February 10, 1919 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



43 



The Hardwood Market 



-< CHICAGO y 



The Chicago market is picking up noticeably ; not, o£ course, to any 

 exhilarating extent, but at the same time orders are coming with gratify- 

 ing increasing frequency. The local building situation is giving increasing 

 fulfillment of promise that has held out for some time of development, and 

 with rents everywhere increasing, the probability for a certain degree at 

 least of speculative building, in addition to the private building that is 

 certain to develop, is becoming more marked. Orders still continue to be 

 let to meet developing demands, but no one care« so much about the nature 

 of orders as they do their persistency and quantity. 



It is true that there has been a slumping off here and there in value, but 

 taking the situation as a whole the market is standing up well, and with 

 mill stocks offered in Chicago in decreasing quantities the trade is finding 

 greater reason for confidence in the spring. 



=-< BUFFALO y- 



The hardwood trade i.s dull, but an improvement in inquiry has occurred 

 during the past few weeks. Some wholesalers say that the past two weeks 

 have been more fruitful of inquiries than the previous three months. This 

 is not the general report, and some say they can as yet see little or no 

 improvement over a month ago. But for the long pull there is much 

 optimism. It is generally felt that the furniture, automobile and other 

 leading industries are going to have a good business before the year end, 

 though this improvement may not be much in evidence for some weeks. 



The building trade is also expected to show up well this year. The 

 long period of curtailment has brought about a condition where many 

 aew buildings are needed ami various cities in this territory, including 

 Buffalo, are going aht'ad with large expenditures for schools and other 

 public buildings which are much needed. It is estimated that the expendi- 

 ture in this city alone will run into the millions, possibly as much as 

 $20,000,000. The trend of lumber prices shows little, if any. decline In 

 the leading hardwoods. Mill stocks are small and bad weather has kept 

 them from much increase. 



:< PITTSBURGH >.= 



Prices on some lines of hardwood are likely to bold firm and may even 

 go higher, according to reports received from whnlesaler.s. Already the 

 price of railroad ties has been advanced within a month 10^, the standard 

 quotations now being $1.49 for ties 7x9x8 14. Inquiries from automobile 

 manufacturers are beginning to come in and wholesalers look for consider- 

 able business from this line in the near future. Furniture business is 

 also beginning to look up. There is very little doing In yard trade. 

 Retailers are bound that they will not buy until prices are lower and only 

 now and then a mixed car is sold. The hardwood mills in tri-state terri- 

 tory have considerable lumber on hand. Many of them prolonged the usual 

 Christmas shutdown and are just starting up. Business in general in 

 hardwoods is very quiet, and wholesalers are not trying to pu.sh demand 

 forward by quoting low prices. 



< BALTIMORE >■= 



^IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII*£ 



1 Plain & Qtd. Red & White I 



I OAK I 



The bardwood business Ls perhaps in better shape than any other divi- 

 sion of the lumber trade, orders since the year got fairly started having 

 come in with considerable freedom and the volume of business attaining 

 proportions which compare favorably with some other periods of time, 

 when there were no reconstruction problems to contend with. But it is to 

 be said that the outlook appears decidedly uncertain. No hardwood mill 

 man will venture to predict that the demand will keep up or express a 

 feeling of assurance that certain other things will happen. They may 

 come about, but there is no certainty on this score, and the dealers as well 

 as the producers are content to go ahead from day to day, taking what is 

 oflEered and ho/ding themselves in a state of preparation for unexpected 

 developments. It Is not difficult to get very attractive prices if a buyer 

 really wants the lumber; but on the other hand, if he has no actual 

 requirements to meet he cannot be temptt-d to place orders except at such 

 concessions probably as he could not afford to resist. The sellers, for their 

 part, do not regard the situation such .is to call for a material marking 

 down in the quotations. They point to the fact that the labor problem, 

 especially in the hardwood producing sections of the southern states, has 

 not been solved in the way of making the outlay in wages appreciably less 

 or even to the extent of giving the mills adequate forces. Men released 

 from military service do not seem eager, in many instances, to return to 

 their former occupations in the woods or in other sections away from the 

 big cities, and the South in particular is .stated to have no surplus of 

 workers, while the rates of pay are about as high as they have been. Nor 

 does it appear that stocks at producing points have attained exceptional 

 proportions. For that matter, many of the grades are not in such supply 

 as to furnish a guarantee against shortages. The output is still helil 

 down to a considerable extent, and the market is under no real pressure 

 because of accumulations. So far the reconstruction period has brought 

 no violent disturbances in the hardwood trade, and members generally 

 are hopeful of being able to prevent such dislocations. Just how long it 



AND OTHER 

 HARDWOODS 



i Even Color 



Soft Texture i 



MADE (MR) RIGHT 



OAK FLOORING 



We have 35,000.000 feet dry stock— all of 

 our own manufacture, from our own tim- 

 ber grown in Eastern Kentucky. 



= PROMPT SHIPMENTS = 



1 The MOWBRAY 1 

 I & ROBINSON CO. I 



= (incorporated) =: 



I CINCINNATI, OHIO | 



5/8 LUMBER 



When you want 5 8 lumber remem- 

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 ness in all kinds of woods. This is 

 all sawed from the log — not resawed 

 — and shows good widths and 

 lengths. We offer the following for 

 prompt shipment : 



80,000 5 8 Is & 2s Plain White Oak 

 40,000 5 8 Selects Plain White Oak 

 50,000 5 8 No. 1 Com. Plain Wh. Oak 

 40,000 5 8 No. 2 Com. Plain Wh. Oak 

 90,000 5 8 Com. & Btr. Sap Gum 

 15,000 5 8 Com. & Better Red Gum 

 20,000 5 8 Is & 2s Poplar 

 90,000 5 8 No. 1 Common Poplar 

 90,000 5 8 No. 2 Common Poplar 



Write for Our Complete 

 List and Prices 



NORTH VERNON LUMBER CO. 



NORTH VERNON, IND. I 



