SELLINGLUMBER 259 



There is not a great amount of itemized statistical informa- 

 tion that I have been able to secure regarding the cost of selling 

 lumber, that is, covering a large number of operations. I have, 

 however, itemized statements of selling cost from nine of the large 

 concerns. As I have stated, the average cost per thousand feet 

 of these concerns, in salaries, is about 16 cents, and the average 

 traveling expenses of these salesmen is another average of 12 

 cents per thousand feet, or a total of 28 cents. The average selling ^ v |"g Cost 

 cost, including administrative, office salaries, office traveling, sales- Lumber. 

 men's salaries, salesmen's traveling, rent, telephone, telegraph, com- 

 missions, postage, stationery supplies, advertising, and miscellaneous 

 charges, ran on an average of 56 cents per thousand for the year 

 1915. This covering nine of the larger manufacturing concerns 

 in the yellow pine business, all of whom sell their stock through 

 salaried salesmen. The average for each item separate is as fol- 

 lows : 



Administrative. . . . ................... $0.0252 



Office salaries ........................ 1244 



Office traveling ....................... 0169 



Salesmen's salaries .................... 1597 



Salesmen's traveling ................... 1169 



Rent ................................ 0157 



Telephone and telegraph ................ 0185 



Commissions ........................ - .0897 



Postage .............................. 0103 



Stationery supplies .................... 0131 



Advertising ........................... 0192 



Miscellaneous ......................... 0228 



The comparative cost sheet gotten out by the Southern Pine 

 Association includes sixty-nine manufacturers, and the average 

 selling cost to date, the first four months of this year, has been 

 68 cents per thousand. This includes, I believe, between 35 per cent 

 and 40 per cent of the entire membership of the Association, and 

 probably represents about the average selling expense of the yellow 

 pine industry. 



I mention the comparison of the ten concerns as against the 

 larger number, to show that there is a variance between the very 

 highest efficiency and the average of a larger number of concerns 

 of about 12 cents per thousand in selling cost, which would indicate 

 that greater efficiency in selling lumber can be maintained than is 

 now true. 



