State Retailers Hold Annual Convention ln

Fresno

In their annual convention held at Hotel Californian, Fresno, October tl, 12 and 13, the California Retail Lumbermen's Association reaffirmed their belief in the necessity for the maintenance of the cost protection price provision of the Retail T umber Code; endorsed the proposed $30,000,000 Veterans' Home bond issue, and endorse-d the glnd-idacy of_ Frank Merriam for Governor, and George Hatfield for Lt. Governor.

They also endorsed the distribution policy adopted by

Sawtelle; San Joaquin District, H. M. Cross, Cross Lumber Co., Merced.

Thursday Afternoon

Registration, in charge of Paul Overend, former field man of the Association, started at noon and continued throughout the afternoon, and on Friday.

Thursday Evening representatives of LZJT retailers at the Denver meeting in August, and decided to protest to Washington against Government business being awarded to bidders violating provisions of the Retail Lumber Code.

The Association's Board of Directors met at 8 p.m. President Harry Lake presided.

The convention speakers included Spencer D. Baldu'in, president of the National Retail Lumbermen's Association, whose address was enthusiastically received. Mr. Baldwin declared the National Housing Act to be "the finest piece of legislation that has come out of Washintgon for many a d.ay," and assured the gathering that "it is not being run by any brain trusters."

Topics discussed by other speakers included the lumber manufacturers' code, wholesale lumber dealers' code, code enforcement, earthquake legislation, and the Federal Housing Program.

The sessions rvere well attended, and keen interest was shown in the proceedings.

All the officers were re-elected. These are:

President, Harry A. Lake, Garden Grove Lumber Co., Garden Grove; vice-president for the Northern District, E. T. Robie, Auburn Lumber Co., Auburn; vice-president for the Southern District, Earl Johnson, Johnson Lumber Co., Pasadena; treasurer, Ross Blanchard, Blanchard Lnmber Co., North Hollywood.

The election of directors resulted as follows:

Coast Counties District, W. A. Bales, McKinnon's Lumber Yard, Hollister, and J. E. Norton, Norton-Phelps Lumber Co., Santa Cruz; Oakland District, B. J. Boorman. Boorman Lumber Co., Oakland; Redwood Empire District, Mead Clark, Mead Clark Lumber Co., Santa Rosa; Peninsula District, James Wisnom, Wisnom Lumber Co., San Mateo; Orange County District, Henry Adams, Adams Lumber Co., Anaheim; San Bernardino District, Fred Chapin, Chapin Lumber Co., San Bernardino; Ventura District, Roy H. Myers, Peoples Lumber Co., Ventura; Santa Monica District, A. J. Stoner,.Sawtell-e Lumber Co.,

The board endorsed the distribution policy unanimously adopted by the Federated Western Retail Lumber Associations at Denver, Colo., on August 24-25.

Those taking part in the discussion on this matter included Paul Hallingby, Los Angeles, E. T. Robie, Auburn, and W. K. Kendrick, Fresno.

The resolution follows:

WHEREAS, one of the most serious problems confronting the Retail Lumber Industry is the utter lack of an adequate distribution policy, resulting in the destruction of profits and the demoralization of the retail branch of the lumber business: and

WHEREAS, representatives of 12,120 retail lurqber dealers from the western half of the United States recently met in Denver, Colorado, largely for the purpose of trying to correct the present intolerable situation as regards distribution; and

WHEREAS, out of that meeting came the following recommended distribution policy covering Lumber and Lumber Prbducts, As- phalt andlor Asbestos Roofing Materiats and Insulation and Wall Board:

Lumber and Lumber Products

Wholesale trade for the territory is defined as follows:

Sales of lumber and lumber products in carload quantities or more

(l) To wholesale and retail lumber dealers:

(2) To departments of the Federal Government and to and for United States Government river and harbor work e>cept ma- terial purchased under Government Emergency Builaing programs;

To and for railroads:

For sh_ipyards, underground work in large mines, large docks, large dams and large bridgesl

To large industrials who buy regularly in carload lots for remanufacturing or shipping purposes, but not for construction: and sales in less than carload quantities to wholesale and retail tumber dealers.

Asphalt and/or Asbestos Roofing Materials

Wholesale sales of asphalt 7yd/or asbestos roofing material in carload or LCL quantities shall be confined to retail-dealers. iobbers, wholesalers and distributors with the following exceptioirs, in carload lots:

(1) To departmelts of the U. S. Government except material

_-. pur.chased under Government Emergency Building-programs;

(2) To and for railroads;

(3) To large industrials for remanufacturing purposes but not for construction.

Insulation ad Wdl Board

Wholesale sales of all Insulation and/or Wall Board in carload or LCL quantities shall be confined to retail dealers, jobbers, wholesalers and distributors with the foltowing exceptions, in carload lots:

(f) To departments of the U. S. Government except material purchased under Government Emergency Building Programs;

(2) To and for railroads;

(3) To large industrials for remanufacturing and shipping purposes but not for construction; therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED. that the California Retail Lumbermen's Association, now in annual convention, does hereby approve the above recommended distribution policy covering the materials named.

W. K. Kendrick, Valley Lumber Co., Fresno, was authorized by the board to prepare a new price schedule for Irrigation Grade Redwood and place it before the Redwood Relations Committee for their approval.

A. C. Horner, National Lumber Manufacturers Association, San Francisco, discussed earthquake legislation as it affects lumber, and answered questions on this subject and on the California School Program.

Friday Morning

The directors of the Association held a breakfast meeting at 7:3O a.m., and the State secretaries had a breakfast meeting in another room at the same time.

The morning session of the convention started at 9 a.m., when President Harry A. Lake opened the meeting with a few brief remarks introducing Steve Ross, of the Central Lumber Co., Hanford, chairman of the program.

Mr. Ross welcomed the delegates to Fresno, and called on A. C. Horner, manager, National Lumber'Manufacturers Associations, San Francisco, for an address on "The Earthquake Feature of Wood Utilization."

Mr. Horner urged the retailers to let their representatives in the Legislature know they are in favor of the earthquake legislation contained in the Field Bill and Riley Act. He asked for support of the California School Program, and invited dealers to grasp the opportunity of distributing a number of copies to the right people in their territory of the pamphlet, "Safety with Economy in School Buildings," to be had from his office, 45 Second Street, San Francisco, at a nominal charge.

D. C. Essley, manager of the Association, and secretary of the Retail Lumber and Building Material Code Authority (Northern California), discussed in an address lasting an hour "The Retail Lumber and Building Material Code," and also his experiences at Code meetings in Washington. Mr. Essley was heartily applauded for his talk, which will appear in a later issue of this paper.

fn concluding his address Mr: Essley said he believed that codes are here for a long time, that the successful operation of the retail code depends on cooperation of those in the industry, that most of their problems are due to lack of volume of business, and that compliance with the provisions. of the codes will be enforced.

Henry S. Patten, president of the Lumber and Allied Products Institute of Los Angeles, asked by Chairman Ross to tell how the code is working in Southern California, said it has been a wonderful thing for the dealers in that territory, and that it has been working nicely up to now.

Louis Stewart, vice-president, Sudden & Christenson, San Francisco, spoke on the "Lumber Manufacturers' Code," declaring that the most significant matter in connection with the code at the moment is the question of the retention of price fixing. He said that while the Lumber Code Authority voted 34 to 1 to retain the price structure recently, there is an intense fight in the West Coast division on this question. Whatever the outcome, he believes that production control will remain. Mr. Stewart stated his belief that the majority of manufacturers are ethical, and that the manufacturers and wholesalers will give the code fine support when the problem of distribution is ironed out.

"Wholesale Lumber Dealers Code" was the topic as- signed to Frank J. O'Connor, Donovan Lumber Co., San Francisco, president of the California Wholesale Lumber Association. Mr. O'Connor explained the setup of the California Water Distributors Subdivision of the West Coast Logging and Lumber Division, for which the California Wholesale Lumber Association is the administrative agency. He said that cooperation of wholesalers, retailers and manufacturers is necessary to make the codes work, and that they will work if all will put their shoulders to the wheel.

Wesley O. Ash, Trade Practice compliance officer, from the office of Donald Renshaw, State NRA director, addressed the meeting on "Code Enforcement." At the end of his talk Mr. Ash answered questions by Harry .Lake; Philip Curran, Curran Bros., Inc., Pomona; Ira E. Brink, The Diamond Match Co., Chico, and W.- K. Kendrick, Fresno. Mr. Kendrick asked what can be done to force compliance with the code by the hundreds of itinerant peddlers selling Redwood grape stakes, posts, etc., from trucks. Mr. Ash promised to look into this matter.

Invited by the chairman to talk on code infringements, Dee Essley said his division of the retail code authority hadn't found it necessary yet to take any case into court. He reminded his hearers that it is up to the dealers to report infringements, as the code authority has to get factual evidence.

The morning session was closed with a talk on the "Veterans' I{ome Bond Issue" by Warren Atherton, chairman of the American Legion committee in charge of putting over the issue, who asked the lumbermen's support for the measure. B. J. Boorman, Chas. G. Bird, E. T. Robie, J. H. Shepard and Harry Lake joined in the discussion that followed the address.

Luncheon

Frank Minard, C. S. Pierce Lumber Co., Fresno, presided at the luncheon, and M. A. "Matt" Harris, Van ArsdaleHarris Lumber Co., San Francisco, was the speaker. The large audience enjoyed Mr. Harris' fine talk, alternately humorous and serious, which ended in a plea for true Americanism in the working out of present difficulties.

Friday Afternoon

Steve Ross continued as chairman of the afternoon program in place of George Burnett, Burnett Lumber Co., Tulare, who was unable to be present.

Spencer D. Baldwin, president of the National Retail Lumbermen's Association, with headquarters at Washing- ton, D. C., and now on a speaking tour of the United States, was the next speaker.

He told first of the rebirth of the National Association, now stronger than ever before, of his hope that it will soon have a 'Western office, and of his desire to see the secretaries of the state and regional associations become airtomatically directors of the National, for the reason that these men are best acquainted with the problems of the members of their associations.

Then he sketched quickly the history of the Housing Bill, and the big part played by the National Association in getting the act through Congress. He urged the dealers to get out and get the business made possible by this legislation and not leave it to the banks and chambers of commerce to do the job. He also advised more effort to sell lumber and less effort on the part of some dealers to sell other than building materials.

Speaking on the NRA Mr. Baldwin said the code was written to protect the small lumber dealer, who, strange to say, is often the chiseler. He suggested that the retailers write to the manufacturers, asking them to keep minimum prices in the code.

In conclusion he pleaded for more friendship in the lumber business, for kinder thought for competitors, more cooperation.

Henry S. Patten, Patten-Blinn Lumber Cd., Los Angeles, reported on the formation of the Federated 'Western (Continued on Page 12)