Mwol Room 



Published In the Interest of HaLrdwood Lumber, AmerlcBLn H&.rdwood Forests. Wood Veneer Industry. H&rdwood Flooring, 



HaLrdwood Interior Finish, Wood Chemic&ls, Sblw Mill a^nd Woodworking MaLchlnery. |^|B 



Vol. XXVI. 



CHICAGO. OCTOBER 10. 1908. 



No. 12 



NEV 

 BOT 



Published on the lOlh and 25th of each month by 



THE HARDWOOD COMPANY 



HENRY H. GIBSON. Ediior. EDGAR H. DEFEBAUGH. M.n.g.r. 



7th Floor, Ellsworth Bldg., 355 Dearborn St., Chicago, 111., U.S.A. 



Telephone Harrison 4960 

 REPRESENTATIVES 



Philadelphia Jacob Hollzm.n, 916 Rothschild Bu.ldinJ 



Pillsburt H. A. Lane, 906 Wabash Bulldini 



Central Territory .... F. M. duller. 355 Dearborn Si.. Chicaso 



TERMS OF ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION 



In the United States. Canada. Philippine Island, and Mexico . . $2.00 



In all other countries in Universal Postal Union 3.00 



Subscriptions are payable in advance, and in default of written orders to the 

 contrary are continued at our option. 



Entered as second class matter May 26. 1902, at the Postoftice at Chicago. 

 III., under act of March 3. 1879. 



Second Annual Meeting 



Handle Manufacturers' Association of 



America. 



The second annual meeting of this association will be held 

 at Hotel Gayoso. Memphis, Tenn., at 10:30 a. m., on Wednes- 

 day, November 11, 1908. 



Lunch will be served at 1 p. m. 



All handle manufacturers, whether members of the asso- 

 ciation or not. are invited. 

 T. R. CLENDINEN, HENRY H. GIBSON, 



President. Secretary and Treasurer. 



General Market Conditions. 



The country over a moderate improvement is noted, but buying is 

 still being done on a very conservative basis. The only line that 

 shows any marked increase of purchases during the last fortnight is 

 the railroad trade. Railroads generally are buying to a considerable 

 extent. What improvements are noted are distinctly in the Middle 

 West. The trade in the East is still dragging. 



There has been a good deal said during the season of the retrench- 

 ment of output in hardwood operations. Undeniably there has been 

 „ a retrenchment in the North, but to no such extent as in the South. 

 ~ It is doubtful if there is a falling off of output over last year of 

 p^ over twenty per cent, while in the south-country it is doubtful if there 

 j>j is over fifty per cent of the normal production. In the North it is 

 >—^ true that one-inch maple is in short supply, and a good many flooring 

 factories which have deferred purchases are hustling to secure enough 

 ' '■■ stock to carry them through to next spring. On the contrary, in the 

 ' — South it is equally true that there vfill be a manifest shortage in oak, 

 ash. poplar and chestnut. 



The hardwood flooring factories are from fairly busy to busy. In 

 some instances two and one-quarter-ineh face clear maple, and the 

 same dimensions and grade in oak flooring, are oversold to a con- 

 siderable extent. One important northern flooring factory is a mil- 

 lion feet behind its orders on high-grade stock. This situation in 

 the flooring industry is accounted for by the September building 

 reports, which show a gain over a year ago in the chief cities of the 

 country of seven per cent. Nearly every building now constructed 

 employs hardwood flooring of some type. 



Furniture people are buying only moderately, as their trade still 

 fails to reach standard dimensions. 



The foreign woods trade is only fair, but with comparatively short 

 stocks as much profit should be made out of the holdings as was 

 realized last year. 



The handle trade is showing a little improvement, with good pros- 

 pects for increased demand a little later. 



There is quite an improvement in the veneer industry, but still 

 plants are not yet fully employed. Prices are being very well main- 

 tained. 



The Great Waterways Convention. 



Chicago has been busy during the last few days over the third 

 great convention of the Lakes to the Gulf AVaterways Association. 

 Meetings have been held in the Auditorium and have been largely 

 attended. More than 3,000 delegates, representing forty-four states, 

 composed the gathering, which, with its flags and delegation stand- 

 ards, bore a physical resemblance to a national political convention. 

 The meeting opened on October 7, and after the introductory speeches 

 and the appointment of committees on organization, the convention 

 adjourned for the day, and the delegates spent the afternoon at the 

 Drainage canal, the part of the lake to the gulf waterway which 

 Illinois is asked to supply for the ship canal. The delegates were 

 carried on four special Santa Fe trains as guests of the Association 

 of Commerce. 



The star speaker of the first day's session, and probably of the 

 entire meeting, was Hon. Wm. H. Taft, republican presidential nom- 

 inee, who as a practical builder of waterways like the Panama canal 

 gave great force to the proceedings. The chief points made in the 

 elaborate address on the subject of internal waterways by Mr. Taft 

 were: 



the question ol" the hour. We must 



Ti-ansportation 

 have recourse to 



Internal conun 

 .-ailroad facilili' 



The watern .1 -. 

 monopoly i<! nn! 

 that nf ni'> ' " 



\vitli".i 

 lierei-! 

 lay is 



We 



.'. . I:.i. iii^rpiised 118 per cent, while 



! ' !: I il onl.v 20 per cent. 



im1 free for all, the danger of 



; .^iiil its carrying capacity, unlike 



uiiliuiited. 



• great entJs cannot be worked out 



rture from the course of procedure 



' * • A policy which brooks de- 



"iliing wcr.se. 



iroblcra of making our forests outlast this 



ron outlast this century and our coal the 



generation 

 next. 



The secondary effect of waterway improvement will be 

 a reduction in the increasing ratio of the consumption of 

 Iron and of coal. It will reduce the demand of timber 

 for ties. 



Experts estimate that the water power producible in the 

 United States w uM ^niil ■ t.. drive every manufactory and 

 propel every iiili • ' ' 



My own Ju,U 

 that of the lak. 

 enterprise, just 



