November 25. 191S 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



19 



have large stocks; that yards need stock; that the revival of build- 

 ing construction will require much lumber. 



There has been discussion about the possibility of a general lum- 

 ber bureau to handle foreign government orders for lumber for 

 reconstruction purposes, distributing them among the various 

 branches of the trade, but lumbermen say it would not be prac- 

 ticable. However, the southern pine industry ' is reported to be 

 planning joint selling agencies to handle foreign business and the 

 west coast lumbermen are understood to be pretty well organized for 

 such business. 



Government orders for 10,000,000 feet or more Douglas fir have 

 been cancelled and for 20,000,000 feet or more yellow pine, but 

 cancellations are not so real as they seem, it is said, in some cases, 

 as some cancelled orders had hardly been received and other such 

 orders have been shipped. Cancellations do not affect shipped 

 orders, it is stated. In addition to cancellations, the southern pine 

 bureau has been ordered to hold up 85,000,000 feet of ordered 

 lumber. 



Another government war time restriction was removed when the 

 car service section of the railroad administration ruled that the 

 lumber embargo order applying to movement of forest products into 

 the north and east was cancelled November 16. 



In a report on the brush industry the United States tariff com- 



mission says of the wood used in the industry, that it is chiefly 

 hardwood imported from the tropics, but that birch, beech, maple 

 and cherry from New York and New England and California red- 

 wood are also used. Some manufacturers buy the wooden handles 

 or backs ready-made; others cut them from the log or lumber in 

 their own factories. 



The signing of the armistice has led to an announcement that 

 there will be no new battalions in the Twentieth regiment of 

 forestry engineers. The enlisted men in them were to have been 

 inducted into the service under the draft, and no further calls under 

 the draft will be issued, it has been announced. Likewise there are 

 to be no more commissions issued to officers for the new battalions. 

 The result is a lot of prospective "lef tenants" out in the cold. 



The army medical department has been on the market for some 

 time for 100,000 bed trays with legs, 6,000 typwriter tables and 

 10,000 folding bedside screens. 



The war department has caUed for bids for several hundred log 

 wagons, lumber wagons, tool wagons and street sweepers. 



It is understood here that standardized houses will be erected on 

 farms in the forest fire swept region of Minnesota. 



Reconstruction will be one of the problems for discussion at the 

 meeting of the National Chamber of Commerce at Atlantic City 

 December 3 to 6. 



^;;TO^;i;^i::^il^A^^;AOTM^tOT^^iTOaimM;t^^ 



Michigan Hardwood Men Meet -^ 



On November 13, at Hotel Shelby, Detroit, Mich., the Michigan 

 Hardwood Manufacturers' Association held its fall meeting and 

 surveyed the past field of activities and looked into the future in an 

 effort to determine what could reasonably be expected in the way 

 iif business. The report of the market conditions committee as 

 presented by Charles R. Abbott of Cadillac, its chairman, showed 

 that the stocks on hand October 1 indicated less liardwood than in 

 one, two, three or four years previous. Hemlock stocks on hana 

 measure 75,000,000 feet, compared with 104,000,000 a year ago. 



Indications make it seem probable that demand will absorb the 

 production of the members of the association. The output of lum- 

 ber has been held down, and now, with the close of the war upon 

 us, new and large markets are to be expected. The speaker urged 

 the wisdom of being ready to take advantage of all opportunities, 

 and this can be accomplished by pursuing the best business methods. 

 He laid stress on the importance of weekly sales reports, especially 

 in these times when it is necessary for every member to be in close 

 touch of the market. In the discussion that followed only optimistic 

 words were expressed as to the future. The fact that the govern- 

 ment has canceled some contracts which required hardwoods in 

 the manufacture of the war products was more than offset, it was 

 claimed, by the prompt action of the war industries board in 

 lifting the ban on building, and on many industries which are heavy 

 consumers of hardwoods. 



Discussions by various members gave more or less attention to 

 the change from war to peace and the probable effect it would have 

 on the hardwood industry in Michigan. There was no uneasiness. 

 Instance after instance was cited to show that where a little slack 

 might result from the government's going out of the market as a 

 buyer, the loss would be made more than good by new business 

 coming in, by industries entering the field as buyers which have not 

 bought much lumber during the last year or two. 



Some warned against overproduction and based their warning on 

 the belief that the labor situation would soon change for the bet- 

 ter. The sentiment against overproduction was strongly expressed, 

 for it was agreed that the road to prosperity does not lead in the 

 direction of too much production. 



A report sent to the meeting by Roy H. Jones, the assoeiation 's 

 Washington representative, dealt with the hardwood situation a^ 

 it can be seen and foreseen at this time. It soon became evident 



that the export trade was in the eyes of many. They believed 

 that a demand was about to develop in Europe for Michigan hard- 

 woods. It was believed that maple in particular would be wanted 

 beyond the sea, and Michigan is the principal source of this excel- 

 lent wood. As a flooring wood it has rivals but no superior, and 

 in all the reconstruction that is promised in France and Belgium, 

 it is reasonable to suppose that demand will come for maple floor- 

 ing in large quantities, and perhaps some maple and other hard- 

 woods for other purposes. 



A sentiment in favor of sending Roy H. Jones to Europe as the 

 representative of the association was clearly seen at the meeting. 

 His work at Washington during the war was pronounced highly 

 satisfactory. 



J. C. Knox, secretary of the association, read a report in which 

 he discussed markets of the immediate and more distant future, 

 now that war conditions are rapidly approaching their end. He 

 saw bright prospects ahead. 



Financial affairs occupied most of the secretary's report. He 

 said more money is needed to take care of the enlarging work and 

 increasing opportunities. The association acted immediately on 

 his recommendations and unanimously voted the increased assess- 

 ment on both hardwood and hemlock shipments from four to six 

 cents a thousand feet, raised the minimum membership fee from 

 $50 to $100 and provided that members of the association in the 

 upper peninsula who also belonged to the Northern Hemlock and 

 Hardwood Manufacturers' Association would be assessed at half 

 the regular rate. There was not a quibble about the possibly 

 increased amount that the association will pay into the treasury 

 of the National Lumber Manufacturers' Association, if the pro- 

 posed program of that organization is adopted on December 16, as 

 the Michigan hardwood men believe firmly in the work of the 

 national body and the good it is doing for the lumber industry as a 

 whole. 



Transportation matters likewise claimed the attention of Secre- 

 tary Knox. He called attention to Michigan log rates, which he 

 regarded as excessive. He said the condition in the southern part 

 of the state was worse than in other parts and cited an instance in 

 which a former rate of 2.6 cents on a 12-mile haul had been raised 

 to six cents. Other rates of 5.5 cents had been raised to eight and 

 ten cents. Where reduction had been obtained for some of the 



