Many Tanks!

Today every item counts in the retail dealer's effort to go through the year without an operating loss. Counter trade, repair jobs and side lines have to pay the overhead during the time that building is down to a minimum. Don't overlook TANKS for fann or industry. Many tanks may have been sold in your territory without your knowledge. Now you c:rn take the order at a profit to yourself by placing it with the Flammond Lumber Company's Tank and Pipe Department. At our Humboldt County mills we manufacture Redwood and Fir tanks, of any size-nound, sguafe or of any shape. Our tank engineers will be glad to help you handle any tank problem

S. S. Sfudmore, Pioneer Southern

C aliforni a Lumb errnan, C om pletes

Fifty T ears of Acilue Seruice

Stephen S. Shid,more

October 10, 1881, to October 10, 193l-fifty years a lumberman-stephen S. Skidmore, manager of -skidmore and Borvers Lumber Company of Dorvnej-, Calif., on October lO of this year hangs up a record of fifty years of active service in the Lumber Industry of Southern California. Practically all of this service lvis in the capacity of manager of the same yard, first under the corporate name of the J. M. Griffith Lumber Company and now under the rvell known pioneer name oi Skidmore & Bor,vers.

Stephen Schuyler Skidmore, pioneer lumberman, was born October 25, 1855, in Cass Countv. Texas. His father and mother having come to Texas in t6e early pioneer days of 1836. In 1857 the family moved to McKinney, Collins County, Texas. His early scl-rool days were spent in this place. Near the close of the Civil War the family again moved to \A/aco, Texas, in 1865. With the pioneer spirit of ahvays going rvestward his father organized a large tlain of wagons to make the journey to California, "The Land of Gold".

On May 6, 1869, the long, well equipped wagon train, "mule power", left Waco, Texas, for California. Just a boy driving a train of six and eight mules, sometimes doing scouting duty for Indians, enduring the hardships entailed in the crossing of the plains eminently fitting him to help build a pioneer west.

The wagon train after crossing \Vest Texas, Arizona, then the Colorado River, landed in San Diego August 23, 1869. Bordering the line between California and Mexico, and two miles east of the seashore, the ranch property still stands where the Skidmore family made their first California home. Seeking to rest up the stock and recondition them after.their long, tediogs trip across the plains. the family, learning of the fine wild hay and grazing facilities, moved up into the Cuyamaca Valley where they did their part towards carving history in this pioneer state.

Very shortly a{ter the family moved into Cuyamaca Valley, his father discovered a piece of float qvartz, which afterwards.proved to be, literally r,-eined with virgin gold. After considerable search the mother lode was found and was named the Stonewall Jackson mine, which afterwards proved to be one of the famous mines of the West.

While at Cuyamaca an older sister, Margaret Skidmore, married another early pioneer, Mr. M. S. Julian, whom afterrvards the town of Julian, San Diego County, was named.

Disposing of their interests the family came to Los Angeles in 1871 and located in the Los Nietos Valley where they made their l-rome in the community of Downey. The next ten years he cleared many pieces of land of virgin growth and one piece in particular, where his son Grey has an orange g'rove, he cleared and plowed for the first time. Farming for a time, then later taking a position with the Southern Pacific Railroad Company, he was transferred to Casa Grande, Arizona. During that time (1873) the town of Downey was subdivided by Governor Downey. Here at that time was the terminus of the Southern Pacific Railroad, which afterwards was extended to Santa Ana.

Mr. Skidmore married Miss Eliza Paulsell in 1882 who crossed the plains with her parents in the early 7O's from Missouri, locating in Booneville, Mendocino County, Calif. Later they came south, settling in the Los Nietos Valley. They have one son, Grey M. Skidmore, who was born in 1884, and is now associated with his father in the lumber business at Downey.

The Griffith Lynch Lumber Company of Los Angeles opened a lumber yard, the late J. M. Elliott, President of the First National Bank of Los Angeles, was one of the first managers. Later Mr. Griffith took over the Lynch interest and operated under the name of J. M. Griffith Lumber Company. Stephen S. Skidmore was called to take charge in October, 1881. Since that time the J. M. Griffith Company sold out to the Griffith Lumber Company, and then in 1921 the yard at Downey was taken over by Mr. Skidmore and Mr. A. C. Bowers. All this time S. S. Skidmore and A. C. Bowers had been close friends associated in the same corporation, and how fitting that they should still continue active business in the close relationship of a partnership.

Reminiscing withMr. Skidmore of the early days brought the writer one of his happiest experiences, drawing on this storehouse of unwritten history truly personal but interlocked with the events and lives of so many of our early pioneers._Mr. Skidmore still retains the firsi ledger account book. On its pages appear the names of Pio Pico, one time Governor of California; Henry T. Gage, another chief executive of our State; Jotham Bixby and the Lugo family. Linked with these names Mr. Skidmore recalls incidents well worth preserving.

With this pioneering background little wonder that Stephen S. Skidmore fitted himself for a place in one of the pioneer industries of Southern California, took a place in his community commanding the higher respect, builded a happy home, and founded a posterity that each day brings him happiness with the knowledge oi having contributed towards the upbuilding of his community and state.

O"kland Concern Modernizes Plant

The complete rearrangement of a factory and the building and equipping of new offices, giving employment to many men and creating business for numerous West Coast concerns, is the contribution being made by the California Wire Cloth Company of Oakland to better business.

In order to reduce their cost of manufacturing to a point where they could successfully meet present day competition, they have made a complete rearrangement of their factory, grouping related machines, widening the aisles and introducing automatic controls 'ivhich have greatly enhanced the quality of ttr-eir products. This has given steady employment to many men who might otherwise have been forced to join the ranks of the unemployed.

The building of new offices with every modern convenience such as double windows to reduce outside noises, air conditioning for the greater comfort of employees, new rest room facilities and all new office {urniture, filing, accounting and recording devices, was designed to increase the office tempo and improve the service to their customers. This program of expansion has created considerable business fbr East Bay Uuilaing and equipment contractors and has provided work for many men etlgaged in those trades.

Irr undertaking this program of improvement and expansion the management believed that the present time was most advantageous because the project provided employment at a time when it was most necessary and the work could progress with less interference with the transaction of businesl. Throughout this depression this company has kept its organization intact, without a single layoff or salary reduction.

Plywood Display Brings Many I .. rnqurnes

A lot of public attention was directed to th-e 4llplgy of plywood anl articles made from plywood _!y 9' W. Bucknei, Northern California representative of Harbor Plywood Corporation, Hoquiam, Wash., in one of the large windo-ws of the Building Material and Machinery Exhibit Building at 557 Market Street, San Francisco.

The display, which recently ran for.three week5, brought "n a'uetage of 20 inquiries a day. Firms contributing articles to the display included White Brothers, San Francisco, Built-In-Fixture Co., Berkeley, and Davis Hardwood Co., San Francisco.

A feature of the exhibit was the big Douglas fir panel, 8l leet by 16 feet shown by Davis Hardwood Co. An inscription on this ran:

.

IYENDIING. NATHAN C(}.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT, MR. RIPLEY, THIS PANEL WAS CUT FROM A THREE FOOT LOG sell you Mixed Cars with any other items of Old Growth Yellow Fir.

Main Office: A. L. Hoover, Agt. San Francisco Los Angeles I l0 Market St. Standard Oil Bldg.