40 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



Two of the important factories in tliat section supply high grade 

 pianos in l>Iack wood, oak, mahogany, rosewood, cherry and walnut. 

 In the cheap pianos domestic hardwoods are used to produce imitations 

 ■of the more costly woods. In the medium priced pianos the imported 

 Jaardwoods are veneered on domestic hardwoods. 



Progress of Grand Bapids Tirm 



The success which the Grand Rapids Veneer Works, Grand Rapids, 

 Mich., is meeting in installing its dry-kiln is best shown in the large 

 number of new orders it is constantly getting. Among the recently closed 

 ■orders for dry-kilns which will be installed by this company are: 



The Hamilton Organ Company, Chicago Heights, 111. ; Meadow River 

 Lumber Company, Rainelle, Vf. Va. : Northwestern Cooperage & Lumber 

 'Company, Gladstone, Mich. : Wood-Brooks Company, Buffalo, N. Y. ; 

 Pilliod Lumber Company. Swan.son, Ohio : Dickson Planing Mill Company, 

 Dickson, Tcnn. ; Keystone Furniture Company, Williamsport, Pa. ; Baker 

 White Pine Lumber Company, Baker, Ore. : Conrades Chair Co., St. Louis, 

 Mo. ; Wilson Saw & Manufacturing Company, Chicago, 111. ; Hartmann- 

 Sanders Company, Chicago, 111. : Imperial Wheel Company, Flint, Mich. ; 

 ■Griswold Motor & Bodj' Company, Detroit, Mich. : Canada Lumber 

 ■Company, Ltd., Toronto, Ont. ; St. Louis Basket & Box Company, St. 

 Louis, Mo. ; Butterfield Lumber Company, Norfleld, Miss., and the Staib- 

 Abendschein Company, New York, N. Y. 



BUtmore "Doings" for Novemljer 



The monthly report from the Biltmore Forest School issued for No- 

 vember, 1912, from its winter quarters at Darmstadt, Germany, shows 

 that the school is well established in the Fatherland for the winter 

 months. The students have had their usual splendid opportunities for 

 studying intensive methods of forestry as practiced abroad, and the 

 report suggests various features which have been of unusual interest to 

 the students. 



The Interesting observation is made that cutting and bucking of pine 

 in stands, averaging fifteen thousand feet board measure to the acre, is 

 more expensive in Germany with cheap wages than it is in the United 

 States with wages three times as high. Regarding the same type of 

 growth, the report observes that this class of timber averaging twelve 

 inches is sold at a net return of four hundred dollars per acre. 



The students made a trip to the Spessart mountains in Bavaria, where 

 they examined the famous Spessart oaks. It is astonishing to note that 

 while some of these white oak logs are worth as high as three hundred 

 and fifty dollars per thousand feet board measure in the woods, the 

 forest olHcials are considering the advisability of planting spruce and 

 pine in their place. The students were given their usual opportunities 

 ■of observation covering the many different phases and degrees of develop- 

 ment of forestry, lumbering and woodworking industries in the European 

 country. 



Board of Governors of National Manufacturers' Association Meet 



At the call of President E. G. Griggs, the board of governors of the 

 National I,uniber Manufacturers' Association met at the Auditorium Annex 

 in Chicago on .Ian. 8. Those in attendance were President Griggs of 

 Tacoma ; William Irvine, Chippewa Falls, Wis. ; Edward Hines, Chicago : 

 J. B. White, Kansas City : W. C. Landon, Wausau ; F.' E. Waymer, Jack- 

 sonville ; C. A. Bigelow, Bay City. 



The resignations of Secretary George K. Smith and Manager Leonard 

 Bronson were formally accepted and J. E. Rhodes was elected secretary 

 to assume the work of both offices. 



The most important action of the governors was the decision to accept 

 the request of the ways and means committee of the House of Repre- 

 sentatives to present to it at Washington on Jan. 13 the views of the 

 lumbermen regarding the tariff on lumber. 



Ihe matter of the national advertising campaign was fully discussed 

 and on account of the amount of money required to continue the same 

 it was decided to postpone action until such time as the money can be 

 readily obtained. 



The next regular meeting of the National Lumber Manufacturers' 

 Association will be held at Kansas City, Mo., at a date to be announced 

 later b.v the officers. 



As the governors of the National Lumber Manufacturers' Association 

 •constitute the board of directors of the National Lumber Manufacturers' 

 ■Credit Corporation, the meeting of the latter board was held and Mr. 

 Rhodes was elected secretary of the credit corporation also. The report 

 of Superintendent W. F. Biederman. covering the details of the work, 

 was presented, showing the credit corporation to be in a very satisfactory 

 condition. 



It was decided that inasmuch as moviug the offices of the Blue Book 

 to Chicago in con.1unction with the general offices of the association 

 would disrupt the organization of the Blue Book, the present offices in St. 

 Louis shall be continued. 



In connection with the presentation of the lumbermen's interest to the 

 ways and means committee. Secretary Rhodes was requested to per- 

 sonally represent the association at Washington and to prepare a brief 

 without special instruction from the association covering the views of 

 the lumbermen regarding lumber tariff legislation. The sentiment of the 

 governors was that a dignified, conservative statement be presented 

 which will contend that the present duty on lumber is a duty for revenue 

 only and that it is not desired in any way to protect the lumber indus- 

 try of the United States. This contention seems particularly true in 



view of the increasing prices of lumber in this country. The two argu- 

 ments which the brief will most strongly advance in favor of the con- 

 tinuance of the present lumber tariffs are the relation of such tariffs to 

 conservation and the disadvantages effected, in the cases particularly of 

 west coast and southern pine lumber, by the iniquitous marine laws. 

 Regarding the relation of the tariff to conservation, it has been amply 

 demonstrated by statistics and actual practice that lowering materially or 

 eliminating duty on such lumber as could be imported from Canada, for 

 instance, would result in a great influx of low-grade Canadian lumber 

 for which stock Canadian mills have practically no market in their own 

 country. This would mean that instead of the Canadian mills burning 

 their low-grade stock and the American mills using theirs for box lumber 

 and similar purposes, the conditions would be exactly reversed. This 

 contention seems to be not merely a theory, but has actually been shown 

 when prices in this country have been high enough to permit of the 

 importation of Canadian low-grade stock. 



The injustice of the present marine laws governing coast-wise trade 

 results from the provision which necessitates the shipment of such com- 

 modities in coast-W'ise trade in American ships manned only by American 

 seamen and of American register. This means that coast-wise shipments 

 between American ports are one or more dollars higher than shipments 

 from Canadian or other ports to American ports. The present duty, it is 

 claimed. Just about offsets this disadvantage and its elimination would 

 mean a serious hardship to certain classes of American shippers of 

 lumber. 



Building Operations for December and 1912 



Official reports from some lifty cities regularly reported in The American 

 Contractor, Chicago, show an aggregate increase of 26 per cent during the 

 month of December as compared w'ith December, 1911. The year 1912 

 shows an Increase of 6 per cent as compared with 1911. The latter year 

 was considered quite satisfactory by the building fraternity and the 

 increase noted is accepted with pleasure. Cities which scored a gain of 

 over SO per cent tor December. 1912, are: Atlanta, 1S3 per cent; Bir- 

 mingham, 68 ; Boston, 65 ; Ft. Wayne, 298 ; Harrisburg, 213 ; Kansas City, 

 100 : Los Angeles. 38 ; Minneapolis. 640 ; Nashville, 343 : Greater New 

 York, 64; St. Joseph, 266; St. Louis. 153; Shreveport, 229; Toledo, 63. 

 The greatest gain for the .year was Manchester, 82, and Atlanta, 60 per 

 cent. Particulars will be found in the following tables ; 



Manhattan 

 Brooklyn . 

 Bronx .... 



14.338.510 9» 

 2.648.026 1 

 2.732.782 25 



Manhattan .... 127.469.492 14 



Brooklyn ...... 40.537.784 7 



Bronx 36.049.870 47 



New York . . . . 



Norfolk 



Oakland 



Omaha ....... 



Paterson 



Philadelphia . . 

 Pittsburgh . . . . 



Portland 



Rochester 



St. Joseph . . . . 



St. Paul 



St. Louis 



San Arttonio . . 

 San Francisco . 



Scranton 



Shreveport . . . . 

 South Bend ... 



Toledo 



"Wilkesbarre . . . 

 Worcester . . . . 



New York . . . . 



Norfolk 



Oaklond 



Omaha j . 



Paterson 



Philadelphia . . 

 Pittsburgh . . . . 



Portland 



Rochester . . . . 

 St. Joseph . . J . 



St. Paul 



St. Louis 



San Antonio . . 

 !=an Francisco , 



Pcranton 



Shreveport . . , . 

 South Bend . . . 



Tolcflo 



■^''ilkesharre . . . 

 Worcester 



Total $53,682,235 26 



Total $721,282,961 6 



Philadelphia Lumhermen in Social Reunion 



The Lumljermen's Exchange held its usual social reunion on the last day 

 of the year, in Griffith Hall, in the afternoon of Dec. 31. These gatherings 

 are always largely attended by the members and friends, and a general 

 spirit of good fellowship and comaraderie invariably marks this yearly 

 festivity. At 12 :30 p. m. an elaborate luncheon was served, after which 

 came a high-class vaudeville show, which opened with some spirited 



