12 



THE HARDWOOD RECORD. 



taining his family, lias increased 15 per 

 cent in the past two or three years, and 

 while in most cases his earning capacity 

 has increased that much or more, he is 

 not getting, in iiroportion to the increased 

 pi-osperity of other classes, his share of 

 the general prosperity. He is, however, 

 doing better than the laboring man of any 

 other country and fully as well as he has 

 ever done. 



We do not wish our readers to infer 

 from anything said in the foregoing that 

 we have any doubt as to the great and 

 permanent prosperity of this counti'y. We 

 only believe that the rate of progress of 

 the prese-nt time is too rapid to be counted 

 upon to continue uninterrupted. The great 

 resources of this counti-y. combined with 

 the general intelligence and energy of the 

 American people, is bound to bring great 

 prosperity, and it may be that the pres- 

 ent gait can be maintained, but we doubt 

 it. Therefore our advice to our readers 

 is to be cautious and conservative in their 

 business undertakings. 



THE NATIONAL MEETING. 



There has iievrr been one-half the in- 

 terest taken in a meeting of the National 

 association that is being taken in the one 

 which will convene in St. Louis, May 15 

 and 16. The hardwood lumber trade is 

 stirred from center to circumference. As 

 we have before stated in these columns, 

 the trade has just awakened, apparently, 

 to the fact that the business of the Na- 

 tional Hardwood Lumber Association is 

 of vital importance" to the business of every 

 hardwood lumberman. 



At first the trade did not take the Na- 

 tional association with much seriousness. 

 Not much attention was paid to the mak- 

 ing of rules, au impression prevailing that 

 those rules would not be generally ef- 

 fective and that business would go ahead 

 as usual, and they have found that such an 

 impression was a mistaken one. They 

 find that the rules of the National associa- 

 tion are rapidly becoming the standard of 

 the country and hence there has arisen a 

 desire from lumbermen of different sec- 

 tions of the country and different depart- 

 ments of the trade, to have those rules 

 constructed in such a manner as they be- 

 lieve will benefit their own interests. 



Every local association of hardwood 

 lumbermen in the West is preparing to 

 come before the St. Louis meeting, well 

 organized and with their own ideas and 

 views to press upon the convention. 



We are pleased to observe this interest, 

 for we believe that out of it will come 

 much good to the hardwood lumber trade. 

 It has come to be generally recognized that 

 the inspection rules of the National Hard- 

 wood Lumber Association occupy a posi- 

 tion of too great impoilance to allow of 

 their being constantly changed. The con- 

 viction is abroad that at this meeting the 

 rule question must be settled and settled 

 finally. 



Some lunibermen take the position that 



they should be left as they are, for the 

 reason that one set of rules is about as 

 good as another; that if they make a high 

 grade the price will adjust itself thereto 

 and that it is better to leave them as they 

 are than to make any further changes. 



Other lumbermen believe that the rules 

 as they are are imperfect and that they 

 Iiave never been revised by the whole 

 trade, with the understanding that they 

 are really to establish the standard for 

 the entire trade. They contend that the 

 rules as they are do not represent the cus- 

 tom of the trade and that while the trade 

 might eventually be brought up to the 

 standard of those rules, it would be a 

 costly thing for the hardwood lumbermen; 

 that it is easier and more advisable to 

 alter the rules to fit the custom rather 

 than to attempt to change the custom of 

 the country to fit the rules. 



The foregoing represents the t^^•o con- 

 servative elements in the trade. There 

 are other elements which would run to 

 radicalism, either in one direction or the 

 other, that would either make the rules 

 so lax as to be ridiculous or so strict 

 as to be rejected by everybody. 



Under such circumstances and in consid- 

 eration of the many contlicting elements 

 which will come together at St. Louis, the 

 Record makes an earnest appeal for for- 

 bearance on the part of all interested. 

 There is no individual or organization 

 which will get all it asks at the St. Louis 

 meeting. The only apparent outcome 

 which will be at all satisfactory is a com- 

 promise upon safe and conservative lines. 

 We appeal to the level-headed, conservative 

 men, who have the interest of the National 

 association at heart, and ask them to stand 

 together for fair and reasonable treatment 

 to atl concerned. If this course is fol- 

 lowed and radical action in any line 

 frowned upon, the outcome will be a set 

 of inspection rules wliich will endure and 

 upon which the entire trade may unite. 

 Should the radical element in any faction 

 control the convention, the result may be 

 disastrous, not only to the National asso- 

 ciation, but to the hardwood lumber trade. 



On the other hand, we hope that those 

 who attend and fail to get all the conces- 

 sions they would like, will appreciate the 

 fact that in the making of inspection rules 

 there are many interests to be considered, 

 and that if they receive fair and reasonable 

 treatment they should go home satisfied 

 and prei^ared to abide by the decision of 

 the majority. Other matters of importance 

 will come before the convention, but the 

 subject of inspection rules is the most 

 important one, and it is the one which 

 will require the best efforts of the best 

 men in the association to solve in a satis- 

 factory manner. This is the last issue of 

 the Record until after the meeting, and we 

 feel that the fate of the National associa- 

 tion, with all its great possibilities for 

 good to the lumber trade, is at stake, and 

 we call upon the good men in the trade 

 to attend the convention and give its pro- 

 ceedings their best attention. 



THE PRICES OF HARDWOOD LUM- 

 BER. 



We have stated in these columns on 

 different occasions that it is our belief that 

 the tendency of prices on all kinds of 

 lumber in this country will be upward, 

 with, of course, occasional periods of slight 

 reaction. This position has been ques- 

 tioned by some of our readers, but looking 

 backward at what has been, and forward 

 to what seems likely to be, we are of the 

 opinion that our position is a correct one. 



The supply of a number of hardwoods 

 formerly on^ the market has practically 

 become exhausted, and ten or fifteen years 

 more will see the end of some of the woods 

 which are now furnishing a large bulk of 

 the general yearly production. 



Wisconsin hardwoods are becoming very 

 scarce. Wisconsin red oak, basswood and 

 ash are very scarce, so scarce as to be 

 almost entirely out of the general markets. 

 Poplar has grown scarcer every year, un- 

 til the difference between the demand and 

 tlie supply has become serious. Cotton- 

 wood is now sold in large quantities, but 

 Cottonwood production will come to an 

 end iu a few years, and when the end 

 comes it will come suddenly. 



It was at one time predicted that eoL- 

 tonwood would take the place of poplar, 

 but it is now pretty certain that poplar will 

 outlast Cottonwood a good many years. 

 The reason for this is that where cotton, 

 wood is found it is found in solid bodies 

 of timber, which can be turned into lumber 

 very rapidly, and anyone at all familiar 

 witli the Cottonwood situation must realize 

 that in spite of tlie abundance of it which 

 is coming on the market at the present 

 time, it will not be many years until the 

 end will come. Poplar, for the reason that 

 it is more widely scattered and more dif- 

 ficult of access, will come on the market 

 more slowly each year, but it will continue 

 to come after the sufiply of cottonwood is 

 exhausted. 



In the great hardwood producing state 

 of Michigan conditions are somewhat sim- 

 ilar to the conditions in the cottonwood 

 trade. There the hardwood timber stands 

 in forests and is easily accessible. Michi- 

 gan at the present is producing au enor- 

 mous quantity of hardwood lumber, but, 

 at the present rate, fifteen years more will 

 see the great state almost denuded of 

 its forests. Even the largest holdere of 

 stumpage in that state cannot figure on 

 more than fifteen years' cut. 



Under such circumstances fifteen years 

 from now will see the hardwood product 

 of the United States practically reduced 

 to oak and gum. 



There is still a great quantity of oak 

 stumpage in the United States. There 

 will probably not come a time in the life 

 of any man now living when oak lumber 

 will not be filling a considerable space 

 iu the lumber ti'ade of this country. Gum 

 is just coming into use, but the force 

 of circumstances will certainly bring It 



