HARDWOOD RECORD 



47 



CLEVELAND 



CHARLOTTE 



It is the upinion oi clevmaaa lumbermen 

 that the strong demand for quartered oak 

 and the comparatively weak state of plain oak 

 will drive many mills to cutting quartered 

 oak again, thus knocking the bottom out of 

 the one staple wood in the hardwood market. 

 Reports from various mills indicate that more 

 quartered stuff is being gotten out than for 

 some time. The demand for plain oak is 

 only fair in this market at present, but the 

 call for quartered oak is quite active, accord- 

 ing to most dealers. 



There is a better demand for chestnut than 

 thirty days ago. There is a good call for 

 beech, birch and maple flooring. The latter 

 will become stronger, it is believed, as the 

 season advances. 



Bad weather, street-car strikes, bank fail- 

 ures and other things are retarding building 

 operations in Cleveland to an appreciable ex- 

 tent, but these have no effect on the larger 



been here, and it is needless to add that all 

 were much surprised at the tremendous progress 

 the city has made since its partial destruction 



CHATTANOOGA 



The Chattanooga hardwood market has, 

 during the past two weeks, shown signs of 

 improvement, and prices are good. The 

 volume of business, however, continues small. 

 The demand for quartered oak is good and 

 no offerings of this kind lack a buyer, but the 

 market in plain oak is somewhat dull. 



There has been very little if any cutting 

 of prices, especially in the hardwood line, in 

 Chattanooga. Everything considered, the 

 hardwood market is as good as can be ex- 

 pected and an early improvement is looked 

 for by dealers. • 



Possibly the most encouraging feature of 

 the market at present is the Increased num- 

 ber of inquiries which are being received by 

 local dealers and which strengthens them in 

 their position of holding stock until the mar- 

 ket quickens. 



ST. LOUIS 



The hardwood business has fallen off slightly 

 during the past week, although even with the 

 drop it is better than it was two or three 

 weeks ago. Buying still continues to be done 

 on a hand-to-mouth basis. Retailers seem 

 inclined to keep their stocks as low as pos- 

 sible. Factory yards have been pretty well 

 stocked up, and as they have only been work- 

 ing about half their capacity, they are buying 

 only when they are in need. Planing mills 

 are buying more freely than any other in- 

 dustry and are taking bargains in all items 

 when they can get them. The best informed 

 wholesalers are of the opinion that business 

 will be good when factories begin to see their 

 stocks need replenishing. 



The best items in demand are plain and 

 quartered oak. The latter has shown a de- 

 cided betterment on account of its scarcity. 

 Plain oak, however, is coming to the front 

 rapidly. Ash is in fair demand, and it shows 

 every indication of stiffening in price as the 

 season advances. Poplar has a satisfactory 

 movement, and most of the first, second and 

 common grades have been sold out. Gum and 

 Cottonwood are a drug on the market, and in 

 order to compete with yellow pine, sales have 

 to be made at very low figures — so low that 

 it is almost below cost of production. Cypress 

 is in fair demand and quite a few sales have 

 been made, but prices are low. Reports from 

 local wholesalers who operate mills of their 

 own say that nearly all of them located in 

 the hardwood districts have been compelled to 

 close down because of high water. This will 

 act favorably on prices and those having 

 good stocks on hand will be benefited. 



The hardwood situation In the Carolinas has 

 not changed to any great degree during the past 

 fortnight. It seems to be the general opinion 

 that conditions are gradually becoming normal 

 and many dealers look for improvement during 

 the next few weeks. With the improvement in 

 weather conditions wood's work has been greatly 

 facilitated and inquiries are coming in more 

 freely and confidence in the sit 

 nessed on all sides. 



A large number of the inland and river 

 mills, which have been idle for the past sev- 

 eral months, have begun operating about half 

 time, and a few full time. The mills which 

 have not begun operating will not be likely 

 to do so for some time, unless they have logs 

 in the river and are obliged to work them up 

 in order to save them. 



The mills now operating can very easily 

 supply the demand. All manufacturers are 

 doing as little as possible, for present prices 

 are not incentive. There would probably be 

 less activity among the mills if they were not 

 obliged to cut the logs they have on hand, 

 and practically all operations in the woods 

 have been stopped. A large percentage of the 

 manufacturers are sawing lumber and placing 

 it on sticks, making no efforts to sell it. and 

 have leased more yard room and are arrang- 

 ing to hold their lumber for better prices. 



Present conditions among the consuming 

 trade, which has very low stocks, augur well 

 for the market when business picks up. With 

 money conditions growing better each day, 

 it can only be expected that we will soon 

 see normal conditions, and as a general rule 

 the supply and demand increases largely the 

 price, we can safely say, with the much cur- 

 tailed supply and the sure increasing demand 

 from now on, prices must again be right. 



Quartered oak. basswood and high grades 

 in poplar seem to be in the best demand. It 

 is a fact that it is only a matter of a short 

 time now until prices will get better and the 

 demand increase. 



SAN FRANCISCO 



The local hardwood yardy report a continuance 

 of good demand. All kinds of lumber are mov- 

 ing steadily, and if there is any complaint to 

 be made, as far as dealers are concerned, it is 

 that some of the largest buyers are lately get- 

 ting a good m.Tny of their supplies direct from 

 eastern dealers, leaving only the purchase of in- 

 cidentals or hurry-up orders from local yards. 



The outside trade continues quite brisk and 

 considerable building has again started in the 

 inland cities, most of whicU gets their supplies 

 from San Francisco. 



Building seems to continue without any par- 

 ticular reduction as compared with the last few 

 months, but the volume of values do not natur- 

 ally come up to the figures of last year. It is 

 expected, however, that before fall building op- 

 erations on large office structures will be much 

 reduced, as the property owners are beginning 

 to think that too much office space is already 

 being provided in the different districts, and the 

 tenants who generally occupy this kind o£ prop- 

 erty have not yet settled in any particular neigh- 

 borhood. 



The visit of the fleet has again restored San 

 Francisco to its position as the metropolis of 

 the Pacific coast. Most of the visitors who 

 were interested in these ships seem to have 

 waited until the arrival of the fleet in this city 

 to come here. • The result has been that for sev- 

 eral weeks many thousands of visitors have 



MINNEAPOLIS 



There is some call right along for factory 

 stocks, and it is chiefly coming now from the 

 Twin City sash and door factories. They are 

 having a fair amount of special work calUng 

 for hardwood doors, sash and finish, and while 

 it is not as heavy as last year, it is not bad 

 compared with the average of several years 

 past. They have been allowing stocks to 

 run very low and now are compelled to re- 

 plenish, but are buying on a small scale, and 

 seem to flgure on getting enough stock to 

 carry them through to July, when they expect 

 the new stocks of hardwood to be somewhat 

 lower in price. A ver>- large share of the 

 trade is calling for birch, and oak runs next. 

 Northern oak stocks are scarce and are held 

 stiff in price. Birch is running about the 

 same, and is not a drug on the market, as 

 the new cut of birch that is in sight seems 

 to be less than half that of recent seasons. 



Birch and maple lead in flooring, which is 

 also a fairly active feature of the market. 

 There is some oak demanded for flooring also. 

 Wagon stock is dull now, and the country 

 trade is about dead for the present. Other 

 large consumers are only buying an occasional 

 carload. Trade in the Northwest is about a 

 third lighter than it was in April, according to 

 the general report. Stocks of Wisconsin hard- 

 wood are reported much lighter than last year 

 in nearly every case. 



LIVERPOOL 



The market is still in a demoralized condition 

 ani few are able to say that there is any im- 

 provement ahead. Pessimism exists everywhere, 

 and with increasing imports and decreasing sales 

 the outlook is for still lower prices in the fu- 

 ture. 



Some few parcels of inferior quality hickory 

 logs were sold at low prices, but this is no real 

 guide to the true position of the market, and 

 good prime wood is badly wanted and should 

 bring good prices. Round ash logs of large size 

 are in quiet demand and fair prices can be real- 

 ized, but the smfiU second-growth logs are quite 

 unsalable at anything like their last year's values. 

 Poplar hoards are distinctly weak, some consign- 

 ment parcels having recently been sold below 

 the contract prices that they can be bought at. 

 Shippers are strongly advised to readjust their 

 prices for shipments on contract ; it is the opin- 

 ion here that it would pay them to take lower 

 prices rather than to continue shipments on con- 

 signment. Oak boards and' planks of every de- 

 scription are weak and are hard to place at any 

 price. Mahogany was firmer at last sales, mainly 

 under the influence of some quiet British coun- 

 try buying, but American buyers were conspicu- 

 ous by their. absence. Good bargains can without 

 doubt be picked up at the present time, as values 

 are e-xtremely low, and it was probably this that 

 induced the heavy buying from this particular 

 quarter. Higher prices are predicted for the im- 

 mediate future and buyers cannot go wrong by 

 buying well ahead of their requir 



PORLAR 



Rough and Dressed 



SOUTHERN HARDWOODS 

 M. A. HAYWARD 



1021 Saving and Trust Bldg., Columbus, O. 



