46 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



Hardwood Market. 



<B7 HARDWOOD BECOSD Exclnsive Market Beporters.) 



CHICAGO 



Local lumbermen look upon the condition of 

 trade during the last two weeks as encouraging. 

 Numerous firms report that the month of Oc- 

 tober not only showed an improvement over the 

 preceding month but likewise proved itself to be 

 better than that month for several years as far 

 as lumber is concerned. While the general trade 

 is still exceedingly spotty in character orders are 

 becoming more numerous as well as more sub- 

 stantial in volume. Payments from most quar- 

 ters are being made promptly with very little 

 paper in evidence. There does not seem to be 

 any unusual abundance of stock on band, and 

 consequently prices have held satisfactorily firm. 



Furniture manufacturers are beginning to 

 evince a growing interest in business, althotigh 

 in some cases buyers for the furniture trade have 

 announced that it is their intention to hold off 

 until after the first of the year. Still this is 

 not true of a majority of the houses, and it 

 seems reasonably sure to expect a growing trade 

 from this source of consumption. The Ikjx manu- 

 facturers are still lukewarm in their purchases 

 and some of them announce that they have not 

 yet filled orders for the so-called holiday trade, 

 an unuusal occurrence with the box making in- 

 dustry. Nevertheless they are buying more 

 lumber now than they have for some time. The 

 handlers of railway material, such as ties and car 

 stock, voice a more optimistic sentiment than 

 they have for a considerable period. The usual 

 car shortage has effectually prevented a con- 

 tinuance of the retrenchment policy of the rail- 

 roads, who are not only placing orders for loco- 

 motives but are also buying cars as well as mak- 

 ing improvements on old rolling stock. In addi- 

 tion they are coming to realize that further 

 neglect of roadbeds will be disastrous, and as a 

 consequence there has been a slight stimulus to 

 the tie market. Several Chicago firms have re- 

 cently placed large orders for ties. 



The strongest lines on the market at present 

 are as usual oak, gum and the better grades of 

 poplar and birch, while maple still has a strong 

 demand. Plain red oak is as usual a scarce 

 article and commands the same high range of 

 prices, though quartered white oak is somewhat 

 weaker, and will undoubtedly continue so until 

 the excessive cut has sufficiently diminished and 

 until prices are again on a basis whero the wood 

 can be purchased by the ordinary I'ne of con- 

 sumers. Red gum continues its triumphant 

 march and is a satisfactory and sure seller, 

 while the flooring manufacturers are taking all 

 the good maple they can get hold of, and are 

 manufacturing as well considerable (luantities of 

 birch into the same products. 



Hickory and asb are unusually poor sellers, 

 as both the wagon and implement manufacturers 

 of all kinds are slow in purchases. They evi- 

 dently arc not turning out stock as rapidly as 

 they would wish and arc stalling on orders In 

 all quarters. 



'I'he building trade offers a bright outlook and 

 it is a fact that the manufacturers of interior 

 finish and the sasli, door and blind houses are 

 at present about the best customers that the 

 local trade has. The building department of 

 Chicago during the past month granted permits 

 for the erection of structures the aggregate 

 value of which will be about $8,000,000. This 

 J means that no little quantity of lumber will be 

 ■consumed. 



NEW YORK 



more plentiful is subject to considerable com- 

 petition. There seems to be a greater tendency 

 on the part of shippers to force sales, and this 

 tends to make prices unsteady. The better 

 grades of grade lumber, plain quartered oak, 

 ash, birch and chestnut are moving freely. 

 Offerings, with the exception of birch, are ample 

 for current wants, but birch is in a strong 

 position and some of the biggest shippers, by 

 reason of the increased demand, are shipping 

 greener stock than ever before. Maple is firm 

 and indications point to a scarcity of good 

 stock in the near future. 



Generally the hardwood market shows a fair 

 amount of consumption. With the exception of 

 good-grade lumber supplies are ample for all 

 current needs. Therefore the stability of the 

 market depends largely upon the attitude of 

 sellers toward existing conditions. 



BUFFALO 



A fair movement continues in hardwoods and 

 dealers talk a little more cheerfully of the out- 

 look. The favorable weather has encouraged 

 them somewhat, as it has helped to stimulate 

 operations in the building line, which are up 

 to or better than the average for this season. 

 New stock.s are being added to the yards and 

 the concerns which have mills in the South 

 are reporting operations as active. October with 

 most of the lumbermen made a good showing, 

 usually better than for the same month last 

 year. 



Oak and chestnut are the leading sellers, the 

 former in both plain and quartered. Chestnut 

 prices are somewhat firmer. There is a good 

 demand for the better grades of poplar. Birch 

 continues scarce and maple is also not very 

 plentiful. There is little demand for white 

 and black ash, though dealers have a fair stock 

 of the latter. The better grades of walnut are 

 scarce, and the inquiry for walnut as well as 

 cherry is small. Walnut is selling better in 

 the East than here and there is some export 

 demand. Cypress has been moving rather slowly. 



BALTIMORE 



The local hardwood market shows good-grade 

 lumber continuing firm on fair sales. Low- 

 grade stock is moving fairly well, but being 



The past two w'eeks have brought no decided 

 change in conditions that have prevailed for 

 some time in the hardwood trade. Some favor- 

 able indications iKive developed within this 

 period, but they have not appreciably affected 

 the situation in so far as the supply and de- 

 mand are concerned. Information is at hand 

 that the trade requirements are on the increase, 

 but the general stale of the business does not 

 show any marked effect as yet. However, the 

 feeling among business men generally is as- 

 suredly better and confidence is decidedly on the 

 increase. The stock market has improved, and 

 the improvement is reflected in numerous other 

 lines. Lumbermen seem to be entering a season 

 of larger needs and of greater confidence in the 

 future, when orders are placed liberally and 

 business takes on a more active aspect. 



An appreciable improvement has taken place 

 in the low grades of oak and poplar, both of 

 which are moving with more snap than for a 

 long time. Prices have not yet advanced, but 

 it is a gain over previous conditions to dispose 

 of stocks which had accumulated until they 

 became a rather troublesome problem. Com- 

 mon chestnut is less in demand tluin perhaps 

 any other wood, and stocks are piling up. 

 Prices arc so low that the manufacturer cannot 

 get even cost of production in many Instances. 

 Other grades, however, are in fair demand, with 

 prices about holding their own. The export 

 business is looking up. Interest in stocks ap- 



pears to be on the increase, judging from the 

 more numerous Inquiries. The information 

 from abroad is that supplies are reduced, caus- 

 ing buyers to become solicitous as to future 

 shipments, and the general tone of the hard- 

 wood market abroad is firmer. There is also 

 less Insistence upon vexatious conditions, and 

 the evils complained of in the foreign business 

 are gradually righting themselves. 



PITTSBURG 



There has been a steady but not large gain 

 in hardwood buying here the past month. Dry 

 hardwood in the upper grades is getting scarcer 

 every day. The tendency is toward higher 

 prices and buyers are beginning to get anxious 

 about shipments. The car shortage on the 

 southern lines, most of it in West Virginia and 

 Kentucky, has cut off shipments from those 

 points so that mills are behind on their orders. 

 There is no accumulation of stock at the good 

 hardwood mills, except in the lower grades, and 

 oven this lumber is in smaller stock now than 

 a month ago. Mining companies are taking 

 more mixed hardwood. The market for ties and 

 poles is better than it has been for months. 

 Bill stuff is moving a little better to the local 

 yards and building operations, owing to the 

 good weather, have held up In a way that makes 

 it easier to approach retail lumbermen for sales. 

 The situation, barring politics and the uncer- 

 tainty about the course of the big railroad cor- 

 porations pending their freight rate adjustments, 

 is encouraging all around. 



CLEVELAND 



Local hardworwl dealers are satisfied with the 

 trend of business for this season of the year. 

 The building industry is still active and there 

 are orders of size coming from the vehicle, fur- 

 niture and other factories which use quantities 

 of hardwoods. There is a much better tone in 

 the automobile industry and it is expected that 

 there will soon be a keen demand for wide pop- 

 lar boards for auto bodies. 



Poplar and common oak vie with each other 

 in popularity, although the call for quartered 

 oak is also very strong. Chestnut of good 

 quality is in better demand than for some 

 time. Dealers in cabinet woods say that the 

 market for mahogan.v is in fair shape. A good 

 call is noted for (.'ircassian walnut and other 

 fine imported woods. 



COLUMBUS 



Improvement in every department of the hard- 

 wood trade in central Ohio is reported by manu- 

 facturers and wholesalers. The general tone of 

 the market is excellent and all lumbermen unite 

 in the belief that the trade will continue good 

 for the remainder of the year. One of the best 

 features of the trade is the better collections 

 which are reported from every section. Collec- 

 tions have been somew"hat slow for a time, but 

 recently a great improvement is noted. 



Building operations are continuing active, due 

 to the favorable weather which has prevailed in 

 this district for weeks. This has the effect of 

 making a bettei; market for a number of hard- 

 woods and since many buildings are projected 

 operations will continue a greater part of the 

 winter. Stocks in the hands of the dealer are 

 .generally small, indicating that buying from that 

 source will soon be more liberal. Manufactur- 

 ing establishments are requiring larger stocks. 

 This is especially true of furniture factories and 

 plants making vehicles and implements. Auto- 

 mobile factories are also in (he market for a 

 lai'ger amount of stock, which is bulling the 

 market in wide sizes of poplar. 



Q\iartered oak is in good demand and prices at 



