HARDWOOD RECORD 



51 



Lumber Company to succceil William Somei-ville, 

 Jr., who lias been elected the vice-president of 

 the company. Besides holding the office of sec- 

 retary, Mr. Campbell will take charge of the 

 wholesale department of the company. 



MILWAUKEE 



holdings of the Ford Kiver Lumber Company of 

 I-"ord, Mich., were taken over. 



The J. W. Wells Lumber Company of Me- 

 nominee, Micli., has purchased all the timber 

 holdings west of Wausaukee belonging to the 

 Holt Lumber Company of Oconto, Wis. The 

 deal included 3,500 acres of land, covered with 

 millions of fest of lumber, mostly hardwood. 



The .T. 1. Case Tliieshing .Madiine Company 

 of Racine has filed an amendment to its articles 

 of incorporation, increasing its capital stock 

 from $.3,000,000 to $40,000,000. The stock of 

 the company is one-half preferred and one-half 

 common, the former guaranteeing interest at the 

 rate of seven per cent per annum. The com- 

 pany will now extend its operations and will en- 

 gage in the manufacture of a general line of har- 

 vesting and farm machinery. 



The Harrington Package Company of Cran- 

 don. manufacturer of pails and other receptacles, 

 recentl.v filed a petition in bankruptcy in the 

 Milwaukee bankruptcy court. The company 

 places its liabilities at $105,712.41 and its assets 

 at $81,254.56. Unsecured claims are placed at 

 $11,004.74. W. A, Wescott of Crandon has been 

 elected trustee. 



The heavy snows and the cold weather of the 

 past few weeks have brought about ideal con- 

 ditions for the loggers of northern Wisconsin. 

 The logging roads and swamps are now in ex- 

 cellent condition and hauling and skidding is 

 going on all over the northern lumber country. 



The Milwaukee i?tore Fixture Company has 

 increased its capital stock from $3,000 to $10,000. 



The D. E. Keiser Lumber Company of Elk 

 Mound has been incorporated with a capital 

 stock of $30,000 by D. E. Keiser, C. H. Mau 

 and B. F. Holbrook. 



11. A. J. L'pham of Milwaukee w'as elected 

 secretary and United States Senator Isaac Steph- 

 enson of Marinette was chosen president of The 

 L Stephenson Company of Wells. Mich., at the 

 recent annual meeting. The mill and timber 



LITTLE ROCK 



The Monette Spoke Company, located at Mo- 

 nette, was recently destroyed by fire, the loss 

 amounting to about $3,000. The fire originated 

 from sparks from the smokestack. The pro- 

 prietor, Mr. Camichael, had a large stock of 

 timber on hand, and had just purchased a large 

 tract of timber land. The factory will be rebuilt 

 at once. 



The Grayling Lumber Company of Michigan, 

 located at Arkansas City, has commcuced work 

 on the construction of its large lumber plant, 

 which, when completed, will have cost about 

 $100,000. The company will build a log road 

 to its timber lands, about twenty miles from 

 Arkansas City. 



It was announced by John T. Cloinger of Des 

 Arc, formerly manager of the Buena Vista Ve- 

 neer Company of that place, that it is probable 

 another large veneer plant will locate at Des Arc 

 as a result of his trip North. Northern capital- 

 ists will soon investigate the proposition, as 

 well as look over a large body of timber and 

 land suitable for their purpose. This plant, 

 if erected, will be one of the best in the coun- 

 try and will give employment to a large number 

 of men. 



The Kimball-Lacey Lumber dimpau.v. whose 

 plant at Arkansas City recently burned, will 

 rebuild on the original site. The plant will be 

 much larger and more complete than before. A 

 force of men is now at work clearing away the 

 debris from the silo. 



\ CT!KmiiiTOaiiWii:)tTOaiiatt!*^B)ic^^ 



The Hardwood Market 



CHICAOO 



J 



The chief difficulty in Chicago at present, as m 

 man.v other centers, lies in making deliveries when 

 specified. Drawing as it does upon both the 

 northern and southern hardwood field, the Chi- 

 cago trade is influenced by conditions in both 

 those territories. Just at present in the North 

 the extremely cold weather and excessive snows 

 make it next to impossible to get cars loaded or 

 through on anywhere near schedule time, while 

 in the South the heavy rains, followed by un- 

 usual cold weather and snow, have tied up the 

 mill business and logging operations vrry ef- 

 fectively. 



A general upward tendency is reported in most 

 tines marketed in Cliicago. Inquiries during the 

 last couple of weeks have been not only more 

 numerous, but have been of a genuine character 

 and not mere feelers of the trade. The box in- 

 terests continue to be the most active factor 

 locally, and are responsible for a steady move- 

 ment in box grades of cottonwood, gum, birch, 

 pine and other woods. This has resulted in sub- 

 stantial increases in tiio average price. 



Of the oaks, plain red oak is in the lead, but 

 plain white is in good request. Quartered white 

 oak still maintains the position which it has oc- 

 cupied for several months, without any advance 

 or any apparent decrease in value. 



With the breaking up of the severe cold 

 weather in Chicago many outside operations 

 have already resumed work, and are now calling 

 for stock. The flooring business is in a fair 

 condition and is taking good quantities of maple. 



1 1 is difficult to give any accurals account ot the 

 iiindition of various lines of trade, such as the 

 manufacture of furniture, because of the fact 

 that while nianutactnrers of one line of furni- 

 ture may be doing an excellent business, other 

 lines are distinctly- slow. It is safe, however, to 

 say that looking at local conditions as a unit, 

 the betterment of the trade, which was prophe- 

 sied before the opening of the year, is already 

 beginning to make itself manifest, and it looks 

 as if it were not merely a spasm of improve- 

 ment, but an increase in trade which is lievr to 

 stay. 



NEW YORK 



The hardwood market at New York shows a 

 very fair run of trade, considering the season. 

 Stocks arc much below normal in the hands of 

 the yards and local manufacturing concerns, 

 whicii of itself creates considerable buying for 

 actual wants on orders in hand. All indications 

 point to a strong and active spring trade by 

 reason of low supplies. Prices continue to not 

 only hold their own. but on some items show an 

 upw-ard tendency on good-grade lumber. Quar- 

 tered oak is still plentiful for current wants, 

 but is in a stronger position than it was two 

 months ago. Plain oak. chestnut, birch, beech, 

 ash and maple .are in very fair call. 



BUFFALO 



inclined to be quiet on account of furniture 

 exhibitions absorbing the interest of people in 

 that line, while the weather has been so severe 

 that it has checked business to a considerable 

 extent. Orders are fairly well distributed 

 throughout the hardwood list, although some 

 woods retain their lead in activity, as they have 

 for some time. Plain oak, both white and red, is 

 the chief seller, while there is said to be a 

 better inquiry in quartered oak, w*ith a tendency 

 toward better prices. Maple and birch are in 

 comparatively good demand at most yards. Chest- 

 nut, ash and elm are moving moderately well, 

 while poplar is rather quiet. 



PHILADELPHIA 



The slump in Irading due to stock-taking, the 

 holiday interruption and the prolonged cold spell 

 have naturally affected the lumber business to a 

 more or less degree. It is easier to book orders 

 now than to deliver the goods, as shipping in 

 the East, both by water and rail, has been incon- 

 veniently interrupted. At mill ends, conditions 

 are no better, and those who have secured stock 

 ahead to fill vacant spots in their yards are to 

 be congratulated for their foresight. 



The hardwood situation, although a little 

 quiet at this period, is in good shape. Prices 

 continue firm and desirable stocks are' in good 

 control. Lower grades of hardwoods have "stiff- 

 ened and it is plainly evident from the extremely 

 attenuated pile in all the grades, both at the 

 producers' and consumers' ends, that more money 

 will have to be paid for the acquirement of 

 goods some time before the very responsible blue- 

 bird sings his first tune. A universal optimism 

 prevails in trade circles, and it is predicted on 

 justifiable grounds that a considerably augmented 

 trading may be looked for during 1912. 



PITTSBURGH 



The feeling among hardwood lumbermen con- 

 tinues to be optimistic as there is apparently 

 nothing to prevent this from being a good year. 

 However, one element to be figured with is the 

 positive and almost dangerous shortage of stocks 

 of good hardwood. Ail wholesalers who have 

 visited the hardwood mills lately say that stocks 

 are much too short to last very long. A slight 

 increase in business would put the prices up on 

 every grade of hardwood. Even low to medium 

 grade stock has been moving much better of late, 

 notwithstanding the holiday dullness. The de- 

 mand for good hardwood from not only the fur- 

 niture and implement concerns but also from 

 manufacturing concerns of all kinds is improv- 

 ing daily. Yard stocks everywhere are small. 



BALTIMORE 



There is about a normal movement in hard- 

 woods, with a general report that trade is 



The past two weeks have been decidedly un- 

 eventful in the hardwood trade here for the 

 reason that the cold weather imposed a check 

 upon activities generally, both the demand and 

 the production being affected to such a degree 

 as to impart an air of pronounced quiet to the 

 trade. Nevertheless, not a few of the hardwood 

 men kept on moving and efforts were continued 

 to get orders. However, if the domestic trade 

 was quiet, the foreign business in a way made 

 up for any deficiency in that the demand con- 

 tinued to be comparatively good, with the pros- 

 pects suggestive of even better things to come. 

 The stocks on the other side have not increased, 

 while the requirements seem to be expanding. 

 This applies especiailj' to oak planks, which are 

 in very fair inquiry, and with regard to which 

 the foreign buyers appear to be less captious 

 than has been the case. Some difficulty is being 

 experienced now in regard to shipping facilities. 

 The number of sailings has been reduced, and the 

 offerings of freight are so heavy that the sev- 

 eral lines are very independent, higher rates being 



