February 10, 1919 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



45 



and the view is held that the prosperity of the country will result in a 

 big call for furniture and other wood products, and that it will also result 

 in material increase in building operations, with corresponding gain in the 

 quantity of hardwood lumber, flooring and interior trim required. 



Prices are holding quite Arm, with a tendency toward a higher level. 

 There is no room for a cut in prices of hardwood lumber until there is 

 material reduction in the costs entering into its production. A thousand 

 feet of hardwood lumber, on the basis of present prices, will buy less lard, 

 meal, meat, machinery and other essentials than at any time. There is a 

 disposition to anticipate higher prices within the next thirty to sixty 

 days, and this Is believed by some Interests to be largely responsible for 

 the decided increase in buying. 



Production is not increasing. Many of the mills in Memphis are still 

 closed down because of lack of logs and there appears to be no immediate 

 prospect of an increase in log supply for the reason that the ground 

 throughout the southern hardwood producing territory is so wet that little 

 can be done toward either cutting or hauling. A shortage of hardwood 

 logs exists in the southern field and reports indicate a similar condition 

 in Minnesota, Wisconsin and other northern states. 



The increase in the volume of business is resulting In much larger ship- 

 ments, and the quantity of lumber going out from the mills and yards is 

 larger than the amount being placed on sticks. Stocks are therefore begin- 

 ning to decrease. They were below normal at the beginning of the year. 

 The extent to which they will decrease from the present level will be 

 determined by the length of time production Is restricted. 



Export rates are steadily decreasing, but there is not much foreign 

 demand at the moment for the reason that foreign consumers are disposed 

 to go slowly in purchasing pending an adjustment of the ocean rate situa- 

 tion. A big export inquiry is not expected until ocean freight rates have 

 become stabilized. 



=-< BEAUMONT >-= 



=•< MILWAUKEE >- 



The nupiber of orders following upon the heels of inquiries starting 

 the first of the year has given new life to the hardwood industry, and some 

 of the manufacturers are predicting a general strengthening in the market 

 within the next thirty days. 



The railroads are still clamoring for material, and the manufacturers 

 who have orders from them are being constantly prodded to hurry up 

 shipments. The new oil fields in west Texas are heavy buyers of standard 

 rig timbers, although the embargo to this section of the state, due to scant 

 railroad facilities, is holding up business to a certain extent. 



While hardwood men are reticent about what course they will pursue, it 

 would not be surprising to see them take under serious consideration the 

 action of the Southern Pine Association at their New Orleans meeting 

 February 25 and 26. The yellow pine men have felt keenly the action of 

 the British government in handling all lumber imports to the United 

 Kingdom on a war basis, and should the yellow pine men form an export 

 association to counteract this movement the hardwood men may find It 

 to their advantage to take similar action. At the present time, however, 

 the local men seem to be at sea and have no plans whether they would 

 prefer to come In In the nature of an auxiliary to the yellow pine men, or 

 go on their own hook. The yellow pine men state they are getting tired 

 of doing all the anteing while the other fellow does all the dealing, and 

 the hardwood men are not overly anxious to got a similar lick below 

 the belt. 



Plain oak and sap gum continue to lead in shipments, while the output 

 of the mills has been noticeably curtailed by the extremely bad logging 

 conditions. Mills which have been shipping regularly have lost in stock 

 rather than gained during the dull season. The almost Insurmountable 

 logging conditions, due to heavy rains followed "closely upon the flu epi- 

 demic, which closed down some of the mills temporarily. 



Although a cold wave reached northern Wisconsin and upper Michigan 

 during the first few days of February, the logging season has been entirely 

 unfavorable, and it is feared that the Input this year will be far below 

 normal. Even with temperatures more seasonable, It has been extremely 

 difllcuit to remake logging roads and get the cut timber out of the woods. 

 Mills, however, have been able to maintain fair schedules with the material 

 cut earlier in the season, when conditions were better than normal. Some 

 of them are running out of logs and it probably will be necessary for these 

 to, interrupt sawing operations until it is possible to replenish the supply. 



A report from the upper peninsula of Michigan says that fifty per cent 

 of the car orders for January were cancelled, the heaviest month of the 

 logging season. In most sections logging has been at a standstill because 

 of the mild weather and the absence of snow. Conditions in northern 

 Wisconsin are similar. 



Wholesale dealers In hardwoods report industrial demand improving. 

 Requirements of concerns manufacturing cabinets for musical instruments 

 and the furniture trade In general are gradually expanding. On the whole, 

 however, there still is apparent a waiting attitude, and while trade is 

 virtually as active as In normal years at this season. It leaves something 

 to be desired. The impression is that within a month or two there will 

 be more or less of a scramble for m'ateriai, and that then the manufac- 

 turers will not be able to fill more than a part of orders because of the 

 unfavorable season for logging. 



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