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HARDWOOD RECORD 



April 10, 101!) 



Export Shipments Gradually Approaching Normal 

 Though Ihi- cxixirt luinbor trndi- <'(>ulinui-s to ho very much hampered 

 hy various factors which cannot I'c ovorcome liy the shippers, among 

 these factors belnc ilie lack of tonnage, which malio.s it very difflcuU 

 for the members o! the trade to get consignments forwarded, regardless 

 of the high ocean freight rates that prevail, a distinct impetus has been 

 given to the movement, as is Indicated by the statement for last February, 

 which has just been received in Baltimore from the office where it is 

 compiled, .\ccording to this statement the declared value— and presum- 

 ably the quantity of lumber also — for the month is the largest that has 

 been ri'corded in lialtimore for a long time, and really begins to make 

 an approach to the totals that were recorded prior to the war. Of 

 course, the current shipments are still a long way from what might be 

 regarded as a normal business, hut the foreign requirements seem to be 

 asserting them.selves. and there is offered very substantial indication 

 that the trade will before very long got back to somewhere near the rec- 

 ords made during the period when exports were not interfered with. To 

 lie sure, when considering declared values, the tact must be taken into 

 account, in making comparisons with the pre-war period, that prices 

 now are Tory much higher than they were then, and that the amount of 

 money Involved perhaps represents only about one-third to a half of the 

 shipments which the same sum would have stood for in the early part 

 of 1014, for instance. Fir, oak. poplar and spruce are all represented 

 with substantial quantities on the report, while a big addition is supplied 

 by the designation of "other lumber." with staves also being called 

 for to an extent quite gratifying. 



Little Prospect for Improved Logging Conditions 



The Mississippi river at Mciriplils is now practically within its hanks 

 and all danger of serious flood conditions has passed for the present, much 

 to the relief of hardwood lumber interests throughout the lower valley 

 territory. The high water, which reached a stage of about thirty-eight 

 feet, caused the overflow of all lands outside the levees but the only real 

 interference with lumber interests came in the shape of the handicap im- 

 posed on those bringing in their logs by water. It was impossible for a 

 number of days for boats and barges to make landings in this territory 

 and this inability precluded bringing in logs by this means. With the 

 reces.sion of the water, however, ton-lioats and barges used in the logging 

 service have resumed operations. There is considerable timber to be 

 brought In by river but the quantity is far lighter than normal for the 

 reason that logging operations have been interfered with so seriously for 

 the past twelve to fourteen weeks by the abnormally heavy rainfall through- 

 out the southern hardwood producing area. 



The railroads are bringing very few logs to mills at Memphis or to any 

 other mill center in this part of the country, not because the carriers are 

 not in position to handle them but because the logs are not offered for 

 loading. The Valley Log Loading Company is operating only one of its 

 log loading machines out of the five it usually has in commission and it is 

 finding difficulty in keeping this one fully employed. The shortage of logs 

 is the greatest in the memory of hardwood manufacturers here and the 

 outlook is that it will be quite a long while before this .shortage can be 

 made good. George McSweyn, of the Memphis Band Mill Company, said 

 recently that his firm closed down its plant at Memphis .\pril 4 be- 

 cause of Inability to get logs and intimated that it would probably be 

 sixty days or more before there would be enough logs in sight to justif.v 

 resumption of manufacturing in a large way. Many other firms in Mem- 

 phis are having similar experience and production of hardwood lumber is 

 far below the average for this time of the year. The weather has been a 

 little more favorable during the past ten days and lumber interests are 

 hopeful that the worst has been seen. The woods are still thoroughly 

 soaked with water and it will take a long while for them to dry sufficiently 

 to permit cutting and hauling timber even if there is no more precipita- 

 tion. If further rainfall occurs, it will render extremely serious a situa- 

 tion that is already regarded as quite acute. 



Regarding Mahogany Sales at Liverpool 



Tickle, Boll & I'o.. Livorijonl. England, advise that recent mahogany 

 auction sales at Liverpool show-ed a slight decline in price. The opinion 

 was expressed though that considering the cost of freight, handling, etc, 

 the price will not be much lower, perhaps an average of two cents. Stocks 

 hold in g<)vornment hands are now nearly cleared out and fresh woods are 

 arriving in large quantities with bidding lively. 



The following is a statement of mahogany sales in Liverpool as of 

 March 12 : 



Prices 



Mahogany Logs Feet Range Average 



Grand Bassam 41 68.310 9d to 1/5 10.28 pence per .super ft. 



BENIN 59 27,767 Sd to lid 9.46 pence per super ft. 



Grand Bassam 183 104,982 6d to 8d 6.65 pence per super ft. 



(old and defective wood) 



Honduras 2,873 .82,602 



planks and l)oards 3d to 8d 5. 28 pence per super ft. 



Grand Bassam 22 19..597 8d to 1/3 10.75 pence per super ft. 



BENIN 626 411,856 8d to 1/7 10.37 pence per super ft. 



Grand Bassam. . . . 482 530.425 Sd to 1/5 9.0 pence per super ft. 



Also sold in LONDON on the 6th of March 



LAGOS 246 193,803 Sd to 1/9 11% pence per super ft. 



BENIN 169 79.896 Sd to 1/3 10^ pence per super ft. 



The above prices are in English pence (1 penny=2 cents) per foot Liver- 

 pool mahogany measure, which averages fully 30% in favor of the pur- 

 chaser, when compared with actual contents of logs. 



Use of Wood for Fuel 



The Forest Service has published a forty-page bulletin dealing with 

 the use of wood for fuel in the United States. The subject is divided 

 in two parts, the use of wood as fuel on farms, and that employed in 

 villages, cities, and in factories. The total yearly demand for wood in this 

 i-ountr.v may be placed at approximately one cord of 128 cubic feet for 

 each person, or something more than 100,000,000 cords. The farms take 

 nearly four-Htths of all. The average per farm, for the whole United 

 States, is between 12 and 13 cords ; but when avorage.s for farms are 

 worked out I'or different states some surprising results are shown. For 

 example, the yearly average per farm in Arkansa.s, Mississippi, Alabama, 

 Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia and West Vir- 

 ginia is 17 cords. But the average consumption per farm is less than six 

 cords in the following northern states : North and South Dakota. Nebraska, 

 Iowa, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, and New Jersey. 



It might be assumed that the consumption of wood as fuel would be 

 more in cold than in warm states, in the severe winters of the North than 

 iu the mild southern climate.' Yet figures do not show that such Is the 

 case. Different reasons may be assigned to account for the apparent incon- 

 sistency. Wood is much cheaper in the southern than in the northern 

 states, and that has something to do with totals. More coal is burned 

 in the North than in the South, and that lessens the demand for wood. 

 The wide, open fireplace is common in the South and rare in the North, 

 and such fireplaces are wasteful. Alabama burnt more wood than any 

 other state, and was followed, in the order named, by Georgia, Ken- 

 tucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, and North Carolina. The states which 

 used the smallest number of cords were Nevada, Rhode Island and 

 Delaware. 



Nevada is twice as large as Alabama, yet it would take 150 states like 

 Nevada to use as much cordwood as Alabama. The cheapest cordwood in 

 the United States is in Alabama. .^2 a cord : the dearest is in Nevada, 157. 



Hardwood News Notes 



MISCELLANEOUS 



The Davies County Planing Mill Company. Owensboro, Ky., is incorporat- 

 ing under the same name. 



The headquarters of the latt Lumber Company of Alexandria, La., are 

 now located at Colfax. La. 



The capital stock of the Artman. Nichols & Cox Lumber Company, Grand 

 Rapids, Mich., has been decreased from J565.000 to $25,000 and name 

 changed to the E. C. Artman Lumber Company. 



At New York. N. Y.. the Sloane & Moller Woodworking Company has 

 incorporated with $250,000 capita! : at Shreveport, La., the Southern Rim 

 & Spoke Company, capital $50,000 ; at Columbus, Ind.. the Columbus Wood 

 Turning Company, $5000 capitalization. 



The T. L. Horn Trunk Company, St. Louis, Mo., has sustained a loss 

 by fire. 



The American Housing Corporation recently began business at Wau- 

 sau. Wis. 



H. D. Swayze. McCrory, Ark., has been succeeded by the Arkmo Lumber 

 Company, with headquarters at Little Rock. 



The Cypress Tank Company has succeeded the Jennings Cypress Tank 

 Company at Shreveport, La., and incorporated with a $100,000 capital. 



The Barley Hardwood Company has incorporated at Paris, Ark. 



The Arkansas Veneer Company at Helena, Ark., has Increased its capital 

 stock to $150,000. 



The American Crate Corporation has incorporated at Richmond Hill, Va, 



Dams E. Becker, assistant manager of the New River Lumber Company, 

 Cincinnati, O., died March 29, after a short Illness. He was thirty-six 

 years old. 



The John M. Diver Lumber Company of Chatham. Out., has opened an 

 ■office at Detroit, Mich. 



J. B. Montgomery, vice-president and secretary of the American Lumber 

 & Manufacturing Company. Pittsburgh, Pa., has resigned and commenced 

 business under the style of J. B. Montgomery & Co., in the same city. 



The Dry-Kold Refrigerator Company. Niles, Mich., has increased its 

 capital stock from $56,000 to $75,000. 



The Sterling Furniture Company, Greensboro, N. C, has sustained a loss 

 by fire. 



The business heretofore carried on under the style of the Salem Hard- 

 wood Lumber Company, Salem, Ind.. has been dissolved. 



The Davis Lumber Company recently started its hardwood sawmill at 

 Little Rock, Ark. 



M. B. Wood and C. P. Moon have been appointed temporary receivers 

 tor the Eastern Shore Shipbuilding Corporation. Sharptown, Md. 



Recent incorporations are; The Greenpoint Packing Box Company, 

 Brooklyn, N. Y. ; the Fort Smith Implement Company, Ft. Smith, Ark. ; the 

 Palafac Shipbuilding Company, Pensacola, Fla. ; capital $75,000 ; the 

 Universal Manufacturing Corporation, Evansville, Ind., to manufacture 



