1786 



Canadian Forestry Journal, July, 1918 



The Inroads of Timber Substitutes 



By M. a. (iHAiNGKR, Chief Fori:sti:r of Bfitish (Loumbia. 



"It is not merely a question of lind- 

 ing new markets for British Columbia 

 lumber to be sold in. It is a question 

 of protecting the markets we've al- 

 ready got. Where would the pro- 

 vince be if any serious proportion of 

 its existing lumber business were 

 wiped out? It couldn't happen, you'll 

 say. People have got to buy lumber. 

 It's a staple article, like wheat. Well, 

 they've been carrying on a searching 

 investigation into the lumber trade of 

 the United States, and this is what 

 they've found as a result: Just one- 

 fifth of the entire lumber market that 

 existed eight years ago has been wiped 

 out. Wiped out by substitutes: steel, 

 concrete, bricks, patent roofing, as- 

 phalt paving; wiped out in some cases 

 because the substitute was the better 

 article, but in far too many cases 

 simply because the makers of sub- 

 stitutes used modern selling methods 

 and the lumbering industry did not. 



There is no belter selling method 

 than giving good service to the con- 

 sumer, helping him to use your 

 material and to get the best value out 

 of it. That is the method adopted in 

 this province. Many a sale of British 

 Columbia lumber has been made to 

 prairie farmers who have been sup- 

 plied with bu'kbng plans, and bills of 

 material showing them how easih 

 and well they can build barns or 

 sheds or chicken houses with British 

 Columbia lumber. And, just as we 

 have done in this case, we hope to co- 

 operate withour lumbermen and get 

 all the best selling methods carried 

 out in this communiiy effort to in- 

 crease the sale of British Columbian 

 lumber. In short, persistent market 

 work is one of the most practical 

 methods of forest* conservation there 

 is. 



Our American friends are engineer- 

 ing some progressive ideas. For in- 

 stance, in the interest of forestry 

 they've allowed the export mills of 

 the Pacific coast to form a selling 



combine, the Sherman law notwith- 

 standing, and they are sending five 

 lumber commissioners to strengthen 

 their grip upon European and other 

 markets. It is interesting to note that 

 these five have been selected from 

 candidates who have been put first 

 through a series of severe practical 

 examinations — a new idea in foreign 

 commercial service, and a great change 

 from the time honored method of 

 giving foreign commercial jobs to 

 good Americans ys'\{\\ a pull." 



A. II. Beaubien, B.A., Ottawa, 

 working under the auspices of the 

 Canadian Forestry Association, spent 

 three weeks in holding public meet- 

 ings in Western and Northern Quebec, 

 in the territory of the Ottawa River 

 Forest Protective Association. Mr. 

 Beaubien met with remarkable good 

 fortune and was greeted by large 

 audiences. All lectures were illus- 

 trated by stereopticon. 



