42 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



April 10. 1919 



LIGNUM VITAE BOXWOOD 

 SNAKEWOOD 



We handle all TROPICAL HARDWOODS 



EBONY 

 ROSEWOOD COCO BOLO 



C. H. PEARSON 



29 BROADWAY NEW YORK CITY 



I 



VESTAL LUMBER 

 & MFG. COMPANY 



INCORPORATED 



Soft Textured Oak 



Poplar 



Black Walnut 



Tenn. Red Cedar 



KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE 



BAND MILLS AT VESTAL 



A SUBURB OF KNOXVILLE 



FONDE, KY. 



pleted and operations are now In full swing. The principal product Is 

 collapsible rocking horses. Mr. Meister is president; Samuel Edgerton, 

 secretary, and Chester Whiting, rice-president and treasurer. 



Richard O'Gonnan, for more than fifty years associated with the 

 Menominee River Lumber Company, Marinette, died at his home in that 

 city on April 2 at the age of seventy-six years. His death marks the 

 passing of one of the few remaining pioneers of the Menominee river 

 logging and lumbering industries. 



William C. Schumann, secretary-treasurer of the J. H. O'Melia Lum- 

 ber Company, Rhinelander, and his wife, Grace, died of influenza within 

 .six hours of each other on March 25. Both were taken suddenly ill 

 while on a visit to Merrill, Wis., on March 17. Mr. and Mrs. Schumann 

 were each thirty years of age and are survived by a little son. 



The Hardwood Market 



CHICAGO 



Chicago lumbermen are showing considerable, pleasure over the ap- 

 parent increase in building in Chicago. Records indicate permits issued 

 during March aggregating practically a normal figure. Of course, with 

 the higher cost of construction these figures do not necessarily represent 

 so great an amount as would be involved under normal costs, but the 

 main point is that building is coming rapidly back to the foreground in 

 all forms, and the advantage that has already been gained will be fol- 

 lowed up in every possible way and building will be stimulated accordingly. 



The bulk of the present structures is of a nature not necessarily using 

 a large proportion of hardwood. Regardless of this, though, the actual 

 total of hardwood marketed in these new structures will be considerable. 

 On the other hand greater interest is being manifested in dwelling con- 

 struction. In fact, the absolute non-esistance of housing facilities is 

 forcing many people to consider immediate construction of homes as It is 

 apparent that the renting situation will not ease up for the next year or 

 two at least. Landlords, particularly those engaged in the speculative 

 end of the business, are seemingly realizing that their net profits under 

 present conditions are greater than under normal conditions of supply 

 when vacancies and concessions and other evils of the renting business 

 materially reduced revenue from building investments. 



When it becomes fully known that present costs cannot go much lower, 

 it may be expected that the building work will open up with a rush. 



BUFFALO 



The hardwood demand is better than for a number o^ weeks. The trade 

 had been dragging for a long time but now seems to have gotten out of 

 the rut, and manufacturers are taking a variety of woods. Inquiries are 

 coming in from industries which have been quiet for a good while and 

 some demand is also being received for export. An improved demand Is 

 noted in the building trade also, though this Is still far from normal. 



Among the woods most in demand are plain and quartered oak, maple, 

 poplar, birch, cypress and red gum. Indications point to quite a revival 

 of the buying in the furniture trade and gum is going to be used to a 

 large extent this year. Prices on gum have had some advance, but are 

 regarded as favorable to extensive business, as compared with some of 

 the higher-priced woods. Poplar has been scarce for some time and la 

 one of the strongest woods in the list. Cypress is also holding strong with 

 supplies below normal, it is said. 



The building situation is gradually improving, with the permits showing 

 an increase each month over the month preceding. March permits ran 

 ahead of those of a year ago. 



PITTSBURGH 



Hardwoods have been hit very badly the past month by the price cutters. 

 Medium and low-grade stock was especially bard put to maintain quota- 

 tions, due largely to the falling off in demand for mining material. Coal 

 mining operations have slumped very badly since March 1 and only one- 

 half as much coal was mined in March in this district as in February. 

 Manufacturing and industrial trade last month did not come in sufl5cient 

 amount to fill in this cavity and as a result all medium and low- 

 grade stock went begging. On the other hand high-grade stock, especially 

 oak, was a good seller and brought big prices. Hardwood mills in some 

 places are shutting down because they are piling up stocks, while In other 

 places the high cost of production has caused them to stop manufacturing. 

 Retail trade in hardwoods is very poor. Purchasing agents of corporations 

 are doing little buying. 



BOSTON 



The market for hardwoods in New England has not returned to any- 

 thing like pre-war conditions ; a relatively small amount of the former car 

 movement from the South and West has been resumed and much of this 

 is in part-car lots. The yards are especially sparing and cautious in 

 purchasing. Wliile the present state of trade cannot be termed favor- 

 able, there seems to be a confident undercurrent of opinion that business 

 Is going to adjust itself to the market Instead of the market to business. 



