46 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



timber land In Slaiinette teranfy from C. Constine & Son, of Peshtigo. 

 The Holt company will log the timber next winter with other timber 

 it owns in the same vicinity. 



The Rice Lake Lumber Company. ISice Lake. Wis., recently enter- 

 tained about two hundred employes at the main office of the company 

 with a banquet, followed by a party at a local theater. This is an 

 annual event and has helped greatly toward establishing the mutual 

 goodwill and cordiality between this company and its employes. 



Edward Br.idley. a n'tired lumberman and well-known citizen of Mil- 

 waukee, was stricken with apoplex.v Christmas morning and died several 

 days later. He was seventy .years old. 



Captain David .Tack, vice-president of the Gurnoy Refrigerator Com- 

 pany of Fond du Lac, died recently at Rochester, Minn., as the result 

 of pneumonia following an operation. Three special interurban cars left 

 Fond du Lac with employes of the company who attended the funeral 

 services at Oshkosh. Mrs. .Tack died about six weeks ago. 



A wireless from the liner Orteric. seven days this side of Yokohama, 

 reported tbe death of O. B. Osborn, vice-president of the Berlin Machine 

 Works of Beloit. Although Mr. Osborn had been in poor health for 

 some time, his death was a great shock to his friends. He started on 

 a combined business and pleasure trip for the Far East about the 

 middle of Xovember. Mr. Osborn is survived by his wife, two sons and 

 one daughter. The body has been embalmed and is being returned to 

 Beloit for interment. 



=-< DETROIT y. 



Total building operations in Detroit during 1912 reached $25,588,470, a 

 new high mark for the city. In 1911 the total was $6,575,800 lower than 

 the year just closed. During December permits for new additions and 

 buildings amounted to $1,506,000. Of these permits 242 of the new build- 

 ings are to be of wood construction and of the additions 46 are to be of 

 wood construction. 



Thomas Forman of the Thomas I'orman Company says that the flooring 

 trade started the new year in flourishing condition. The Forman factory 

 is busy with a good volume of orders on hand and inquiries plentiful. 



The Dwight Lumber Company's flooring factory is also running full time 

 and Secretary John Lodge reports that trade conditions were never better. 

 The flooring men are looking for a continuance of good business right 

 through 1913. 



.T. M. Clifford says that while stocks are moving fast, a good deal of 

 dithculty is being experienced by lumber dealers in getting railroad ship- 

 ments. A railroad embargo at Toledo on shipments from the South has 

 seriously affected Detroit dealers, and although this embargo has been 

 lifted, many southern shippers of hardwood lumber have been holding 

 back. The result Is that many dealers are running extremely short on 

 stocks. Mr. Clifford says that he expects further advances in prices of 

 all hardwood lumber with the exception of poplar. The later stocks are 

 quite plentiful and the demand is comparatively small. 



George I. McClure reports that business is very good in all kinds of 

 hardwoods, with birch, maple and elm leading. In the first three days of 

 the new year Mr. McClure sold more than 350,t)00 feet of hardwood, which 

 he considers not a bad start. 



Mr. Scheurman of the Scbeurman I^uml>er Company of Saginaw was a 

 visitor in Detroit last week. 



Detroit and Indiana capitalists have purchased 7,000 acres of hardwood 

 timber land in Springdale township. Manistee county, from the Fruit Belt 

 Land Corporation. It is expected that it will take five years to clear the 

 land. This is the largest single tract of hardwood left in Manistee 

 county. 



The Fox & Mason Furniture Company of Corruna has Increased its 

 capital stock from $200,000 to $.300,000. At present the company is em- 

 ploying 150 men. The higher grades of furniture, mostly Circassian 

 walnut and mahogany, are made at factory "A," while imitation quartered 

 oak goods are made at factory "B." An addition to factory "A" will proba- 

 bly be built within the next few months. 



' TOTOM»am!»g>trom!iMi;imiBaiTO^^ 



The Hardwood Market 



< CHICAGO >• 



Market conditions in Chioaao are lypical of conditions throughout tbe 

 country. Considerable slacking in orders war noted during the early 

 part of Ihc past fortnight, but large concerns are gradually closing their 

 1912 business and are again getting back into the market in flrst-class 

 shape. The volume of orders for the next week or ten days will prob- 

 ably be comparatively light, but they will come in in increasing numbers 

 and size. Every confidence is expressed that the present firm prices 

 will hold, at least, until the advent of the summer season, although local 

 yard men, wholesalers and mill representatives state that they can not 

 see any possibility of the present shortage of supply being entirely elimi- 

 nated before that time. 



The usual order of strength of the various woods is being maintained, 

 as it has been for several months past, and plain oak is about the 

 strongest item, quartered oak continuing to increase In demand and 



price. All the northern woods are in pretty firm request, birch and 

 maple being the leaders. Red gum still shows some weakness, although 

 some concerns report a strengthening in demand during the last week or 

 two. 



=-< NEW YORK y- 



The hardwood market at New York which has shown such strength for 

 the greater part of the year just closed, continues strong and active. 

 The fact that low grades are iUi better demand is by no means the least 

 encouraging feature. Supplies are difficult to attain and the report Is 

 that stocks at mill points are low and broken. The demand seems to 

 be heavier for plain oak and ash. and these have show'n an advance in 

 price, in some cases of as much as two dollars : ash is particularly 

 strong and high in price. Maple, birch,, chestnut and poplar are In 

 good demand and prices steady. There is no reason to expect a falling 

 oft in prices of hardwoods generally : on the contrary it is predicted 

 tliat tbe future will see a steady demand and, if any change in price, 

 the tendency will be upward. 



=-< BUFFALO y 



The hardwood trade is naturally feeling the effects of the holidays and 

 the Inventory season, but the outlook is good and a fair amount of lumber 

 has been sold for delivery ahead. The yards look to sec this an active 

 year, with the same strength to prices as last year. There are no weak 

 spots among hardwoods and if business keeps up as Is hoped for, It would 

 not be surprising to the trade if some advances in prices were made. 



Plain oak holds tbe lead in sales and is maintaining its strong position 

 in both white and red stock. Chestnut and ash are also quite firm. Birch 

 and maple are being called for quite frequently and are strong. Dealers 

 handling beech state that there is a good call for that lumber. All 

 flooi-ing is holding up at a pretty high level of prices. 



=-< PHILADELPHIA y 



It is the general pronouncement of lumbermen that 1912 has proved 

 a satisfactory year in nearly every line of the business. Signs are 

 numernns that 1913 may be looked forward to as a record-breaker. A 

 somewhat subdued activity is always anticipated at this time of the 

 year, but owing to the depleted pile, Iwth at the manufacturing and the 

 consuming ends, a comparatively lively traffic is still going on as every 

 effort is being made to secure stock ahead. The concerted action of the 

 trust companies and extensive operative builders to keep the operation 

 work within limits during the year is already showing good results, as 

 many plans are now under way for large operations to begin as soon as 

 the weather permits. 



The relative positions of the hardwoods continue unchanged. Plain 

 red oak. which heads the list both in demand and price, is closely 

 followed by white oak: quartered oak is still advancing: ash is moving 

 up. orders increasing and prices strengthening : chestnut holds a good 

 place: poplar is steady, with increased demand in low grades; maple 

 retains a good position : birch, beech, cherry and basswood are all in 

 good call; cypn-ss shows a little more lite; mahogany is growing 

 stronger. 



-< BOSTON y 



While the demand for hardwood lumber has ruled rather quiet for 

 the past two or three weeks, there has been no abatement in the strength 

 of the market. Practically all reports from producing centers indicate 

 that holders of hardwood lumber are not anxious sellers. Exceptions are 

 reported from time to time where some manufacturer is forced to get 

 ready cash and therefore makes a sale at a slight concession. Such 

 cases, however, are not numerous at the present time. 



A good demand is expected for hardwoods as soon as buyers have 

 figured their stock sheets and find out just what they have on hand. 

 Most buyers will be ready to talk buying by the middle of this month, 

 but dealers do not expect a really active demand while the high prices 

 rule. In plain oak there Is talk of a still further advance. Quartered 

 oak Is also considerably firmer and a fair demand is reported. Maple 

 is in fair call, and whltewood has had a very good demand. The high 

 prices of all hardwoods and the small offerings of good stock has led 

 to much buying of the lower grades to be used as substitutes for the 



bi'lter 



srade 



=-< BALTIMORE y 



The new year has begun and the hopes and expectations of the mem- 

 bers of the hardwood trade run high. Although the movement of stocks 

 has been restricted in the iHst two weeks, this did not in any sense imply 

 weakness in the trade, but reflected the sidetracking of attention from 

 ordinary matters by such details as taking stock, the closing of accounts, 

 (he striking of balances and the rea.djustraent of office affairs generally. 

 If business has been uneventful, it was not because the demand had 

 easeil off or the imiuiry lessened, but solely for the reason that there ' 

 were other things which could not be deferred. 



Now that the routine of trade is being taken up again. It is noted 

 that all of the hardwoods are strong, with oak perhaps higher than It 

 has ever been, and both the domestic and the foreign demand of Impressive 

 proportions. The predictions of last year that the mills would catch 



