194 SELLINGLUMBER 



Why //^Salesman Must 

 : Know Grades 



By W. J. Haynen 



Chairman, Grading Committee 



Southern Pine Association 

 Hattiesburg, Miss. 



The subject assigned to me is a very large one and probably 

 more important now than ever before, on account of the keener 

 competition, not only between various other kinds of woods that are 

 marketed in the same market as yellow pine, but, also, on account 

 of the increased use and advertising of substitutes. 



The attack that has been made on wood construction in all 

 parts of the country by the different building codes has also added 

 greatly to the decreased use of lumber, and it becomes necessary 

 for the manufacturers of lumber to take some active steps to at 

 once bring about a change in this condition of affairs, and to edu- 

 Causesof cate, not only the architects, builders, contractors, but the general 



Decreased public, concerning the uses of our wood. That is one of the reasons 



Use o umber ^ s out h ern p me Association came into existence and made rapid 

 progress in its work. That is the reason that that Association, 

 through its grading committee adopted for the use of yellow pine 

 timbers what is known as the "Density Rule," simply and purely 

 to educate the people into a method to be used to identify and 

 grade the timber so as to increase its sales. Not alone did the 

 public need the education, but manufacturers, and the salesmen of 

 the manufacturers require a lot of this education ; that is why 

 you are here today attending a SCHOO T OF SALESMANSHIP, 

 and I will say very plainly to you now that if, as salesmen of yellow 

 pine lumber, you do not increase the sales of your product at least 

 as rapidly per capita as the increase of population a great many 

 of you will shortly be seeking positions in other industries because 

 Duty of the there will be no room for you in the lumber industry. It is a very 

 Lumber lamentable fact that the lumber consumption of this country has 



declined 50 board feet per capita, or 10 per cent in the past ten 

 years. Who is responsible for this? You may say it is the man- 

 ufacturer he will probably reply it is the other commodities that 

 come in competition with yellow pine, but it does not matter who 



