HARDWOOD RECORD 



ineiilc'utally iiLhortised the fortlicomiiig L-oiivoiitioa of the Hardwood 

 Mauufaeturers ' Association, to be held at Cincinnati, on January 

 30 and 31. 



H. H. Gibson, editor of Hardwood Eecord, was next introduced 

 and spoke briefly on the subject of what the lumber trade is up 

 against in the way of competition at the present time, and gave an 

 analysis of the unfairness of the existing competition against wood 

 that is being instituted by the trusts dominating the steel and 

 cement industries. 



Charles M. ilorford was next presented and made a very scholarly 

 address on the subject of the loss and gain in business, and gave a 

 practical demonstration of the cost involved in liaudling a yard busi- 

 ness in the city of Nashville. 



James H. Baird of the Southern Luniberman, spoke on the topic 

 of ' ' Dividends of Good Fellowship, ' ' in which he insisted that the 

 dividends obtained by this means were very great, and in support of 

 this statement, said that the evidence was presented at this time by 

 the very presence of the greatest number of lumbermen from middle 

 Tennessee that ever before broke bread together. He enumerated 

 the many local evidences of the good fellowship spirit that had made 

 it possible to advance the commercial interests of Nashville during 

 the past few years. 



Charles Barham of Nashville, general freight agent of the N. C. & 

 St. L. Railroad, was introduced and made a magnificent address on 

 the subject of the relation of the railroad to lumbermen. He pre- 

 sented many facts pertaining to the transportation of forest products 

 that were new to the majority, and, on the whole, handled his topic 

 in a very masterly way. He contended that the distance commodities 

 hauled had and should have very little weight for the prices charged 



for the service, as the basis of the charge should be a just propor- 

 tion of the increased value of the commodity when transported from 

 its place of origin to the place of sale. Mr. Barham 's speech was 

 by far the best effort of the evening. 



Col. F. M. Hamilton, a veteran Nashville lumberman, talked on the 

 subject of old and more recent history in connection with hardwood 

 lumber affairs, and punctuated his address with many pleasing per- 

 sonal reminiscences. 



Following this talk, S. Lieberman, another veteran of the Nash- 

 ville lumber trade, told about early sawmill days in the Nashville 

 district, and gave an abstract of his history in connection with lum- 

 ber affairs on the Cumberland river. 



A unique bill of fare was given the guests, which was printed on 

 a coarse gray cardboard in brown ink, and bound between thin sheets 

 of poplar and quartered oak lumber, the two varieties for which 

 Nashville is famous. 



Those to whom both the club and the guests were indebted for 

 handling the details of the entertainment were Hamilton Love, presi- 

 dent of the Nashville Lumbermen's Club, and of Love, Boyd & Co.; 

 Olin White of Wistar, TJnderhill & Nixon; Anderson Baker, Baker, 

 Jacobs & Co. ; T. B. Johnson of the Tennessee Hardwood Lumber 

 Company; C. L. McConnell of the Nashville Hardwood I'looring Com- 

 pany, and N. R. Silber of the Atlanta Lumber Company. 



The entire affair was one of such royal good fellowship that it will 

 be a long time in escaping the memories of the participants. The 

 lumbermen of Nashville are certainly to be congratulated, both on 

 the character of their president, Mr. Love, and of the other gentle- 

 men who so ably co-operate Avith him in furthering the interests of 

 this famous pioneer Tennessee liardwood market. 



v vgt>::<>.^^'.vy:'c;:w.\::aa^tiMiWiii>iijJit;iTO!i^^ 



With very few exceptions members of the trade in Kansas City 

 are starting 1912 with a good opinion of the possibilities of the 

 year. Primarily this cheerfulness is based on a really brisk opening 

 up of trade already, coupled with a number of other facts which 

 will surely have a favorable effect upon business, such as an ab- 

 solute scarcity of stock in the hands of the entire consuming trade, 

 favorable reports from the agricultural districts, local activity in the 

 purchase and renting of houses and, in favor of better prices, low 

 stocks at mill points. 



Kansas City is essentially a pine rather than a hardwood center 

 and from there are distributed primarily building lumber, car stock, 

 railroad timber, ties, etc.-, rather than factory hardwoods. But, 

 any material increase in demand for that class of lumber can not 

 but have a helpful influence upon the market for graded hardwoods, 

 and it is for this reason that increased activity in such an important 

 center as Kansas City can be considered as presaging better condi- 

 tions in all other lines. 



For several months back the country yard trade drawing upon 

 Kansas City has been anything but enthusiastic in regard to pur- 

 chases. This attitude was but a reflection of the farmer's state of 

 mind, for with insufficient rains he was foreseeing all kinds of 

 calamities for his crojis. Fortunately, however, the recent rains came 

 in time to bolster up his drooping spirits and now with the heavy 

 snow to nurse along the wheat crop, the farmer is already showing a 

 readiness to put more or less of his cash into building and improve- 

 ments. The good effects are already felt in the Kansas City market. 



One of the most favorable symptoms is the active inquiry for rail- 

 road and car stock of all kinds and sizes. It only remains to be 

 seen whether this is forced buying or really the beginning of a general 

 loosening up policy among the railroads. In either event it can not 

 but have a generally good influence. Already this activity, together 

 with better conditions in other lines and short stocks at mills, has 

 effected an average increase of from fifty cents to one dollar in pine 

 prices. 



Probably of more fundamental importance than actual increased 

 orders, and Kansas City is but typical of most other important 

 centers, is the apparent awakening to the absurdity of present busi- 

 ness conditions. This awakening seems to have crystalized spontane- 

 ously into a determination to live down the spectre of hard times 

 by refusing to recognize any logical reason for such a state, which 

 there is not. This common sense attitude is growing and is already 

 bearing fruit. One evidence of its existence is in the attitude of a 

 majority of the trade towards the pending presidential campaign. 

 Almost unanimously, while admitting its disqtiieting influence in the 

 past, business men refuse to concede to politics the right to check 

 the growing wave of business improvement. As the present depres- 

 sion is undeniably the result of a baseless mental attitude, with every- 

 body boosting, as they are,' business will just as surely be turned 

 back into its proper course as it will be kept jogging along in the 

 present rut of demoralization if the voice of the knocker continues 



to be recognized. 



* * * 



The Connelly Hardwood Lumber Company, whose hardwood yard 

 and offices are now located at 1909 Baltimore avenue, expects the 

 year 1912 to be entirely satisfactory. This concern is planning an 

 enlargement of its yarding facilities, though it has not yet started to 

 work definitely in this direction. A. H. Connelly will shortly visit 

 the various mills from which this company draws its stock, with a 

 view of looking over a line of lumber which will be at the disposal 

 of the Connelly Hardwood Lumber Company during the year. 



The Chapman & Dewey Lumber Company, another prominent hard- 

 wood house, speaks well of trade conditions, and says that the lumber 

 business which is now conducted through the new Memphis office 

 entirely, is all that could be expected. 



A representative railroad and car material house is the Dierks 

 Lumber & Coal Company. While this company is doing nothing in 

 graded hardwoods at present, it reports that it is receiving a sur- 

 prisingly gratifying number of orders from the railroads, and antici- 

 pates that this inquiry will continue to increase. 



