26 



HARD VVOODRE CORD 



April 25, 1021 



Chain conveyors will thon carry thp timber to the gang saw, where It will 

 l)i> saweil, aiul, llnally, the slabs will be run throufc'h the resaws, where 

 the usable timber will be soimrateil from the waste. The latter will be 

 utlllzeil for shingles, bo.xboanls anil laths, and whatever may remain from 

 the latter process will be salvaged for fni'l. It is evident that there will 

 be a ndntmum of waste. 



All Individual Motors 



A distinct feature i>l Ihe mill is llial I'very joacliine wilhin il will be 

 operated by an Indlvldnnl mcdor, with power furnished by the huge Wick's 

 turbine. 



The site for tiie dry kiln, where nuich of the tind>er will eventually be 

 drleil and prepared for shipment, has been staked out, and it is likely Ihal 

 construction will begiD within a short tinu'. The first section of the kiln 

 will measure 2(J by 20(1 feet, with additional space as the needs require. 



There Is no immediate prospect for the body plant, according to Mr. 

 Dudley. It is not likely, he declares, that work will he begun this year. 

 Orders to that effect are not anticipated until late in the season at the 

 earllesl. That another year will see this work begun, however, is a cer- 

 tainty, officials declare. There will eventually be two body plants located 

 at the company's site near this city. I';ach will measure 120 by 740 feet, 

 and they will utilize that bulk of the nuiterial turned out at the mill. 



.V small veneer plant. In connection with the mill. Is another likelihood, 

 although arrangements for this feature are but tentative. Construction 

 of a transfer or sorter building, directly south of the mill, will be begun 

 shortly. The latter department will separate the timber as it is carried 

 from the mill, for piling in the yard at the rear of the plant. The space 

 between the tracks which encircle the plant site to the west will lie util- 

 izej as a lumber yard. 



No Transport Monopoly 



There has not been, and likely will ncit \»\ any dehnite arrangement 

 with any railway concern for the handling of the timber enroute to 

 Detroit from Iron Mountain. Similar to the Ford policy employed in 

 shipping its goods from the Deti-oit factories this feature will depend 

 entirely upon freight rates. It is expected, according to Mr. Dudley, that 

 when the mill begins to operate at capacity Ford-owned carriers will be 

 employed to carry the stock from the mill to the main line of the St. Taul. 

 the laying of this stretch of track being already completed. There will 

 eventually be about six ndles of track constructed at the plant. 



A distinct feature of tlie Ford activities in upper Michigan will bo the 

 strict timber conservation policy to be carried out in the woods operations. 

 The heavy usable timber will be marked for cutting, and this only will 

 be utilized at the start. Every possible means will be employed to pre- 

 serve the young tree in the felling of the old, and to clean up brush, 

 slashings and othiT refuse as the work progresses. In that way another 

 ten years will permit the relogging of the same territory on which opera- 

 tions will be opened tip. 



.\uother interesting phase of the plant operation in Iron Mountain is the 

 rather extensive farm development plan wdiich. according to Mr. Dudley, 

 will he begun this summi'r. There are approximately 3,500 acres of pro- 

 ductive farm land Immediately adjoining the plant site. A considerable 

 area of this has already been plowed and will this summei' be sowed to 

 grasses and grains. Later this year, if conditions permit, this work will 

 he expanded to include root crops, with the likelihood of eventually work- 

 ing out a dairy or central farm marketing plan for the employes of the 

 plant. More than that, if. eventually, the farm plan is carried out still 

 further, a portion of the jiroduct will be distributed throughout the imme- 

 diate vicinity. .\li of this, however, is dependent entirely upon ortlers 

 which may be received from Detroit, although it seems practically cer- 

 tain the farm plan will be given considerable attention. 



Thus far only ten company houses have been constructed, these being 

 occupied hy the foreman and other officials. It is expected that more 

 will follow as the work at the plant progresses. 



The outstanding feature of It all seems to be that, contrary to some- 

 what persistent rumor, work at the plant is going ahead rapidly and that 

 on (tr about .Inly 1 the residents of Iron Movintain will be awakened from 

 their early morning slumbers by a siri'U whistle announcing tlie lirst turn 

 of the huge power turbine. 



Baltimore Exports Fall 



The statement of experts of lumber and logs for last February, as given 

 out by the Custom House at Raltinu>re, Md.. shows a heavy falling off in 

 shipments as cnmi)ared with tlie same month of last year, the total 

 declared value for last February being only *130,!I24 against $403,900 

 for the corresiM)nding month of 1020. The decreases were mainly in gum 

 boards, which tell from 40.000 feet, of a declared value of .$5. (ISO, to noth- 

 ing last February ; in oak boards, which declined from .S27.000 feet, of a 

 declared value of $80,213. to 204,000 feet, of a declared value of $28,742; 

 in poplar boards, which dropped from 1.040,000 feet, of a declared value 

 of $130,395, to a mere 8,000 feet, valued at $1.350 ; and in hardwood 

 hoards, which declined from 1,313,000 fe<>t, of a declared value of $131,- 

 975. to 123,000 feet, of a declared value of $22,002. There were some 

 gains, bul they diil not begin to eipial the b.sses. Ilardwoml logs to the 

 amount of 33.000 feet went out. 



Export Situation Grows Worse 

 Harvey M. liickson. secretary cif the National Lumber Exporters' Asso- 

 ciation, in the Knickerbocker liuiblins. lialtimore, M.I.. doi's not take an 



encouraging view of the foreign situaticm. Discussing conditions abroad 

 last wi-ek he said : 



"The situation is apparently growing worse instearl of better. Two 

 weeks ago there were slight indications of improvement In the demand 

 for .Xmerican hardwoods in the United Kingdom, but the threatened strike 

 of the <*oal miners, transport wrirkers and employes in other lines of 

 industry has overshadowed everything else during the last week. With 

 the 'Triple .\lliance' refusing to go out in behalf of the miners the situation 

 is of course improved, but a feeling of unrest among wage earners con- 

 tinues to prevail throughout the kingdom. Reports from all the United 

 Kingdom and Continental markets are about as pessindstic as they could 

 well be. and exporters are llnding that low quotations have very little 

 effect In making potential and prospective buyers more willing to place 

 orders. Practically no firni orders are being brought out even when 

 quotations are low. The stocks of high grade American hardwoods in all 

 of the l'nlte<l Ivingdom markets are comparatively light, but still buyers 

 are hidiling off, not so much on account of prices as because of prevailing 

 business conditions. 



"It would be well for exporters of .American hardwoods to take hee<l, 

 as certainly nothing can be gained at this time by quoting low prices, 

 which is likely to prove a double-edged policy, in the first place so depress- 

 ing the market that importers are frightened, and in the second place 

 forcing down prices against the shippers themselves. Foreign buyers are 

 gradually realizing that the low prices quoted by exporters are under the 

 cost of production, and that this state of affairs cannot be maintained 

 very long. United King<l(un doik reports show fewer arrivals of .\merican 

 woods than in any like period of the export trade, liut the light arrivals 

 more than suffice to meet any possible demands. Late auction sales of 

 .\merican woods were very unsatisfactory, and the prices realized were so 

 far below the cost of production that one wonders why American shippers 

 will permit their stocks to he sold at auction. But even with the low prices 

 that prevailed, many of the parcels remained unsold, there being no 

 bidders at the time." 



Mr. Dickson, however, thinks that the bottom has been reat;hed and 

 that with anything like a normal demand abroad high grade stocks are 

 bound to advance. Ocean freight rates have been fi)r several months 

 higher for the North Atlantic ports than for the (Julf and South Atlantic 

 ports, but at a meeting of representatives of Conference lines held in 

 New York on .\pril 7, the North Atlantic rates were reduced to a pfirity 

 with the otliers, so that there is now no differential in favor of the South 

 Atlantic and (lulf ports, which, it is felt, will operate to stimulate the 

 movenu'iit eastward. Independent steamers, which are not members of 

 the Conference, are said to- quote as low as 45 cents on heavy woods and 

 60 cents on light woods out of the Southern ports, and these lines, there- 

 fore, offer some inducement for routing shipments that way. 



Development of Important Italian Lumber Company 



[Commercial .\ttachS U. S. Department of Commerce, H. C. .MacLean, 



Rome.] 



During the past year the new Italian company. Societa Anonima 

 "Foresta," which was organized at the end of 1019, with a capital of 

 50,000.000 lire (lira=$0.193 at normal), has developed rapidly. At the 

 c'tmmencenu'ut of its operations it had acquired control of 22 lumber and 

 woodworking companies in eastern Europe, principally in Transylvania, 

 Czechoslovakia and Rumania, and having increased its capital to 

 100,000,000 lire by June, 1920, had extended its control to 42 subsidiary 

 companies. Today it is claimed that the "Foresta" is the most important 

 financial organization in the soft-woo<l industry in Europe. 



The company now possesses lumiier camps in Roumania. Transylvania. 

 Poland, Czochoslo%'akia, Austria and .Yugoslavia, as well as many large 

 sawmills ami woodworking plants ,for the production of lundier. railway 

 ties, furniture. mill\v(jrk (doors, windows, etc.), demiumtalile houses, and. 

 in fact, wood products of every description. A special plant is also main- 

 tained for the manufacture of instruments and other technical apparatus 

 required in the woodworking industry. Its lumber camps and sawmills 

 are served by Its own railway lines, which make up a total of about 700 

 kilometers (435 miles), partly 'steam and partly electric, in connection 

 with which an extensive rolling stock is required. It has also purchased 

 one of the largest car factories of Hungary, at .\rid. with which are con- 

 nected large works for repairing locomotives. 



.■ks has already been stateil the Societa Foresta is interested primarily 

 in soft lumber, of which its stocks available for immediate delivery amount 

 to about 250.000 cubic meters, its principal yards being located in Transyl- 

 vania. Its production of ordinary furniture is also important, and in 

 Itnly alone furniture for about 1.000 rooms has already been sold. In 

 Slyria is located its plant for demountable houses, which are supplied in 

 various types from the simplest to the most elaborate. The price of such 

 houses is very attractive in comparison with those of other materials, and 

 the rapidity with which they can be erected — it being possible to set up 

 a iKuise of four rooms in one month — constitutes a great advantage on 

 account of the general housing crisis. Furthermore, these wooden houses 

 are rendered fireproof by a special chemical treatment. At Milan and in 

 the districts injured by the recent earthquake they have been extensively 

 used. 



It appears that Italy, which has ever been principally dependent upon 

 importing its lumber from abroad, has now at its disposal an organization 

 which Bill insure for the future supplies not only sufficient but adapted 

 to its needs. 



