32 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



a very brief shutdown and are Iiaving a good 

 trade. While all the factories are buying con- 

 servatively, they are in the marl;et right along 

 for small orders. D. F. Clark of the same firm 

 has returned from a short business trip to 

 Chicago. 



F. H. Lewis has moved his office to 710 Lum- 

 ber Exchange, where he is carrying on Ills 

 wholesale business in hardwoods, pine and hcm- 

 locl£. Mr. Lewis has gone into partnership wilh 

 J. F. Barnard under the name of F. H. I^ewis 

 & Co., with offices at 437 Lumber Ilxchange. 

 for handling west coast products. They will 

 make a specialty of large bills for railroad 

 work and of Idaho cedar poles. 



r. W. Slrickland, who was formerly asso- 

 ciated with A. H. Barnard In the firm of Har- 

 nard & Strickland, which dissolved Jan. 1, has 

 gone to Rock Island. 111., to take the position 

 of manager uf the Rock Island Sash & Door 

 Works. 



W". F. Bnswell has returned from a visit lo the 

 new plant of the Kuswell I,umber & Manufac- 

 turing Company at Buswell. Wis., which is now 

 in operation and turning out hardwood lumber 

 at a lively rate. It has a good supply of logs. 

 in spite of the soft bottom and deep snow. 



W. O. Karndt has returned from a trip of 

 Inspection to the mill of the W. O. Barndt 

 Lumber Company at Tripoli. Wis., which is busy 

 sawing hardwoods and hemlock. On account of 

 unfavorable conditions in the woods the com 

 pany has nut as good a log supply as usual, and 

 Mr. Barndt say^ the production will be curtailed 

 considerably in ail that sectiou. 



E. Payson Smith of the E. Payson Smith 

 Lumber Company is recovering his strength 

 slowly from his recent illness, and expects to 

 make his deferred trip to Alabama in a week 

 or two. A. S. Bliss of the same company is 

 going about with one foot in a piaster cast, hav- 

 ing sprained his ankle in a gymnasium. Mr. 

 Bliss says they are enjoying a good demand. 

 and it is mainly a question of getting stuck. 

 The car situation still troubles them consideraoly 

 on southern stock. Gum is enjoying a revival. 

 and they have been doing a good business in 

 that wood. 



Indianapolis. 



George Shelby & .Son will begin the erec- 

 tion of a planing mill and furniture factory at 

 CrawfordsviUe. Ind.. just as soon as spring 

 sets in. The factory will be brick, two stories 

 high and eouipped with modern machinery for 



the manufacture of writing desits, cabinets 

 and furniture of similar character. 



Articles of incorporation have been filed for 

 the Root Furniture Company of Slielbyville, 

 Ind.. with a capital stock of $15,000. The com- 

 pany will soon erect a factory at Slielbyville. 

 The three directors are Hiram J. Root. Albert 

 H. Kahn and Julius Joseph. 



The Greer-Wilkinson Lumber Company of 

 Fort Wayne, -Ind., has just purchased the J. P. 

 Martin planing mill plant at Petersburg. Ind. 

 By the purchase Greer- Wilkinson now controls 

 every planing mill in Pike county, of which 

 Petersburg is the county seat. 



C. C. Foster, president of the Foster Lunilicr 

 Company of Indian.-ipolis has just been ap- 

 pointed secretary of the Indianapolis Employ- 

 ers' Association to succeed Frederick E. Mat- 

 son, whom Mayor Bookwalter appointed city 

 attorney. 



The sawmill, planing and veneer mill owned 

 by F. M. Brockman & Co. of Indianapolis was 

 recently damaged by fire to the extent of 

 J5.00O. A much heavier damage was prevented 

 by the working of an automatic sprinkler 

 which had been installed in the factory for fire 

 emergencies. 



The saw manufacturing plant of E. C. At- 

 kins & Co., one of the biggest manufactories 

 of the Hoosier capital, has just been doubled 

 in capacity. This concern already has branch 

 offices in many cities throughout the country. 

 and the total volume of the company's busi- 

 ness amounts to a very large figure annually. 

 The motto — "Atkins Always Ahead" — is rec- 

 ognized by the trade as accurately locating 

 the Atkins product at the head of the proces- 

 sion, due to the combination of practical abil- 

 ity, activity, acumen. 



Several Indianapolis hardwood lumbermen 

 were caught in the recent assignment by the 

 Becker Table Company. As the company had 

 been running behind for some time past, it 

 was decided to make a formal assignment to 

 protect present assets. It is not yet known 

 just how much will be realized for the cred- 

 itors. 



The W. E. Conroy Lumber Company of 

 South Bend, Ind., has discontinued business. 

 W. K. Conroy has become secretary and gen- 

 eral manager of the Memphis Column Com- 

 pany, a new organization at North Memphis, 

 Tenn.. engaged in the manufacture of wooden 

 column.s for building purposes. 



Hardwood Market. 



(By HARDWOOD RECORD 



Chicago. 

 There are no important features to note in 

 the Chicago market. The flooring makers 

 are fairly well supplied with material, but 

 are still snapping up round lots of maple 

 where the price looks good to them. The 

 furniture and interior finish people are still 

 generous buyers. The volume of trade is 

 considerably above normal and every prospect 

 Is for a continuance of this condition. With 

 the increasing values of southern woods the 

 northern forest products are having their turn 

 and advance orders are being placed for more 

 birch and basswood than ever before In the 

 history of the trade. Plain oak Is still the most 

 sought for Item In the market. 



New York. 



The liardwiHid trade In the nietropolllnn dis- 

 trict In brisk and all dry, well manufaclured 

 slock Is meeting with a ready sale, with the 

 posalhle exception nf ImHSWood and thick mnple. 

 The dullness In maple is nttrllmted to over- 

 prodmllon In 2'/j, 3 and 4 hull and the fact 

 that larKe users substitute other woods when 

 prices cet above a certain level. It Is current 

 commen' tin.t i.tiv,^ru ni-f InMini.' n L'"*irl opfior 



Exclusive Market Reporters.) 



Iiuiilv liy lie. I hiviiii; in Mipplics of Imsswocid ill 

 the present prl<'es as slocks arc not plentiful and 

 the present dullness Is an obviously shortlived 

 one. Plain oak continues scarce and very stlfT 

 In price, particularly the lietler grades, A point 

 of Interest to shippers of plain oak Is that the 

 drift of the market seems to Indicate that ship- 

 pers arc afraid to ask full value for common. 

 It Is appreciated that there Is a greiiler produc 

 tlon of common than better, but viewed fnun the 

 standpoint of supply and demand, common 

 should hold a little sllffer. Shipping cull oak 

 is moving very briskly and Is bringing the high 

 est prices ever known. 



Poplar Is Improving, n good deal of slock is 

 moving and prices are gaining steadily. Ash, 

 In the belti'r grades. Is in stllT demand at flriu 

 prices, while the lower gradeB arc statlcmiiry. 

 Dry red birch is scarce, wilh the demand In 

 creasing. The growing use of mahogany Is hav- 

 ing a very beneficial effect on the demand for 

 birch, and It Is destined to occupy a command 

 ing place In the local market In a very short 

 time. It Is plentiful In su|)ply, so far as stand- 

 ing timber Is conciM-ni'd. and tliere is a good 

 deal of It within easy reach of the eastern 

 markets, and it would pay the enterprising mill 

 men lo give Us production more attention. 



Chestnut is scarce and the demand active for 

 all grades, at good prices. 



Boston. 



A very perceptible improvement is reported 

 in the hardwood market over that of a month 

 ago. The tendency toward higher prices has 

 caused many consumers, as well as wholesalers, 

 to make preparations to contract ahead for 

 large supplies. Mills are for the most part 

 not anxious to tie up their product in long- 

 time contracts, as they naturally wish to be 

 free to take advantage of the higher prices, 

 should they come. 



Dry stock is not in large offering. While 

 wholesalers still complain of a car shortage, this 

 trouble is not as bad as it was. Export de- 

 mand is moderate. 



The demand is not confined to any particular 

 class of consumers. Car manufacturing plants 

 are in the market and interior finish and door 

 manufacturers are buying. A fair demand Is 

 also reported from furniture manufacturers. 

 Business in plain oak is in excess of the offer- 

 ings and prices are ^ery firmly held. Thicker 

 stock is very scarce and stiff. The trade con- 

 tinues to report improvement in the call for 

 quartered oak. A good demand is reported for 

 ash. Miciiigan brown ash is firm and Indiana 

 white ash is also strong. 



Cypress has developed additional strength. 

 There is a decided tendency toward higher prices 

 and some wholesalers are already asking an 

 advance, claiming that their sliippers will not 

 fill orders at prices accepted by Xheiii a month 

 ago. One mill has withdrawn quotations. 

 Wliilewood is also firmly held. Tlie demand 

 for the latter is fair, with more activity in 

 the better grades. Boston architects are show- 

 ing red gum more attention than ever before. 

 One of tlie largest firms has just specified red 

 gum for the first time and states that if It comes 

 up to their expectations they will use it ex- 

 tensively. Maple flooring is in request and 

 prices are well held. 



Baltimore. 

 The exceptionally favorable condition of the 

 liardwood trade which has been prevalent here 

 for many months past continues, and dealers 

 as well as manufacturers feel higlily gratified 

 over the outlook. Not only are stocks In 

 ■active demand, thougii the sharp advance in 

 prices might well have the effect of restricting 

 the inquiry, but lumber is reaching the market 

 freely and the volume of transactions Is very 

 large. All the liardwoods are active, and the 

 general tone of the trade is strong. Oak. of 

 course, take a prominent place. The open win- 

 ter has enabled the larger mills to make com- 

 jiaratively large quantities of lumber. But the 

 demand has been equal to the output, and 

 while no actual scarcity of stocks is reported 

 at the present time, the output of the mills is 

 promptly taken up. The competition at mill- 

 ing points continues sufficiently active to pre- 

 vent accumulations, and serves to keep quota- 

 tions at top-notch figures. Good stocks are 

 always in demand, though the common grades 

 are fairly plentiful and can be obtained at 

 prices that must be considered moderate. There 

 Is every indication, however, that the require- 

 ments of the trade will be sufficiently largo to 

 absorb the production, stimulated though It 

 has been by the large returns. Manufacturers 

 as well as the dealers are preparing for a busy 

 season. 



The improvement in the export situation 

 grows more pronounced. Exporters report a 

 quickened Inquiry abroad, attributable to the 

 growing conviction that the high prices asked 

 are not arbitrary, hut rest upon a solid busi- 

 ness basis. Those foreign brokers who have 

 visited the United States during recent months 

 were nble to .satisfy themselves on this point, 

 and they have acted somewhat In the capacity 

 of missionaries since their return home. As a 

 consequence, the foreign market has gained In 



