HARDWOOD RECORD 



49 



Hardwood Lumber Company reports that the 

 company is quite busy, and nearly every item 

 on the hardwood list is being called for. The 

 company was very fortunate in having a good 

 stock of everything on hand before the acute 

 stage of the car shortage came so that it has 

 little difficulty in filling orders. 



A fairly gooi volume of business is reported 

 by George Cottrill of the American Hardwood 

 Lumber Company. He feels very much encour- 

 aged over the present situation and with the 

 outlook for the future. Shipments from the 

 local yards are going out all right and owing to 

 the good sized and well assorted stocks carried 

 the company is not bothered by the car shortage. 



A Inncheon was given at the City club by 

 the Lumbermen's Exchange of St. Louis on Oct. 

 8, at which the improvement of the inspection 

 of lumber was gone over and plans formulated 

 for a continued improvement. It was decided at 

 the meeting to hold monthly luncheons on the 

 third Tuesday of every month, where affairs of 

 the exchange could be discussed. Resolutions 

 on the death of Christian F. Leibke were pre- 

 sented and adopted. 



MILWAUKEE 



The Westeru Parlor Frame Company has been 

 incorporated with a capital of $25,000 in 

 riymouth by George C. Maas, August Albrecht 

 and Henry Clemens. The company wi^ op- 

 erate the former Peter Wolf plant at Plymouth. 



The Tomahawk Box Company recently suffered 

 the total loss of its plant at Tomahawk, by 

 lire, which caused a damage of $40,000. The 

 insurance covers about $30,000 of the loss. 



The Plymouth Veneer Company of Plymouth 

 has filed a voluntary petition of bankruptcy, 

 giving its liabilities as $38,801.84 and its as- 

 sets as $63,704.11. 



The ownership of the Hankwitz Broom Handle 

 Company of Merrill has been acquired by Clifton 

 E. Lee of Lincoln, Neb. After an inventory has 

 been taken, the plant will continue to run as 

 heretofore. 



The first steps to establish a course for for- 

 est rangers at the University of Wisconsin 

 have been taken with the appointment of Frank 

 B. Moody, assistant state forester of Wisconsin, 

 to the position of assistant professor of forestry 

 at that institution. 



Improvements to the plant of the North- 

 western Manufacturing Company's plant at Fort 

 Atkinson, are being made at the present time. 

 A fourth story to the chair shop is being 

 erected, also a new dry-kiln. The individual 

 motor system is being installed throughout the 

 plant. 



Mayor Robert Connor of Marshfield, has just 

 returned from an extended trip through Laona 

 and Crandon with a report of continued activi- 

 ties in the lumber circles and increased demand 



from all sources. The Roddis Lumber and 

 Veneer Company of the same city is installing 

 another $4,000 dove-tail machine in its plant, 

 which is running full swing. 



DETROIT 



Never before in the history of the city has 

 the hardwood flooring trade been in such a 

 booming condition as it is at the present time. 

 Although working overtime the mills are away 

 behind orders which continue to pour in from 

 all sections of the country. 



"For the first time in the history of this 

 company, over forty years, we are now running 

 a ten-hour day." said John Lodge, secretary of 

 the Dwight Lumber Company, to a Hardwood 

 Record correspondent. "At that we are from 

 thirt.v to sixty days behind on orders, the de- 

 mand for our special brand of thin flooring 

 being such that we cannot keep up to it. The 

 increase of from two to six dollars a thousand 

 on rough stock has compelled us to increase 

 the price of our finished product ; but, although 

 the increase on our three-eighth and half-inch 

 stuff has averaged two dollars a thousand, the 

 increase hasn't affected the demand. I don't 

 see how business could very well be much 

 better." 



Thomas Forman of the Thomas Porman Com- 

 pany, reports that similar conditions prevail in 

 the flooring mill at his plant. He says that 

 prices are very satisfactory and the volume of 

 consumption especially good. Mr. Forman says 

 that his company's new mill at Heidelberg, Ky., 

 will not be ready until about Feb. 1 next year, 

 as there has been considerable delay owing to 

 the difliculty in securing building material. The 

 new mill will have a capacity of about 10,000,- 

 000 feet a year. 



J. M. Clifford, the .largest exclusive hardwood 

 dealer in the city, is a busy man these days. 

 In addition to supervising his large trade he 

 has entered politics and is the Democratic nomi- 

 nee for Wayne county treasurer. Regarding the 

 hardwood market Mr. Clifford said : "Hard and 

 soft maple has been in steady and strong de- 

 mand in Detroit the past two weeks. The price 

 is about $2.50 a thousand higher than it was 

 the corresponding period last year and it is 

 bound to go still higher. White oak is also in 

 strong demand. Other lines are normal with 

 prices satisfactory. The automobile factories 

 are all very busy and are big buyers of hard- 

 woods. The market generally is in very good 

 shape." 



George I. McClure during the past two weeks 

 moved to his new hardwood lumber yard at 

 Clark avenue and Plumer street and has given 

 up his office in the Chamber of Commerce 

 building. He reports that trade has been ex- 

 cellent. The demand has been strong for 

 white oak, birch and maple. 



' H:;roiiaMi;5CTa:;TO^g.MaiTOa^aawag&^ 



The Hardwood Market 



CHICAOO 



Representatives of out of town firms couunue 

 to be notably scarce in the local market. Re- 

 ports from leading manufacturers and whole- 

 salers in other hardwood centers indicate that 

 in a great many cases salesmen are still off the 

 road and are circulating among mills in an en- 

 deavor to locate suflicient dry stock to fill imme- 

 diate demauds. 



A few members of the local trade state that 

 there is still a tendency among some of the 

 buyers to regard the present strength of hard- 

 wood values as temporary and that iu some 

 cases such buyers have expressed themsc]v--i as 



believing that a few months will see a slump in 

 hardwood prices. However, this idea is not 

 prevalent and the majority of bigger buyers in 

 the city are doing all they can to secure suffi- 

 cient hardwood stock at present prices rather 

 than run the risk of paying higher figures at a 

 later date. 



Building operations continue to be active, 

 while the same can be said of flooring factories, 

 piano factories, furniture houses and box manu- 

 facturers. 



Plain oak is bringing prices that in some cases 

 rather stagger buyers in view of the easy mar- 

 ket which they have been enjoying for several 

 years. However, it can be said that oak still 

 can go some distance before reaching an un- 



desirably high figure. Quartered oak is generally 

 reported as showing increased .firmness. Red 

 gum. on the other hand, is not one of the 

 strongest articles on the local market, although 

 sap gum is being taken wherever offered, by the 

 box manufacturers. 



The consensus of opinion among the local 

 trade is that present favorable conditions and 

 the present range of values will not show any 

 unfavorable change for a good many months to 

 come. ' 



NEW YORK 



The hardwood market at New York shows a 

 strong condition with prices well held and tend- 

 ing upward on good grade lumber and supplies 

 not over plentiful at both ends of the line. The 

 car situation is preventing prompt shipment, 

 while holders of stock are holding out for top 

 prices and quick shipments. Such stock as is 

 available at shipping points appears to be in 

 strong hands and the entire market gives evi- 

 dence of continued strength for the balance of 

 the year. 



BUFFALO 



The hardwood trade is improved over a month 

 ago and customers are buying much more freely 

 now than they did at that time. The furniture 

 factories are all busy, but the implement con- 

 cerns have begun to slow down a little. Stocks 

 in Buffalo yards are large and much better as- 

 sorted than early in the season. The favorable 

 railroad location of this market makes the car 

 scarcity a lesser factor here than elsewhere. 



Most all hardwoods share in the activity at 

 present, oak to a larger extent than most others, 

 tjuartered has already begun to show more 

 strength. It is aided by the stiff prices now 

 prevailing in mahogany, which makes the trade 

 turn to some other wood. It is difficult to find 

 mahogany in any quantity except at a very high 

 price. Birch and maple are in pretty good de- 

 mand and beech has picked up, being used con- 

 siderably for flooring. Ash is in improved sale. 

 Poplar has become a little more active. 



PHILADELPHIA 



Lumber trading has maintained a stiff activity 

 during the last fortnight, and a robust business 

 is anticipated for the winter months. Buying 

 shows improvement among the wholesale con- 

 suming industries, and there is no sign of dimin- 

 ished requisitions on the railroad boards. The 

 box makers continue busy, which indicates a 

 brisk business in other lines than those of lum- 

 ber users. 



An optimistic feeling as to the outlook pre- 

 vails everywhere, regardless of the approaching 

 presidential election. The hardwood market 

 stands practically the same as it did a fort- 

 night ago. Oak is the leader ; red and white 

 oak is scarce, with prices climbing ; ash is mak- 

 ing a stride forward ; chestnut is in strong 

 demand, especially in one inch No. 3 common : 

 sound wormy chestnut keeps a good reputation ; 

 there are many calls for cherry, birch and beech, 

 and prices hold firm. Poplar remains steady, 

 with strong activity in low grades ; hickory has 

 numerous inquiries ; cypress is more quiet, and 

 a more vigorous trading is noticeable in mahog- 

 auy and veneer. 



PITTSBURGH 



Hardwood lumbermen are feeling about forty 

 per cent better than at this time last year. 

 Things have been coming their way the past six 

 mouths. It begins to put a little of the old- 

 time spirit In their conversation and everybody 

 is on the hopeful toboggan. Prices are O. K. 

 Slocks are low and hard to locate where strictly 



