HARDWOOD RECORD 



35 



Company at Farmers, Ky., went on a strike re- 

 cently, ilemandlng their pay every two weeks, 

 with a four-day hold-back, instead of every 

 month with the accompanying holdbaclt of ten 

 •lays. As soon as the company discovered what 

 was the trouble they readily acceded to the de 

 mands of the men. who went back to work after 

 !•> jii}|; out for a day. 



Hansel Johnson has purchased the building, 

 i.'ai estate, etc., uf the Clarksburg Cbalr Factory. 

 .Mr. Johnson will dispose of the machinery and 

 lonvert the plant into a sash factory, which he 

 fhlnks will prove more profitable than the former 

 line. 



The Ohio River Lumber Company at Irontou. 

 ijhio. has resumed operations after a ten days' 

 ■^hut-down for repairs. 



The Fairmont (W. Va.) Coal Company, it is 

 reported, will plant ten thousand young trees, 

 l>rlnc!pally oak. on its lioldings within the next 

 year as a provision tor future mine timber. 



The Dickinson Furniture Company is a new 

 forporation in Huntington, W. Va., chartered tc 

 manufacture furniture. The incorporators arc 

 r. E. Dickinson, L. H. Cammack and S. E. 

 Reynolds of Iluntington, S. P. Jones of Rich- 

 mond, Va.. and F. Percy Loth of Waynesboro. 

 In addition to a full line of furniture, the com- 

 pany will have an up-to-date framing depart- 

 ment. 



The plant of the McDonald Lumber Company 

 lit Wheeling, W. Va., was destroyed by fire last 

 week ; loss, $15,000. The origin of the fire is 

 -apposed to have been incendiary. During the 

 ■ arpenters' strike several weeks ago two efforts 

 «i>re made to wreck the mill. 



The W. n. Dawkins Lumber Company's band 

 sawmill, which W. L. Bchwerckart, the planlne 

 mill man, is building In Ironton. O., is now 

 nearly completed. It will be one of the largest 

 and most complete band sawmills In this section 

 ■ if the country. 



Attorney Charles E. Day of Lexington bought 

 the old Furnace property at Grayson, Carter 

 county. last month at commissioner's sale for 

 :(:;fO.."0(i. The place Is valuable for Its minerals 

 and timber. 



Levi Isaacson of Xew York, one of the princi- 

 pal owners of the Yellow Poplar Lumber Com- 

 pany of Coal Grove, O., was a recent local visi- 

 tor. Mr. Isaacson is a timber expert and has 

 been identified with Ihf Yellow Poplar cumpany 

 for many years. 



J. W. Culp, a wealthy business man of Templi. 

 Tex., is at the head of a Texas syndicate which 

 has recently purchased 120,000 acres of splendid 

 coal and timber lands in Rowan and Morgan 

 counties. The price paid was $600,000. The 

 lands will be worked. 



The Ohio River Lumber Company's mill at 

 Ironton. O.. is again in operation after being 

 shut down for repairs. This mill was originally 

 ihe Ironton Door Company's plant, and was con- 

 verted into a sawmill when Walter Mlttendort 

 and Dan Maul bought it at a forced sale. The 

 mill is now doing a fine business. 



Mr. Houghton of Chicago, president of the 

 Kenova Poplar Manufacturing Company, has 

 been the guest of friends in Kenova. W. Va.. 

 accompanied by his wife. 



Hardwood Market* 



(By SABD'WOOD BECOSD 



CMcago. 



Current financial conditions have upset the 

 liiial demand for liardwood lumber to the extent 

 ■ >f will toward fifty per cent. There are no 

 large orders being placed, and the business that 

 is l)eing done is of the small, quick-order va- 

 riety. There is no inclination on the part of 

 either manufacturers or jobbers to cut prices to 

 any appreciable extent in an attempt to force 

 trade. In fact quite a number of varieties of 

 hardwood are ranging as high as at any time 

 In their bistorj-. Offerings of gum seem to 

 lie on somewhat lower plane than in the past, 

 hut generally speaking, all varieties of both 

 northern and southern hardwoods are command- 

 ing about the same prices they did a month ago. 



Very few bills are being discounted, and buy- 

 •■rs who liave paid cash for years have again 

 ! '-sorted to settli-mont by note. As compara- 

 lively few manufacturers and jobbers are able 

 III handle any large volume of commercial paper 

 :it bank, .sales are not Ijeing urged very strongly. 

 I'eoplo generally are rather optimistic over the 

 situation and are simply playing a waiting 

 game. 



Local stocks in the hands of the factories are 

 light, and with the recurrence of normal mon- 

 tary conditions there must needs lie an immense 

 •lemand for hardwoods. 



Esclusive Slaiket Beporters.) 



are of good size and prices are easier than .i 

 few weeks ago. The outside quotation for 1- 

 inch today is about $55, and this Is offered as 

 low as $50. Quartered oak continues fairly firm, 

 aithougli the high asking prices of a few weeks 

 ago are not heard. Inch stock is offered at 

 $80 to $85. There is little or no business re- 

 ported at the outside quotation. Ash continues 

 well held, with the demand of moderate pro- 

 portions. There is no abatement in the strength 

 of the whitewood market. Inch stock is quoted 

 at $59 to $00. Demand for the latter is not 

 active. Cypress holds steady under a limited 

 demand. Maple flooring is quiet and prices are 

 somewhat unsteady. A fair demand is reixirted 

 for veneers. 



Boston. 



The market for hardwooi] lumber has not de- 

 ■loped any material activity during the past 

 «o weeks. While demand has not increased, 

 but few signs of lower values are found. The 

 tendency of buyers is to conflne their pur- 

 chases to as small lots as possible. Car short- 

 age is a factor, and it is believed that as the 

 leason progresses this trouble will Increase. 

 Railroads all over the country are curtailing 

 expenses by reducing trbe force of men in their 

 equipment departments, so that shippers will 

 haye to rely upon what rolling stock is now in 

 use. 

 The demand for plain oak is quiet. Offerings 



New York. 



The salient fejitur" of the lumber trade and 

 other business in the metropolitan district dur- 

 ing the fortnight was. of course, the financial 

 flurry which forced the closing of a number 

 of lianks throughout the city in order to con- 

 serve the Interest of depositors owing to in- 

 cipient runs. This lead to a marked curtail- 

 ment in money accommodations, which was 

 naturally reflected in the general business world. 

 But through the vigorous action of prominent 

 financiers the situation has been much Improved, 

 and with the further plans In hand, as an- 

 nounced, it Is believed that conditions will con- 

 stantly ami speedily improve. There has been 

 no interruption to business except in the mat- 

 ter of loans, the general movement of lumber 

 showing only slight curtailment, and especially 

 Is this true of the hardwood market, in which 

 prices continue very firm, although there is 

 some falling off noted in certain lines and buy- 

 lug is on a very conservative basis. Of course 

 it must be said In connection with the financial 

 situation tliat as yet only the financial world 

 has been hoard from, and there Is some belief 

 current that there may be a considerable ro 

 adjustment to business under the new condi- 

 tions : but that Is purely a. matter for the future. 

 and to date no readjustment has put In an 



appearance. With limited money accommoda- 

 tions, buying will undoubtedly be extremely con- 

 servative : but as far as the hardwood market 

 Is concerned the high prices of the past few 

 months has led to conservative buying right 

 .ilong. and almost nil orders are for very prompt 

 shipment ; hence there cannot be very much of 

 :i change In that direction even under present 

 icndltlons. Taking the broad view, however, 

 if these stringent conditions continue It will 

 (urtail building operations; but In that par- 

 licular leading banking interests express the 

 opinion that by January 1 normal money con- 

 dition will prevail and that there is very little 

 r.eed for anxiety on that score. 



Well manufactured hardwood lumber In the 

 liitie;- grades is worth top prices today, and 

 :iny forcing of the market would not only be 

 II eless, but unwarranted, as there Is bound to 

 lie a suffldent demand in comparison with the 

 Mipplies for at least the balance of the year, 

 ■faking both a minute and broad view of the 

 situation at the present time, the hardwood 

 trade is certainly well able to bold Its own. and 

 gives every indication of doing so. 



Philadelphia. 

 From fair to good describes the hardwood 

 market at this time. Considerable hardwoods 

 are being consumed in the various industries 

 wliich employ this material, but the buying Is 

 strictly conservative and evidently without the 

 usual confidence. A careful canvass of the 

 local lumber field shows the hardwood situa- 

 tion in better shape than the softwood. Good 

 thick hardwoods hold steady values, but are 

 difficult to obtain on account of the scarcity and 

 the failure of car conveyance at the mill points. 

 A sliglii fluctuation in the common stock gives 

 no alarm, as a dollar off here and there a 

 thousand Is readily caught up again when the 

 goods are desired and the diflicultles in deliver- 

 ing them encountered. The heavy season is 

 near, and the car service continues inadequate, 

 consequently the hardwood man does not worry 

 over values. It is tliought the lumbermen are 

 not affected hy the money scare in New York 

 financial circles, and as a rule this is correct : 

 but it must he admitted that the falling off of 

 building work in October below that of previous 

 years can ba attributed only to the condition 

 of the money market, as a lar;;e percentage 

 of this work is spectilatlve. depending entirely 

 upon loans from banks and tru.^l companies. 

 However, the outlook for spring is good and 

 extensive plans in this line are on the boards, 

 showing a confidence in the return of normal 

 conditions hy that time. The door and mill- 

 work concerns are still busy, but mainly on old 

 work, and plants are rushed to get out material 

 before the winter season oi>ens. Furniture fac- 

 lorles of eastern Pennsylvania are fairly active; 

 fiooring and Interior finish work is running 

 smootliiy. Box factories keep a medium ac- 

 tivity at this time; veneer and cigar box manu- 

 facturers have been very busy, but a slight 

 slacking up is noticeable during the last few 

 weeks. Among the hardwoods, poplar and bass- 

 wfxid hold firm, chestnut and ash are steady, 

 I ak weakens, birch and cherry remain un- 

 changed. Cedar, veneer, Imitation and veneered 

 cigar l)ox lumber rallies are well sustained. 



Baltimore. 



The hardwood trade of this section presents 

 ni> Important changes as compared with a fort- 

 night ago. Manufacturers and dealers are of 

 course feeling the effect of the financial strin- 

 gency, and their resources are being taxed 

 rather severely : but Baltimore Is less Incon 

 venlenced than almost any other city in the 

 United States. There has been no flurry here, 

 and the banks are taking care of their cus 

 tomers as before, except where there is good 

 reason to assume that withdrawals of funds 

 are prompted hy hording, when the lines arc 

 di-awn tight. 



