HARDWOOD RECORD 



49 



Over 2,000.000 feet of lumber is being moved 

 from the west end to the east end of the prop- 

 erty. A new 600-foot railroad side track is 

 also being constructed for the use of Allan 

 Brothers and the various concerns which are to 

 occupy the land vacated by the lumber yard. 



The Dwlght Lumber Company reports capaci- 

 tj business at its flooring and interior finish 

 factory. Secretary John Lodge says that the 

 Dwight brand of thin hardwood flooring is in 

 big demand. 



R, Baker of the Dymant-Baker Lumber Com- 

 pany of London, Ont., spent several days in 

 Detroit last week on business. 



Doemling Brothers, now located in their new 

 factory, 793-99 Illinois street, are very busy 

 turning out architectural woodwork fixtures and 

 special furniture. 



GRAND RAPIDS 



(.Juite an improvement is noted iu the lumber 

 trade, particularly in building lines. Local fur- 

 niture manufacturers .ire threatened with labor 



trouljles ne.xt month, hence they are not buying 

 beyond their immediate needs. 



The Skiliman Lumber Company has moved 

 into larger and handsomer offices on the sixth 

 floor of the Michigan Trust building. Don R. 

 Binns, who has been with Walter Tillitson, na- 

 tional inspector during the past .year, is now 

 with the Skiliman company. Joseph Hamilton, 

 formerly with the Van Keulen & Winchester Lum- 

 ber Company and later with the Grand Rapids 

 .Sliowcase Company, succeeded Mr. Binns in Mr. 

 Tillitson's office, 



A. L. Dennis of the Dennis Brothers Salt & 

 Lumber Company, who has been taking a short 

 vacation trip to Florida, is expected home soon. 



Walter C. Winchester will return in April 

 from a trip to the Jamaicas. 



Otis A. Felger. who for many years has been 

 prominently identified with the Hackley-Phelps- 

 Bonnell Company, expects soon to sever his con- 

 nection with that company, in order to open up 

 wholesale lumber offices here for himself. Mr. 

 Felger has a wide acquaintance in the trade, 

 which in connection with his energy and ability 

 will insure his success. 



Hardwood Market. 



(By HABDWOOD BECOBD Exclusive Market Be.porteiB.) 



CHICAGO 



Improvement in the Chicago hardwood mar- 

 let has marked the last two weeks and corrobo- 

 lated the belief that the recent weakness would 

 soon give way to healthy, normal conditions. 

 Inquiries are numerous and increase in number 

 steadily as the season advances. While the 

 trade still comes in d<-iblets rather than in 

 quantities, it is believed that it is only a ques- 

 tion of time before the market will have re- 

 gained its usual well-balanced condition. 



The demand for red gum is good, being in a 

 better position possibly than all other woods 

 sold in this market. Cottonwood remains good, 

 prices being firm. Maple and birch are moving 

 well. Plain and quarter-sawed red oak is un- 

 ciianged, but a slight weakness is noted in 

 white oak. Cypress has improved somewhat, 

 but white ash remains as before. Basswood is 

 not up to the standard. 



The lower grades in all w^oods have improved 

 in the last fortnight. In this connection gum 

 i-.nd Cottonwood are somewhat in the lead. 



Poplar in panel stock for the automobile and 

 wagon trade has improved, as has also hickory 

 and ash. Wagon stock is much sought after 

 by users and little effort is required for sales, 

 good prices being the rule, 



■ The flooring trade is a bright spot~i'n the 

 Chicago market. All hardwood flooring is 

 selling well, maple being particularly good. This 

 trade has been good for some time and the in- 

 quiries coming in betoken a healthy situation in 

 the months to come, The early coming of 

 spring has been a factor in favor of good con- 

 ditions in the local trade as well as the favoi- 

 able weather conditions which have permitted 

 early construction. 



Woods in demand by the railroads arc in a 

 fair shape. The sale of railroad ties is im- 

 proving. In this connection, while no startling 

 orders are being placed, there is a steady de- 

 luand to meet the requirements of wear and 

 tear. The necessity of repairs forces a certain 

 demand at all times. Over and above this, 

 however, there is an increase in demand for 

 railroad material. 



NEW YORK 



y 



more limited ;iud iuquiries are subject to more 

 or less competition by reason of more plentiful 

 supplies. As a general rule, however, the hard- 

 wood branch of the trade seems to be in the 

 best shape of any. The fact that stocks in the 

 hands of the yards are below normal and those 

 in the hands of the local manufacturing trade 

 very limited is bound to create more or less buy- 

 ing in the wholesale market on any consuming 



_ business that develops. To this extent the hard- 

 wood market is strong, and while no great 

 activity is looked for, the general relations be- 

 tween supply and demand are such as to give 

 assurances of a fairly firm and satisfactory 

 market. 



BUFFALO 



The hardwood trade continues quiet, and as it 

 does not depend so much on the building trade 

 as do the softer woods, some dealers think it 

 will not start up much before midsummer. 

 However, many dealers arc optimistic enough to 

 look for some improvement in hardwoods very 

 soon. 



The chief activity appears to be in maple and 

 plain oak, which continue in good demand. At 

 almost all yards maple is in good request and 

 prices are strong. There is also a good deal of 

 firmness to plain oak. Chestnut is firm in the 

 better grades, although it is not very actively 

 in demand at present in this section. Birch 

 remains firm and not in very plentiful supply. 

 Elm and basswood are quiet. Gum lumber has 

 been selling at higher prices also and though 

 the supply carried locally has not been large 

 the demand is on the increase in various direc- 

 tions, partly due to the fact that gi»m is he- 

 coming better known. Its use for veneer pur- 

 poses calls for a good deal of stock and doors 

 are being specified locally more often than in 

 the past, while the trade in the East is also 

 growing. 



PHILADELPHIA 



'I'lie hardwood market at New York shows good 

 lumber to be in fair call in small quantities and 

 at firm prices. The low-grade market is much 



Although there has been no recognizable ad- 

 vance in hardwood trading during the fortnight, 

 the predictions for 1911 have never been so en- 

 couraging as at this time. Locally there are 

 extensive municipal improvements to be made, 

 which are indications that prosperous times are 

 not far off. The consumer of hardwoods has a 

 fair stock on hand for immediate uses and is 



evidently playing a waiting game, but from the 

 reports coming from mill districts the pile is 

 low and at the first indication of the buyer 

 being in urgent need, especially for dry stock, 

 there will follow naturally a stiffening of values 

 which will necessitate a scampering to get under 

 cover. It is the wise buyer who is now quietly 

 filling up vacant corners. 



PITTSBURG 



The hardwood situation is improved. The gain 

 is gradual but steady. It is reflected in the 

 higher prices being received for good grades of 

 hardwood and in the wider range of inquiries, 

 especially as relating to export stocks. The call 

 for oak is a feature of the hardwood market. 

 Practically everything in good oak sells freely 

 and in many cases the buyer is taking the in- 

 itiative. This is true particularly of furniture 

 concerns and users of white oak timbers. The 

 supply of oak has been reduced somewhat the 

 past two weeks owing to the bad roads in the 

 country, which have practically stopped ship- 

 ment from the mills. Orders have been accumu- 

 lating right along and sales being made are at 

 prices in advance over those quoted two weeks 

 ago. The yard trade in all kinds of hardwood 

 is improving slowly. 



BOSTON 



There has not been much new business reported 

 in the hardwood lumber market during the past 

 two weeks. The consensus of opinion is that 

 many buyers who are about ready to operate 

 hesitate about placing orders. Some have not 

 the volume of business to warrant any freedom 

 in buying and others feel uncertain as to prices. 

 .\t present there is a wide difference in asking 

 prices for some kinds of hardwoods, which al- 

 ways makes an uncertain market. The yard 

 trade has l)cen moderate, but retailers have been 

 slow to replenish their stocks. 



Ash is not as firmly held as was reported. 

 There continues to be a demand for birch and 

 the market is growing firmer. Plain oak is sell- 

 ing in fair sized lots with prices steady. The 

 call for quartered oak is not large. Veneers are 

 in more request and the demand is increasing. 



BALTIMORE 



Reports regarding the hardwood trade are gen- 

 erally encouraging. Stocks have not piled up, 

 and the demand has been sufliciently active not 

 only to prevent accumulations, but to cause some 

 reductions, with the result that the range of 

 prices is higher. Further advances are ex- 

 pected. For some time past the exporters have 

 been showing marked interest, and have sent 

 out numerous requests tor quotations. Many of 

 these inquiries are resulting in transactions and 

 the foreign buyers are disposed to pay far 

 greater consideration to quotations of shippers. 

 They have become satisfied, through representa- 

 tive lumbermen who have visited the United 

 States in recent months, that lumber is no longer 

 to be had in such volume or in such quality as 

 years ago, and that the diminishing supply of 

 prime stocks is necessarily causing an advance 

 in prices. Hence the disposition to meet the 

 figures of the shippers, which are based upon the 

 prices they have to pay. The millmen are run- 

 ning practically all the time and have enough 

 rails for their products to give them a feeling 

 of confidence. l^urnittire factories and other 

 buyers arc in the market, and the demand from 

 the large corporations shows an increase. 



Perhaps the only really weak feature in the 

 trade is sound wormy chestnut, which shows no 

 improvement, and rules so low that the millmen 

 are unable to realize any profits out of the 

 grade. No. 2 common oak is in very good re- 



