December 23. 1916 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



i7 



Baltimore Exports Fall Off in Noviinbei: 



In one respect the statement of expotts of hnuber and logs from Balti- 

 more during November is an improvement over the previous month and the 

 corresponding period, but in all others it constitutes a distinct recession. 

 The shipments of spruce ran far ahead of 1.000,000 feet, but in nearl.v 

 all other items a very sharp recession is noted, which became most* pro- 

 nounced in oak boards, a kind of lumber not represented at all in the 

 exhibit. There were no logs forwarded, while the item of "other sawn 

 timber" appears, to be sure, against nothing in that column for Novem- 

 ber, 1915, but on the whole, when the fact is cbnsidered that the declared 

 value of all the exports did not amount to more than §99,787, while the 

 value of the spruce alone was $71,470, the showing will appear very 

 one-sided and altogether out of keeping with approximately healthy condi- 

 tions. Gum and short leaf pine were also missing in the report, while of 

 oak a year ago not less than 1.078,000 feet was shipped. The exporters 

 here ma.v well feel discouraged, and their confidence will not be enhanced 

 by the statement of the British Premier, made in the House of Commons 

 recently, to the effect that the war will go on. The statement for Novem- 

 ber, as compared with the same month last year, is as follows : 



lOlC ■ 1913 



Quantity Quantity 



Feet Value Feet Value 



11,000 $ fiOO 



70.000 2.290 



09. 000 .$ 2,277 



216.000 6,910 



1.078.000 37,680 



170,000 3,970 



10.000 475 



83.000 2,303 144,000 3,499 



Boards, Spruce 1,172.000 71,470 237,000 7,687 



Boards, All Others 20,000 2,639 502,000 22,911 



Shocks, All Others 2,583 2.841 



Staves 42,874 3,700 220,830 12,326 



All Other Lumber 4,113 980 



Doors, Sash and Blinds 93 



Furniture 230 2.290 



All Other Manufactures of Wood 10.463 11.675 



Logs, Walnut 



Logs, Hickory 



Other Sawn Timber 



Boards. Gum 



Boards, Oak 



Boards. Short Leaf Pine. 



Other Yellow Pine 



Boards. Poplar 



Total 



¥09.787 



$117,367 



Reversal of Important Decision 



The United States supreme court on I'ecember 18 reversed the Kentucky 

 court of appeals and the .Tefferson county circuit court in the case of 

 the Ohio Valley Tie Company of Louisville, seeking to recover $100,000 

 damages against the L. & N. The Jefferson county court awarded the 

 tie company general damages amounting to $56,971 and the case was 

 taken on appeal to the higher courts. 



Prior to 1910 the tie company in an effort to got lower freight rates 

 on interstate shipments, would ship its ties to Louisville under the In- 

 trastate rate, and reconsign to points out of the state. The carrier al- 

 leged that the company must unload and reload its cars at Louisville if 

 it wished to handle them on the intrastate basis, and protest was filed 

 before the Interstate Commerce Commission, in which the tie company 

 was awarded reparation on overcharges. 



S'uit was filed in 1910 for general damages and has been fought through 

 the courts, with the final decision against the tie concern. The supreme 

 court, however, authorized the company to file a new suit, setting forth 

 specific damages, if any, over and beyond the reparation paid under the 

 decision of the commission. 



The tie company held that due to the railroads refusal to deliver it 

 cars for reconsignment at Louisville, its interstate business was damaged. 



Conditions Around Memphis 



The movement of logs has been restricted somewhat during the past 

 few days on account of the unfavorable weather. The greater portion 

 of the valley territory has been covered with snow for more than a 

 week and work in the woods has been seriously interrupted. There is a 

 rather more liberal supply of cars available for the handling of log 

 shipments and logs are being moved with a fair degree of rapidity. 

 It is not anticipated that the present severe weather will very seriously 

 interfere with the supply of logs unless it continues for an unusual time. 

 This view is based on the fact that a great deal of timber has been 

 already cut and has been delayed in being brought out on account of 

 the shortage of cars which prevalied for so long. 



The situation is regarded as somewhat more favorable from the stand- 

 point of the number of cars available for the handling of shipments of 

 lumber and lumber products. There is less complaint than for sometime 

 in regard to the shortage of cars and it is anticipated by members of 

 the trade here that there will be a slow but gradual improvement in the 

 situation in this particular respect. It is pointed out, however, that the 

 troubles of the lumbermen are by no means at an end so far as transpor- 

 tation facilities are concerned. Just now, with the supply of cars 

 increasing, they are confronted with embargoes which have been imposed 

 by northern and eastern lines. These restrictions make it very difiBcult 

 indeed to ship lumber to points in the north and east. It has been 

 suggested during the past few days that the embargoes on cotton and 

 other commodities to northern and eastern points will be removed shortly 

 and lumbermen anticipate such a development. In the meantime they 

 are unable to accomplish much in the way of making deliveries at a time 

 when demand is excellent and the outlook otherwise is quite satisfactory. 



The volume of business in hardwood lumber is about as large as the 

 present transportation facilities will allow. Demand itself is considerably 

 above the average for this time of the year, particularly as there is less 



-stewing down than Is usually incident to the close approach of the 

 holiday season. Demand is particularly heavy for gum in all grades and 

 a good business is being done, a fact which will be fully appreciated 

 when it is pointed out that sales of gum during November were the 

 largest in the history of the Gum Lumber Manufacturers' Association and 

 that they showed a very handsome increase over October. Some large 

 orders have been booked thus far this month and deliveries are being 

 made as fast as transportation facilities will admit. Prices, under the 

 stimulus of this large buying, are quite firmly maintained and those who 

 have dry stock to ship occupy a very advantageous position. There is a 

 fairly large business in oak, both plain and quartered, and prices are 

 about the same as recently. The American Oak Manufacturers' Asso- 

 ciation will begin an aggressive campaign of publicity in connection with 

 oak on January 1 when J. T. Kendall, the newly elected secretaiy, 

 assumes his duties. Hickory, ash and elm all are in good request and 

 prices are firmly held. Offerings are not large in any of the three. 

 Cypress is reported moving in seasonable volume. Kxport business is 

 restricted, just as has been the case for the past few months. 



Hardwood Islews Islotes 



^ MISCELLANEOUS >= 



The Okin Woodworking Company has been incorporated at New York 

 City. 



The Lansing Wagon Works of Lansing, Mich., recently suffered a $50,000 

 loss by lire. 



The L'nion Box & Lumber Company, Atlanta, Ga., has become an invol- 

 untary bankrupt. 



At Ashdown. Ark., the New Diamond Lumber Company has been incor- 

 porated with $6,000 capital. 



The Blanchard Woodworking Company has been incorporated with 

 $10,000 capital at Foxcroft, Me. 



The Fold Easy House Manufacturing Comi^any of Elmira, N. Y., has 

 instituted bankruptcy proceedings. 



The Parsons Manufacturing Company of Boston, Mass., has filed an 

 involuntary petition in bankruptcy. 



The McKenzie Mill & Lumber Company with $100,000 capital has been 

 incorporated at San Francisco, Cal. 



At Long Island, N. Y., the Hunterspoint Lumber & Supply Company 

 has increased its capital stock to $50,000. 



O. H. Sample (estate) has been succeeded by the O. H. Sample Lumber 

 Company, St. Louis. Capital stock is $30,000. 



The Come-Pact Furniture Company of Ann Arbor, Mich., has been suc- 

 ceeded by the Ann Arbor Furniture Company. 



The Nicholson Lumber & Manufacturing Company has been incorpo- 

 rated at Richardson, Miss., and is erecting a mill. 



With $100,000 capital the Roberts-Liggett Company has been incor- 

 porated at Metropolis, 111., to manufacture lumber. 



The Chattanooga Manufacturing Company has been organized at Chatta- 

 nooga, Tenn., with $50,000 capital to manufacture lumber, boxes, etc. 



The Wasmuth-Endicott Company, manufacturers of cabinets at An- 

 drews, Ind., has increased its common stock from $40,000 to $60,000. 



The Akron Veneer Company has been incorporated at Akron, Ala., 

 while the A. H. Abel Wagon Company has been organized at Birmlng- 

 .ham. 



John McConnell. E. L. Hang, F. B. Mulford and R. E. Heckman have 

 incorporated the Canton Furniture Manufacturing Company at Canton, 

 O. The capital stock is $100,000. 



The Andrews Manufacturing Company has been incorporated at Ashe- 

 ville, N. C, with $100,000 to manufacture lumber, as has the Jonesboro 

 Sash & Door Company at Jonesboro. 



At Shelbyville, Ind., the Meloy-Hirt Manufacturing Company has 

 been incorporated with $10,000 capital by J. F. Meloy, A. H. Hirt and 

 C. K. Meloy to manufacture woodwork. 



The Hamilton Manufacturing Company of Two Rivers, Wis., has pur- 

 chased the Fritz Manufacturing Company of Grand Rapids, Mich., manu- 

 facturers of drafting rotim and other furniture. 



< CHICAGO >- 



The C. E. Jorgenson -Furniture Company, Chicago, has increased its 

 capital from $21,000 to $45,000. 



R. L. Jurden. James E. Stark and W. H. Russe, all of Memphis, Tenn., 

 officers of the .\merican Oak Manufacturers' Association, conferred in 

 Chicago last week with President E. A. Lang on important matters con- 

 nected with the association work. 



W. B. Burke, vice-president and general manager, Garrett Lamb, presi- 

 dent, and other stockholders of the Lamb-Fish Lumber Company, Charles- 

 ton, Miss.-, held the annual meeting of the company in Chicago on Monday, 

 December IS. Mr. Burke came through from Charleston on the previous 

 Saturday, stopping off at Memphis to attend the organization of the 

 Southern Alluvial Land Association. 



Ray E. Pickrcl of the Pickrel Walnut Company, St. Louis, Mo., spent a 

 day in Chicago last week. Mr. Pickrel was headed for some northern 



