42 



SELLING LUMBER 



The Sales- 

 man Knows 

 Conditions 

 Best 



tain extent, that it is left to the judgment of the customer. In 

 that event we all know that the largest percentage of lengths 

 ordered would be very heavily 14 and 16 feet. 



Mr. Nelson : Educate or change your salesman. 



Mr. Austin : We can't always do it. I do believe the best 

 way to handle those shipments is to give the instructions to 

 each mill of approximately the amount of each length to be 

 shipped; and if you find you want to change that, on account 

 of some specific location where they can use a little more of 

 one length, issue special instructions on the order when you 

 send it to the mill. (Applause). 



Mr. Wiener: I want to agree with Mr. Nelson. I think the 

 salesman should specify on his order an assortment of lengths, 

 so if the length is in question on an order of one or more lengths 

 the mill's troubles are over. We ,can never tell when an order 

 cornes to a mill what is in the customer's mind. An order of 

 10 to 20- foot lengths might go to a place where all of one length 

 might be shipped; or, the customer might want a fair assortment 

 of lengths. The salesman, when he takes the order, is on the 

 ground, and has some opportunity of knowing what is actually 

 wanted ; so, if he knows the customer could use any one length, 

 his order ought to read that way, so that any shipping clerk Vould 

 know what is wanted, and avoid any future controversy. (Ap- 

 plause). 



The Chairman: Is there any further discussion, gentlemen, 

 of this problem. I have another one here : 



"Why should any sales be made for 6-inch No. 2 fencing, 

 ceiling or center matched eliminating the Association percentage 

 of 4 and 6- foot lengths ?" 



Mr. Burgoyne: No salesman or sales manager ought to per- 

 mit the sale of No. 2, other than strictly in accordance with the 

 rules of the Southern Pine Association, unless there be some spe- 

 cific contract covering such sale. We have had more trouble try- 

 ing to dispose of our 4 and 6-foot lengths in common lumber than 

 all the balance of the lumber we manufacture. Notwithstand- 

 ing the fact that our percentage of those short lengths is small, 

 at the same time orders invariably come in for No. 2 common 

 6-inch, 8- foot and up, and occasionally 10- foot and up ; and I 

 think that with the good work that the Southern Pine Association 

 is doing, together with a gathering of this character, and the 



