Does Cooperation Pay?

Address delivered at the Annual Meeting of the Millwork Institute of California by Will Goddard, SecretaryManager, M. I. C., Alameda County Branch.

When our genial managing director asked me to talk upon some subject of interest to you gentlemen assembled in solemn conclave at the Annual Conference of the Millwork Institute of California, I hesitatingly agreed to do so, feeling how mediocre my abilities as an orator were and knowing so many members, if they would, could rio so with much better etfect.

However, some time ago I made a talk on a similar subjecr to the one allotted to me and my friends told me I had got l-.;' al, right, so I was somewhat enthused, but when the present progranrs were mailed to the industry, one of my member.s dropped into my office and said, "Bill, I want to give you some good advice."

I immediately said that I would like to hear what it was, tltinking he would say I would probably be in line for some important position on the stafi of the Millwork Institute of California, or rf not that, probably something as important.

But he said, "It is this: it is a great deal better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."

So I am taking great chances in speaking at all, but'if there are any present who really do not know the answer to the query my subject propounds, they are certainly not far removed from the class of people who make their homes in Napa.

The subject is-"Does Cooperatior.Pay?"

The question itself is as imbecilic as, "Does the sun give heat?"

' It is as crazy as, "Will water quench thirst?" It is as dumb as, "Can a duck swim?"

Does cooperation pay? Twenty years ago an association of business men was as scarce as hen's teeth. The few who had organized were leaders in their line of endeavor. They were men of great vision; men who saw the handwriting on the wall, To a man well versed in his business, who with thorough training has mastered all the different angles of finance, has made himself a past master in all matters executive and knows to the fraction of a cent the cost of each article that his plant produces; to such a man I say that notwithstanding his perfect plant and organization, notwithstanding his efficiency, the success of his business much depends on his cooperation and association with men who also happen to be trying t6 earn their livelihood in the same line of industry.

His next door neighbor is just as anxious to keep his plant working to capacity as he himself is and should he find that orders are faling ofi, a riduction in price (while not the most profitable) seems to bJ the easiest way to keep the pot boiling for the time being. This is the first nail in the coftin. Twenty-four hours have not elapsed before the cut in price is everyone's business. Every ma-nufaciurer of that line of goods is well assured that he can manufacture just as cheap as his competitor and about 90 per cent are of the opinion they can manufacture cheaper.

You all know the 6na1 outcome. The one with the largest bank rotl lasts a little longer, the weaker brethren go to the wall a little quicker, but worse luck, are replaced only too quickly by bigger damned fools and the referee in bankruptcy the only one to reap anv benefit.

these were the conditions that our big men of twenty years ago foresaw and hence the birth of business men's associations.

Have any of you watched closely the records of industries other than your own? Try to buy a certain brand of shoes and try three or four different merchants and see if one is disposed to sell at a price less than his competitor. Try and buy a certain brand of hat in a similar manner. Try and borrow money from two different banks and see how much lower the rate of interest will be at one bank than the other. Try ihirts, try clothes, try gasoline, try tires, try any damned commodity outside of lumber, millwork and sash and doors and see where you get.

With few exceptions, from the cobbler to the banker, we see men who have the courage to ask a price for their commodities which will return at least a small margin of profit for the services they render.

Yet we lumbermen, millmen and sash and door men, controlling, or rather I should say, operating an industry which is one of the largest if not the largest in the state of California, are absolutely sittrng contented without any real effort to correct the present day villainous uncontrolled system of merchandising.

What is wrong with us? We have all at one time or another been members or a cooperative organization. There is not orib present but will admit that during the period of cooperation it has been possible, (if not to make a reasonable pro6t,) to have at least bettered conditions, and to have at least reduqed the previous loss.

Men, every Tom, Dick and Harry of us are to blame. We are too prone just to look to our own personal gain. We forget the other fellow. We forget that to help ourselves, we m,ust help the other man; we must realize that to establish healthy conditions for ourselves, they must be healthy for our competitor.

We are all in the same boat and as soon as we begin to rock the boat, we are liable to be the first to fall out.

Gentlemen, I have preached cooperation for twenty-five years, I have seen unbelievable results attained. I have records in one locality where in the short period of nine months cooperation added an additional $256,000.00 to the pockets of the members, and it cost those same members $600,000.00 for just one year of unbridled cornpetition only eighteen months later. Can you explain why men will illow themselves to be drawn into such a chaotic condition after experiencing what cooperation can do and what disastrous results wide open competition has wrought? No progress was ever made by competition, but the permanent advance of the race has been by cooperation. We know it, we honestly believe it, and we admit it.

What then is wrong? I have told you before and I will tell you again. We are almost devoid of vision; we are almost without faith; we are almost without confidence, and pretty soon we witt be without hope. Can we meet much longer in these conventions to discuss our problems unless soon we can see some real good achieved ?

Can we much longer shake hands with each other and eat at the same table when our very actions show we have no confidence in each other? Men, I think we are all wrong. We have got to get together in a bond of friendship. We have got to discuss- ways and means of instilling within the very souls of all of us a confidence that can not be shaken. We have been too prone to judge the other fellow of wrong doing, when probably our own skirts have not been too clean.

How many of us would dare to stand up if the Great Master were to command, "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone?"

Not one of rrs. We are none of us angels. We are not one whit better than the other man.

(Continued on Page 24)

Arnple Stock:

Whetfier your order be large or small, or in mixed selections, you are assured of a full and complete delivery.

Standardization:

The very choice woods are made available, and panel stock is more easily sold today due to economies, and low cost b-rought about by standardization.