18 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



January 25. 1919 



portion of this accumulation. Ou other special items that have been 

 cut the prospect is for definite government assistance, and Washington 

 authorities are in fact now busily engaged in appraising the situation 

 so far as the amount of .stock and valuation is concerned for the pur- 

 pose of working out the matter with fairness to all. It is possible 

 that Uncle Sam may finally decide to purchase outright all of this 

 material, and take it out of the market altogether for a .year or two 

 ahead. 



On the whole, anyone interested in the situation regarding hard- 

 woods ia safest in figuring the matter from the viewpoint of supplies 

 of commercial lumber, as accumulated stocks of war materials not 

 only are relatively insufiicient to play any very important part, but 

 are going to be rendered less of an influence because of government co- 

 operation in marketing. 



In the matter of commercial products then a broad view will taie 

 into account the certain shortage of production, and the prospects for 

 brisk demand. The furniture shows developed not only a distinctly 

 optimistic attitude on the part of the furniture manufacturers, but 

 revealed that the furniture manufacturing trade is at heart pretty 

 well reconciled to paying present prices, and this state of mind is 

 strengthened by the fact that the retailers seemingly are reconciled to 

 present figures prevailing in furniture. 



The furniture trade is exhibiting its confidence in the situation by 

 holding up its own prices, and in this they seem to be justified by 

 reports of active demand from retailers all over the United States. 

 There has been a further reflection of this situation in the form of 

 contracts, which come at more and more frequent intervals wherein 

 woodworkers have contracted for the entire 1919 supply, evidently 

 figuring that it is safer to be assured of material at present prices 

 than to leave the question of supply uncertain with the prospect that 

 prices may go even higher. The standing of some of the buyers who 

 have ceased to hesitate gives room for thought to others who may still 

 be on the fence. 



The Leftovers 



THE SUDDEN ENDING OP THE WAR not only left many 

 war supplies on the hands of the government, but likewise left 

 large quantities of such supplies in the hands of contractors who 

 have been furnishing the army and navy. The government has 

 announced its purpose of disposing of such supplies as it now holds 

 and will not need; and they will be put on the market in course 

 of time, in small or large quantities. 



The leftovers in the hands of contractors constitute a more 

 serious problem. While the war was in progress the government 

 let it be known that it would need vast stores of many articles to 

 win the victory, and contractors were asked, indirectly if not 

 directly, to get the stores together, ready to meet this call. The 

 materials included all things needed in modern war; but wood of 

 many kinds was what most concerned lumbermen, and they were 

 expected to acquire the raw material and in some cases partly 

 manufacture it, and have it at hand when it should be needed. 



They did so. They acted from patriotic motives as well as for 

 business reasons. While they expected to make a fair profit for 

 themselves, they also stood ready to aid in pushing the war; there- 

 fore, they accumulated timber and lumber, and in some cases passed 

 it through one or more stages of manufacture. 



This material was in the contractor's hands when the armistice 

 was signed. Much of it had been so far manufactured into war 

 stores that its value for civilian uses was lessened or destroyed. 

 The government will not take it off the contractors' hands, and the 

 problem of disposing of it is one of considerable seriousness and 

 perplexity. For example, if in anticipation of the need of enough 

 walnut to make three million more gunstocks, the lumbermen went 

 ahead and gathered the wood together, sawed it into articles of 

 regulation thickness, and then came the end, the government refused 

 to take the walnut, what are the contractors to do about it? It 

 has been reduced to dimensions disqualifying it for most civilian 

 uses. 



This is an instance only. Similar ones exist by scores. Thou- 



sands of lumbermen have stuff left on their liruuls in precisely the 

 same way. Their zeal and energy in providing for the government's 

 war necessities make them liable to suffer serious loss because the 

 stuff can now be sold only at a sacrifice, if at all. Doubtless others 

 arc in the same boat as the lumbermen, and have been left with 

 stock on hand which was intended for the government, and which 

 will not sell readily elsewhere. 



Apparently, those left with such war supplies will have to stand 

 the loss, although it seems unfair that they should thus be made to 

 suffer from their zeal and industry in rushing to the government's 

 assistance when it was in trouble. They took care of the govern- 

 ment in its time of need; but it does not seem disposed to recipro- 

 cate when the situation is reversed. 



It is not the first case of the kind in history, for did not Cardinal 

 Woolsey exclaim: 



Had I but served my God with half the zeal 

 I served my king, he would not in my age 

 Have left me naked to my enemies. 



Searching for Trade 



RESULTS OUGHT TO BEGIN to come in before long from the 

 work done during recent years by trade commissioners 

 appointed by the Department of Commerce and sent to various 

 countries to investigate opportunities for increasing our business 

 along many lines in different parts of the world. No fewer than 

 six investigations have been completed or are under way which 

 have for their object the extension of American lumber business. 

 One was made by Franklin H. Smith in Japan, China and Aus- 

 tralia; one by Eoger E. Simmons in South America. These were 

 completed three years ago. Four others are under way: By Sim- 

 mons in Russia and Siberia; by Oxholm in Scandinavia and Finland; 

 by Walker in England, France and Switzerland; by Brown in 

 southern Europe and northern Africa. 



The field work has been completed in Russia and Siberia. Mr. 

 Simmons entered Siberia at Vladivostok and after two years 

 came out in Sweden, after many adventures and escapes. Mr. 

 Walker was safer in London and while making his headquarters 

 there he established an exhibit of American woods which will 

 help introduce our lumber in that market. No detailed information 

 is at hand concerning the work done by Mr. Oxholm and Mr. 

 Brown in their particular fields, except that they have been at 

 work. 



During the whole time that the commissioners have been in 

 Europe their work has been hindered by the w-ar, and it is remark- 

 able that anything was accomplished. Working conditions should 

 improve from this time on, and the final reports by these commis- 

 sioners should be made public before long. 



Then what? Whether their work shall lead to large sales of 

 lumber will depend chiefly upon what lumbermen do to push sales. 

 The printed reports of the commissioners who investigated condi- , 

 tions abroad will not, of themselves, "sell much lumber. Those men 

 were not sent abroad to sell lumber directly. Their mission was 

 to ascertain where lumber might be sold and in what way and 

 under what conditions. There the work of the trade commissioners 

 ends, and there should begin the lumbermen's part of the job. 



First class salesmanship will be needed if much is to be accom- 

 plished. The lumbermen who want this foreign business must 

 find ways to get it. It will not come unless they fight for it, and 

 the problem now is, how to make a winning bid; how to sell lum- 

 ber, after the commissioners have explored and mapped the markets. 



The hardwood associations in Wisconsin and Michigan intend 

 to send their own man, Roy H. Jones, to Europe to sell lumber. He 

 will have his headquarters in Paris. As much use as possible will 

 be made of the work done by the trade commissioners who have 

 gone before, but something additional will be done to get practical 

 results in the way of lumber sales. It is, in a measure, something 

 new in the way of pushing the sale of export lumber, and results 

 will be watched with interest. If successful in France, it may be 

 assumed that salesmen wUl be sent to other countries. 



