HARDWOOD RECORD 



27 



terror finish and furniture until late next spring. 

 N'otwitiistandinjj tbe setback- occasioned by last 

 summer's teamsters' strilie, the year's total biisi- 

 ncss of the Chicago contingent is going to be 

 very satisfactory. The local poplar market has 

 improved materially within the past month and 

 the call for both gum and Cottonwood is mani- 

 festly increased. 



Boston. 



The chief cause of complaint among the man- 

 ufacturers and wholesalers is the car famine, 

 which instead of growing better has become, 

 worse. With some roads it is a shortage of 

 engines, while with others it is lack of cars. 

 Consumers of hardwoods are busy and as they 

 have not been carrying large storks, they feel 

 the delay in shipment. 



There has been a very fair demand for plain 

 tak and prices are a little firmer than they were. 

 One-inch is now quoted at $51 to ffoS and one 

 dealer claims that he has sold at $53. The 

 yards are not carrying large stocks. There is a 

 small supply of l^i, IV,, 2, 3 and 4-inch on 

 spot. Quartered oak is moving in a very fair 

 way. Prices vary according to the manufac- 

 turer. Quotations for 1-inch are given as high 

 as $82 and as low as $72, but not confirmed. 

 'J'he ruling quotations for business, however, are 

 $76 to $78. Brown ash is in good demand, but 

 offerings are not large. It is held at $50 for 

 1-inch. White ash is moving in a moderate 

 way at $45. Chestnut is in good demand. Very 

 little New England wood is being received. 

 Prices rule steady. 



Conflicting reports are heard regarding maple 

 flooring. The list price has not changed from 

 $39 for 2 14 -inch face clear, but not everyone is 

 holding up to this price. A leading wholesaler 

 sa.vs that his salesmen in visiting their trade 

 bring home reports of frequent and extensive 

 price cutting. Rough maple is in fair call. The 

 demand for Wisconsin red birch is not brisk. It 

 is quoted at $52 to $53. Hard maple is at- 

 tracting a fair volume of new business. Red 

 gum has not as yet become popular. Certain 

 mills can now produce thin and narrow stock 

 so that they can recommend it, but the samples 

 of 1-inch stock shown in this market warp more 

 or less. 



The volume of new business reported for No. 

 1 and 2 whitewood has been small. Buyers will 

 not take on more stock than they need, as they 

 feel that keeping out of the market will influ- 

 ence prices. Nos. 1 and 2 1-inch cypress is still 

 quoted at $45.50. Stocks of dry cypress are 

 reported as small and the demand is fair. De- 

 liveries are not free. 



liasswood has also improved, and while the 

 demand for maple is fair there seems to be a 

 little more thau enough stock, which inclines 

 sellers to make concessions. 



New York. 



The demand for hardwood lumber in this 

 district continues very fair for this season of 

 the year and prices are well maintained. Birch, 

 oak and ash are still short in supply, but stocks 

 of other hardwoods seem ample for current 

 wants. The manufacturing trade, particularly 

 iTirniture f.nd piano, are the heaviest buyers, 

 owing to the approaching holidays. The yards 

 seem to be entering the winter season with a 

 very good assortment of stock, and while this 

 would seem to indicate that buying iu that 

 direction is not particularly promising, it is 

 nevertheless a fact that the demand is generally 

 fair, embracing all lines of the trade. 



In the wholesale market the genera! trend of 

 the trade seems to be toward mill points and to 

 get fixed up on next year's supplies. A number 

 of contracts have already been placed at mill 

 points for next season's delivery, and condi- 

 tions indicate a firm and advanced hardwood 

 market from now until spring. 



The leaders in demand at the present time 

 are still plain oak, ash and chestnut, and prices 

 are well maintained. Poplar is also holding Its 

 own and moving in increasing volume. In view 

 of current reports from the mills an early ad- 

 vance in prices would not come as a surprise. 



Philadelphia. 



Hardwood dealers of the Quaker City are 

 enjoying the same prosperity that is general 

 throughout the lumber trade. Prices are firm 

 and the active demand includes all varieties 

 of hardwoods. The outlook is good for a 

 heavy business throughout the winter. Not 

 only wholesalers and manufacturers but re- 

 tailers are also participating in the business 

 boom. The only cloud on the horizon is the 

 car shortage. 



Nashville. 



Nashville lumb2rmen are now experiencing 

 the busiest times in all their career. Every 

 lumber plant in the city Is crowded with 

 orders, both local and foreign, and the mills 

 are all behind in their work. The building 

 boom that has been on here for some time, 

 together with the general prosperit.v prevail- 

 ing in all directions, combine to make busi- 

 ness as good as could be desired for thi> 

 Nashville market. The car shortage at this 

 time is worrying dealers, however, for it is 

 next .to impossible to secure cars anywhere 

 except in the larger cities. Intermediate 

 shipping points are suffering for lack of them. 

 Much new lumber is expected in the next 

 tew days on the tide which has Just come 

 down the Cumberland. 



Orders for plain oak continue, unabated and 

 that old reliable product remains firm. A 

 better demand is noted for quartered oak. 

 The demand for poplar is fair. Chestnut and 

 ash are scarce and can hardly be bought ai 

 any price. A lot of red cedar is looked for 

 in the next few days from up the river. 



Baltimore. 



No change of consequence has developed in 

 the hardwood trade of this section. The demand 

 for all stocks is active and mills are loaded up 

 with orders. Values rule high, except for common 

 grades, the supplies of lower' grades being ample 

 for the requirements of the local market. The 

 better grades, however, are by no means plen- 

 tiful ; in fact, the distribution would doubtless 

 be greater but for the scarcity of stocks and the 

 shortage of cars. Good dry oak is eagerly 

 sought by manufacturers of furniture and in- 

 terior work. Ash is in an equally spirited state, 

 stocks are freely taken and there is no surplus 

 lumber available at the mills. Now. when the 

 neather is becoming less favorable for the oper- 

 ation of plants and the inquiry seems to in- 

 crease, the trend of values appears to be still 

 higher, a lively competition being reported from 

 all milling centers. Chestnut is also moving 

 freely, as are other woods in general use. The 

 local demand for mahogany continues active. 

 Even walnut has of late made decided gains in 

 public favor. Some furniture is being made of 

 (his wood and prices have stiffened somewhat. 

 Poplar alone does not appear to participate in 

 this bullish tendency, the demand being rather 

 sluggish and prices relatively lower. 



There is not much that is favorable to be said 

 about the foreign situation. Stocks are fairly 

 large, and while the demand halts, consumers are 

 reluctant to meet the prices which the American 

 exporters must ask if they are to come out ahead 

 on transactions. It is not easy to bring the 

 buyer and the seller together, and as a conse- 

 quence quiet prevails in the trade. Thei-e ap- 

 pears to be no scarcity of stocks at different 

 points in the I'nited Kingdom and on the con- 

 tinent. Evidently mill men are not wanting who 

 think they can make profits when experienced 

 exporters find it impossible to do so. Much com- 

 plaint is heard about unsatisfactory returns from 

 shipments, the foreign broker taking advantage 

 of every pretext to throw out planks as below 



grade and thereby beat down the aggregate price 

 on the shipment. Ocean freight rates are low 

 enough to encourage shipments, and steamship 

 lines show a disposition to take all the planks 

 and logs offered. 



Pittsburg. 



In the language of a prominent hardwood 

 dialer. "The hardwood brrsiness in Greater Pitts- 

 burg is iu mighty good shape." This means 

 that prices are still tending upward and every 

 advance is well sustained by the demand for 

 lumber. It means that money is plenty 'outh 

 for builditlg operations and general business pur- 

 poses and as a result buyers are not disposed 

 to quibble over prices, which allows the whole- 

 salers the chance of getting a figure often above 

 list, which is amply justified by present condi- 

 tions. It means that collections are good. It 

 means that the outlook for next year's business 

 is exceedingly bright and that in order to pre- 

 pare for this trade local firms are enlarging their 

 facilities for producing and distributing lumber. 

 And it means more than ail that the hardwood 

 wholesalers of Pittsburg are more firmly united 

 than ever before and that they are working to- 

 ward a uniformity of interests that bodes good 

 to the trade. 



Conditions have not changed materially in the 

 last two weeks. The near approach of the new 

 year is to be noted in the slight falling off in 

 orders due to the fact that some firms have al- 

 ready started to take stock and make the year's 

 settlements. The yards are not buying heavily, 

 but have a fair supply of lumber on hand con- 

 sidering the season. The amount of building 

 under way or just started shows that they are 

 likely to have a good ti-ade in bill stuff all 

 winter. There is a vei-y good call for hardwood 

 interior finish and especially for flooring. In 

 other lines of building lumber the demand is 

 f.'illing off owing to the late cold weather. Lath 

 and shingles are still almost unobtainable in 

 Pittsburg — a condition which has existed here 

 for three months. Good stock in either brings 

 the seller s own price, for lath especially are 

 badly wanted rn this market. 



The matter of prices on lumber is causing no 

 little discussion. Wholesalers in general think 

 that the pi-esent quotations ai-e none too high 

 and back up their opinions by letters received 

 from hardwood centei-s which show that stocks 

 are low and badly broken and that the mills are 

 over cro\\ded with work. 



There is every indication that poplar will ad- 

 vance in price soon after the first of the year, 

 if not sooner. Advices from the South indicate 

 that conditions there justify such an advance 

 and dealers here believe that it is time to stop 

 tbe persecution on poplar due to the big jump 

 iu prices a few years ago. It is certain that 

 the wood is coming into much greater favor in 

 Pittsburg and the amount sold here this year 

 will be largely in excess of any previous year. 



The manufacturers are taking a large amount 

 of hardwood just now in the furniture, coflin, 

 carriage, automobile, wagon, handle and spoke 

 trade. The factories are all running nights and 

 Sundays to keep up with the wonderful flow of 

 orders and most of them are ordering liberally 

 for next year's consumption so as to have the 

 lumber dry in time for use. The railroad and 

 street railway companies are taking less lumber, 

 notably ties and poles, than two weeks ago and 

 there is a diminution in the amount of heavy 

 construction timber being sold. Aside from these 

 changes, which are due to the time of year, the 

 demand for hardwood is fully as good as one 

 month ago. 



Buffalo. 



The general report from the hardwood yards 

 favors a good run of business all winter, 

 though it can not be said that the various 

 sorts of hardwood are pulling together any 

 better than they were. The demand for chest- 

 nut has been so active all fall that stocks in 

 the yards here are badly depleted, and only 



