HARDWOOD RECORD 



47 



The Lee Handle and Dowell Company, which 

 has succeeded the Hankwitz Handle Company at 

 Merrill, will begin operations in a short time. 

 A new wood conveyor is being installed and a 

 machine to make toy broom handles will arrive 

 shortly. Mr. Essler will be retained as super- 

 intendent of the plant by the new owner. 



The regents of the state university at Madison 

 have decided to open a forestry training school 

 at the university in response to numerous re- 

 quests from lumbermen. The new department 

 will be opened in January under F. B. Moody of 

 the state board of forestry, and will give instruc- 

 tions and training in range, nursery and timber 

 work. The building for the new department is 

 now partially completed. 



Fire caused nearly $15,000 damage at Oak- 

 wood when the yards of Otto Davis burned and 

 spread to the lumber yards of the Tibbitts-Cam- 

 eron Lumber Company, causing -$10,000 damage 

 to the latter concern. The village has no fire 

 protection and a bucket brigade of 200 citizens 

 did all in their power to check the flames. 



Mrs. W. H. Upham. wife of former Gov. W. H. 

 Upham of the Upham Mfg. Company of Marsh- 

 field, died at her home on Nov. 29. " She is sur- 

 vived by her husband and two daughters. 



DETROIT 



The Detroit Lumber Company has increased 

 its capital stock from $150,000 to .$300,000 and 

 the Plymouth Lumber & Coal Company from 

 $10,000 to $20,000. 



The Thomas Forman Company, the Brownlee- 

 Kelly Company and the Lowrie & Robinson Lum- 

 ber Company have received the last of their lake 

 shipments of lumber. All have received large 

 cargoes of hardwood lumber, especially maple, 

 within the past fortnight. 



Escanaba is to have a new $75,000 veneer 

 manufacturing plant. J. C. Kirkpatrick, head 

 of the National Pole Company, is the leading 

 spirit in the new enterprise. 



Secretary John Lodge of the Dwight Lumber 

 Company reports that the hardwood flooring 

 trade is in an excellent condition. The Dwight 

 company's flooring mill is running overtime try- 

 ing to keep up with orders. Mr. Lodge says that 

 his company has not been as badly affected by 

 the freight car shortage as some the other De- 

 troit lumber dealers and ascribes this to the fact 

 that all cars received at his plant are promptly 

 unloaded and are not held overnight. Mr. Lodge 

 reports that this is the best season the Dwight 

 company has had since its organization over 

 thirty years ago. 



Samuel Ellsworth has petitioned the Pontiac 

 circuit court for permission to reopen the Michigan 

 Oak Flooring & Interior Finish Company. He 

 claims to own 900 shares of common stock and 

 is the largest individual stockholder. Chauncey 

 A. Harris, the receiver, is in charge and is en- 

 gaged in winding up the affairs of the plant. 

 Mr. Ellsworth believes that the plant will bring 

 a better figure at a sale as a going concern. 



Detroit lumbermen are interested in the re- 

 port that the Dayton Last Block Works has 

 rented the S. S. Humphrey sawmill at Gaylord 

 and will manufacture hardwood ties during the 

 coming winter. There is still considerable tim- 

 ber of this sort in the section of the country 

 surrounding Gaylord. 



"Building conditions have never been better 

 in the history of the city," said Charles A. 

 Bowen, secretary of the Builders & Traders' Ex- 

 change. *'For example the value of the building 

 permits ^rom the first of the year to the end 

 of November exceeded by over four million dol- 

 lars those of the year previous for the same 

 time." 



Frank A. Black of Detroit is at the head of 

 a new company organized to manufacture plumb- 

 er's woodwork and sectional bookcases. A plant 

 will be established at Milford. 



Thomas J. Anketell of the Anketell Lumber 

 Company will leave about the first of the year 



(or a southern trip. He expects .to be gone until 

 way along into the summer. 



Frederick J. Robinson of the Lowrie & Robin- 

 son Lumber Company says that trade in hard- 

 wood flooring and finishing during the past 

 month has been exceedingly good. Plain red 

 oak. he says, is in great demand. 



Oak and cypress have been the leaders with 

 E. W. Leech during the past month. Manager 

 Smith of the company complained of the short- 

 age of freight cars which has resulted in hold- 

 ing up shipments and he says he does not look 

 for much relief in this direction before the first 

 of the year. 



J. P. Scranton, the veteran dealer in hard- 

 woods, says that he has orders which cannot be 

 filled for some time on account of the scarcity 

 of men and delayed shipments of stocks. Mr. 

 Scranton says that it is hard to get men be- 

 cause the automobile companies win them away 

 with offers of more pay. He says that there is 

 a good, healthy demand for hardwoods of all 

 kinds. 



George I. McClure declares that 1912 will go 

 down in history as the biggest and best year 

 Detroit hardwood men have ever had. He also 

 says that the prospects for the coming year are 

 just as bright. "Many big orders for hardwoods 

 will be placed this month,'* said Mr. McClure, 

 ■and I expect to get my share of them. I have 

 been handicapped by not having a sufficient num- 

 ber of warehouses, but by next spring I will have 

 one big one which will be second to none in 

 this section. I have two cargoes of approxi- 

 mately 700.000 feet coming in this week and 

 with what I have on hand this will tide me over 



nicely until next spring. The demand for hard- 

 wood flooring Is as brisk now as it has been at 

 any time during the summer. Wide poplar is 

 being used by the automobile body companies 

 more extensively than at any time during the 

 past two years." 



The Brownlee-Kclly Company reports a very 

 good trade with satisfactory prices prevailing, 

 "With the arrival of the last shipments by 

 water we have proceeded to take an inventory 

 of stock on hand, " said Mr. Brownlee. "At the 

 present time we have a fairly good supply on 

 hand, but not what we should have. We have 

 handled over 300,000.000 feet of hardwood lum- 

 ber this year and are very much pleased with 

 the prices we have received. No. 3 common, 

 which is used mostly for crating, and thick 

 maple, 1 ^,4 inches or thicker. Is scarce and the 

 prices on these materials are high. One Wis- 

 consin firm has withdrawn its stock from the 

 market and does not intend to sell until the 

 February market opens, which shows that the 

 prices are bound to go higher." 



J. M. Clifford, large dealer In hardwoods, re- 

 ports business very brisk. He says that prices 

 on hardwoods are advancing rapidly and that 

 stocks are scarce. He says that red oak is espe- 

 cially hard to get. 



F. W. Mowbray of Mowbray & Robinson, Cin- 

 cinnati, 0., was a Detroit visitor recently. 



Detroit box manufacturers report excellent 

 bii-in.*?« at the piociit tiiuc. AI; the box men 

 complain that prices of lumber stocks have mate- 

 rially increased. A lively demand for packing 

 cases in which No. 3 common is used is also 

 reported. 



N asm:.amasii>l<iKm!miTOi>!iti^^ 



CHIC AGO 



Continued activity is noted with the local 

 trade. The slackening of business on account 

 of the holiday season seems to have been slight 

 with Chicago hardwood handlers. In fact the 

 only change in the situation during the last 

 two weeks is the generally healthy improvement 

 in the whole tone of the market. This is in 

 keeping with the improved conditions which 

 have been noted for several months past. Con- 

 tinued diflnculty in getting any satisfactory 

 amount of dry stock is felt. There does not 

 seem to be much improvement in the situation 

 either at northern or southern mills supplying 

 the local trade. Practically all items are moving 

 briskly although, as noted two weeks ago, red 

 gum is not exactly as it might well be consider- 

 ing the qualities of that wood. In fact there 

 seems to be a real movement back to quar- 

 tered oak. The Chicago market is taking this 

 wood with increasing favor, just as it is re- 

 ported from other hardwood centers. Low grades 

 are generally practically out of the market, par- 

 ticularly Cottonwood, poplar and basswood. 

 Both rock and soft elm are in fair request. .\sh 

 is particularly active, as is also chestnut. Plain 

 red oak still maintains its leading position. 



oak. There has been a change in price on maple 

 fiooring, but only slight. Birch and maple are 

 in good call, and other stocks are in demand. 

 Low grades are moving with more freedom. 

 There is nothing to indicate an immediate change 

 in the general situation. 



BUFFALO 



NEW YORK 



Members of the hardwood trade are looking 

 for a lessened amount of activity this month, 

 but this far there has been a pretty good num- 

 ber of inquiries. Prices are generally holding 

 very firm and little complaint is heard over con- 

 ditions, except for the shortage of cars, which 

 has hampered the yards in getting in and ship- 

 ping out lumber. The lake season is now over 

 and supplies from that direction at some yards 

 are quite heavy. 



Good oak continues to be in best demand and 

 stocks are relatively small, as they have re- 

 cently been. Where dry stocks are secured they 

 find a ready sale. Quartered oak is not as 

 strong as plain, but it has begun to be in better 

 inquiry. Birch and maple are moving right 

 along In good volume. Ash, elm and chestnut 

 are also moderately active. Poplar is not doing 

 much, but low grades are still scarce. In most 

 grades mills are said to be well sold up on 

 poplar. 



The hardwood market shows little change in 

 the past fortnight. The general demand has 

 increased so that local manufacturers find it 

 difficult to secure desirable stocks within a 

 reasonable length of time. Generally the stocks 

 on band are below normal and in some cases 

 inadequate for current needs. The car shortage 

 is not as severe as a month ago. Inquiry and 

 demand continue strong and prices rule gener- 

 ally firm. Some items have shown an advance 

 of 'two dollars, notably thick chestnut and plain 



PHILADELPHIA 



The last fortnight has shown a considerable 

 expansion in trade, and retail stocks are much 

 depleted. With stocks at mill end sold way 

 ahead, and the lack of sufficient cars for prompt 

 delivery, the lumberman is having his own 

 troubles at this time. 



Furniture factories, box manufacturers and 

 other consumers continue active, but are handi- 

 capped by a competition so keen that neither of 

 them cares to risk an advance in price for feat 



