HARDWOOD RECORD 



51 



=■< PHILADELPHIA >• 



Although the general lumber business is more or less affected by the 

 naturally attenuated summer trading, the hardwood situation for the 

 last fortnight has been satisfactory, a conceded improvement even over 

 the last half of June. A little wavering is reported in one or two grades 

 (if the standard woods, but on the whole values have been well sustained 

 with no signs of a general wealjening anywhere. It is evident the hard- 

 wood market is under better control than the softwood, and the manufac- 

 turer apparently is at ease as regards the situation. In addition to the 

 midsummer hiatus, the tariff agitation, the new currency bills and the 

 disturbed local and state political situation, and the strikes are draw- 

 backs to contend with, but notwithstanding this growing pile of obstacles 

 a significantly optimistic tone is recognizable everywhere. 



The city has tiually won the battle in Harrisburg, giving it the right 

 to build and own subways and elevated railroads, and the work on these 

 improvements is to begin at once. The new piers and dock extensions 

 decided upon will add miles of shipping facilities, and mean an expendi- 

 ture of millions of dollars. The favorable report of the secretary of the 

 navy as to a possibility of increasing the barracks and building a 1,700 

 foot dry dock, which would make this the greatest naval station in the 

 country, Ijespeaks a prosperity not too remote to infuse new life into the 

 commercial world. Forty-six vessels, including battleships, torpedo boats, 

 vessels for Panama canal traffic, down to ferry boats, are being built at 

 this time in the three ship yards on the Delaware river. 



No material change is apparent in the relative positions of the various 

 woods. Oak, ash, maple, birch and basswood are strong ; veneer and ma- 

 hogany continue active ; cherry, beech and poplar keep an even tone ; 

 chestnut, both high-grade and sound wormy, is unweakened. 



=-< PITTSBURGH >-= 



The hardwood market for midsummer is showing a pretty good degree 

 of activity. Although there is no big volume of business, dealings show 

 that in some lines of manufacturing, especially the glass industry and 

 with the auto and implement people, buying is fairly brisk. Yard trade is 

 slow but steady. Retailers have been poor buyers of hardwoods the past 

 few weeks as building operations have not come up to their expectations. 

 Prices are holding firm and a good buying improvement this fall is looked 

 for. 



^-< BOSTON y- 



There is a larger volume of business reported for hardwoods than for 

 softwoods, but even so, the demand is not so large as it has been at 

 times in the past. It is expected that there will be considerable more 

 activity as the fall trade starts in. July and August usually find buyers 

 a little slow to increase their reserve stocks and this season is no ex- 

 ception. The manufacturers of interior house finish are fairly busy. 

 Furniture manufacturers, while moderately busy, are complaining a little 

 of a lack of buying in any great volume. The piano trade has fallen off 

 somewhat. One thing that the hardwood lumber merchants are complain- 

 ing of at present is the slow way that buyers are settling their accounts. 



Offerings of some grades of lumber in the thickness wanted by buyers 

 are smaller than usual. Prices throughout the list are well held. Both 

 plain and quartered oak hold firm with a good demand reported. Maple 

 flooring has been selling better in some cases, owing to the high prices of 

 oak. Birch and ash are in moderate call. 



=-< BALTIMORE >= 



^' docs not appear that important changes have developed in the 

 nardwood business here. Some of the members of the trade state that 

 they have found not so much an easing off in the inquiry as greater 

 freedom in the offerings, with the result that the range of prices is lower 

 than it has been. Others — and they are less numerous — maintain that 

 they are getting about the same returns, while the movement is kept at 

 its former level, there being no modification of consequence in the general 

 situation. The weight of evidence, however, seems to be on the side of 

 those who report more liberal offerings and a lower tone in the quota- 

 tions, with the buyers rather disposed to hold back for the present in 

 order to see what the near future may bring forth. It appears to be 

 beyond doubt that some of the items on the hardwood list have gone off 

 from $2 to $3 per 1,000 feet. Among the woods affected is oak, which 

 cannot be said to have become inherently weaker, but which advanced 

 rather more than the rest of the list last winter, so that whatever de- 

 cline has taken place of late merely means that oak has about gotten 

 back to where it was. Chestnut also is perhaps not quite so strong as it 

 was a short time ago, though the gain of $3 per 1.000 feet over prices 

 for the corresponding period of last year is being fairly well maintained. 

 The demand, however, is less urgent than has been the case. The edge 

 seems to have been taken off of it, as it were, and the sellers find it 

 harder to get orders. As for the rest of the list, it is much as it has 

 been, very nearly the same level having prevailed throughout the whole 

 of the past year. As far as can be learned the mills have managed to 

 catch up with the needs of the trade, and no shortage of lumber is now 

 apprehended. This is perhaps responsible largely for the hesitancy of 

 the buyers, who feel that they can have their orders filled at any time, 

 and who find that there is no necessity to look a long way ahead. This, 



to be sure, results in many instances in buyers having to pay somewhat 

 more for lumber, but the purchasers are willing to take chances when it 

 comes to this. 



The foreign market shows no improvement : in fact, conditions abroad 

 appear to have become even more discouraging in the past two weeks. 

 Stocks are still going forward in fairly large quantities, although the 

 movement seems to have been somewhat arrested, and there is no im- 

 provement in the range of prices offered. Oak planks are in such supply 

 that the buyers are taking advantage of the situation to demand conces- 

 sions and also resort to the expedient of making rejections, which reduces 

 the returns to the shippers. Poplar is also in fairly liberal supply, with 

 the requirements so limited that the range of prices abroad is easy. Even 



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C I N C I 



ATI 



iHardwood Manufacturers and Jobbers [ 



Richey, Halsted & Quick 



HIGH GRADES IN SOUTHERN 

 HARDWOODS A SPECIALTY 



CONASAUGA LUMBER CO. 



MANUFACTURERS HARDWOOD AND PINE 



FOURTH NATIONAL BANK BUILDING 



Johns, Mowbray, Nelson Company 



OAK, ASH, POPLAR & CHESTNUT 



GUM AND COTTONWOOD 



C. CRANE & CO. 



MANUFACTURERS HARDWOOD LUMBER 



1739 EASTERN AVENUE 



DAY LUMBER & COAL CO. 



Mfrs. YELLOW POPLAR and WHITE OAK 



GENER.4I, OFFICE — CI.AY CITY, KY. 



RIEMEIER LUMBER CO. 



OAK, POPLAR, CHESTNUT 



SUMMERS AND GEST STREETS 



SHAWNEE LUMBER CO.^ 



HARDWOODS, WHITE PINE and HEMLOCK 



Sales Office — South Side Station — C. H. ft D. R. R. 



JAMES KENNEDY & CO., Ltd. 



OAK, POPLAR AND OTHER HARDWOODS 



FIRST NATIONAL BANK BUILDING 



The Kosse, Shoe & Schleyer Co. 



WALNUT, OAK, AND OTHER HARDWOODS 



103-4-5 CAREW BUILDING 



OHIO VENEER COMPANY 



Manufacturers & Importers FOREIGN VENEERS 



2624-34 COLERAIN AVENUE 



KIUIN DRIBD OAK 



A.IND OTHER HARDWOODS 



are one of our many "specialties" which^are 

 so satisfactory to others. Why not you? 



Might pay you to get in 

 touch with us. It has others 



I THE M. B. FARRIN LUMBER CO. | 



