March 10, 1917 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



39 



at $95,8S5. About $50,000 of the liabilities are.iii the-fOTBi ot notes held 

 by Richmond and Petersburgh banks, which also have a number of ac- 

 ceptances given by the firm for lumber and timber. The assets include 

 real estate, bonds and securities, together with accounts due. 



David T. Carter ot David T. Carter & Co., has succeeded in obtaining 

 permission to establish a lumber yard on South Paca street, in South 

 Baltimore, and is now having the desired improvements made before he 

 moves there and 'ays in stocks. One of the improvements will be a one- 

 story brick offlce'. and another will be a shed. 



The report of the building inspector of Baltimore for February discloses 

 the fact that the value of new buildings for which permits were issued 

 during the month was much smaller than for the same month last year. 

 February. 191G. was one of the biggest months ot the year, whereas last 

 month shows a total of $675,320. The total for the first two months of 

 the current year amounts to $1,030,470, which is also very much under 

 last year, and shows the effect of the uncertainty in the international 

 situation. Of course, there is much construction outside of the city 

 proper, which greatly adds to the aggregate, and regarding which no ac- 

 curate figures are obtainable. Furthermore, it is to be said that the 

 weather has been unusually bad, and has held up construction work to a 

 degree seldom experienced in the past. There is every prospect, conse- 

 quently, that the deficiency thus far noted will be made up at least in 

 large part later. 



=-< COLUMBUS >= 



Severe weather conditions that prevailed during February are responsi- 

 ble for a falling off in building operations in Columbus. During the month 

 97 permits with a valuation of $223,655 were issued, as compared to 163 

 permits and a valuation of $314,225 in February, 1916. No concern is felt 

 for building operations in the city during 1917, as prospects are bright in 

 all lines. 



Fifty of the leading carriage manufacturers of the United States met 

 in Cincinnati to consider problems in connection with the high cost of lum- 

 ber and other products entering into the manufacture of carriages. There 

 will be another meeting March 30. An appeal to the Interstate Commerce 

 Commission was considered. 



A syndicate, of which H. E. Talbott. president of the City National bank 

 and the Dayton Metal Products Company, is reported to be the head, has 

 practically been completed for the purpose of merging various lumber con- 

 cerns of Dayton into a single company, with a capital of $1,000,000. 

 The firms included in the consolidation are the Gebhart-Wuichet Company, 

 the Dayton Lumber and Manufacturing Company, the John Rouzer Com- 

 pany, and the F. A. Requarth Company. Attorney Lee Warren James is 

 conducting the negotiations for the firms, with prospect of success. 



R. W. Horton, of the W. M. Ritter Lumber Company, reports a good 

 demand for hardwoods, both from factories and retailers. Shipments are 

 still delayed because of the car shortage, although some relief has been 

 afforded during the past fortnight. Prices are firm and inclined to ad- 

 vance. 



J. A. Ford, of the Imperial Lumber Company, says there is a good denian<l 

 for hardwoods from the West Virginia field. 



•< CLEVELAND >-- 



The Harvard Lumber Company has been organized to take over the re- 

 tail business of the C. H. Foote Lumber Company, one of the largest hard- 

 wood firms in the district, and the stock and good-will of the Gill Lumber 

 Company. The C. H. Foote Lumber Company will devote all its time 

 from now on to the wholesale end of the business, which has grown rapidly 

 in the last year. 



What is claimed to be the largest wood flooring in any manufacturing 

 establishment in this country soon will be installed in the new factory of 

 the National Acme Machine Company, on the East Side here. The floor 

 area will be seven and one-half acres. The material was supplied by the 

 Republic Creosoting Company, Indianapolis, and will be installed by 

 Weaver & Pace. 



=-< CINCINNATI >.= 



An item of general interest to lumbermen was brought back to Cincinnati 

 from Florida by R. L. Murphy, agent of the Southern Railroad System in 

 this city. Mr. Murphy was in attendance at the convention of shippers 

 and crate manufacturers at Jacksonville. Steps were taken at this meet- 

 ing, Mr. Murphy stated, to standardize the boxes and packages in which 

 fruit is shipped from the South, so as to secure the maximum quantity to 

 the shipper with the minimum freight car room, and to better the safe 

 transportation of southern products. Box and crate manufacturers here 

 are said to favor the idea pretty generally. 



The legion of friends of Clinton Crane, head of C. Crane & Co., were 

 relieved last week to learn of the gradual, although pronounced, improve- ' 

 ment in Mr. Crane's condition. Mr. Crane has been ill for a while seriously, 

 since the middle of January and his friends throughout the country trust 

 sincerely that his improvement will be steady and lasting. 



In the matter of the Clear Creek Coal and Lumber Company, bankrupt, 

 J. L. Barr, Charles H. Warwick and Avery Handly, trustees in bankruptcy, 

 last week filed their petition for review in the United States court of 

 appeals, of an act of United States District Judge Edward R. Santord of 

 Nashville, Tenn., affirming an order of the referee allowing a claim of 

 I. M. Statler and others for $5,152 as a secured claim against the bank- 

 rupt estate. 



The Mitchell Construction Company, composed of officers of the Mitchell 

 Furniture Company. Cincinnati,' manufacturer and retailer, was incorpo- 

 rated last week with a capitalization of $10,000. The object of this new 

 concern, it is stated, is to engage in interior decoration work principally. 



The proposed increases in freight rates on vehicles from Toledo to Ohio 

 river crossings and Virginia cities were found by the Interstate Commerce 

 Commission not to be justified, and the suspended schedules, intended to 

 become effective August. 1915, were ordered canceled. Cincinnati vehicle 

 manufacturers have been watching developments in this case ever since 

 the fight was commenced over a year ago. 



Building figures for l''ebruary show that $245,370 more was put into 

 building operations in last month than in February, 1916. The commis- 

 sioner's belief that unusually severe weather retarded construction work 

 to a large extent is shared by lumbermen and building supply dealers, who 

 declare that with more open weather the increase would have been much 

 greater. 



The M. B. Farrin Lumber Company, one of the largest hardwood con- 

 cerns in the city, intends to enlarge its shop department very extensively 

 by putting on an additional story early this spring. The preliminary plans 

 have been prepared by Architect Ben De Camp. 



Some labor troulde was experienced in Cincinnati last week, which for 

 a time threatened to tie up building operations, but the difficulties were 

 ironed out without trouble. The home building constructors of Cincinnati 

 and the contracting bricklayers and the brickla.vers' union were at odds, 

 being unable for a few days to agree on a new scale, but finally an agree- 

 ment satisfactory to all concerned was arrived at, it is stated. 



< INDIANAPOLIS > 



Hardwood consuming plants, as well as other Indiana shippers, have 

 been protesting to the Indiana Public Service Commission on the proposed 

 enforcement by the Interstate Commerce Commission of the "home route 

 rule." which wo'dd prohibit the loading of cars except for destinations that 

 would return the cars to the roads owning them. March 15 has been set 

 as the date by the commission for the final taking effect of this rule, the 

 date for taking effect having already been postponed several times. The 

 Public Service Commission has been asked to protest to the Interstate 

 Commerce Commission against the taking effect of this rule, and it is al- 

 leged the enforcement of the rule will tend to restrict still further the 

 use of available rolling stock on steam roads. 



The Walkerton Lumber Company of Walkerton. Ind., is making extensive 

 additions to its plant, adding a planer and saw to be operated by a fifteen 

 H. P. motor. Storage facilities are to be increased and a cement block 

 plant is to be added. 



The Land-Dilks Company, Richmond, Ind., has been incorporated with 

 a capitalization of $25,000 to manufacture kitchen cabinets and other lines 

 of furniture. About forty men will be empIo.ved at the start. The directors 

 of the company are George Dilks, Walter E. Land, and Wilfred Jessup. 



Incorporation papers were issued last week for the Speedway Lumber 

 Company, Indianapolis, which has a capitalization of $20,000. The com- 

 pany will maintain a yard near the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The 

 incorporators are Joseph G. Brannum, Roy H. Davidson, and William Hees. 



The Seifer Furniture Company. East Chicago, Ind., has been incorpo- 

 rated with a capitalization of $45,000. Directors are Peter Seifer, Milton 

 Lewin. and Samuel D. Seifer. 



William L. Brown. Mitchell, Ind.. who has conducted a band mill there 

 for several years, has sold the equipment to the Brinkley Lumber Company 

 of Washington, Ind., which will engage in business at Brinkley, Ark. The 

 mill is being dismantled now under Mr. Brown's direction, and is being 

 taken to Brinkley. Mr, Brown is one of the incorporators of the Brinkley 

 Lumber Company. 



The McKinley & Lancaster planing mill at Bedford, Ind., has been de- 

 stroyed by fire, the loss being covered partially by insurance. 



R. D. Voorhees. Lebanon, Ind., has purchased the Garrett & McKinsey 

 lumber yards of Frankfort, Ind., for $20,000. Donald Byrd of Lebanon 

 will be associated with Mr. Voorhees in the management of the business. 

 The new owners took possession February 27. 



After a business career of thirty-three years Thomas H. Stoops, who has 

 been conducting the Stoops Planing Mill at Connersville, Ind., has retired 

 from business. He has sold the mill to the Fayette Lumber Company. 



The Miller-Kemper Company has announced plans for doubling the ca- 

 pacit.T of its planing mill at Richmond, Ind. About $20,000 will be ex- 

 pended in improvements and in buying new machinery. 



The Mercer Lumber Company of Hartford City, Ind., has increased its 

 capital stock from $20,000 to $25,000. 



The Auburn Lumber Company, Auburn, Iijd., has been incorporated with 

 a capitalization of $10,000, the directors being Peter Kuntz, Sr., Peter Kunz, 

 Jr., and George W. Goodall. 



— < MEMPHIS > 



Building operations in Memphis during January involved a total of 

 $246,785, an excess of $41,220 compared with the same month last year. 

 The weather was quite unfavorable during much of the month and there 

 was a notable falling off in the number of residences constructed. The 

 number of permits was much smaller than in February last year but. as 

 already suggested, the total involved in actual dollars and cents was con- 

 siderably larger. Numerous projects have been launched since March 1 and 



