HARDWOOD RECORD 



the Record man. "Prices are bracing up In 

 fine style, inquiries are good, whlie many or- 

 ders are coming in. The improvement is not 

 confined to local trade, either, as inquiries show 

 that conditions are improving all over the coun- 

 try." 



The Thomas Forman Company this week re- 

 ceived several cargoes of maple. 



"There is a slight improvement In the hard- 

 wood trade," said William Brownlee of Brown- 

 lee-Kelly Company, "and I look for the market 

 to brighten up soon." 



Many of the lumber boats which have been 

 laid up here for want of cargoes have gone back 

 into commission to go to northern points for 

 cargoes. 



Frank F. Fish, secretary of the National Hard- 

 wood Lumber Association, was at the Hotel 

 Pontchartrain this week. He conferred with 

 the temporary committee of the local hardwood 

 men relative to early plans for the big conven- 

 tion in Detroit next summer. Mr. Fish and the 

 local members of the association are confident 

 that the convention here will be the best ever. 

 Detroit has many natural advantages, situated 

 as it is on one of the finest rivers In the world, 

 and the entertainment feature of the convention 

 is to be played up strong. 



Frederick M. Sibley, Jr., general superintend- 

 ent of the Slb;ey Lumber Company, was married 

 this week to Miss Mabel M. Bessenger. After 

 the ceremony and the wedding supper the couple 

 left for the Georgian bay district, where they 

 will spend their honeymoon. They will make 

 their residence at 30G Hurlbut avenue, this city. 

 George Whipple, president of the Advance 

 Lumber & Shingle Company, a well-known Mich- 

 igan lumberman, was married this week to Miss 

 Nellie B. Tctreau of St. Ignace, Mich. 



The Uwight Lumber Company of this city is 

 interested to the extent of $2,310 in the failure 

 of William H. Wood, Cambridge, Mass., one 

 of the largest lumber dealers in the East. 

 Wood's liabilities totaled ^.^.(iii.onn and the as- 

 sets $20O,0iJ0. 



GRAND RAPIDS 



The Char.es Uiegge Lumber Company, with 

 offices in the WIddicomb building, has been suc- 

 ceeded by the Dregge-Grover Lumber Company, 

 and the business of the former company In Mich- 

 igan hardwoods will be continued and extended 

 in both manufacturing and wholesale ends. The 

 new member of the company Is H. B. Grover of 

 this city, a cedar operator on quite an exten- 

 sive scale in both upper and lower peninsulas 

 for the past fifteen years. The new company 

 will operate extensively in cedar along the Soo 

 and the Duluth and South Shore lines, in addi- 

 tion to Its hardwood operations elsewhere. Gen- 

 eral offices will remain In this city, with Messrs. 

 Dregge and Grover In charge. 



One of the prettiest lines of furniture shown 

 In the market during the past season was the 

 chamber suit pieces brought out for the first 

 time by the Carrollton Furniture Company of 

 Carrollton, Ky., made of red gum quarter-sawed. 

 A beautiful figure having the appearance of 

 onyx was obtained by quarter-sawing the cores 

 of selected logs, and the new furniture wood 

 Is given the name of "Kyonyx." The company 

 has been very successful In treating the wood 

 so that there la no difficulty from twisting. 



The Wilson Saw Company of Port Huron has 

 completed a large addition to Its factory and 

 will increase Its working force September 1. 



W. W. Mitchell has given the city of Cadillac 

 title to twenty acres of land, to be used as an 

 addition to Maple Hill cemetery. 



The John F. Ott Lumber Company of Traverse 

 City Is removing Its log boom, which was con- 

 structed across the Boardman river many years 

 ago. 



G. W. Perkins of the Perkins Lumber Com- 

 pany has been appointed a member of the spe- 

 ciil board of trade committee to report to that 



body a definite plan of action for securing a 

 deep waterway from Grand Rapids to Lake 

 Michigan. The matter of securing a canal 

 across the state to Saginaw is also being consid- 

 ered. 



A. Glbbs of Traverse City, president of the 

 Gibbs, Hall & Allen Company of this city, was 

 in town on a short business trip August 21. 

 Secretary W. C. Hall of the company reports 

 more inquiry and life to the market of late. 



Hardwood Market, 



(By HABDWOOD BECOBD Exclusive Market Reporters.) 



CHICAOO 



NEW YORK 



The hardwood market at New York shows very 

 little change from that as last noted. Business 

 for the most part continues of the hand-to-mouth 

 order, although It Is readily appreciated that 

 there is a considerable Improvement all along 

 the line. This Improvement is not large and 

 does not embrace all branches of the hardwood 

 consuming trade, but here and there, and not- 

 ably among the local manufacturing trade, there 

 Is undoubtedly an Increasing tendency to buy. 

 This tendency Is Increasing with the approach 

 of the fall, not only by reason of the fact that 

 buyers have been sailing very close to the wind 

 on their stocks lu hand, but also by reason of 

 the Increasing appreciation that stocks of good 

 hardwood lumber of the better grades arc neither 

 nJentiful nor a\allable at bargain prices. While 

 there Is considerable competition and ample 

 stocks in the way of low-grade hardwoods, high- 

 grade stork Is not plentiful at prevailing prices, 

 nor likely to be for several months to come, 

 which Is leading the holders of good grade stock 

 to appreciate more and more every day not 

 only the necessity but the opportunity of realiz- 

 ing fair prices for stocks in hand, as well as the 

 Impossibility of replacing stocks previously 

 bought at panic prices. 



Of course, taking the situation In Its minute 

 details, there Is much in the way of pessi- 

 mistic arguments forthcoming as to the current 

 and prospective business conditions, but after 

 dissecting the situation and taking out the 

 channels In which hardwood must enter. It Is 

 wise to state that so far as hardwood lumber 

 is concerned there Is nothing to fear In either 

 present or prospective conditions on the part 

 of those who will take the trouble to Inquire 

 into the actual and prospective values of good 

 hardwood lumber at the present time. As one 

 prominent dealer said recently : "Talk aboiit 

 your bargain prices In Wall street; I would 

 just as leave have a million feet of high-grade 

 hardwoods at today's prices as a thousand shares 

 of bargain stock In Wall street." 



Summing up the situation as a whole, there 

 are two phases which strike right home. The 

 first Is, that If any one Is a holder of good 

 hardwood lumber he's got a bull asset, and If he 

 Is a short buyer, he had better get aboard the 

 bull band wagon. 



BUFFALO 



Local trading has materially increased during 

 the last fortnight. Jobbers have bought very 

 freely, not only in anticipation of the immediate 

 evidence of local call, but from actual orders. 

 Local woodworking institutions are all reason- 

 ably busy and there Is every prospect of a good 

 volume of business for months to come. Among 

 the large purchases of late have been the low 

 grades of both northern and southern stocks 

 that have been bought by box and crating manu- 

 facturers, and there is also a fair volume of 

 trade In No. 1 common and better. All the local 

 manufacturers and jobbers view the situation 

 very optimistically. Chicago has passed through 

 the ordeal of hard times with distinct credit, as 

 there have been practically no failures in the 

 hardwood fraternity here, and there are no ru- 

 mors prevalent of financial embarrassment on 

 the part of local lumbermen. 



The hardwood trade is quiet but hopeful, with 

 some of the dealers reporting what looks very 

 much like a stir not far away. It Is found that 

 there arc lumber buyers who do not pay their 

 bills as promptly as they did and as they are. 

 as a rule, solid financially, there Is a suspicion 

 thnt "they are buying more than they were and 

 patting In stock against a time of need. 



It Is Hgrced that there is not a good showing 

 made by the hardwood sawmills. Not only has 

 stock been allowed to run down at many of 

 them, but they are often short of logs and are 

 waiting for something to turn up that will pro- 

 vide a supply. For the most part they are not 

 in position to meet any sort of an Increase of 

 demand and It is confidently and fearfully pre- 

 dicted that If the demand does increase very 

 much this year there will be very dizzy prices 

 in most hardwoods. 



From the upper Ohio valley, not only In 

 Ohio, but In West Virginia, come reports that 

 the big poplar concerns there arc for the most 

 part Idle, so far as new stock Is concerned, some 

 of them piecing out operations by going Into 

 general hardwoods, jnst to sec how the future 

 of poplar Is going to turn out. 



A survey of the hardwood yards here finds 

 that the stocks are fine as to distribution, but 

 that nobody has a surplus of anything. It is 

 even said that plain oak is not what It was and 

 will run out with the rest, almost as soon as 

 o.uartered oak does. All that the dealers have 

 to fall back on Is the old notion that they have 

 always found lumber enough and they still hope 

 to do so for awhile yet. 



There Is a representative of the Government 

 Forestry Bureau going the rounds of the city 

 lumber offices who makes no hesitation of stat- 

 ing that there will be next to no lumber left In 

 a comparatively short time unless something is 

 doje to cut out the waste and go to raising 

 timber. So far the only Buffalo dealer who Is 

 making any move towards a perpetual forest is 

 E. V. Dunievie, who is picking up a big tract 

 south of Savannah, Ga., with the idea of only 

 cutting as piuch as Is of good size and keeping 

 the whole tract growing. 



There was a story that the hardwood dealers 

 were putting down prices, but they deny the 

 charge very emphatically. They met last week 

 to talk over an Invitation from Phlladeipbia to 

 join In a kick against the new inspection rules 

 of the National Association, but the view here 

 seems to be unanimous that the new rules are 

 pretty good, and if anyone goes to the Phila- 

 delphia meeting on September 2G It will be to 

 oppose any action. 



PHILADELPHIA 



strange lo suy, August, which is concedid 

 be the diillest of the dull summer months, i 

 made the leap of the season In hardwood trailm. 

 as there have been more sales and a stea.li.-, 

 and more dependable activity throughout the 

 lines. It begins to look as though the wheels of '• 

 prosperity had begun to turn, and that a steady 

 progression will be the story from now on. The 

 textile mills and other large labor-employing 

 plants are Increasing their hours and adding to 

 their staff, which Is tantamount to a proclama- 

 tion of better times for the working man. Build- 

 ing work has held up well during the last fort- 

 night and considerable of It Is being planned for 



