40 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



llie fact tliat the many species found in that 

 province insure a small annual cut of almost 

 every kind of wood produced in Canada. British 

 Columbia holds second place, while the other 

 six provinces remain in the same relative posi- 

 tion as the year before. 



T?he average price of lumber at the mill is 

 lower in Nova Scotia than elsewhere, being 

 .■SH.ge a thousand. Ontario maintained the 

 highest average value, which was $19.80. This 

 comparatively high tigure is due to the large 

 cut of white pine. 



The conifers lead in the total production al 

 Canada's sawmills, spruce being produced in 

 greater quantities than any other species, total- 

 ing one-third of the entire output. Of the hard- 

 woods, maple, basswood, elm and ash show in- 

 creases in cut much larger than the average, 

 while the cut of basswood and beech was four 

 times as large in 1909 as in 1908. Birch is 

 .siill in the lead among the hardwoods of Canada, 

 though it made but a small increase in produc- 

 tion over 1908. 



Figures show that the Dominion cut in 1909 

 only one-twentieth of the maple that was cut 

 iu the (United States, and only one-four-hun- 

 dredth part of the oak cut here, and is dependent 

 on the United States for the greater part of its 

 supply of oak, hickory, poplar, chestnut, gum, 

 walnut and cherry. The value of hardwoods im- 

 ported into Canada during 1909 exceeded by 9.8 

 per cent the value of hardwoods manufactured 

 into lumber during that year. 



Birch showed an average increase during 1909 

 in production of only 15.7 per cent. There 

 is a much larger production of birch in the 

 United States than in Canada. Wisconsin and 

 Maine each producing annually more birch than 

 the whole Dominion. The maple cut for Can- 

 ada increased 40.4 per cent, though the cut 

 in the United States in 1908 was twenty times 

 greater. The cut of basswood in Canada in- 

 creased 187.6 per cent in one year, which is 

 about one-seventh of the total cut in the United 

 States the year before. The total cut of elm 

 in 1909 was 34,500,000 feet, an increase of 

 31.8 per cent. The ash cut in all the provinces 

 increased 62 per cent over 1908 figures, which 

 were one-thirteenth as great as that of the 

 United States for the year previous. The 

 average price of ash in the United States was 

 .$25.51 in 1908 and in Canada was $19. There 

 was a remarkable increase in beech production 

 of 195.8 per cent, the total cut being 15,000,000 

 feet. This is about one twenty-seventh as 

 great as that in the United States for the 

 year previous. The production of oak has passed 

 its maximum and will probably maintain a 

 decrease in the future. The average price de- 

 creased from $31.72 to $29.07 from 1908 to 

 1909. This compares with an average of $21.23 

 in the United States in 1908. A part of the 

 hickory cut consisted of logs imported from this 

 country and was comparatively negligible in 

 total, as was the cut of walnut. 



. New Catalogs 



William B. Mershou & Co.. Saginaw, Mich., 

 have issued a most attractive catalog for 1911. 

 It is printed on heavy glazed paper with 

 brown ink and is profusely illustrated with 

 a number of excellent cuts. The company has 

 already sent out many of these catalogs, but 

 would be pleased to mall a copy to anyone 

 who has not received one and is interested in 

 their particular line or in the care and fitting 

 of saws. The catalog is entilled "Use and 

 Care of Band Uesaws," and takes up in detail 

 accurate directions for the practical operator 

 which he should follow to insure the greatest 

 • fliciency and longest life of his saws. Besides, 

 the booklet Illustrates and describes the various 

 special machines gotten out by this company. 

 In all, It is a booklet well worth writing for, 

 whether one is particularly Interested in a pur- 

 <'hase or not. 



McUvaln's Lumber News for December, pub- 

 lished by J. Gibson McIIvaln & Co., of Phila- 



delphia, Pa., has been sent out from the of- 

 fices of that concern. The booklet contains 

 sixteen pages and among the contents, besides 

 the famous stock list and editorial matter, are 

 a number of pages given over to a discussion of 

 interesting topics. The new electric locomotives 

 to be used by the Pennsylvania Railroad Com- 

 pany and its New York tunnel are described in 

 detail. 



The H. B. Smith Machine Company of Smith- 

 ville, N. J., has issued its usual al tractive 

 catalog for the coming year. The Smith cata- 

 log does not attempt to take up anything other 

 than a description of its various machines, but 

 does this in a way tending to prove why 

 prospective customers should buy the Smith 

 products. 



OBITUARY 



Joshua Oldham 



Joshua Oldham, president of the well-known 

 saw manufacturing firm of Joshua Oldham & 

 Sons, Brooklyn, N. i'., died at his home, Decem- 

 ber 10, of pneumonia, following an operation. 

 Mr. Oldham underwent an operation on Decem- 

 ber 6, and under the care of able doctors and 

 one of the most prominent surgeons in New 

 York, it was hoped by himself and his family 

 that he would, as was anticipated by the doc- 

 tors, be restored to good health. His mind was 

 as active as a man of thirty years and he 

 consented to an operation thinking it would fit 

 him physically for the activity of the body 

 which he was used to all his life. The operation 

 was successful, but three days after pneumonia 

 set in, which resulted in his death. He is sur- 

 vived by ,a widow, two daughters and six sons. 



Mr. Oldham was born in Sheffield, Eng., De- 

 cember 31, 1843. He was a descendant of a 

 generation of saw and steel experts. His father 

 was in the saw business in Sheffield and built 

 up quite a trade in England and on the Conti- 

 nent. So that he might get an insight into 

 the business, Joshua Oldham was placed, when 

 a boy, with another world-famed saw manufac- 

 turer on the Continent, his father believing that 

 an experience gained outside of the family 

 influence would be better. His judgment proved 

 correct, for the son proved himself a master 

 workman in every branch of the trade from 

 the raw steel to the finished saw. After gaining 

 this valuable experience, he joined his father 

 and remained with him until he came to the 

 United States in 1867. His idea was to look 

 over the field here and open up a new market 

 for saws to be manufactured in England. After 

 a short stay, however, he was so impressed with 

 the country, its future possibilities and the vast- 

 ness of the lumber industry, that he at once 

 declared his intention to become an American 

 citizen. 



In 1S68 Mr. Oldham married Miss Mary 

 Moore of Montreal, Canada, and in February, 

 1870, he started a business for himself, and as 

 each of his sons finished his education, he took 

 them into business with him. making it impera- 

 tive that each one thoroughly learn the busi- 

 ness from beginning to end. In 1894, as four 

 of the sons were able to take up* the manage- 

 ment of the different branches of the business, 

 Mr. Oldham turned over all the details to 

 I hem, and for the past ten years spent most of 

 his time at his country scat. South Nyack-on- 

 Iludson, N. Y., only being connected with the 

 business in an advisory capacity. 



There will be no change in the present organi- 

 zation of the corporation or the policy estab- 

 lished by its late president. The .sons, who have 

 had the active management of the business for 

 the past fifteen years, will continue in charge 

 of tlie affairs of the company. 



Walter L. Pierce 



Walter L. Pierce, who for thirty-two years has 

 been connected with the Lldgerwoo<i Manufac- 

 turing Company, being its secretary and general 

 manager for twenty-nine years, died suddenly 



of heart failure at his winter home in the 

 Hotel St. Andrews, New York City, early Sat- 

 urday, December 10, 1910. He was a son of 

 John F. Pierce and was born at Dorchester, 

 Mass., on June 8, 1855. His parents survive 

 him and he leaves a widow, Jane Hutchins, an 

 only son, Walter L. S. Pierce, a brother, Charles 

 C. Pierce and a sister, Mrs. E. W. Jones. 



Mr. Pierce's death was entirely unexpected 

 /ind was a great shock to his family and asso- 

 ciates. He had suffered for several years with 

 nervous troubles but by devoting much of his 

 time to out-of-door pursuits he had apparently 

 recovered. He was feeling particularly well 

 when he lefc his oiEce on the evening preceding 

 his death. 



He was known to a wide circle of personal and 

 business associates. He was remarkable as an 

 organizer and so perfect was his work that no 

 detail of the great business which grew up 

 under his hand was neglected during his long 

 absences from his desk while seeking health and 

 the coherent body which he formed is a monu- 

 ment to the efficiency of his work. Besides his 

 connection with the Lidgerwood Manufacturing 

 Company, he was treasurer of the Hayward 

 Company and of the Gorton-Lidgerwood Com- 

 pany. 



His summer home w.a-s at Englewood, N. J., 

 where he was a member of the Englewood Coun- 

 try Club. He was also a member of the Apa- 

 w'amis Golf Club, the Wright Fish & Games 

 Club of Canada, the Lawyers' Club, the Engi- 

 neers' Club, the Machinery Club, in which he 

 was also a director, an associate member of the 

 Naval Architects and Marine Engineers and of 

 the American Society of Mechanical Engineers 

 and a past president of the National Metals 

 Trades Association. 



Funeral services were held at St. Paul's 

 Church at Eighty-sixth street and West End 

 avenue. New Y'ork City, on Tuesday, Decem- 

 ber 13, and the burial was at Woodlawn, N. Y. 



One of Jlr. Pierce's most intimate and life- 

 long friends said of blm : 



"His unselfish life is his eulogy, and words 

 In lending themselves to praise his steadfast 

 Eoul do most honor themselves. Given to min- 

 gle in the everyday atfairs of life, he dignified 

 them in that he added to the world's store of 

 men's confidence in each other. Tenacious in 

 application, indomitable in courage, he was mas- 

 ter of his calling in life, but not before he 

 was master of himself. 



"Experience and knowledge were not, how- 

 ever, for him to hoard capital for accumula- 

 tion to himself, but rather he gave of himself 

 generously, and no worthy plea so weakly 

 pressed that did not meet a quick response." 



James Ramsay 



James Ramsay, secretary of the Herman H. 

 Heftier Lumber Company and a prominent factor 

 in the Chicago lumber fraternity, passed away 

 at St. Luke's Hospital, Chicago, on Sunday 

 morning, December 11. Mr. Ramsay had been ill 

 but a short time, having returned from an east- 

 ern business trip on December 8. While away 

 he contracted a severe throat trouble and upon 

 returning home went at once to the hospital, 

 where he seemed to be improving considerably. 

 The next night, however, his condition was re- 

 versed and he grew rapidly worse, dying early 

 Suriday morning. 



Mr. Ramsay came to this country when quite 

 young, starting his lumber career with the Pull- 

 man Company. His advance was rapid and 

 .soon placed him at the head of the lumber pur- 

 chasing department, where he acquired a wide 

 acquaintance and experience in the lumber trade, 

 lie resigned from this capacity ten years ago, be- 

 coming a partner in the Greenlaw Lumber Com- 

 liany at Covington, La. The affairs of this com- 

 pany went into liquidation five years ago, at 

 which time Mr. Ramsay took up his work with 

 (lie Herman H. Heftier company, with whom 

 he has been associated since, devoting most of 



