i8 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



is tliat sueh ageuts, having liad experience in 

 exporting to South Africa, are able to give 

 proper instructions as to loading, and are 

 thus responsible for the state in which lum- 

 lier arrives at destination; thus it is not so 

 ilifficult to get just reimbursements in this 

 way as when buying direct from the shipper. 

 It is stated by concerns in Capetown that 

 they have tried getting their lumber from 

 companies in America, but almost without 

 exception it has resulted to the disadvantage 

 of all concerned. Our grading methods are 

 so different that the difficulty in ordering 

 direct from the lumber company which is not 

 acquainted with the South African trade, is 

 to make it perfectly plain just what is re- 

 quired, according to the methods used there, 

 in the year 1906 British South Africa im- 

 ported logs and lumber other than teak, to 

 the amount of 7,159,277 cubic feet, of which 

 1,808,185 cubic feet, valued at $433,158, 

 came from the United States. 



The island of Formosa, near the mainland 

 of China, imports considerable American 

 lumber for use in harbor and railroad work. 

 At present it comes by way of Japan, and 

 girders measuring 25 to 30 feet in length 

 by 1% feet square are in special demantl. 

 They are used in bridge and trestle work, in 

 railway construction and repairs, and for 

 piles in the extensive harbor improvements 

 which are now in progress in the ports of 

 Takao and Kelung; this construction work 

 has been in progress for several years and 

 will be carried on probably four years more 

 before completed. One of the large importers 

 recently stated that his contract for supply- 

 ing such material ranged in amounts from 

 *5,000 to $25,000 gold, from time to time. 

 The freight rate on lumber from Japan to 

 Kelung is $1.60 per 40 cubic feet. At pres- 

 ent this dealer pays 55 cents gold per cubic 

 foot for lumber of the above dimensions. 



Consul Charles C. Eberhardt of Equitos, 

 Peru, wrote about a year ago that at that 

 time there seemed no industry in Peru where 

 such profits could be made on comparatively 

 .small investments, as in a planing mill run 

 by practical lumbermen along up-to-date 

 lines; however, the consul invariably gives 

 the advice in reply to the many inquiries re- 

 ceived from lumbermen in the United States 

 regarding conditions in Peru — that no north- 

 erner should ever think of investing his 

 money in tropical South America, without 

 first having received a full report of local 

 conditions from a source known to be abso- 

 lutely capable and reliable — or better still, 

 without making a thorough personal investi- 

 gation. 



Referring to a certain mill in that part of 

 the Amazon valley, which has been unusually 

 successful, the consul says that the machinery 

 used was not in the beginning by any means 

 first-class, although it has been lately much 

 improved. While there are in all five mills 

 (if different sizes situated at various points 

 along the Amazon within a few hours of 

 Iquitos, this is the only one which is depend- 

 able in a business way, the others running 



only at irregular intervals, chiefly because of 

 inability at times to secure skilled labor to 

 operate the machinery, or unskilled for fell- 

 ing trees. This plant, with planing mill, 

 storage shed, tracks, dry kiln, etc., covers 

 about three and a half acres. The buildings 

 are made of rough native timber, covered 

 with roofing and siding of corrugated iron. 

 The machinery in the mill proper includes 

 two vertical saws, two circular saws, one 

 band-saw, winches, a 28-horsepower engine* 

 and other necessities of such an establish- 

 ment, all of German or French manufacture, 

 while in the planing mill, jointer, planer, 

 band-saw, circular saw, a 60-horsepower en- 

 gine — in fact, almost everything that goes 

 to make up a first-class outfit, has come from 

 the United States, and the work is in charge 

 of an American machinist with an American 

 assistant. The dimensions of the sawmill 

 are approximately 100 by 200 feet, the plan- 

 ing mill 40 by 115 feet, and the storing shed" 

 40 by 80 feet. The property has cost the 

 owner approximately $250,000 United States 

 currency, including 2,000 acres of timberland 



and improvements to date; a good share of 

 each year 's profits has been immediately re- 

 invested, and though always earning a fair 

 percentage on his investment, the owner 

 states he has lost heavily at times through 

 lack of knowledge of how sueh a business 

 should be conducted ; that he has paid dearly 

 for his experience, but that after having spent 

 about $55,000 on improvements the past year, 

 he feels he is now in a position to reap big 

 profits, having cleared something like $19,000 

 during that time, exclusive of the expense 

 referred to. Other mills may in future com- 

 pete successfully, but owing to his experience 

 this manufacturer has practically a monopoly 

 at this time. His mill has a capacity of 

 about 6,000 feet per day, and as the demand 

 is always in excess of supply he finds a ready 

 market for all the lumber he can make. Logs 

 are transported to the mill by water entirely, 

 so that only timber near streams is cut at 

 present. The mill also does a general job- 

 bing business and persons needing lumber 

 often raft their own logs to it, to be cut to 

 required di 



The Utilization of HardWoods. 



ARTICLE IV. 



The Manufacture of Organs. 



The pipe organ is often called ' ' the mon- this country, but few of any prominence eom- 

 arch of musical instruments, " because it has mereially or artistically, and the makers 

 in it the possibilities of a whole orchestra. worthy of the n.tme number only about a half 

 It is a beautiful instrument when well played, dozen. 



HANDSOME KEY DESK KIMBAI 

 but, unfortunately, good organists a»e rare, 



IPE ORGAN IN KESIDE.N 



Organs vary greatly in size, the largest of 

 ovi'iBg to the poor pay and small demand gigantic dimensions and requiring a large 

 for really fine performances. However, many quantity of wood in the construction. The 

 of these instruments are produced and there big organ installed in Festival Hall, at the 

 are a large number of organ builders in St. Louis World's Fair, was of truly mam- 



