30 



ing makers and the producers of interior fin- 

 ish and hardwood doors. 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



Boston. 



There has been uo notueable change In the 

 hardwood market In Boston fur some weeks. 

 The majority of yards in this vicinity have 

 stocks large enough to fill immediate wants 

 and so are buying only in a hand to mouth 

 way. In a few instances orders for delivery 

 next spring are being received. Furniture 

 manufacturers are fairly busy and woodwork- 

 ing plants producing interior finish are doing 

 a good business. The complaint among deal- 

 ers here is that prices obtained are not as 

 high as those paid in other large markets of 

 the country. As a result of this shippers are 

 inclined to favor orders from these other cen- 

 ters before orders sent from Boston for de- 

 livery in this vicinity. Dealers who have a 

 trade in New York report that the demand 

 has shown improvement. The shortage of 

 cars still continues to give trouble. 



The demand for plain oak in all grades au'l 

 lengths is moderate. One inch ones and twos 

 is quoted at S50 to $52. Quartered oak one 

 inch ones and twos is moving in a fair way. 

 Dealers are holding in the neighborhood of 

 $78, although it is quoted down to $74 in a 

 few instances. Brown ash has been selling in 

 rather a free way, at $49 to $51. Wholesalers. 

 report a very good call for chestnut. Wis- 

 consin red birch is held here at $52 to $55 

 with a moderate demand reported. Soft elm 

 is quoted at $40 and basswood at $40. 



Maple flooring is attracting a very fair vol- 

 ume of orders. Two and a quaiter inc'.i 

 face clear maple flooring is held at $39. There 

 is a fair call for 1-inch hard maple at $36. 



Much more talk is heard of red gum than 

 heretofore. Several wholesalers have samples 

 and are talking it up to their customers. Thin 

 stock especially is said to give satisfaction. 

 .\s yet the trade act in a very conservative 

 manner. 



Whitewood does not show any activity. The 

 majority who handle this stock state that 

 prices of the better grades are firmly held, 

 but that on good-sized orders for common 

 stock concessions can be obtained. One inch 

 is quoted up to $49.50 and 1^4, ll^ and 2- 

 inch at $52. Cypress is in fair demand. Dry 

 stock is in short supply. 



New York, 



The local hardwood situation continues in 

 much the same condition as last reported. 

 There is a marked scarcity of birch, the de- 

 mand for which Is unpreeedentedly large, and 

 also of dry ash and plain oak, although there 

 seems to be more of the latter stock offering 

 than there has been for some months. Poplar 

 Is moving quite freely, and it Is rumored that 

 on January 1 there will be an advance in 

 prices. With this In view no contracts are 

 being taken to run beyond that date. 



It Is rather difllcult to give a detailed review 

 of hardwood conditions at this point owing 

 10 the peculiar circumstances at the manufac- 

 turing end of the business, and as one whole- 

 sale agent said recently, "The buyer seems 

 to know more about actual conditions than 

 we do." When viewed from one standpoint 

 this fact Is readily appreciated, for the reason 

 that some manufacturers are entirely out of 

 certain classes of stock, and are sold up pretty 

 clean so far as immediate shipments arc con- 

 cerned, and of course take their own condi- 

 tion as a criterion for the market In general, 

 whereas other manufacturers who have not 

 been so fortunate, or wholesalers who have 

 scurried around and secured stock, are in a 

 position to sell, and as the buyer comes In 

 contact with all classes of the selling trade, 

 he becomes pretty wise as to the general situa- 

 tion. 



However, the demand for hardwoods may be 

 termed at least fair and available stocks not 

 over plentiful, with the list moving freely, 

 possibly excepting basswood aiul maple, and 

 tliere is no indication of any easing off for 

 some months to come. C^onditions at sources 

 of supply, as reported, give every indication 

 that there will be an upward tendency of 

 \-aluGs between now and spring. 



Baltimore. 



The extraordinary activity in the hardwood 

 trade seems to increase rather than diminish 

 with the lapse of time. The most encouraging 

 reports of the state of trade are heard on all 

 sides. The requirements of this city in the 

 way of lumber continue abnormally large, and 

 the proportion of expensive woods used was 

 never so great. There is still much interior 

 work to be done throughout the burnt district, 

 while in the other sections of Baltimore there 

 is also a large amount of rebuilding. The 

 furniture factories and the plants that make 

 interior finish are swamped with orders and 

 running over time to turn them out. 



Good dry oak. of course, takes the lead. 

 Manufacturers are unable to furnish supplies 

 as rapidly as needed, and the tendency as to 

 prices is still upward, intending buyers being 

 more solicitous about when they can get or- 

 ders filled than about the price to be paid. 

 This holds good in a large measure with re- 

 spect to ash and chestnut. The situation is 

 rendered all the more acute because of the 

 railroad car shortage, which is responsible for 

 vexatious delays, but somewhat eases the 

 pressure on the mills. The inquiry for wal- 

 nut is active. 



The export business is practically without 

 change. High v.alues in the United States 

 militate against the distribution abroad. In 

 addition, stocks continue fairly large, thanks 

 to the missionary work done among certain 

 producers by English and European visitors, 

 who come here and give a roseate view of 

 conditions on the other side. Many of the 

 shipments made on the strength of such rep- 

 resentation net the shippers little or nothing, 

 and even direct losses are not infrequent. The 

 demand for poplar, both here and abroad, is 

 restricted, and the efforts of manufacturers 

 to maintain price"lists are meeting with rather 

 indifferent results. 



The freight rate situation is In the main 

 encouraging, the attempt to advance rates made 

 some time ago not becoming permanent. 

 Very favorable- terms cau now be secured, but 

 bookings are not generally take't l'»r a lunger 

 period than next August. 



Philadelphia. 



Trade here is holding up remarkably, to 

 .such an extent in fact as to astonish lumber- 

 men. High prices reign generally throughout 

 the list and all Mnds of lumber crinimund 

 good and seemingly stable prices. The hard 

 wood market is most active and those who 

 make a specialty of hardwoods "are having 

 a plethora of orders difficult to handle 

 because of the car shortage. Despite the ap- 

 proach of winter the demand for hardwood 

 shows no abatement. 



Kansas City. 

 Were cars plcnliful and shipments coming 

 from the mills v'ith a fair degree of prompt- 

 ness, undoubtedlv the hardwood people here 

 and elsewhere would have some other trou- 

 bles to complain ot. As it is. the movement 

 of stcck froii tl'- mills is so exasperatlngly 

 Plow that the manufacturers and wholesalers 

 of hardwoods think that they would be per- 

 fectly happy If they could only get cars. No 

 complaint la mndo as to the demand, or the 

 state of the market, and while mill stocks are 



light, the present volume of business could be 

 handled with some salislaction were it not 

 lor the car famine. i'*or the past few weeks iho 

 slinrtaK'i may not have been any worse than 

 :t 1 as been some seasons in the past, but it 

 IS certainly as serious as it has ever been 

 before, and ii the hardwood yards here had 

 not stocked up heavily some months ago, they 

 would now be practically cleaned out of stock, 

 as the supplies f; om mills have not for some 

 weeks been coming anywhtre near fast 

 enough. Some railroad officials .sa,v the trou- 

 ble comes more from lack of motive power 

 than from lack of cars, and this is borne out 

 by the fact that delivery of stock is very 

 slow after leaving the mills. There is ap- 

 parently no relief in sight, indications are 

 that cars will be scarce for the next 30 days. . 

 and probably through the entire month of 

 December. 



Kansas City wholesalers say that the de- 

 mand for all kinds of hardwoods is fairly ac- 

 tive and that trade is fully up to the average 

 for this time of year, while the volume of busi- 

 ness for the entire year will exceed consider- 

 ably that of 1904. Good weather is helping 

 out the demand noticeably, and the demand 

 for stock for building purposes, such as fin- 

 ish, flooring, etc.. is better than usual for 

 so late in the year. The call for railroad and 

 car stock is remarkably active. The various 

 railroad companies are sending in estimates 

 for figures on large lots for next year's re- 

 Liuirements. and it looks as if the railroad 

 mills will have all the orders they can lake 

 care of for the first half of ne.xt year at least. 

 The demand for furniture stock is normal in 

 lljis territory. Wagon and implement stock is 

 licmg sold as fast as the mills can get it 

 ready. Planing mill stock is selling freely, 

 as most of the larger towns are doing a largo 

 amount of building. 



Prices have a strong upward tendency, and 

 the market is generally firmer now than it 

 was awhile back. This is undoubtedly due to 

 some extent to the difficulty in making ship- 

 ments, as buyers wanting stock quiclc are not 

 haggling over the price if they can gel it de- 

 livered. However, mill stocks are light all 

 nvi r tae t"iOi]!h, and this has been the wor-t 

 year for milling operations ever recorded. 

 What lumber is manufactured is sold about 

 as soon as sawed and it is predicted that 

 hardwood mills will go into the new year 

 with the lightest stock on record. Indica- 

 tions point to firm prices through the winter, 

 and higher prices next year if the demand 

 comes up to expectations. Plain oak is as 

 llrm as ever, and with the exception of cy- 

 l)ress, the markets have been stationary 

 tills month. On Louisiana cypress, .idvances 

 li:ne been maih. on t'Oth common stock and 

 upper grades during the past thirty days. 



Pittsburg. 



Tlic approach of winter tlnds hardwood dcul- 

 cis bending their cneiKics to scoring all the- 

 orders possible lu the next six weeks so that 

 this may be, as it umiucstlonably will be, a ban- 

 ner year In the hardwood business in I'ittsburg. 

 Few have any serious cause for complaint other 

 iiiuu the car shortage. This Is no worse than 

 I wo weeks ago except that as it has not im 

 proved, the situation at llie mflls Is nalnrally 

 more aggravated. 



The market lu general is strong. Many woods 

 arc selling at better than list for flrst-class 

 stock, and dry stock of all kinds Is commnnding 

 sutisfoclory prices. While the yard trade has 

 I'lillen oil a I'ltic there Is consldcnil lo buying 

 for next season, especially among niaiiufacturers. 

 In a few lines, such as railroad and bridge tlm- 

 l>ers. the approaching end of the working seasoa 

 has caused a decline in orders. The coal com- 

 panies, especially those In the coke regions, are 

 taking a large amount of stock and there Is 



