President's Address

At the First Annual Meeting

Millwork Institute of California

Gentlemen: It gives me gredt pleasure to welcome you to San Francisco. In opening this Quarterly, and the First Annual meeting of the Millwork Institute of California, I feel that we should at this time review the work of the past year. Much can be said of that which has been accomplished and of the prospects of the future. Most important is the fact that it has brought together the best of the mill operators of this State into close aequaintanceship, with a sllccess that could hot have been attained in any other way. It has created a tie of friendship which is at once a steppingstone to and a foundation for good team rvork, which in turn is the forerunner of good resrrlts to the industry.

Our State Institution has Branches in San Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles, Stockton, Sacramento, Fresno, and San Diego. This shorvs progress, and so long as we keep going ahead, it means that we are not slipping backwards or standing still. We have made mistakes and will, in all probability, make more, as nothing big is ever done without its quota of errors. We may expect to reap from organization and its work just what we put into it, and our main look-out is that we plant no "chaff."

Through organization we can raise the ' standard of the millwork industry to its proper level, and form a closer relationship between the rnill man and the architect, and betrveen the ntill man and the contractors, and bring about the condition rvherein the mill man is adequately paid for the class of service that he aims to give.

I believe that we should give the Institute and the Listing Bureaus the great credit that is due them by publishing their aims and activities. and that each member of the Institute and each subscriber to Listing Bureau service should have printed on his stdtionery "Member of the Millwork Instittrte of California," and., "Subscriber to the Listing Bureau service." Also that they should hang cards printed with the same statement on the walls of their offices. Inasmuch as the interest of the industry is identical with the interest of both tht Architect and the Contractor, that is, the progress of bdilding, there is no reason why all of the activities of the Institute should not be brought to the attdntion of both the Architect and the Contractor.

We have as Managing Director an able man, who has started some excellent missionary work, and also the task of eradicating the unethical practices of some buyers of millwork and of some mills.

Your co-operation with the Maneging Directors and the Secretaries of your respective Branches is necessary to the great results that can be accomplished along these lines, and which are vitally to your own interest.

We must all give serious thought to the question of "Poaching," as touched upon by the Managing Director in his last report. Poaching and like practices are the quickest and most dangerous factors working against the success of association and organization, and will very quickly tear them down, together with all of the good that has been done.

In closing, as my term of office is about to expire, I want to thank the Officers and Directors for the great assistance they have given me, and the mernbers fot their hearty co-operation.

Yours. for the betterment of the Mill Industry,

' H. W. GAETJEN, President, Millwork Institute of California.