MAHOGANY FOR CANADA 



^^=:^HE enormous increase in build- 

 C } ing operations throughout Can- 

 ^^■^ acia has been instrumental in 

 increasing imports into that country 

 in products which some 15 or 20 

 years ago would hardly be noticed 

 in commercial statistics, says Consul 

 Felix S. S. Johnson, of Kingston, Ont. 

 IMahogany, for instance, is an article 

 which Canada half a generation ago had 

 very little use for, one reason being 

 that in the early growth of the country 

 office buildings, houses and hotels were 

 erected rather on a cheap scale. Mahog- 

 any in Canada has always been consid- 

 ered somewhat of a luxury, particularly 

 for office fittings and decoration pur- 

 poses. Today this feeling has some- 

 what changed. Mahogany is very gen- 

 erally used; in fact in almost every 

 large banking house or commercial of- 

 fice one generally looks for the finely 

 polished desk and comfortably uphol- 

 stered mahogany chair. 



That Canada is now commencing to 

 build her own railway cars in another 

 factor in the importation of mahogany. 

 Although this is the greatest timber 

 country in the world, the fact remains 

 that no wood grown here can be used 

 for manufacturing good cars. Hard 

 wood in Canada is short grained and it 

 is difficult to get anything that will 

 equal mahogany for durability and fin- 

 ish. Automobiles also require mahog- 

 any to be properly finished, and in the 

 last five years large amounts of this 

 wood have been imported by automobile 

 manufacturers who have opened fac- 

 tories in Canada. 



The wealth of Canada, which has in- 

 creased tremendously per capita, nat- 



urally calls for more luxurious living. 

 In the old days the best of furniture in 

 the house might be made of any hard 

 wood or even pine, with a veneer finish, 

 while now nearly everything must be 

 mahogany. The wood in the rough 

 brings sufficiently high prices, selling in 

 large lots at $110 to $115 per thousand 

 feet. Although this wood has always 

 been looked upon as more or less of a 

 luxury its use now is becoming general, 

 because at last people are beginning 

 more and more to feel the advantages 

 which it has over other woods ; but the 

 supply has been decreasing during re- 

 cent years, causing corresponding in- 

 crease in the price. 



Tabasco mahogany comes from the 

 southeastern part of Mexico and there 

 is much competition between New York 

 and Boston firms and large dealers in 

 England for the shipments of the few 

 companies operating in the Tabasco 

 wood. One of the largest shipments 

 from the territory received lately into 

 New Orleans approximated 4,000 tons. 



Canada imported during the fiscal 

 year ended March 31, 1912, a total of 

 2,696,455 feet of mahogany, invoiced at 

 $314,409. Of this 301.316 feet came 

 fiom England (evidently South Afri- 

 can mahogany) and 2,364,309 feet from 

 the United States (evidently [Mexican 

 and Central American mahogany). This 

 came in free of duty. There were also 

 considerable imports of mahogany 

 veneering, which is classed in imports 

 with veneers of oak, rosewood, cedar, 

 and walnut, which pay 7^ per cent ad 

 valorem under the general tariff, and of 

 which imports in the last fiscal year 

 were $251,522, all from the United 

 States. 



GERMANY'S FOREST AREA 



Germany has about 35,000,000 acres of forests. This is about one-quarter of the total 

 area of the country. Forty-six per cent of this area belongs to private individuals, :!2 per 

 cent to the State and 16 per cent to communities. Half of the remainder belongs to the 

 Crown and the rest to corporations. This area gives three-fifths of an acre to each citizen. 



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