State Retailers Hold Annual Convention At Oakland

Discussion of the many problems that confront retail lumbermen featured the annual convention of the California Retail Lumbermen's Association held at the Hotel Oakland, Oakland, November 19, 20 and 21, with the largest attendance in several years.

Trade promotion, relative importance of lumber and side lines, progress of grade marking of Douglas fir lumber, the new Red Cedar shingle program, trucking, the new contractor's license law, credits and collections and legislation were among the subj,ects discussed by the various speakers.

An important decision was made when the convention decided to approve the new program of the Red Cedar Shingle Bureau, and recommended to all members and dealers-in the State that the square pack shingle, grade marked and ing of the boards of directors of the Millwork Institute of California and the California Retail Lumbermen's Association.

Thursday Afternoon

The convention was called to order at 1:30 p.m. by S. E. Dalton of Oakland, who welcomed the gathering on behalf of the Oakland dealers.

President H. A. Lake, in his report said the present membership of the association is 393, a net loss of less than four per cent in the past year, which he considered a splendid showing. He stated that the association had done splendid work in helping with and sponsoring the organization of local groups in Northern California during the year, and he felt that the State organization had thoroughly sold it- certified by the Bureau, be stocked and 6/2 inch shingle be eliminated. and that the

Ten new directors were elected to serve on the board for the three-year priod. The full board consists of 27 directors. Election of officers was deferred for 9O days. The new directors are: Peninsula District, Paul M. P. Merner, Merner Lumber Co., Palo Alto; Coast Counties District, Ar- thur Hayward, Flomer T. Hayward Lumber Co., Salinas, and W. A. Bayles, McKinnon's Lumber Yard, Hollister; Ventura County District, Roy H. Myer, People's Lumber C'o., Ven_tura; San Joaquin Valley Diitrict, nitptr Duncan, Merced Lumber Co., Merced; Santa Monica Bav District.

A. J. Stoner, Sarvtelle Lumber Co., Sawtelle; San-Francisco Eay_District, S. E. Dalton, Melrose Lumber & Supply Co., Oakland; Orange County District, Henry M. - Adams, Adams-Bowers Lumber Co., Anaheim: l\{arin Countv Distric-t,^R. C- Daugherty. Larkspur Lumber Co., Larkspur, and San Bernardino and Riverside Counties and Inland Empire District, Fred Chapin, Chapin Lumber Co., San Bernardino.

Thursday Morning

Committee reports and the secretary's at a breakfast meeting of the board of a.m. The secretaries of the local group a meeting at 10:30 a.m.

Thursday Noon report r,vere heard directors held at 8 organizations held

The noon hour was given over to a joint luncheon meet- self to the dealers in the northern half of the state. He referred to the formation of the Lumbermen's Council which he believes will cooperate fully with the association.

"The next thing the association needs to tackle is trade promotion," said Mr. Lake, "and we should increase our membership, get organized and go in for trade promotion on a big scale."

The p.resident commended Dee Essley, manager of the a,qsociation, for- his great work in assisting in thJ organiza- tion of many local groups, and in conclusion comirented on the beautiful decorations of the convention hall, consisting of _a large painting of a Redwood forest sc,ene sup- plied by the California Redwood Association, and Douglis fir trees supplied by the Chas. R. McCormick Lumber-Co.

"Douglas {ir Manufacturers' Problems" was thp Eubject lssigned to Col. W. B. Greeley, secretary-manager, West Coast Lumbermen's Association, Seattle. Col. Gr-eelev said that- grade-marking and trade marking of lumber rnigtrt be described as putting lumber on the gold stanclard. -He told of the success of the grade-marking program followed in.-the last _two years in Southern California by 45 distributors. This has created a definite demand in fhat t,erri- tory for grade-marked lumber, and 275 yards have been carrying or suppiying grade-marked lumber, some of which stock nothing else. His association is ready to do in the San Francisco Bay district what they have done in South(Continued on Page 12)