Helping the Retail Lumber Dealer

Reproduced belorv is a letter written by The Starks Manufacturing Co., Seattle, Wash., shingle staining experts and manufacturers of high-grade shingle stains, which is an appeal to all those in ttre stained shingle industry to aller-iate a condition that has caused the retail lumber dealer a great deal of distress in the last few years.

In the opinion of Donald H. Clark, manag'er of The Starks Manufacturing Co., tu'o or three shades in any of the standard colors are sufificient to secure any desired color effect able features at present existing in the merchandising of stained singles.

The only common objectioa voiced by the retail lumber dealer to the handling of stained shingles is the wide diversity of colors and shades of different colors. It is obviously impossible for the retail lumber dealer to carry stained shingles in stock if the building public is supplied with color samples showing thirty or forty different colors from which to select. The result is that nine times out of ten the architect or builder rvill specify a color that is not carried by the retail lumber dealer. On the other ha4d if the retail lumber dealer is forced to buy his stained shingle requirements from warehouses, either in his vicinity or at some distance from his yard, the cost of the stained shingles. to him will be such a5 to diminish his margin of profit, or on the other hand to force him to charge an eiorbitant, price to the consumer.

In order to eliminate this objection we suggest that those of us who are interested in the staining of Red Cedar shin.' gles confer with the object o? reducing the number of colors and of standardizing the colors used by different staining concerns. By this we mean that there should be a limiteil number of colors and not over three standard shades in each one of these colors, with a standard color number to be used by all stained shingle manufacturers. Thus if a dealer ordered No. 7 Dark Moss Green from you it would be the same shade as No. 7 Dark Moss Green irom our firm.

The letter follows:

Gentlemen:-

Realizing that the retail lumber dealer is the sole distributing agent for stained Red Cedar shingles, we believe w.e should do everything in our power to remove any objection-

Our object is to make it as easy as possible for the retail lumber dealer to carry stained shingles and to distribute them, and we will appreciate hearing from you with your ideas as to.,rvhether you.think this can be accomplished, and if so, the best method to pursue.

Very truly yours,

THE STARKS I\{ANUFACTURING CO.

By Donald H. Clark, Manager.

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