HARDWOOD RECORD 



39 



very shortly and to put tlielr cash Into building. 



WltU the market largely In a walling stage, 

 at present the prices of hardwood lumber are 

 not breaking. (Juolatinns on a few woods are 

 even higher tlian a month ago. January is 

 starting off with more actual business booked 

 than either the first week in November or 

 December, which Is very encouraging. It Is 

 generally admitted, too. that collections are 

 much better than any time since October 15, 

 and just as soon as men get money they arc 

 going to do business. Throughout the Pittsburg 

 district there Is a steady and rapid revival of 

 activity in the steel, iron and coal business and 

 thousands of men have been put back to work 

 since Christmas. Last week fully three fourths 

 of the Pittsburg banks made out their pay rolls 

 lor the big concerns in real hard money and do 

 not anticipate any further need for clearing 

 house checks. 



As a rule birch is still quiet, though some 

 dealers are moving it. There is a ready sale 

 for ash and quartered oak. but plain oak is 

 slower. Chestnut, elm and basswood are too 

 scarce to be weak and the supply of poplar is 

 even less up to the natural demand. The gen- 

 eral idea is that aft^r the furniture expositions 

 arc over there will be quite a resumption of 

 buying. 



Buffalo. 

 Business is slow here, as it always is at this 

 lime of the year. December business and pres- 

 ent inquiries do not give much of a cue to the 

 future and dealers are awaiting developments. 

 Some look for a steady Increase in demand, be- 

 lieving that the money stringency is past and 

 there Is nothing to influence business now, while 

 others are squinting at the failure of two con- 

 cerns just reported and wondering if there are 

 going to be any more. Business was unsteady 

 In December, but as a rule there was more de- 

 mand than was generally expected, and if Jan- 

 uary is better than December there will be no 

 cause for complaint. Almost everybody is tak- 

 ing inventory now and the yards are pretty 

 nearly idle otherwise. There Is confidence in the 

 future and it is expected that things will pick 

 up soon. 



Bay City and Saginaw. 

 There is some movement in lumber, but the 

 trade has been usually quiet during the holidays. 

 Dealers, however, state there Is some inipilry ; 

 prices hold firm and conditions presage a fairly 

 good business when the season opens. Stocks 

 have been so light and the inquiry so limited 

 that there has been no occasion for price cut- 

 ting. Ail information Is to the effect that the 

 market is holding up a.s good as last year with 

 good prospects. Manufacturers state that the 

 output will doubtless be much lighter this year 

 than last, which will tend to strengthen the 

 market. 



Coltuubus. 



Improvement continues to be the rule in the 

 Columbus hardwood market, and preparations 

 are being made for Increased orders and higlier 

 prices are expected to prevail before long. Buy- 

 ing Is still done In limited quantities, but travel- 

 ing salesmen who have penetrated the rural dls- 

 trh'ts and small towns report small stocks, 

 which Is taken as a hopeful sign. 



News that many manufacturing establishments 

 using hardwoods are preparing to reopen Is con- 

 sidered one of the best features of the situation. 

 This win strengthen the market for ash, oak, 

 maple, cedar and other woods used In manufac- 

 turing. 



Poplar Is still strong and prices arc unchanged 

 from the previous week. Kirsts and seconds are 

 exceptionally strong. Oak Is stronger, especially 

 In the quartered variety. Prices are still off, 

 however, from the figures of several months ago. 

 Maple, ash, cedar, hemlock and other hardwoods 

 are quiet. 



Indianapolis. 



While hardwood prices arc slightly off It Is 

 not expected that they will continue so long 

 for better conditions seem to be In sight already. 



Furnilure factories are buying ver.v little 

 stock, wliile building is practically at a stand- 

 still, operations last month being ~~t per cent 

 less than In December. ISIOG. So far this month 

 building has not been much better. Yards are 

 not very well supplied with stock,' but arc doing 

 little buying. 



Milwaukee. 



Notwithstanding the three dull months of last 

 year, when little business was done by the hard- 

 wood dealers of Milwaukee, their 11M17 record 

 shows an increase over tliat of the previous year. 

 Lumbermen are in the midst of Inventory at 

 this time and no figures liave yet been given. 



Prospects for an early spring business never 

 were better and the lumbermen are of the opin- 

 ion that the presidential year will not be as 

 dull as many of the pessimistic picture it. The 

 holiday (piietness is still on, but another week 

 will see the trade picking up. The mills in the 

 state now In operation are cutting principally 

 hardwood. Stock in the yards is low at this 

 time and buying will no doubt be lively In a 

 short time. Inquiries continue to come in and 

 not a few orders were filled during the past 

 week. Prices remain firm, but there are no In- 

 dications of any advances just now. 



Bristol, Va.-Tenn. 



Hardwood tr;ide conditions in this section 

 show unmistakable evidences of decided im- 

 provement since the first of the year. There Is 

 a much better tone to business and the outlook 

 is infinitely brighter. Lumbermen have faith in 

 the stability of monetary affairs generally and 

 feel that business will have substantially recov- 

 ered within the next few weeks. Many mills are 

 still closed and there seems to be a tacit under- 

 standing between the manufacturers to keep the 

 output of this section down. 



It is the concensus of opinion that the business 

 depression is about over and that conditions will 

 rapidly resume their normal state and prosperity 

 soon abound on every hand again. 



Cincinnati. 

 There has been considerable improvement 

 noted in the hardwood situation during the last 

 two. weeks. Of course the demand has not 

 increased to any great extent, but still con- 

 sumers are showing more confidence. Several 

 large dealers have received notices to fill orders 

 tl'.at were sent some time ago, and others report 

 a little new business. The furniture and box 

 manufacturers who were closed down for some 

 little time have resumed operations, and their 

 inquiry for wood is already being felt. Business 

 will be on a larger scale from now on, and as 

 soon as the money shows further relief the 

 demand will return to Its old standard. Poplar 

 Is still the best selling item In the hardwood 

 list, while more inquiries are being received for 

 oak. both quartered and plain white. Walnut, 

 hickory, cherry and <ypress are In fair demand 

 and generally about steady. Cottonwood and 

 gum are not as good as they might be. but they 

 are expe<ted to pick up before the next fort- 

 night. (Jeneraily the hardwood situation assumes 

 a brighter outlook, and the feeling among lum- 

 bermen Is that the worst has been experienced 

 In the market and soon the demand will be as 

 good as ever. 



Evansville. 

 Lumbermen have Ih'cu ttiisy the past fortnight 

 closing up the affairs of the past year and get- 

 ting ready for operations for the new year. 

 They are very optimistic over the present con- 

 ditions of the hardw<x>d market and are look- 

 ing forward to a general resume of business 

 about Feb. 1. Furniture factories that have 

 been closed down since the financial depression 



ruled are generally starting up. The market Is 

 firm with perhaps a little falling off In plain oak 

 and ash. especially In the common grades. Quar- 

 tered oak Is firm. 



St. Louis. 



The hardwood situation Is more encourag- 

 ing than It was a couple of weeks ago. The 

 dealers are better satisfied with conditions. As 

 soon as stocktaking Is completed In January, 

 It is believed that buying will begin, as the 

 country stocks have been badly broken and In 

 some sections they have been almost depleted. 

 For this reason they think that orders will begin 

 to come In very soon after the first of the year. 

 Prices are as a rule stationary, although some 

 items have advanced. 



Nashville. 



There has been little trading done by local 

 lumbermen for the past few days, as they were 

 all busily engaged in taking stock. With that 

 work out of the way, however, they are now 

 looking to the future. A decidedly better tone 

 rules now and dealers expect things to Improve 

 rapidly. No one is cutting prices. As soon as 

 the financial flurry came up the Hardwood 

 Manufacturers' Association took prompt action, 

 resulting in general ctu'taiiment, advocated most 

 urgently by President Ransom and Secretary 

 Doster. and the effect has been most wholesome. 

 Curtailed production has resulted in the mainte- 

 nance of prices. In addition, a shortage ot 

 lumber is expected generally and no one expects 

 that prices will decline In any line. 



Business is still reported quiet, however, as 

 might be expected. Quartered white oak is In 

 good demand. Hickory and ash are both good 

 sellers. Plain oak Is slow, as the yards are 

 pretty well stocked up on this wood. Chestnut 

 is slow, owing to a lull in the building season 

 occasioned by bad weather of the winter. Poplar 

 is always iu demand in this market. 



The lumljermen are waiting for the banks to 

 take "the lid " off a bit, and already things show 

 a decided loosening up. As soon as the banks 

 begin to take paper and money moves more 

 freely local dealers state they will turn the coin 

 Into lumber straightway. 



Memphis. 



Tliere is not a strong demand for hardwood 

 lumber in this market at the present time. 

 There is some business coming through, but or- 

 ders are rather distressingly scarce taken as a 

 whole and some members of the trade go so far 

 as to say that they have never seen such a 

 small amount of new business offering. But, 

 even with such a condition, the trade Is dls- 

 I)Osed to take a rather cheerful view of the 

 outlook. It Is recognized that the worst of the 

 financial trouble is past and that stocks In the 

 hands of hardwood consumers are exceptionally 

 light, thus furnishing reason for the belief that 

 there will be considerable activity once buyers 

 begin operating. There is no surplus of hard- 

 wood lumber, thanks to the recent heavy curtail- 

 ment of production and there will, In all likeli- 

 hood, be none for some time. No great activity 

 Is expected during the next three or four weeks 

 even by those who arc most optimistic regarding 

 tlie outlook. But the trade believes there will 

 be material increase In demand by Feb. 1 and 

 that there will be a fairly satisfactory spring 

 demand. Shipments during the past fortnight 

 have been on a comparatively limited scale, but 

 the amount of lumber now being placed on 

 sticks In this section Is perhaps not more than 

 :Ja to 30 per cent of normal for this period. Ex- 

 port demand Is relatively better than that In 

 the United States, but even this Is not what 

 would be termed good. 



There Is a fairly good movement In poplar. 

 This lumber Is scarce and prices are flrmly 

 maintained for this reason. There have been 

 some moderate sales of this lumber during the 

 past few days. Ash Is a good seller In most 



