HARDWOOD RECORD 



43 



ith their crops and will now turn 



The conditioa ol trade in this section is 

 said to be slightly improved and lumbermen 

 are receiving many more inquiries for stock, 

 which they take to mean that there will be 

 a better demand within the next few weeks. 

 It is believed that this will give prices a 

 slight upward tendency. Business seems to 

 be holding its own pretty well, and while it 

 appears a little dull on the surface, a con- 

 siderable volume is being done, as is shown 

 by reports of railroad traffic agents on trans- 

 portation equipment. 



Local lumbermen say that the foreign mar- 

 ket shows signs of rallying from the effects 

 of a condition bordering on demoralization. 

 due to the consignments of American manu- 

 facturers during the early part of the year. 

 They believe that conditions abroad in the 

 lumber trade are adjusting themselves, though 

 there is not yet a very striking tendency in 



Nearly all the band mills in this section are 

 running, while probably not over sixty per cent 

 of the circular mills are in operation. Labor 

 is employed at a reduction of about ten per 

 cent below the former scale, but manufactur- 

 ers say that it is really much cheaper than 

 this becat.se of the greater efhriencv dpmnn- 

 strated. 



CINCINNATI 



The local trade has not shown an increase 

 over that of the month of June; it has not 

 lagged any, but has kept about on a par with 

 last month. July and August are usually the 

 dull months of the year, but this year trade 

 did not act according to form, and has been 

 improving each month. That, however, was 

 generally expected by the local trade, and to 

 keep up the good work, they are working all 

 the harder to keep the wheel going. The 

 Sun Shine League here has helped trade con- 

 siderably, it has instilled conhdence in the 

 minds ■ of consumers and in that way has 

 benefited the lumber trade. 



Plain white and quartered oak are the lead- 

 ers in the market at the present time, while 

 the demand for poplar on the part of the 

 box manufacturers has been equal to that of 

 other months. The box manufacturers are 

 also purchasing considerable cottonwood and 

 red and sap gum. Generally speaking, the 

 hardwood situation is good, with prospects 

 Cor improvement from now on. 



BVANSVILLE 



Tliu market lor hardwood 

 proving in this section. Manufac 

 press themselves as being pleased with the 

 outlook. Inquiries for oak, poplar and ash are 

 coming in freely. Quartered oak is in good 

 demand, both red and white. Poplar and ash 

 are in better demand, and plain oak is 

 stronger now than for a long time past, which 

 is due in part to the curtailment of operations 

 at a great many southern mills where the 

 bulk of the plain oak is manufactured. One 

 manufacturer shipped ten cars this week, 

 which in ordinary times would not be looked 

 upon as an extra large week's business. How- 

 ever, at the present stage of the market it is 

 taken as an indication that the market is 

 undergoing improvement. 



Several of the local mills have been shut 

 down a good part of the last two weeks, 

 partly on account of making needed repairs 

 and partly on account of the scarcity of Jogs. 

 However, reports from logging territory indi- 

 cate that they will be more plentiful in the 

 future, as most of the farmers are about 



ST. LOUIS 



There is a much better feeling in the hard- 

 wood market than there was a couple of 

 weeks ago. Of course, business is compara- 

 tively dull, as it usually is during the sum- 

 mer. It is not to be expected that trade could 

 be anything but quiet when lumbermen, both 

 buyers and sellers, are away on vacations, 

 but the fact is manifest that there is an im- 

 provement. Some few orders are coming in 

 from the railroads. While the orders are not 

 large it shows that a beginning is being made 

 from this source. Upper grade hardwoods 

 are moving, more, probably, in this class than 

 in any other. The furniture factories are 

 coming in the market for this grade. The 

 demand for the better grades of hardwood 

 has caused an overselling and there is some- 

 what of a scarcity in this, particularly in oak. 

 The result is that the dealers are trying to 

 discourage the selling of straight carloads. 

 Straight cars of firsts and seconds have gone 

 up. There will be a still greater scarcity of 

 high-grade lumber, for the mills have re- 

 cently been cutting up old logs, so the amount 

 of low-grade lumber will be greater than 

 ever when the demand begins. 



NASHVILLE 



Decidediy OiJiimistic is tae tone of local 

 lumbermen just now. From many sources 

 come encouraging reports of the resumption 

 of work all.! Im.-iii' .-^s in all lines is picking 

 up ciiii>i'l' I iM . I'Ti.es are not going off a 



bit on li.iiilu I ,ii;d orders are coming in 



right al.iim lu t.i^ i, it is stated by the local 

 railroads that the nutgoing tonnage for July 

 this year is almost up to that of last year. 

 Lumbermen are selling back orders right 

 along at regular prices and there is no dis- 

 position manifested to cut anywhere. In fact, 

 those who had held out and waited in hopes 

 that prices would be cut have seen that such 

 would not be the case and they have there- 

 fore come into the market. 



Quartered white and red oak seem to be 

 the leaders in the local market. The upper 

 grades of poplar are in good demand; the 

 lower are a little slow. Plain oak is begin- 

 ning to move briskly. This wood has been 

 dragging for some time back. Chestnut is in 

 good demand, especially the better grades, 

 which are used for interior finishing. The 

 lower grades have been dragging, but they, 

 too, are moving now. Ash and hickory are 

 steady and are selling briskly, especially 

 hickory, which is much in demand for agri- 

 cultural implements and vehicle manufac- 

 turers. Cumberland river is quite low now 

 and the logging season is over for months to 

 come, unless some unforeseen rise takes place, 

 and no such happening is anticipated. 



prevails 



ssed 



expected that buy( 

 in-ate at all freely 

 declining tendi'iic y 

 inclined to the- \i 

 bring a much li.ti 

 ficnlt to get ;in>"; 



nstaims and the opinion 



;ilUL-s fur the season have 

 hardwoods. It was not 



vould be disposed to op- 

 long as prices showed a 



1 ,, WILTS of lumber are 



believe they 



have the same experience as yellow pine manu- 

 facturers. The latter are now able to sell their 

 output at from $1 to ^2 per thousand higher 

 than a short time ago. and there is a much bet- 

 ter demand at the higher level than when prices 

 were touching bottom. The amount of hard- 

 wood lumber for sale is large enough to meet 

 all requirements, but there is no large surplus 

 and holders believe that very large inroads" would 

 be m.ade on present stocks if anything like an 

 average demand should appear. There is prac- 

 tically no logging under'way in the South, and 

 it would require a great deal of time to get 

 out timber and put lumber on sticks, and a 

 much greater time to get it dry and ready for 

 market. This is another one of the factors which 

 manufacturers of lumber are stressing in their 

 comments on the situation. It is also noted that 

 business conditions throughout the country are 

 rapidly improving, and lumber interests are un- 

 able to see how this improvement can go forward 

 without being reflected in the hardwood lumber 

 industry. 



The best demand is for plain and quarter- 

 sawed oak in the higher grades. Offerings are 

 comparatively light and holders are able to se- 

 cure very satisfactory prices for what they have 

 to offer. The lower grades, however, are slow 

 of sale and prices are low. There is some im- 

 provement reported in the demand for gum, and 

 it is expected that the decided betterment noted 

 in .vellow pine will tend to stimulate increased 



vood 



prac 



vith- 



out change. The demand is comparatively light, 

 but. while some sections are offering cottonwood 

 at very low prices, the disposition of holders 

 here Is to refuse to sell except where satisfactory 

 values are obtainable. The demand for ash Is 

 very light and the same is true of cypress. Prices 

 on both are rather low. There is not much 

 poplar offered and those who have any to sell 

 are able to secure prices that are fairly good. 



NEW ORLEANS 



While the strike ol tlis- freight handlers 

 which has tied up Stuyvesant Docks for some 

 weeks has affected in some degree the ex- 

 ports out of New Orleans, there is still an 

 active movement in staves through this port 

 and some other stuff is also being exported. 

 The m.ovement in lumber other than staves is 

 not very active, this being due to the slack 

 European demand and tlh in t iliit ilu- Euro- 

 pean operators are not .., . i ,i m,:; i.i any ex- 

 tent here. General cuudii i"ii~ n, ilus market 

 have changed little witlmi iht- last fortnight. 

 The building activity in this vicinity has been 

 responsible for a fair demand for lumber, 

 while the construction of several handsome 

 residences aii.l ii . i ii^: i.i-.- has gen- 

 erated a gon.l 1 I ii ' ' -: iiardwood 



finish and picili. - ' •> ii Many 



of the mills -1 M,.. --.n Mill running 



only half-time, with small io,,.s. 



CHARLOTTE 



fhere is deckled improvement in the hardwood 

 situation in North Carolina. It is not so diffi- 

 cult to secure funds to carry on operations, and 

 work Is being conducted ou a more liberal scale. 

 Building is going on at a more extensive rate, 

 and as a consequence hardwood dealers are find- 

 ing that orders and inquiries are more numer- 

 ous, while prices show decided improvement. It 

 is the general opinion that before many months 

 have passed normal business will be witnessed 

 and lumbcriuoii are generally optimistic over the 

 situation. 



MINNEAPOLIS 



ituation just now is characterized by 



of indifference among the wholesale 



They recognize that consumers and 



