Branch and fndustrial Materials Price Division, would have authorized OPA to set individual price ceilings on every house and on every part of every house built by private enterprise, would retain price ceilings on all building products, and for the first time in American history (not even in war was such a drastic proposal ever made) would rigidly limit the profit margins of tens of thousands of small business men who do the nation's building, as well as that of tens of thousands of building material manufacturers and distri-

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(Continued from Page 9) butors and contractors. And they had the audacity to an,rorrr". that they proposed to make these restrictions and regulations-not temporary, mind you-but "continuous."

Yes sir, all they oro*J.u*ao*uo *", load the building industry and all its branches with the galling shackles of a lot of slaves. The whole idea was outrageous. The whole. plan unworkable. It could never be enforced. It would' require a great army to even try it. It would lead to more trouble, crookedness, black markets, and general bedevilment than the prohibition laws.

And the soft and tu, n:"r:r"lla" .nu proponents of this measure stuffed the newspapers with ! "OPA relaxes builtiing restrictions, and substitutes some simple dollars-andcents ceilings on home building instead," is a sample of what the public read. And in the Saturday Evening Post Mr. Chester Bowles takes up the cudgels for this New Deal in home building. He says all they want to do is impose "realistic, clear-eyed planning, and some wise measures of control." In my opinion and the opinion of every man with whom I have discussed this matter, those "wise measures of control" would have about the same effect on the postwar home building industry as some firm and well directed pressure on the jugular vein would have on a human being.

Elsewhere in this journal is printed the announcement of Reconversion Director John W. Snyder that all building restrictions and regulations have been turned loose, effective October 15. He did NOT include in his announced plans the price ceiling authority that OPA had asked for, although to the last minute the head of that bureau kept demanding it. However, there is still a threat of impending trouble in the announcement that OPA is going to put a ceiling on everything that goes into a home, if not permitted to do so on the home itself. It remains to be seen what these job-hunters and power-seekers are going to do along that line, and whether or not the industry is going to have to do battle to get the homes of our people built. All Washington bureaucrats are scrambling madly to hold their jobs, and OPA is no exception. Had they secured the home building control they were seeking they would have created new jobs in this department for all the thousands in other units they have been compelled to cancel. It looks from where we sit as though these self-constituted protectors of ihe home builders of America would, to secure their ends, wreck without remorse, and ruin without regret, the mighty opportunity now at hand to house and employ our people.

Should you, dear reader, seek grounds for suspicion that the OPA boys in Washington are fearfully fallible-consider meat. A month ago there was no meat. No meat in our cupboards; we had Old Mother Hubbard backed off the board for meatlessness. No meat in our markets. And, the wise boys told us, no improvement in sight. Evqr5r' well-informed cattle authority, insisted that we had a sur' plus of meat; that it need never have been rationed so far as beef was concerned. They quoted facts. OPA said it wasn't so. They quoted figures. Now, friends, full grown beef doesn't grow over night. Steaks and roasts take time to develop-<n the hoof. Yet look at the situatior tlow; We have meat galore. Meat men scream to high heaven in the newspapers that if they are not allowed to sell rnore meat, it will spoil. Only the fact that we have got to save up to save Europe this winter prevents beef from going off rationing right now. There is plenty of meat; just a month after there was little meat, and no more in sight. From this we can draw but one of two conclusions. Either millions upon millions of beef cattle have appeared sirddenly full grourn upon this earth; or else the fool-killer is away overdue in the City of Washington. Which, dear reader, do you think? Has there been a beef miracle-millions of them?

Jules Romains, writing about bureaucracy in "Town and Country" and reprinted in "Readers Digest," warns Americans not to think bureaucracy is a harmless thing to make jokes about, but warns us that-"We must crush it (bureaucracy), lest it crush us." We are learning the truth of that opinion.

,f*

What a paradoxical nation we are ! We can reach into a man's home, drag him out, put a uniform on his back and a gun in his hands, and send him forth to war, regardless of what he thinks about it. We can separate him from his home, his loved ones, from everything that life holds dear for him, and place him in the firing line where he may !e torn to bits, maimed, crippled, or mutilated' We can force him to suffer the tortures of the damned, as so many of our boys have been suffering these last few years. We can do all those things because we have the power. We have the authority. We have the legal right. But if. that boy survives the hazards of war, and comes home to find his chance for honorable employment blocked by strikes all about him-of course we can't do anything about that, or the fact that he fought for liberty abroad and lost some of his most precious liberties at home. We haven't the power. We haven't the authority. We haven't the legal right. And nothing will be done for this boy-unless he does it himself.

Opens Woodworking Plcrnt

Dan Leighter has leased the milling plant at the Beckwith Lumber Co., Palmdale, and will manufacture a complete line of millwork and cabinets. I\{r. Leighter has had long experience in the millwork business, and has operated plants in Los Angeles. He will add additional equipment to the plant.

Keeps File of CI.IvI

Arizona Retail Lumber & Builders Supply ' Association. Inc.

Phoenix, Arizona

We are enclosing check for $2.00 covering subscription from September l, 1945, to September t, 1946. This is one magazine we never saw a copy of that we did not want to keep.

Chris Totten, SecretarY-Manager.

lssues Reprint of RMPR 94

The Western Pine Association has issued a reprint of RMPR 94, effective September 11, 1945, including Amendment 1 and the nelv Amendment 2' Since there are so many changes the Association suggests that the entire schedule be reviewed carefully. OPA's "Statement of Considerations" explaining Amendment 2 runs to 16 typervritten pages, but the following are the more important changes:

1. Prices of dry 4/4 Boards are increased $1.00

2. Tables are added lor /+" and ll/16" Boards species.

3. Differentials |or 5/4, 6/4, 7/4 and 8/4 Commons are changed by varying amounts.

4. Commons thicker than 8/4, except in Idaho White Pine and Sugar Pine, are eliminated from the schedule so now become subject to special pricing. So are Board grades of 8/4 Larch-Douglas Fir, White Fir and Hemlock.

5. Differentials for rough and for green Commons are increased. Numerous other differentials also have been changed.

6. Changes are made in prices f.or 13" and Wider Commons.

7. Section 28 Differentials and Rules include amended or new rules numbers 20, 22,23, 24 and 25. Several of these are very. important.

8. California mills may norv charge Susanville rate of freight on certain ot their f.o.b. mill sales. Copies of this RMPR will be furnished free to members. Prices to others in quantities of less than 100 are 2O cents each by third class mail or 25 cents each by first class mail from Western P.ine Association, 510 Yeon Building, Portland 4, Oregon.

Lumber Price Control Will Be Continued

Chicago, Sept. 2l-Peter Stone, OPA price executive, said today price controls on lumber would remain in effect until the Price Control Act expires next year, and may be extended until lumber supplies show a substantial increase.

Mr. Stone said in an address before the National Hardwood Lumber Association that he would not recommend lifting pfice controls until stock on hand in yards reached 6,000,000,000 board feet and mill inventories were up to 8,000,000,000.

Mckes Hole-in-One

Helmer Hoel, Claremont Lumber Co., Claremont, made a hole-in-one on tl.re 4th hole at the Red Hill Country Club, Upland, on Saturday, September 15. Although Helmer is a superb golfer, and has been playing the game a number of years, rve believe this is his first hole-in-one.

New Yard ct Big Becr

Harvey Sprague, formerly with Murphy Lumber Co., Lynwood, Calif., has opened a lumber and building material. yard at Big Bear, Calif. The yard will be called Harvey's Lumber Co.