Jiiuunry 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



55 



passing importance, have come tu realize the fnlility of waitinir loti^fi- 

 and the wisdom of getting aboard on_hardw«o(l puFcTTases ali e-oon as 

 possible. The conventions of last week and this week both in the North 

 and the South have developed such remarkable and such general strength 

 in hardwood conditions that there cannot fail to be a strengthening very 

 much more favorable to the sellers. While confidence has been general 

 individually prior to the meetings, the gatherings have crystallized this 

 separate sentiment into a unified purpose which is having its effect already 

 this week in southern quotations and will most certainly have a similar 

 effect next week in quotations from the North after the big meetings of 

 northern operators. The consensus of opinion at those points will cer- 

 tainly show this attitude of the handlers in the market centers. 



=■< BUFFALO >= 



The hardwood trade has not been particularly active of late and it has 

 been held up considerably by embargoes, while the weather has also been 

 unfavorable to the carrying on of building operations. This latter fact is 

 said to be the reason for quite a little dullness in the interior trim trade. 

 Dut on the whole the outlook is brighter than a year ago and not so 

 much interference has been occasioned by the taking of inventories. 

 Wholesalers feel that business is going to be good this spring and that 

 crders will exceed the number placed here a year ago. 



The demand for furniture woods is reported on a good scale. Indus- 

 trial plants are also ordering quite a fair amount of stock. Yard assort- 

 ments in some lines have been pretty well cleaned up and new stocks are 

 being received from the South and other sections. Some concerns report 

 having had little trouble in getting lumber from the South, with unusual 

 delay in receiving hardwoods from northern mills. The Avoods most in 

 demand are oak, both plain and quartered, maple, ash and birch, with a 

 larger sale than usual for cypress. Export demand for ash is said to be 

 larger than for other hardwoods, especially on account of the uses made 

 of it in the manufacture of war munitions. The British government, 

 which controls most of the tonnage coming this way, allows it to go 

 through wi til out special restrictir>ns. 



=-< PITTSBURGH >= 



Hardwood men agrc on three things ; First, that the general prices 

 on hardwood right through the list are nearly $4 per M. higher than six 

 mouths ago. Second, that the volume of business in IJUG made a much 

 better showing compared with 1915 than did the volume of i>et profits. 

 Third, that the outlook for selling hardwood lumber this year is excep- 

 tionally good. Stock taking is about ovi r and hardwood mills aud retail 

 yards are pretty short of stock. The same can be said of most factories 

 and plants which use fine hardwood lumber exclusively. In fact, the 

 general shortage of good dry lumber indicates that there will be a stiff 

 market right along and that present prices are pretty sure to be held. 

 Salesmen of wholesale companies are getting out on the I'oad this week 

 and doing their best to get buyers started early. The chances of getting 

 better deliveries towards spring are very small an<l it looks as if the 

 early bird would get the worm. 



-< BOSTON y 



Still further improvement may be reconled in the transportation situ- 

 ation of New England : the open season, the "combined efforts of the rail- 

 roads, the Interstate Commerce Coinnussion and the patrons to relieve 

 the car shortage and other favorable influences have resulted in a con- 

 siderable easing up of the terms of many embargoes and the withdrawal 

 of others. The demand for hardwood is not noticeably strong, but cer- 

 tainly cannot be considered as a whole anything below normal for this 

 period of the year. The restricted call for certain varieties, such as 

 quartered oak, plain oak and in a lesser degree of poplar, is fully bal- 

 anced by the continually rising usage of northern and New England stock. 

 This transference of consumption of local material in place ot southern 

 and western hardwood has been persistent, and in the volume attained 

 aud length of time covered this displacement has become an impiirtant 

 element of the hardwood business of this section of the country. Kefer- 

 ring only to recent and short intervals, there have not been changes in 

 values and amounts handled 'hat would call for especial notice, al- 

 though the majority of opinion is that the trend here is towani a strong 

 but not active market. 



=-< BALTIMORE >-- 



While the last two weeks or so have been a period ot quiet, this con- 

 dition eaused no uneasiness for th.' reason tliat it covered the end of 

 the year. The fornier routine lias now been resumcfl, and t:ie salesmen 

 are meeting with a fair degree of success. Not the slightest tendency on 

 the part of prices to sag is noted, thi: tendeucy being rather upward. The 

 mills halted for a while to give working forces a holiday and make some 

 repairs, but practically all of thi' plants have now .gotten back to work, 

 and the favorable weather has enabled them to keep the production 

 fairly high. One of the encouraging signs is the good demand for some 

 ot the low-grade stocks, especially In poplar, which relieves the mills 

 of a problem that has at times appeared to be quite troublesome. And 

 what is more, these low-grade stocks are bringing satisfactory returns. 

 The distribution of high-grade poplar and similar supplies is more or 



Walnut 



Of Character and Color. 



Mcnufactured at Kansas City, U. S. A. 

 Large Stock of All Grades and Thickness 



Thirty-five years' experience 



IN WALNUT ONLY 



Prompt Shipment, and 

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FRANK PURCELL 



515 Dwight Building, KANSAS CITY, MO. 



You Can See Logs Like These 

 on Our Yard Any Day 



STIMSON VENEER AND LUMBER 



COMPANY. INC. 



p. O. Box 1015 



Memphis, Tenn. 



MANUFACTURERS 



Hardwood Lumber, Rotary Cut 

 Veneers, Rotary Cut Gum Faces, 

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All Three of Us Will Be Benefited if You Mention HARDWOOD RECORD 



