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Boosting the Cause of Oak 



Considering the intrinsic value anil general utility of oak, it is 

 really surprising to note the weakness of its position in many con- 

 suming lines. In furniture, instead of crowding mahogany for lead- 

 ing position, it has allowed the latter to take command of the 

 situation. This has been due largely to the lack of beauty of the 

 "golden" and other oak finishes which have been popular. The dark 

 finishes, which are seen more frequently now that period designs have 

 taken the lead, ought to stimulate the demand for oak. It is too 

 bad, however, that the furniture trade still permits "American quar- 

 tered oak ' ' to he made and sold, for, no matter how the people who 

 handle it may declare their honesty of purpose, it is still true that 

 a lot of people who buy it think they arc getting the genuine. A big 

 stock of this furniture was recently seen on the floor of. one of the 

 largest jobbers in the country. This man insisted that no one was 

 deceived, and that all knew that they were getting an imitation. 



The oak ]jeople can well afford to cultivate the contractor and 

 builder who puts in oak finish. A planing-mill concern which 

 installed the oak panels and other interior trim in a big courtroom 

 in a southern city some time ago had a i)liotograi)h made of this, 

 and reproduced it on postcards which were sent broadcast. This was 

 not only good publicity for the contractor, but helped the cause of 

 oak. The public only needs to have its attention properly directed 

 to oak in oriler to insure its tretting a better reception. 

 Too Many Price Buyers 



An experienced hardwood manufacturer, who has been through the 

 lumber business from one end to the other, was commenting on the 

 suggestion made in this department recently, in which it was stated 

 that the manufacturer who makes nothing but inch, say, has a better 

 run of lumber than the concern which is taking the best part of the 

 log and converting it into thick stock. 



' ' This is true enough, ' ' he conceded, ' ' but does it follow that he 

 can get enough more money to pay for this added quality? I believe 

 not. The average buyer of inch No. 1 common plain oak, for instance, 

 is a price buyer. He is going to appreciate the quality that is handed 

 him in this way, perhaps, but not to the point of paying more for it. 



"The lumberman has to take the conditions as he finds them. 

 Whenever consumers reach the point where they will adjust price to 

 quality, and will not simply buy the lumber that is offered at the 

 lowest price, there may be some opportunity for the manufacturer 

 who puts his best stock into the staple, inch, to get more money for 

 it than if he had been making thick stock when the character of his 

 log made this advisable. ' ' 



All of which would seem to -indicate that the consumer who has 

 educated himself on this point will not only get better lumber for his 

 money, bnt will be a better customer for the lumberman who can 

 supply it. Education benefits both parties to the transaction. 



Consumers in the Lumber Business 

 There is a certain large concern in the furniture manufacturing 

 business which operates its own sawmill and veneer mill and lays 

 its own veneers. In other words, it makes the furniture in the sense 

 that it takes the tree and converts it into the finished product. 



This company is reputed to be successful, and yet it is hard to see 

 how a policy of this kind can make for the greatest possible success. 

 Even admitting that the consumer is "saving" the profit which 

 would go to the lumber and veneer manufacturers who would supply 

 the material otherwise, there are obvious handicaps. The factory 

 which is able to select just the grades it needs to manufacture its 

 product to the best advantage has the edge on the concern which is 

 trying to use up all of the output of the log in its own plant. It is 

 certainly going to have its troubles doing this without loss of 

 efficiency. 



Or it may be compelled, as the Singer Sewing Machine Company 

 has been, to operate a lumber business on the side, as a means of 

 disposing of the surplus stock which it cannot use to advantage. This 

 means more organization, more effort, more troubles, which are 

 avoided by the simple plan of concentrating on the main issue. 



It is fair to assume that one can make the most money out of the 

 business he knows best. If one is in the furniture business, giving 

 that trade complete attention would seem to be a good way to 

 succeed in it. To divide one's effort and energy between lumber and 

 furniture does not seem the best way to "get there." 



A large farm wagon concern in the Ohio valley operated its own 

 sawmill for a good many years. There was some excuse for this, 

 because it used a lot of dimension stock, which could be cut to best 

 advantage right out of the log, and having a mill enabled it to work 

 up this dimension stock nicely. But after an experience extending 

 over a long period the concern closed the mill and sold the equipment. 

 It had found the game not to be worth the candle. 



The tendency is all in the direction of cutting down manufacturing 

 scope, for the sake of increasing manufacturing efiiciency. Panel 

 manufacturing and dimension business of other kinds is growing in 

 favor. One concern in a thousand may find it profitable to make all 

 of its material and handle lumber manufacturing as well as the 

 furniture manufacturing liusiness, but the other 999 will agree that 

 their best interests demand better concentration of their capital and 

 personal resources. 



Protect Motors from Dust 



Though few mills are electrically operated, many lumber plants 

 have one or more motors for special work, such as resawing. The 

 motor is an uncomplaining, steady worker, as a rule, and doesn't 

 require much attention. That is one reason why it gets so little. 

 If it were a little more troublesome, and got out of order more 

 easily, it would probably be studied more closely and kept in better 

 shape. Among the things that should be watched are oiling and 

 cleaning. The latter is somewhat difficult in the ordinary lumber or 

 woodworking jdant, unless the motor is housed. A wooden housing, 

 enclosing it almost completely, will protect the parts from dust and 

 will keep it in good condition, whereas an exposed motor will be 

 subject to this condition and will probably cause trouble on this 

 account. 



Don't Overload the Customer 



When there is an opportunity to do so, the salesman who can get 

 an order for the immediate delivery of a big block of stock usually 

 seizes it, without stopping to consider whether the amount is greater 

 than the customer really ought to buy, or not. He figures that this 

 is the customer's look-out, so he loads him up with as much as he 

 will take. 



A proposition of this kind always carries a kick-back, however. 

 If the customer has been persuaded to buy more than he ought to 

 have, he wiU either regret it, and make trouble by hard grading and 

 unreasonable rejections, or he will not be inclined to pay up promptly, 

 so that the business will not be so satisfactory as it should have been. 



The salesman who thinks of the consumer's interest, and advises 

 him accordingly, will be rendering his house and his customer service, 

 and will be making it easier to get the next order. 



Cutting Down the Premium. 



One of the best waj's to save money in the lumber business is 

 to save it in the overhead, which, despite opinion to the contrary, 

 is more elastic than nearly any other single element of cost. Take 

 for instance the item of fire insurance. That appears to be rigid, 

 but as a matter of fact it isn't. The lumberman who had a real 

 underwriter go over his proposition, be it a sawmill, factory or 

 yard, and advise him how to improve his risk so as to reduce the 

 rate, would find numerous opportunities to do so, and without 

 going to great expense. 



The reason every insurance agent does not make recommenda- 

 tions of this kind is because the agent gets paid a commission on 

 the gross premium, and a reduction in premium means a reduction 

 in income for him. The live agent, of course, gives service of this 

 kind to hold his business. If you haven 't had any suggestions along 

 this line, pay somebody for them, or ask the inspection bureau o£ 

 the companies to advise you. 



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