Past And Future of The Millwork Industry

By A. V. Berrrhauer, President of the Millwort In*itutc of C.alifornia. Address made at the Annual Convention of the Millwor& In*inrtc of California, November 21, l9r0, San Francisco, Cdifornia.

The woodworking industry, like many others, has been revolutionized by the rapidly changing conditions and the present machine age. If we will go back several centuries we will find expert mechanics putting their very lives into the woodworking industry and producing some of the masterpieces in architectural woodwork. Beauty and quality were of prime importance and the cost and time required occupied only a secondary place.

In more modern times mass production has taken the place of hand craftsmanship and in the mad rush to produce large quantities of stock millwork quality has been sacrificed. The desire to do a large volume of business created a competitive condition that rvas not sound and forced many manufacturers to further reduce their quality in order to cope with the strained economic conditions.

About this time manufacturers of substitutes for wood entered the buildingfield on a competitive basis and through superior salesmanship- and well-planned.advertising campaigns were able to replace rvood in many instances.

This brief, summarv of the past can only serve as a background for what we may expect in the future, but what about the status of wood in 1930.

We have often seen in print'and heard the statement made from platforms that there is a "trend back to wood" and we ask ourselves, "Why?" In answer to this question I would say that the fundamental reason is that artificial substitutes cannot successfully compete rvith a God-made product. Wood has character, beauty, rvarmth, durability and can be used by the great masses more economically than any other natural building material.

In order to sell their materials manufacturers of substitutes have tried to imitate rvood. Golf clubs with steel shafts are made to resemble wood so closely that it takes a close inspection to find that they are not really wood. Metal furniture is painted to imitate various types of hardwood and only by its cold, metallic ring can it be distinguished from mahogany or oak. Many mis-statements have been made setting forth the qualities of substitutes but like all other propaganda the true facts will ahvays prevail and in due time the public will choose rvisely and use. the material that represents the greatest value and affords the most comfort.

In order to reap the full benefit of this "trend back to wood" itwill be necessary for us to make some radical changes in our internal organization. The fundamental requirements of any successful salesman is that he must himself be sold on the merchandise that he is trying to sell to others. This applies to wood as s'ell as other commodities and we have got to sell ourselves on the beauty and value of wood before we can intelligently discuss this matter u'ith prospective owners or architects.

In our industry we employ thousands of men in our offices, shops and sales forces and these employees, if properly educated to the value of wood, would become a valuable asset to the industry and could do much to promote its welfare.

We have too many job holders and too few skilled me- chanics who love to rvork in wood and perform their daily task with interest in their work and a feeling that they are helping humanity to better enjoy life by their labors.

We must carry the story of wood to the outside world and through a well organized Trade Promotion Program contact architects, owners and contractors and provc to them that wood can serve every building purpose as efficiently now as it did in the years gone by.

If the present industrial war continues the death rate will increase at an appalling rate. If we would learn to fight for profits in place of fighting our competitors our energ:f would be turned from destruction to usefulness.

The manufacturers of woodwork seem to have a price complex and the favorite sport of many of our executives is in cutting bids and then complaining that their business does not justify paying association dues for the promotion of the industry good. If we once convince ourselves that we are entitled to the cost of production, plus a fair pro6t, we can sell this idea to our trade regardless of co-mpetitive conditions existing. It requires courage and leadership to launch out on a constructive program of this kind in times of depression but it has been proven again and again that such leadership can succeed and that others will follow if the trail is once blazed.

In this industrial age lve have stressed the importance of modern machinery but have often times neglected the human element. Old type machines manned by men who have a vital interest in the success of the organization will produce more and better millwork than modern machines manned by disloyal employees who have no interest in their work or the organization of rvhich they are a part. Anv ordinary employee will respond tofair treatment and the employer must, by personal contact, cement the relationships between himself and his employees as in this way only can success be achieved.

In these days of unemployment every employer has an added responsibility. Working men on a part time basis. thereby distributing the burden among all of the employees, with the management carrying its full share, is much better than reducing the force toa minimum, putting many men permanently out of employment.

The Millwork Institute was organized seven years ago by a few progressive industry leaders who saw a need for such an organization. That same need exists today and with a wider vision and an expanded program we should face the future with an optimistic mind. The Institute has withstood the test of time and today stands on a firm foundation ready to carry on in fields of greater activity.

As a sloglrn for Nineteen Hundred Thirty-one we might say "Fifty Per Cent Increase in Volume". This can be accomplished by seeing that more woodrvork is used in building's which are norv being planned and increasing the ratio of architectural rvoodwork to the total cost of construction from the present five per cent to seven and one-half per cent.

Let optimism replace pessimism and let's do something constructive and support the organization that has an op- portunitl' of serving us rvell during the coming year.