32 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



February 25, 1922 



Mississippi Valley Hardwood Lumber Co. Formed 



The Mississippi V.illey Hardwood Lumber Company has been formed in 

 Memphis by the following gentlemen : J. F. McSweyn, George McSweyn 

 and Otis A. Felger, Memphis Band Mill Company ; T. B. Dillon, Poinsett 

 Lumber & Manufacturing Company ; K. L, Emmons, K. L. Emmons Lum- 

 ber Company, and E. H. Scott. Organization has been perfected by the 

 election of J. F. McSweyn as president; K. L. Emmons, vice-president and 

 general manager, and E. H. Scott, treasurer. The new firm has taken over 

 the offices of the Emmons Company in the Randolph building, and these 

 will be used in the sale of its output. It has likewise purchased the band 

 mill of the Sunflower Lumber Company at Clarksdale, Miss., which has a 

 daily capacity of 35,000 feet, and it will operate this in future. Forma- 

 tion of this company will not affect, in the slightest degree, the Memphis 

 Band Mill Company or the Poinsett Lumber & Manufacturing Company, 

 according to statements of those interested therein. 



Frank Fish Takes Optimism to Memphis; Schupner Is 

 Also Hopeful 



Two secretaries of national lumber organizations have visited Memphis 

 recently — Frank Fish of the National Hardwood Lumber Association, and 

 W. W. Schupner of the National Wholesale Lumber Dealers' -Association — 

 and both are optimistic regarding the outlook for business for 1922. Mr. 

 Fish discussed with members at Memphis certain phases of the program for 

 forthcoming annual of this body, while Mr. Schupner came south in the 

 interest of extending the membership of his organization in this territory, 

 and with a view to getting better acquainted with those already identified 

 therewith. 



Mr. Fish predicted that the hardwood trade is about to enter upon a 

 "period of indefinite prosperity." He based this optimistic forecast on the 

 fact that orders are increasing every day, and on the belief that consum- 

 ing interests would all enter the market actively In the near future, with 

 the probable exception of manufacturers of farming implements. lie is 

 particularly enthusiastic over the splendid showing made by the building 

 trades, and also over the fact that the furniture makers have booked enough 

 orders to "keep their plants going for a number of months." He sees large 

 consumption of hardwood lumber on the part of the automobile industry 

 as a result of the increased production of closed cars, and he diffused suffi- 

 cient optimism while In Memphis to chase away some of the gloom which 

 has hung over individual members of the industry almost interruptedly 

 for nearly two years. 



Mr. Schupner also emphasized the notable activity in the building trades 

 which, in his opinion, is certain to find reflection in materially increased 

 buying of lumber for the manufacture of flooring, sash, doors and interior 

 trim. 



These gentlemen have no monopoly on optimism, however. John W. 

 McCIure, president of the National Wholesale Lumber Dealers' Association, 

 says he looks for a steadily expanding business in southern hardwoods, 

 and James E. Stark, head of James E. Stark & Co.. Inc., declares his belief 

 that greater optimism Is justified now for the hardwood lumber industry 

 than at any previous time since depression became so pronounced during 

 the latter months of 1920. He insists that the prosperity in the building 

 trades must affect every other Industry in the United States directly or 

 indirectly, and that it cannot fail to react most favorably on manufacturers 

 of hardwood lumber and of furniture. 



Keith MUl at Voth Will Cut Hardwoods 



The modern sawmill of the Keith Lumber Company at Voth, six miles 

 north of Beaumont, Tex., has been taken over by the Voth Hardwood Com- 

 pany, and will be converted into a hardwood mill. The Voth Hardwood 

 Company was organized for this purpose and will be managed by Carroll 

 Keith, who has been superintendent of the plant for several years for the 

 Keith Lumber Company. J. F. Bonner, president of the Kirby Lumber Com- 

 pany, becomes president : W. B. Burke, vice-president, and W. Carroll Keith, 

 secretary and general manager. The company has a capital stock of 

 $150,000. 



Through this transaction the life of the Keith plant has been extended 

 to at least twenty-five years. The Keith company had completed cutting 

 all of its standing pine adjacent to the mill, and the long rail haul to other 

 available supplies was making logging very expensive. 



Through the Kirby people becoming interested in the mill, millions of 

 feet of virgin hardwood timber is available. Some weeks ago the Kirby 

 Lumber Company purchased a billion and a half feet of hardwood timber 

 from the Houston Oil Company, bringing their total holdings up to two 

 billion feet. 



The Voth Hardwood Company will expend between $50,000 and $60,000 

 in enlarging the plant. A third band saw will be installed, running the 

 daily production up from 125.000 to 150,000 feet. This will make it one 

 of the largest hardwood mills in the Texas-Louisiana belt. 



Another big improvement will be an enlargement of the yards and the 

 installation of modern methods for handling lumber. Two power cranes of 

 sufficient capacity to lift a car of lumber at one operation will be installed. 

 The yards will be extended to take care of fifteen million feet. 



The disposal of this mill will not affect the operations of the Keith 

 Lumber Company, which was organized by the late J. Frank Keith in 1901. 

 The company sold all of its standing timber tributary to the Voth mill, 

 but retained the stumpage around Rockland. At this point they have a 

 mill with a dally capacity of 50,000 feet. They will also engage extensively 

 In the wholesale business. The company also retains the lumber on the 

 yards at Voth, amounting to six million feet, antl the logs now on hand. 



They will be manufactured and the work of converting the mill into a 

 hardwood plant will be started before the first of the month. 



These various deals brought into existence the Keith Land & Investment 

 Company. This company acquires all the landed interests of the Keith 

 Lumber Company, amounting to 25,000 acres. It also takes over the 

 Kirby property in the city of Beaumont, assessed at more than $200,000. 

 This property is located on the river front. 



Ever since the Kirby Lumber Company purchased the hardwood stump- 

 age of the Houston Oil Company there has been much talk of the build- 

 ing of mills throughout east Texas. Some time ago it was announced that 

 the Kirby company would erect a mill at Silsbee with a capacity of 100,000 

 feet a day. It is understood that the acquisition of the Keith mill will 

 cause the construction of the Silsbee mill to be postponed for some months. 

 The Kirby interests have never before manufactured hardwood and seem 

 inclined to go a little cautiously until a hardwood organization can be 

 built up. 



James Pickens, Hardwood Salesman, Drops Dead 

 James Pickens, salesman for Mauley & Boyd, prominent hardwood lum- 

 ber wholesalers of Chicago, dropped dead from heart disease on February 16. 

 Mr. Pickens had been with the Manley & Boyd company for two years 

 anil had a host of friends in the Chicago trade. He specialized in the sale 

 of lumber to the piano and manufacturing industries, having been for 

 thirty years connected with the musical instrument industry, up to the 

 time he joined Mauley & Boyd. He was known and had friends from 

 coast to coast in this industry. Mr. Pickens was a member of the Shrine, 

 also a Knight Templar and an Elk. The funeral services were conducted by 

 the Knights Templar. 



Mr. Pickens was born in England in 1858 and came to this country at 

 the age of twenty-two. 



Currie & Campbell Take Over Smouse's Trade 

 The Currie & Campbell company of Philadelphia, dealers in hardwood, 

 spruce, hemlock and N. C. pine lumber, announced that they have taken 

 over the trade of Thomas F. Smouse of Cumberland. Md., who has retired 

 from the lumber business after thirty-five years of active service. The 

 Currie & Campbell company has made arrangements to place T. R. Smouse, 

 son of the retiring lumberman, in charge of his trade. For the time being 

 the Cumberland address of this organization will be No. 2 Glenn street, 

 Cumberland. Md. 



Tliis company also announces that George M. Hamel, who for a number 

 of years has been identified with the wholesale lumber business in Pennsyl- 

 vania, has joined the sales force of the company and will cover Eastern 

 Pennsylvania and Maryland. 



Bonner Made President of Two Texas Companies 



\t the annual meeting of the Kirby Lumber Company and the Kirby- 

 Bonner Lumber Company at Houston, Texas, February 14, B. F. Bonner, 

 vice-president and general-manager of the two companies, was elected 

 president of both companies. 



John H. Kirby was elected chairman of the board and his son-in-law, 

 J. F. Rawcliff, was added to the board of the directors of the two compa- 

 nies, also becoming vice-president of the Kirby-Bonner Lumber Co. 



Mr. Bonner will continue as general manager of the companies and 

 G. E. Davison as operating manager. W. N. Sangster becomes assistant 

 to the president. 



Hardwood News Notes 



MISCELLANEOUS 



The Virginia Table Company has incorporated at Marion, Va., C. C. 

 Lincoln being president and W. N. Currin. secretary. 



The Convertible .\uto Body Company, with a capital of $40,000, has been 

 incorporated at Bost Mass. 



The Texas Furniture Manufacturing Company has been incorporated 

 by G. T. Ramsey. L. L. Davis and Harry Uttley. The capital stock is 

 $10,000; location Dallas. Tex. 



The capital stock of the Louise Furniture Manufacturing Company. West 

 Bend, Ind., has been increased from $50,000 to $100,000. 



A fire in the millwork plant of C. B. Coles & Company. Front street and 

 Kaighn avenue. Caniilen, N. J.. February l.'i. caused $2,000 damage. 



Nearly 1.500 hands have been laid off at the New York Shipbuilding Com- 

 pany as the result of the disai-nianient policy. Most of these men were 

 workers on the cruiser Saratoga. The government is selling about 1,000,- 

 000 feet of hardwoc d at the plant. 



From Roinney, W. Va., comes the report that the Winchester Lumber 

 Company, a newly organized corporation, has purchesed the timber hold- 

 ings of the Cacapon Lumber Company in Hardy and Hampshire counties. 

 West Virginia, and in Frederick county, Virginia. The transactbm is said 

 to involve not less than $850,000. 



The Julius Seidcl Lumber Co., of St. Louis. Mo., Is now laboring under 



