February 25, 1917 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



^7 



American Market for Okume Mahogany 



While Aniericau lumbermeu aio casting about for foreign markets for 

 the products of our forests, the timber dealers of western Africa are taking 

 steps to find a market in this country for the wood known as okum or okume 

 mahogany or cedar. This is one of the several African woods which go to 

 market as mahogany. It is not in the mahogany family, though in texture 

 it resembles that wood. It is of light color with a silvery luster. In 

 weight it compares favorably with white pine. It is recommended for 

 cigar boxes and it meets considerable demand from furniture makers. Be- 

 fore the war the largest market for it was in Germany, but that market 

 is closed and the African dealers are in communication with the Depart- 

 ment' of Commerce at Washington, trying to get in communication with 

 buyers in this country, and suggesting an exchange of this wood for Amer- 

 ican products, such as cotton, tobacco, kerosene, soap, flour and canned 

 goods. About 03.000,000 board feet of okum a year are available. It is 

 suggested that a line of steamers be started between West Africa and Amer- 

 ica, carrying okum to us and carrying our products back. 



The Greek Lumber Market 



Consul A. B. Cooke, reporting from Patras, Greece, in December, said 

 that before the outbreak of the European war, that district received its 

 chief supplies of lumber Irom Austria-Hungary. After this source was 

 closed, local lumber importers turned t,) the American market for their sup- 

 plies, and during 1915 and the flrst half of lOKi large supplies of both lum- 

 ber and staves were bought. 



Freight rates, insurance and the costs of transportation in general had 

 risen to such a high mark by the summer of 1916 that importers found it 

 difficult to do business in the United States. The ocean freight amounted 

 to three or four times the original cost of the lumber or staves on the 

 American market. 



Importers, looking for some source from which they might secure sup- 

 plies at less cost, turned to Spain, and during the last half of 1916 consider- 

 able purchases were made in that country. The lumber imported was a 

 species of elm and of poplar, which was brought in by small sail ships either 

 in the form of heavy boards of a 6-foot length or in small cuts of the same 

 length. Freights and insurance were, of course, much cheaper than those 

 covering shipments from America. This lumber was for the construction 

 of currant cases or barrels. For such purposes it appears that the Spanish 

 article is inferior to the American. The staves turned out are crude in 

 appearance and make a nitu-h less satisfactory container than the stave 

 brought from America : the case makes also a less attractive container than 

 that made from American wood. 



It is believed that with the return of normal conditions American lumber 

 and staves will, owing to their many points of superiority, be able to com- 

 pete in Greece with similar European products. 



First Estimate of 1916 Cut 



According to first available deductions, the statistics on lumber cut in 

 1916 will show an increase over lUlTi of approximately 11.2 per cent. 

 This is based on preliminary figures and as far as the eastern part of the 

 country is concerned represents reports from sixty-five per cent of the mills. 



The following table gives comparative cuts for 704 identical mills in the 

 two years, each of these mills producing more than 5,000,000 feet : 



Per cent 



No. of Cut 1015 Cut 1916 Increase 



State Jlills M feet M feet Decrease 



Louisiana 95 2,386,656 2,493,189 -f 4.5 



Texas 47 1,065,156 1,121,702 + 5,3 ' 



Arkansas 43 837,098 804,454 -|- 6.0 



Mississippi 43 990,930 1,152,137 -M6.3 



Alabama 23 332,646 401,812 -1-20.8 



Missouri K 53,264 48,994 — 8.0 



Georgia 10 127,710 147,981 4-15.9 



Florida 29 496,068 510,894 4- 3.0 



Virginia 8 92,642 98,709 + 6.5 



North Carolina 24 237,098 279,163 -fl7.7 



South Carolina 15 267,214 281,637 + 3.4 



Michigan 45 592,581 589,902 — 0,5 



Wisconsin 53 808,431 837,445 -f- 3,6 



Minnesota 18 493,803 607,570 -f 23.0 



Maine 10 202,705 229,911 -1-13.4 



Oregon 51 1,205,712 1.381,634 -1-14.6 



Washington 97 2,481,742 2,828,501 -H4.0 



Idaho 18 516,452 580,720 -f 14.2 



Montana 7 212,862 259,508 4-21,9 



California 43 ■ 076,410 1,221,742 -(-25.1 



Arizona 4 74,023 88,870 4-20.1 



New Mexico 4 37,194 51,434 -|-38.3 



Total 704 14,488,307 16,116,929 -t-11,2 



Figuring on this basis in comparison with 38,000,000,000 feet cut in 1015, 

 the cut for 1016 was 42,250,000,000 feet. 



Interesting Book on Motor Trucks 



The B. F. Goodrich Company, Akron, O., has just issued Volume 5 of its 

 annual publication "Motor Trucks of America." While the average sub- 

 scriber to Hardwood Record might not be interested in motor trucks, the 

 book is so complete, so reliable and so interesting to anybody who might be 

 in the market, that it should be used as a directory before buying. 



Prospective Competition from Siberia 



The Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce has issued a very inter- 

 esting statement outlining prospective competition from Siberian timber 

 when the war closes. The statement says that Siberian lumber is now mov- 

 ing slowly but surely eastward and westward and entering new markets to 

 the exclusion of products from other countries. The deductions are made 



from statements of Jonas Lied, one of the foremost representatives- of the 

 Siberian industry, who is closely connected Tvith the Russian government 

 and is managing director of the Siberian Steamship Manufacturing & Trad- 

 ing Company, Ltd. The government is interested in the development of 

 Siberian forests and the company referred to, established in 1012, has 

 10,000,000 Russian crowns invested in timberlands. 



Mr. Lied is visiting this country to investigate steps being taken for ex- 

 porting after the war. He has made various addresses at different points, 

 showing the surprising development in lumbering in Siberia in recent years, 

 which will make it possible to export large quantities of Siberian lumber 

 and other products, especially with the assistance of the steamship line 

 owned by this company. Mr. Lied says that they have one of the best 

 equipped sawmills to be found anywhere, operated by expert Scandinavian 

 sawmill men. The Siberian Steamship company operates a line through 

 the Karac Sea and the Artie Ocean to the various European ports, and will 

 soon inaugurate a line from Siberia to New York. The steamers are espe- 

 cially equipped for lumber cargoes. 



Siberian yellow pine was favorably known in Europe shortly before the 

 war and is sure to command a good deal of attention as soon as the war 

 is over. The company owns enormous areas of the best virgin pine forests 

 in Asia and has access, in addition, to 348,000,000 acres in certain dis- 

 tricts of Siberia where conditions for logging compare favorably with those 

 in this country and are much cheaper. 



The head office of the company is in Petrograd and it has numerous 

 branches in European countries and one in New York. 



Hardwood ISleivs ISlotes 



-< MISCELLANEOUS > 



The Rockcastle Lumber Company, Meeks, Ky., has suffered a loss by Are. 



George Palmer has been appointed receiver for the Palmer-McMahon 

 Furniture Company, Lebanon, Ind, 



The capital stock of the Nichols & Cox Lumber Company, Grand Rapids, 

 Mich., has been increased to ,|S6,000. 



Recent incorporations in Ohio are : The Marcus A. Monaghan Company, 

 Cleveland, manufacturer of cabinet work, with a capital of $10,000, and 

 the White Oak Chair Company, Mount Gilcad, capital $6,000. 



The Iroquois Flooring Company has incorporated at Bufl'alo, N. X., its 

 capital being $5,000. 



The Sheboygan Coaster & Wagon Works, Sheboygan, Wis., has increased 

 its capital from $40,000 to $80,000. 



The Whitson Mill Company incorporated at Knoxville, Tenn. ; capital, 

 $23,000. 



With a capitalization of $10,000, the Hughes Woodworking Mills, Hunt- 

 ington, N, Y., has incorporated. 



An increase in capital stock, to $150,000 has recently been made by the 

 Forsyth Manufacturing Company, Winston-Salem, N. C, 



The Standard Lumber Company manufactures hardwood lumber at Haw- 

 kinsville, Ga. 



The capital of the Specialty Case Company, Kendallville, Ind., has been 

 increased from $50,000 to $375,000, according to reports, and the name 

 changed to the Specialty Display Case Company. 



The Shambow Shuttle Company, Woonsocket, R. I., is planning to erect 

 several steel units 40 feet by 20 feet for air-drying shuttle timber, also a 

 two-story aildltion 44 feet by sixty feet, and will install woodworking and 

 metal working machinery. 



< CHICAGO >• 



C. W. Schaefl.'er, Frank Tolake, Harry Lazarus, T. Lieberman and D. 

 Perlman have incorporated the Chicago Cabinet & Fixture Company, city, 

 with a capital of $2,500. 



The Ottawa Piano Company is manufacturing at Ottawa, III. 

 W. T. Culver of the Stearns Salt & Lumber Company, Ludington, Mich., 

 was in Chicago February 24. 



The Green Brothers Box Lumber Company, Rockford, 111,, has increased 

 its capital from $30,000 to $50,000. 



The Piano Back Manufacturing Company is located at 455 W. Huron 

 street, city. 



W. H. Russe, Ralph Jurden and S. M. Nickey were in Chicago the latter 

 part of last week in conference with Illinois Central officials in behalf of 

 southern interests. E. A. Lang, president of the American Oak Manufac- 

 turers' Association, was a participant in the conference. 



Secretary Frank F. Fish of the National Hardwood Lumber Association 

 returned last week from a trip East where he conferred with President 

 .lohu M. Woods of that organization. Mr. Fish reports extreme difficulty 

 in getting shipments through to the East but great optimism as far as 

 demand is concerned. 



The 1917 inspection rules committee of the Lumbermen's Association of 

 Chicago is composed of the following : George J. Pope, chairman, H. W. 

 Chandler, C. M. Smalley, John Spencer, John Hansen and C. W. Jacob. 

 These men will handle the pine inspection while a committee composed 

 of Theodore Fathauer, George F. Kerns, A. H. Ruth, Thomas P. Scanlan 

 will handle hardwoods. H. N. Hanbury continues as chief inspector. 



George E. W. Luehrmann of the Chas. F. Luehrmann Hardwood Lumber 



