HARDWOOD RECORD 



other lines want business, loolt tor it, preuare for it, wo liave to stand 

 for the boost; tell the buyer about the waning forest supply, and next 

 spring toll him that the forest has expanded and prices are going down. 

 The wholesale yard is stable — it quotes a positive price, which must by the 

 very nature of things be on the market; It acts as a promoter o£ the use 

 of lumber, because it keeps the full line and has the pleasure of roosting 

 on a volcano of changing market conditions. 



Keeping tiIb New Linp: of Woods 

 The wholesale yard keeps a complete line of all the commercial woods 

 and must of necessity have a large capital invested in the newer kinds 

 of wood seeking a market. Once it has them in pile, they claim much 

 of the yard's attention, since a market must be found and developed, or 

 money "lost, on the investment. Now, I do not relate these stories from 

 humorous motives. There Is, though, humor in them— but grim reality 

 will lead you to believe that there is too much poker playing among the 

 members of your own family. 



W]1V SlBSTITLTES WIN FAVOK 



This brings us right up to the stern reaiity of the question why suli- 

 stitutes are gaining ground with tlic distributing, or retail yard. Mr. 

 Substitute has n policy in his merchandising — a fixed policy. His price 

 is established and is not subjected to the daily price barometer, the 

 "Weather Bird" price. 



ItELATION OF MlLI,-WHOI.ESAI-ER AND KETAILER 



Take the wall-board people — they have tholr agencies who buy car- 

 loads, who take care of the jobbers at a fixed percentage of profit, thus 

 giving the retailor a positive price to work on. If they work the small 

 buyer earnestly, the latter, the retail yard, can become a car buyer, 

 that meaning a hope of reward for his trouble in the shape of the jobbers 

 extra profit. Worth working for, is it not? Compare this kind of mer- 

 chandising with ours? IIow did your books look to you in December — 

 Just like the weather, cold and dreary? But, why worry? We are the 

 most Christian people on earth and Oh: so hopeful that tlio future may 

 be bright. 



rxl-AI.I.ED roil I.OSSKS 



Naturally a dealer docs not like to sacrifice real money on a staple 

 commodity like lumber and, mind you. through no fault of his. He Is 

 trying to do his duty by the community by keeping a full line, and a 

 change ot six dollars a thousand on common lumber between high and 

 low point inside of a year is not justified. It is not a fair difference to 

 a millman. wholesaler, dealer, or buyer. As a matter of course, a dealer 

 is in buiiiness to make his living by it, and while he wants to defend 

 lumber against substitutes, he must defend his investment against loss, 

 and the substitute' has it on us when it comes to that. 



P;dLCAT1NG the VAUIOL'S DEI'AKTMENTS 



We will admit, for argument's sake, that a great many yards have 

 come into being by chance of circumstance, and the yard dealers are 

 tlierefore not always business men, but other lines are not exempt in 

 this particular. Competition and the demands of the community will 

 either compel the dealer to build up to the proper standard of what he 

 should be, or let him down. The competitor ot lumber, be his specialty 

 wall board, roofing paper, shingles, or galvanized products, sends his men 

 to the retail .vard ot the towns and willingly takes the time to teach 

 him how to present and talk his stuff, lie takes time, also, to talk with 

 him and with a prospective buyer. 



Tuning Ur the Dealek 



In such places, therefore, where lumber does not get its duos, it is 

 well to use a tuning fork on the dealer and tighten him up to the proper 

 pitch so he can sing sweet strains of lumber at least just as well as 

 victrola songs of substitutes. 



INDIVIDIALITY A IFOUCE 



Individuality Is what counts in selling goods. The individuality must 

 be behind the article. It must be presented in a human way, even the 

 advertising may be intensely human, to make it interesting; must be 

 continuous, persistent, and then the human being itself must throw 

 itself on the screen to show that it is a real live one and actually exist- 

 ent. That's what the dealer ought to be. It's that sort of a man who 

 can help lumber, and :t does not require a live wire lu every township, 

 but a doxen retail dealers in a state, banded together and backed by 

 wholesaler and sawmill, can change the coniple.\ion of things mightily. 

 Changes in Blilding Codes 



It is the dealer's duty to watch the building codes in his community 

 and have lumber receive Its due consideration. Let us be justly fair, and 

 not fairly just, in speaking of cement, brick, tile, slate and iron. The 

 types of heavy enduring structures that tower to the sky and which 

 Issue bonds, often for ninety-nine 4-ears, must guarantee indestructibility. 

 'Twas ever so long before the Christian era that In the enduring monu- 

 ment stone was used. 



Where Lumber Should Have Its Chance 



But we have field enough in business structures where lumber offers 

 safety, chance for remodeling and expansion. In connection with low 

 cost. We are not all building monuments for the future. 

 Catering to Styles in Lumber 



The dealer must be Interested in the styles of lumber. He should 

 push the bungalow idea of building. Push the double floor idea for 

 insulation and deadening of sound. Encourage the architect to specify 

 beamed coiling In the dining and living rooms, to show the beautiful 

 effects that can be secured out ot wood products, and thus keep up with 

 the style. 



Keal Retailing 



.\s an Illustration of what a dealer can do, I will mention that for five 

 years we have been pushing oak flooring. Some circular matter about 

 sanitary linoleum and oil cloth reached me at my home and set me think- 

 ing. 



Sanitary Floors 



Oak flooring, the most beautiful and sanitary of woods, it struck mo, 

 did not have even a look-in on the business, or a friend to talk for it, 

 so we put out 10.000 circulars, with a color-tone of oak flooring in its 

 natural colors. We sent these in St. Louis to carpenters, business men 

 and tradesmen of every kind, telling of the sanitary qualities of oak 

 flooring, said that we would make them a lump price on laying a floor 

 complete, waxed and varnished. We, of course, told our customer, the 

 floor layer, all about our move — working with 'olm — as all we wanted 

 was the floor out of it. 



THE Department Store in L-jMrer 



Then we put in a separate circular for lumber, telling these same 

 consumers that we would deliver to them any quantity of lumber, cross- 

 cut, ripped, dressed-up, neatly bundled and tied with a blue ribbon, ready 

 tor use. These circulars attracted attention to lumber. We did not get 

 all the business that was created by it, but we got some ot it and the 

 other boys got some. The sawmill docs not like to make specials — It 

 wants to standardize the sizes — wants to make a Browning-King ready- 

 made clothing affair out of all its lumber, but there are many people who 

 want odd things that everybody does not have, just as you may want 

 your suit tailor-made ot original design and imported woolen. Everybody 

 does not want beaded ceiling like Grandpa used. It's time we got up 

 some new patterns. 



Sell What Your Customer Wants 



"get 



The dealer should be prepared to cater to these whims 

 lumber to order" with just as much pleasure as the staples. 



Lumber in tlie future will have to be furnished in a more complete 

 usable state from year to year. The shop work of the carpenter is 

 a past issue, because machinery can do it better and cheaper. Sash 

 and door houses furnish sash primed and glazed. Yes, they furnish 

 doors and jambs filled, varnished and fitted, ready to set in the wall, and 

 casing cut to length and coated. Why should we not learn from them 

 a valuable lesson? 



Necessity of Furnishing a Finished Product 



We have been following the path ot least resistance in the retail 

 line. We want to deliver lumber in the crude, realizing while we do it 

 that handwork at the building site may make the articles, when In 

 place, higher than eye-beams, expanded metal, and other things that are 

 after us competing for the same order. The advertising ot finished house 

 patterns is only a forerunner of what we will come to, or rather should 

 have proposed for certain houses long ago. We should not censure the 

 concerns who advertise finished cut-to-order patterns, but should be on 

 this job and learn, learn and learn, and think, think, think. The retail 

 yard will, in certain localities, have to put In machinery to handle this 

 business. Last year we handled a shelving order of $4,000 cut to size, 

 who knows but that had we not had the facilities to do this work, the 

 wire rack or ornamental iron form would have gotten the business? And 

 others can do as well. 



Lu.MBKR Tu';ating 



If treatment ot lumber is to be promoted, we must not overlook this, 

 namely: that the 'lumber retailer, or his nearby wholesaler, will have to 

 take care of the local man wanting small quantities who cannot offer a 

 treating plant a drum-full at one ' time, yet needs to have your best 

 attention and consideration, because he Is a true friend of the lumber 

 product. 



;.,ight ahead 



Gentlemen, there is light ahead. There have been types of trees put 

 into lumber sizes tor -.vhich, by tholr worth and character, they were 

 not intended. But the Panama canal will help our business to keep only 

 the hlghei t.vpes ot trees Into their enduring places so that the third 

 grade and Inferior kinds from cut-over land will take their places and 

 step down to the uses for which they are properly adapted. 



The sul'ject assigned to mc might be likened to the broad ocian, whose 

 waves touch many shores, and for the short time at my disposal I have ei.- 

 deavored to only cover the most important as they arise, like the sun of 

 day, above the water line. The modern way is to di.-jgncse a case before 

 you operate, and we must touch upon the symptoms first to arrive at a 

 conclusion — so I would call this a diagnosis with some suggestions ofwJ 

 remedy. 



Shaking Hands All Around 



There is iioort ot more lamlly reunion — the millman has been busy — 

 tlie wholesaler b.is been busy, and the retailer has been busy ; each in- 

 terest intent upon tolving this great and stupendous undertaking of the 

 merchandising ot lumber, and solving it right. May the brotherhood of 

 the forest stimulate closer and more endearing relations tor the future 

 between us all and as a last thought let us remember that — 



■Men who have reached great heights and V 



Did not attain by sudden flight. 



P.ut thoy while their companions slept 



Wore toiling upward In the night." 



?pt 



