Your Competitor

Bv Jock Dionne

It is cr mistcke to suppose thcrt you must fight competitors.

Nothing wcs ever permcrnently crected by fighting. Fighting is pure destruction. Your competitor does not hcve to be your enemy, iust beccruse he is seeking the same sort ol business you crre. Competition doeE not kill trcde-it builds it+timulcries it-crectes cddiiioncrl business to be dividedl

This is bcsed on the ncrlurcrl lcw thct no one person ccn suit cnd plecse everyone. II you put ten sclesmen out io work c territory with the scme line ol goods, every one oI lhose salesmen will sell some persotrs whom none oI the other nine could possibly sell. It's simply the lcrw ol ncrture, cnd oI selling. No one mcn cqn develop all the possible business in cny comnunitl' or sqles district. His personclity crttrccts some but lecrves others cold. Wherever there is cr lot ol business lor one mqn, there is c lot ol other business lor someone else.

One ol the saddest untruths ihct olten blocks the pcrthwcy oI business development is the beliel thcrt there is iust so much business to be hcrd, crnd thcrt cr rival cuts your trqde down by excctly the scrme crmount oI business he secures. Not cr word ol truth in thcrt beliell As cr rule, the more trqdesmen, the more trcde. Thct ccnr be overdone, of course. But the rule holds good.

Two live grrocers in the same block will do q whole lot bigger volume oI business thcrn any one grocer ccnr do. Don't hcrte your competitor. Hcrte is crlwcrys expensive. Get well ccgucinted with him. You mcry both learn something. Don't lcrock him. Be c good sport. Plcry the game. Stcy good nqtured. Becrt him to the scle iI you ccn, but remember thct the surest wcy to beat him is to sell the best goods, give the best service, cnrd employ the most courteous sqles people.

Don't light them by cutting prices. Keep your mcrgin oI profits where they belong. Il he tries underhcmd methods with you, iust remember th<rt he is cutting off his nose to spite his lcce, and is hurting himsell iust cs much ss you would be hurting yoursell il you tried it. He cqrrnot lool crll the people crll the time. A sgucre decl cnd good ncrlure clwcys win out in ihe long run.

Your competilor will do you cr lol ol good.if you keep your eyes open He will keep you on your toes. He will lorce you to keep your eyes open, your wits clecr. He will mcrke you ener€tetic, carelul, crttentive to your trcde, crnd iltogether will be q tonic lor you.

So fcr cs your competitor is concemed, here is the best crdvice: "Keep your leel WARM, but your hecd COOL."

Frank N. Gibbs Compilcs Comparative Lumber Cost of 5-room Bungalow

The comparative cost of lumber for a S-room bungalow as prepared by Frank N. Gibbs of the Gibbs Lumber Company, Anaheim, Calif., for the years 1920-1937 appears belorv. Mr. Gibbs has compiled these figures each year since Dn. This information is of interest to our readers and each year about this time we always have inquiries as to when we are going to publish this data.

The material list contains 9322 feet of lumber and cost includes the following:

Rough lumber, Redwood and Fir ....4O77 f.eet

Fir flooring ..... S5ofeet

Redwood novelty siding .....150ofeet

Cedar shingles 350 feet

Inside finish, Fir sanded .....l226leet

Outside finish, Redwood 456feet

Mouldings, Redwood and Fir 344 f.eet

Oak flooring, /cxl'l2nd plain white 4Sofeet

Windows and doors (24 openings)

Drayage

Sales tax

Comparative Cost of S-Room Bungalow from 1920-1937

Oct. 1, 1920

Oct. l, I92I

Oc| L, 1922

Oct. l, 1923

Oct. l, 1924

Oct. l, 1925

Oct. l, 1926

Oct. l, 1927

Oct. 1, 1928

Oct. l, 1929

Oct. l, 1930

Oct. 1, 1931

Oct. l, t932

Oct. 1, 1933 Oct.

Convention Dates

Jun. 5- 7-Carolina Retail Lumber and Building Supply Dealers' Association, Jefferson Hotel, Columbia, S. C.

Jan. 11-l3-I,ndiana Lumber and Builders' Supply Association, Claypool Hotel, Indianapolis, Ind.

Jur. 12-New England Wholesale Lumbermen's Association, University Club, Boston.

J"r. 1S-Texas Mill Managers Association, Angelina Hotel, Lufkin. Monthly meeting.

Jan. l8-Z0-American Wood Preservers Association, Congress Hotel, Chicago.

Jan. 18-2G-Northwestern Lumbermen's Association, Minneapolis Municipal Auditorium, Minneapolis, Minn.

Jan.79-21-Middle Atlantic Lumbermen's Association, Bellevue-Stratford Hotel, Philadelphia, Pa.

Jan. 24-26-Mountain States Lumber Dealers' Association, Shirley-Savoy Hotel, Denver, Colo.

Jan. Z5-27-Northeastern Retail Lumbermen's Association, Hotel Pennsylvania, New York.

J an. 26-28-Southwestern Lumbermen's Association, Auditorium, Kansas City, Mo.

Jan. 31-Feb. 1-West Virginia Lumber and Building Sup.ply Dealers' Association, Huntington, W. Va.

Feb. 2- 4-Michigan Retail Lumber Dealers'Association, Hotel Statler. Detroit.

Feb. 2- 4-Iowa Association of Lumber and Building Material Dealers, Des Moines Coliseum, Des Moines. Iowa.

Feb. 2- 4-Lumber Dealers'Association of Western Pennsylvania, Fort Pitt Hotel, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Feb. 9-1l-Ohio Association of Retail Lumber Dealers, Deshler-Wallick Hotel, Columbus.

Feb. l2-Tennessee Lumber Millwork and Supply Dealers' Association, Nashville, Tenn.

Feb. 1S-l7-Wisconsin Retail Lumbermen's Association, Milwaukee.

Feb. 16-17-Western Retail Lumber Dealers' Association, Spokane, Wash.

Feb. Z4-21-Virginia Building Material Association, John Marshall Hotel, Richmond, Va.

Mar. 8- 9-South Dakota Rctail Lumbermen's Association, Sioux Falls, S. D.

Mar. 24-New Jersey Lumbermen's Association, Robert Treat Hotel, Newark.

Apr. Z8-Indiana Hardwood Lumbermen's Association, Indianapolis.