Another Lesson From the Auto Industry

Bg Jach Dionne

The home building merchant has learned plenty of good lessons from the auto industry in the last ten yedrs.

And he can keep right on learning them.

Take the Automotive Equipment Association activities, for instance. They, for the past year, have been conducting an "Ask'em to Buy" campaign, their idea being that every man who owns a car is a prospective purchaser of some of the many things that are being built nowadays to improve, and beautify the car.

They sold that idea to the auto supply men of the whole nation. When a car drives up to a service station for any purpose, run your eye over the car, inspect its equipment, note what is missing, and suggest the addition of that thing or things to the owner. "Ask him to buy it." Suggestion sells worlds of things that the buyer had neve,r dreamed of purchasing, until the suggestion came along.

That is.what this journal, since the day of its birth, has been advising the lumber dealer to do. Of course, the home owner can't drive his home up to the lumber dealer's door, so the lumber dealer has to do the, visiting, which makes it somewhat more difficult, but the opportunities remain the same.

Now, the auto manufacturers are making it hard for the "Ask'em to Buy" dealers, by realizing that in the past, when cars were shipped and sold practically in stripped condition, the auto equipment man made as much or more profit as did the auto dealer. So now many cars are coming from the factory fully equipped. These additions are extra, and have to be added to the list price, but the purchaser, seeing them on the car, very seldom can bear to order any of them taken off. He buys them.

Thus is the public being sold in two ways on the extra equipment for his new car, and for his old car.

The building merchant has that same opportunity. He has his plans of built-in things, of French doors, mirrored doors, extra porches, and a hundred other things, that can be added to either the old home or the new, and which must be sold by the power of suggestion, and the art of visualization, just as the auto man does it.

The "Ask 'em to Buy" campaign applies beautifully to the building merchant. Let's use it more generally.

The

California Retail Lumber Annual Is Over. Fresno proved a splendid host and the Convention was the best in the history of the Association. The dealers returned hoine full of new ideas about quality, service, andbetter business methods. We congratulate the Association on the splendid meeting.

OAK-250 species in all, 50 of them in thc Unitcd States.

Used universally for flooring, shipbuilding, in automobiles, furniture, etc. The Oak is an evergreen trce.

Our cork comes from the bark of the Oak, growing in Portugal.

A church at Hull, England, was repaired recently and it was discovered that the entire framework was of Oak. It was built in, 1270.

"Bobbie" Byrne Tells L. A. Hoo Hoo About Hardwoods

B. W. (Bobbie) Byrne, Secretary of the Western Hardwood Lumber Company, was chairman at the November 5, the first of the monthiy "surprise" meetings.

President Wickersham explained that these meetings would be held once each month, that one of the members would be called upon as the speaker and that he would tell about his own business.

Bobbie officiated well for the hardwood industry and told the boys a number of things that were no doubt nerv to them.

The most interesting thing that he related was the discovery, by scientists, tfiat the Ark, that splendid equippage that iarrild Noah and his large animal family to safety, was constructed of a wood known as Gopher Wood, believed to be a species of Cypress, one of the greatest of the rotresisting 'commercial'woods. It has been stated that Noah coleredhi. vessel with a heavy layer of pitch.

The speaker touched on practically all of the better known cbmmercial hardwoods, telling a few of the characterstics, where the trees are found, etc.

Some of the high lights of the address follo'iv :

Announcing

General Sales Office

For

Red Cedar Shingles

Muufacturcd BY

Schefcr Bror. Shinglc Co.

Nadonel Lunber & Mfg. Co.

Joc Crcck Sbinglc Co.

RtpIry Ccdar Co.

Ultlcm Shinglc Co.

Montceeno, Wuh. Hoquian, Wuh. Aloha, Wath. Abordcni Wath. Abcrdccn, Wuh.

We are in position to furnish your requirements in all kinds of Shingles, either Grccn or Kiln Dricd, for all rail or water shipment, and in order to better serve you have opened a general sates office in the Finch Building, Aberdeen, Washington.

We manufacture:

6/2 Extta *A*'s

5/2 Extra *A*'s Extra Clears Premium Clears and all corresponding second grades

XXXXX Perfect Clears Eurekas Perf ections Royals

GENERAL SALES OFFICES:

TVTRGRTTN S]IINGI.T GORPORAIION

Suitc 241, Finch Building

Abcrdeen, 'Warh.

The largest Oak tree is in California, at Sonora. Thc best Oak comes from Indiana and West Virginia.

BIRCH-Comes from Michigan and Wisconsin and some frorn Japan. Used for flooring, wagon work, etc., where great strength is required.

MAPLE-From the same states in this country as Birch, used for flooring and furniture work. The Maple is found all over the world but the best commercial varieties grow in our own country.

MAHOGANY-An evergreen, growing mainly in Central America and the Indies. Used largely for cabinet work, airplane and boat building, etc. Mahogany is largely used in this country. Other varieties come from Africa, not a true mahogany, but generdly accepted as such, the same as the varieties produced in the Philippines.

GUM-From the Mississippi Valley, used largely for finish and cabinet work. A familiar wood.

HICKORY-The toughest American wood, grown all over the United States and used largely for wheels, handles, spring boards, ctc.

POPLAR-AIso from the Mississippi Valley, used where great strength is required.

ASH-Comes from all parts of this country, and there are gr€at virgin stands in Siberia.

AROMATIC CEDAR-Grows in Eastern United States, principally Tennessee. Used originally for pencil, and now mainly for closet lining and chests. This wood is practically evcrlasting and its aroma renders it bug and moth proof.

TEAK-Comes from Bangkok, Siam. Very heavy in oil content and is used extensively in ship work and for high class finish work. The tree is ringed three years before cutting to allow drainage so that the tree, when felled, will be suficient dry to foat to the mill. Elephants are used in thc teak operation and it is interesting that thc forests owe their origin to the ancient custom of planting innumerable trees around the temples and shrines.

IRON BARK-Comes from Australia, and is a spccies of eucalyp- tus. Is very hard and heavy, thc trces grow to an immcnsc sizc. Used largely in shipbuilding, bridge work and elsewhere where great strcngth is required.

LIGNUM VITAF-Comes from Central America. Is the hardest and heaviest wood known. Very heavy in oil contcnt, uscd for bcarings on ships, and is sold by the pound.

MEYER & HODGE

330 Clrapman Building, Loc Angehr Phone VAndike 4912

REPRESENTTNG RELIABLE MILIS FOR-

LUMBER DOORS PANELS

MEYER &

SHIPPING BOTH CARGO and RAIL HODGB

22 home designs b1certified architects in the new book "Redwood Home Plans." Complete plans and specifications at a llorninal fee. Write for details.