HARDWOOD RECORD 



47 



crnl months wi'i\' rcceivi'd Iroiii I.iuUiii^ton. 

 Mioli. : liiM'l, llnt:iii(i. ami tbe Dalinnia Islands. 



KrD.v llrotliers of Kacine have acquii"***! the 

 now veneer factory at Edgai-. wliich was erected 

 aliDTit a yoai* ago. It will be converted into a 

 liaslvct factory by the new owners, wlio expect 

 to start operations about .Tan. 1. with a capacity 

 of 4(10 dozen basliets a day. .\bout a hundrerl 

 men will 1m' employed at the start. 



Tlie ^^"il^sou Manufacturins Company- of 

 .Vppleton. now holds third place in i-apaciiy 

 amon^i meat and shoe block manufacturers in tile 

 <-onntry. Six new machines, maliini; eii^liteeu 

 in all, will increase the capacit.v forty per cent. 

 Till' capital stock has been increased to .$;•(). ()()(i. 



DETROIT 



The Cadillac Jlotor Car Company has put 

 out a re(]uisition for 1,200.000 feet of hardwood 

 lumber, mostly ash. walnut and birch. Other 

 automobile companies have been placing gener- 

 ous size<i hardwood lumber orders and the deal- 

 ers have derived a very good business from this 

 source alone. 



It. A. Stitzinger of G. G. Stitzinger & Co., 

 New Castle. Pa., was in Detroit on a business 

 trip during the week. 



The Rrownlee-Kelly Company reports business 

 in a Ixioming condition and that many big orders 

 were received during the past uu)nth. Mr. 

 lirownlee says the demands for hardwoods of all 

 kiniis is very In-isk and prices are still climbing. 



The sti'amer Hugh Ilavc.v with a cargo of 

 liardwood arrived at the Brownlee-Kelly Company 



docks Dec. is, which was exceedingly late in the 

 season for a lumber boat to be in service. She 

 carried 400,000 feet of mixed hardwoods, 



.1, II, 1', Smith, Chicago representative 

 of the Bahcock Lumber Company. Pittsburgh, 

 Pa., was in Detroit this week on a business 

 trip. 



George I. McClure. who represents the Hanson- 

 Ward \eneer Company in Detroit, says that tiuit 

 company intends to cut 8,000,000 feet of timlier. 

 mostly hardwood, during the winter. Mr. Mc- 

 Clure expects that large consignments of this 

 cut will be shipped to his lumlter yards at Clark 

 and I'lnmer avenues. lie predicts a large de- 

 mand for hardwood lunil>er in Detroit next spring 

 and summer and cannot see how prices will 

 drop. 



.1. 1'. Scranton & Co. report that low-grade 

 hardwood is very scarce and that crating stock 

 is also hard to get. Labor conditions have im- 

 proved and there is but little trouble in getting 

 men. 



Thomas Korinan of the Thomas I'orman Com- 

 pany says that on account of the tremendous 

 amount of building going on in Detroit, the 

 mill will be busy all winter turning out hard- 

 wood flooring. It is doubtful whether this year's 

 orders can be cleaned up b.v the time building 

 (iperations begin in the spring. At present 

 the mill is working on an order for SS.j.OOO feet 

 of two-inch maple flooring. Mr. Porman says 

 that dry stock is scarce and prices are sure to 

 advance before spring on this account. 



Claude Sears of Louisville. Ky.. vlsiteil the 

 Detroit market during the past week. 



CHIC AGO 



T'nchecked activity in all lines of hardwoods 

 marks the situation in Chicago. In a few cases 

 buyers are resorting to small orders in antici- 

 pation of inventory taking, but the bulk of 

 orders are of the usual proportions, being mainly 

 for delivery some time after the first of the 

 .vear. It is expected that the last week of 1912 

 will sei? more of a slacking up in immediate 

 orders tlian the two weeks preceding, but there 

 is every evidence that continued increase in de- 

 mand and values in hardwoods will be resumed 

 after the opening up of the new .year's business. 



Healthy business is reported at all the con- 

 suming factories, and fair weather conditions 

 have materially enhanced building operations in 

 the Chicago territory. Car building has con- 

 tinued on an active basis calling for a greater 

 quota of hardwoods than it had been using for 

 past months preceding the car shortage. 



Difficulty is still experienced in making ship- 

 ments on ac<'Ouut of the inabilit.v of getting cars 

 in some instances. This has resulted in rather 

 depleted stocks of hardwoods in the yards, and 

 there seems to be little opportunity of stocking 

 up in anticipation of the spring orders. The 

 same ccmdition regarding the different woods is 

 manifest in the Chicago market as in other 

 markets. Ash is one of the strongest items in 

 hardwoods all over the country and is particu- 

 larly strong in the Chicago territory. 



Plain oak Is extremely scarce and quartered 

 oak is gratifyingly active. The latter wood shows 

 every evidi'nce that its consumption and price 

 will continue to be highly satisfactory. The 

 usual demand from the box manufacturers keeps 

 Cottonwood, poplar and the gum situation in 

 good shape. 



ter the latter part of the mouth. .\t present 

 there is general holding off until the completion 

 of inventories, but trade is counted on to pick 

 up again about the middle of .Tanu.ary. Some 

 trouble has been experienced in getting cars 

 to load, and receipts of lumber have been a 

 little slow on account of the congestion exist- 

 ing in the South. 



The yards have been sliipping out a gi>od 

 amount of oak and buyers are willing in many 

 cases to take either red or white, depending upon 

 which is the easier to get. Thick ash is very 

 strong. Chestnut also is firm, high-grade stock 

 selling about as fast as it comes in. .Maple and 

 birch are moving fairly well and s;iles this year 

 in these woikIs liavi' In'en quite heavy. Kim and 

 basswood are in fair sale. 



^EW YORK 



BUFFALO 



The hardwood trade has been as good as could 

 be expected during December, having been bet- 



Tlie liardwood market continues (irm and 

 active. The call for quick shipments is still 

 heard and the yard trade is steadily in the 

 market for stocking up. The low supplies on 

 hand and the steady demand of the past sev- 

 eral months are features of the market. The 

 yards are still buying freely and it is expected 

 that they will continue in the market for some 

 time. The local manufacturing trade is busy 

 and a steady buyer. Ash is in stronger demand 

 than anything else on the list, and is selling at 

 advanced prices, particularly 5 /4 and thicker. 

 Plain oak is also in active demand and low- 

 grade poplar is in good call. The remainder of 

 the list Is showing up well. 



The export demand is good, but dealers are 

 slow to go after the business. The recent ruling 

 of the Interstate Commerce Commission on 

 through bills of lading is one reason why ship- 

 pers are not anxious for export orders, and 

 the heavy advance in freight rates which has 

 been announced for next year and the difliculties 



attending shipments for export make this busi- 

 ness less desirable, and exporlers are cautious 

 about forwarding stocks. 



PHILADELPHIA 



NolH itbstaudiug lb.> ueai- apiiruacli of the 

 hollilay season, an unusually strong activity 

 obtains in the buying market, and the most 

 conservative lumbermen are positive in their 

 belief that lOl,"? will see an aggressive expan- 

 sion of the lumber business. There is no appar- 

 ent change in the hardwood stock situation at 

 this time, and it is safe to assume that the 

 stock pile in standard woods will incrr^ase but 

 little for months to come. Never in the history 

 of tlie lumlx-r business have so many buyers 

 in one season been obliged to sciuir the lumber 

 regions for necessar.v material. liut for unre- 

 liable mill connections and the inadequate car 

 service thi' luml)erman this year could look for- 

 ward to a bountiful and joyous Christmas. 



The consuming industrii's continui' busy, but 

 a slight let-up in buying may be looked for as 

 the stock-taking season advan<*es. Yard men 

 in both Philadelphia and New York, who cater 

 extensively to builders, have been naturally 

 affected by the dearth of building work during 

 the summer and fall, but as there has lieen a 

 corcerted action on the part of the builders 

 and trust companies to curtail operation work 

 for the prevention of a slump in tlie real estate 

 market, the general advantage in the future will 

 more than counterbalance the present gap in tliis 

 line of business. 



Oak, red and white, still holds front rank, 

 with red oak climldng : quartered oak is advanc- 

 ing. Ash, chestnut, birch and beech are all well 

 up in place. Maple is strong. Poplar is un- 

 i-hangi'd with the exception that low-grade stock 

 is active. Gum continues to gain favor in the 

 eastern market and mahogany and veneer trad- 

 ing lit)lds firm. Cypress makes new frii-uils. 



BOSTON 



rill' iiinrkct fur hMrdwuuil lunihcr shows no 

 Mbatemont in tho stn'Qstli with which pricos are 

 hold but actual demand for prompt shipment 

 has ruled rjither slow during: the past two or 

 throe w(M'ks. Many nf the eonsumers of hard- 

 woods are not ovcrsnppliod at the present time. 

 Inir llicy aiH' not anxious to tako on larger stocks 

 until after the turn of the year. This is not 

 unusual, as buyers always figure on haying their 

 stocks reduced at inventory periods. Some orders 

 are being placed with the request that no d'-- 

 livery be made until after the first of January. 

 Advices from the mills indicate comparatively 

 suiail stocks. There is no desire (m the part of 

 manufacturers of hardwood lumber to force sales. 

 Manv of the largo manufacturers of tho country 

 write tlioir correspondents in this i^ixy thai they 

 li:i\T plenty of orders yet untilled on (heir i)ooUs 

 iinii that they are not anxious for additional 

 orders cxcoptiny at full asking; prices. 



Th<'ro is a very good demand for plain nak ii» 

 this market and prices hold tirm. tjuartorod 

 iiak has also been in \fvy good call and values 

 ari' woll held. Black walnut is in fair doniaud. 

 Tile sniall offerings force buyers to make scvoral 

 in(|uiries for the same lot of Inml)er with the 

 result that the market has a more active appear- 

 ance than really exists. Maple is tirm and hi 

 demand. The call for birch and basswotid is 

 niodorate. 



PITTSBVRQH 



Hardwood men are feeling good »iver the 

 outlook for liHo. Their business this year has 

 been considerably better than in 1011. Nearly 

 every hardwood concern in the city is well satis- 

 ttod with tho trade the past four or live month.s. 

 Many of them are planning to increase their 

 sates forci' or strengthen their connections the 

 hi-st Ml" tho year in anticipation of a much larger 



