HARDWOOD RECORD 



49 



I 10i;"J shipments but most manufacturers do not 

 seek such advanoe orders. 



There continue to t>e active calls from the 

 furniture, vehicle, railroads, car building and 

 other consuming concerns. Cold weather has 

 caused a slight falling off in the retail trade. 

 General rains have brought a return of a good 

 boating season and this means renewed activity 

 all along the Cumberland river. The box. sash, 

 door and blind makers are after good material. 

 Inside finishing materials arc in good call. 



ST. LOUIS 



3 



r.usiness in hardwoods is unusually good, con- 

 sidering that the holidays are so close at hand, 

 owing to the fine weather which has prevailed 

 up to the present time, more than the average 

 trade has been done. I,umlx>r. too. is coming 

 in better than it did. on account of more cars 

 being available for shipments. This has in- 

 creased the receipts considerably. Nearly all 

 items on the list are being called for. Plain 

 red oak leads in the demand and it goes out as 

 fast as it comes into the market. Plain white 

 oak is also in excellent request. Red and white 

 <iuartered oak are holding their own. Inch 

 stock ash and thicker is moving nicely. Poplar 

 is a poor seller. Both gum and Cottonwood are 

 holding their own. Cypress is holding its own, 

 but dealers are well pleased with the volume of 

 business they are doing. The demand is not 

 quite as active as it was. but that could be 

 expected when one considers that the iirst of 

 the year is now only a few days off. Most of 

 the factory demand is for quick shipments and 

 in small lots. The yards have shut down buy- 

 ing almost entirely. 



LOUISVILLE 



Tile drmaud fur liiiidwoud lumber has slowed 

 ui> somewhat, as far as new business is con- 

 lerned. on account of the holidays. The pros- 

 pect of taking an inventory on January 1 always 

 chills the ardor of the buyer, and enforces a de- 

 sire to travel light as to supplies. This is a 

 < ase of not letting the right hand know what 

 the left is doing, and many men keei) a lot of 

 .secrets from their books. The refusal to pur- 

 chase for immediate delivery has not stopped 

 buying altogether, however, as a lot of orders 



THREE STATES LUMBER CO. 



Manufacturers of 



SOUTHERN HARDWOODS 

 Co^ttonwood and Red Cum 



SPECIALTIES 

 Main Oflics, Memphis, Tenn. 



BLUESTONELAND& 

 LUMBER COMPANY 



MANUFACTURER S 



West Virginia Hardwoods 



SOFT WHITE PINE 

 OAK POPLAR 

 CHESTNUT HEMLOCK 



BAND SAWED STOCK 



Complete Planing Mill Facilities 

 RIDGWAY, PENNSYLVANIA 



are on the books of local concerns providing for 

 delivery immediately after the turn of the year. 

 Thus far December has been an extremely good 

 month, shipping going right ahead without a 

 letup, orders already placed being more than 

 sufflcieat to insure activity in the yards. 



Some canny buyers who placed a lot of orders 

 for plain oak a good while ago, months, at an.v 

 rate, are now digging these up and making 

 specifications for immediate deliveries. Lumber- 

 men who were hoping that they would not be 

 called upon to deliver on the basis under which 

 the business was secured are now beginning to 

 realize that plain oak sold all too cheaply last 

 summer. 



The feature of the situation continues to l>e an 

 active demand for quartered oak. with quar- 

 tered white leading, naturally, and plain red 

 holding tlie fort in that line. Thick plain oak 

 is a scarce item at present, and an iuijuiry for 

 75.000 feet of 3" No. 1 common has circulated 

 through several markets hereabouts without pro- 

 ducing anything definite. Hickory, ash and 

 chestnut are good. Poplar is slightly dull in the 

 upper grades. Cottonwood and gum are in good 

 demand, and mahogany is firm. 



MILWAUKEE 



Tlie liardwood busiuos;, is ln.>ldim; up espe- 

 cially well for this season of the year and whole- 

 salers do not anticipate the bad slump usually 

 experienced during the holida.v season. Demand 

 is good from most sources, but especiall.v so from 

 the general factory trade. Practically all the 

 sash and door and interior finish manufacturing 

 concerns are looking for a record breaking busi- 

 ness next year and are preparing their stocks 

 accordingly. 



The head of a large sash, door and 1>lind 

 house says that business is better than it has 

 lipen at this time in the past fifteen years ; that 

 flic trade has increased at a remarkable rate 

 during the last quarter of the year and that 

 all pro.spects indicate that a big business will 

 be experienced all of next year. He believes 

 I hat the total business of the past year in the 

 Milwaukee sash and door field would show an 

 increase of at least fifteen per cent as compared 

 with that of 1911. 



The box factories are stocked up fairly well 

 and are not buying quite so heavily in low- 

 grade hardwood. Most of the manufacturing 

 concerns hare been farsighted enough to buy 

 rather liberally in the past few months and thus 

 to a certain extent have avoided the high prices. 

 However, man.v concerns are low on stocks and 

 have very little chance at the present time of 

 getting what they want. There is still a genu- 

 ine .shortage in some lines. 



The demand is good for inch birch and prices 

 in this line are strong. Reports from some 

 northern lumber points say that birch stocks 

 will hardly last until the middle of January. 

 Maple is selling well in all thicknesses, but there 

 is very little No. 1 and No. 2 on the market. 

 Low-grade maple is much in demand, however. 

 Basswood is in brisk demand, with the possible 

 exception of No. 3, which is about out of the 

 market. Elm is scarce. In the southern woods, 

 both plain and quartered oak are in the lead. 



DETROIT 



orders and inquiries have been plentiful in the 

 Detroit hardwood market the past fortnight and 

 c'xcellent business is reported in every branch 

 of the trade. A feature of the market has been 

 the steady increase in prices on most every 

 grade of hardwood. There has been a big de- 

 mand for ash, walnut and birch from the auto- 

 mobile body and accessories companies. A large 

 automobile concern recently sent out a requisi- 

 tion for 1,250,000 feet of hardwood lumber, 

 mostly ash but also good quantities of walnut 

 and birch. Other motor car companies have also 

 been purchasing liberall.v. 



The box and crating companies have been 



buying in good lots and great activity is reported 

 in these trade. Exceptionally good business is 

 also reported in the hardwood flooring trade. 

 The majority of dealers and manufacturers are 

 extremely optimistic for spring and summer 

 business, believing that the building iKiom pre- 

 dicted for this spring by architects and builders 

 will keep hardwood moving at a lively rate. 



OLASaOW 



The business in this market is quite satis- 

 factory, a cheerful tone being maintained, with 

 no special line outstanding. Prices of all kinds 

 of wood are advancing and with the light im- 

 ports and dwindling stocks, the tendency is still 

 upward. Inquiries are numerous for prompt and 

 forward delivery, but in many cases the prices 

 prohibit anything further being done. At pres- 

 ent it seems that bu.vers who are covering their 

 requirements at current rates will consider 

 themselves fortunate later on, as with advanced 

 yearly contract rates coming into operation in 

 ,Tanuary, c. i. f. values will he further inflated, 

 so that nothing can be gained by waiting. So 

 far as brokers are concerned, there is no undue 

 anxiety to enforce sales, but to hold out for top 

 figures, and even if storage charges are incurred, 

 it will be to their ultimate advantage. With 

 prices for the various lines advancing toward 

 the end of the season, buyers will not readily 

 pay such advances, but, had the advances taken 

 place earlier in the season, which could easily 

 have been done and obtained, buyers long ere this 

 would have become reconciled to the higher 

 values. 



The spruce and pitch pine markets are unique 

 at present in this respect. Freights to the 

 United Kingdom are not nearly so high as 

 those quoted and paid to other parts : supplies 

 are plentiful, but still shippers have held back 

 all along. The current prices for spruce of a 

 year ago have seen an advance of not less 

 than 33 per cent, with the prospect of a further 

 rise in the near future. Most buyers in this 

 market, however, will not pay this increase, as 

 Rigas can be bought at lower prices. 



The steamship Indrani has arrived from New- 

 port News with the usual varied cargo, par- 

 ticularly oak and poplar. This shipment has met 

 with a good request, as is -evident from the 

 large quantity being cleared on ex quay basis. 

 The demand for oak is quite equal to the sup- 

 ply. Some of the oak. however, is not up to 

 the standard grade, but as the policy just now 

 is "take it or leave it," complaints are unheard 

 of. However, if the supply were in excess of 

 tlie demand, this would not apply, as buyers 

 would not take up the goods. Wagon builders 

 are very busy and 12-inch x 5-inch and 3i{.-inch 

 sizes are rapidly bought up. Consignment par- 

 cels should do particularly well. Furniture 

 makers are also busy and enhanced prices are 

 lieing obtained both for parcels ex quay and ex 

 stock. Quite a number of oak squares have been 

 coming in. ranging from 2inch x 2-inch to 3%- 

 inch X 3 % -inch, and these have sold well. A 

 carload of quartered oak flooring strips has 

 arrived, but price asked has not been given so 

 far. No difficulty should arise in obtaining a 

 full price once they have been stored for a few 

 weeks. Any consignment of walnut boards 

 arriviug meets with prompt disposal provided 

 quality is right. 



Contracts for birch planks and logs arc now 

 brisklv proceeding and increased prices are be- 

 ing obtained for the lower port shipment. 



Shipbuilders continue busy, as also are pack- 

 ing-case makers, whose supplies require to be 

 drawn chiefly from the Baltic. 



The exporter has seldom had so many prob- 

 lems: current freights for ports not governed 

 bv contract arrangements are astonishingly high 

 and shippers are finding transactions difiicult. 

 Troubles are further increased by restrictions on 

 through bills of lading, demurrage charges and 

 shortage for inland transport and also by sea. 



