46 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



Junuuiy lU. I'JIS 



Walnut 



Of Character and Color 



Manufactured at Kansas City, U. S. A. 



Large Stock of All Grades and Thickness 



Thirty-five years' experience 



IN WALNUT ONLY 



Prompt Shipment, and 

 Guaranteed Inspection 



FRANK PURCELL 



515 Dwight Building. KANSAS CITY. MO. 



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I Plain & Qtd. Red & White f 



OAK 



AND OTHER 

 HARDWOODS 



i Even Color 



Soft Texture = 



The Hardwood Market 



.< CHICAGO y 



The hllzzard of last Sunday combined with January Inventorying have 

 rather tied thlnss up locally. Some Chicago hardwood men have ex- 

 pressed the thought that they are Just as well satisfied If offerings of 

 business are not too brisk for a week or so as that would enable them 

 to complete their inventory work and start the slate clean. The consum- 

 ing trade geuerally being in much the same position, is not showing a 

 great interest in local hardwood offerings, but even though considerable 

 uncertainty still holds as to what the volume of normal business will be, 

 the conviction still holds that it will be of larger proportions than Is 

 generally believed. Chicago is getting Its share of war business which 

 class of trade is winning a constantly growing proportion of attention 

 in local hardwood circles. 



In the meantime prices are holding remarkabl\' well, some pretty Btlflf 

 figures having been quoted on many items during the last couple of weeks. 

 There is little likelihood of the local market lircaking. 



=-< BUFFALO >• 



The hardwood trade starts off the year with a fair demand for stock, 

 but with great difficulty in getting lumber from the mills. Lumbermen 

 are hopeful that the control of the railroads by the government will be of 

 advantage in the movement of commercial woods, though they predict 

 that it will be some time before the general run of trade will get the freight 

 service to which it has been accustomed. Embargoes and freight con- 

 gestion are causing much delay to traffic at present, and it is almost 

 impossible for lumbermen without stocks to deliver promptly to carry on 

 business. Prices are strong. 



Outside of hardwoods wanted by concerns with war orders, business 

 would be quiet, but the demand continues fairly active for a number of 

 woods, with thk;k stock given the usual preference. Oak, maple, ash and 

 hickory are among the woods most in demand. Poplar is doing fairly well. 

 Birch is wanted to quite an extent and some yards are moving a good 

 quantity of beech. Furniture factories are doing little as a general thing, 

 so there is not much demand for mahogany or quartered oak. Low-grades 

 arc in excellent demand and the box fnctorios all have numerous orders. 



=-< PITTSBURGH y 



The hardwood trade is decidedly up and down in this city at present. 

 Demand from furniture, automobile and glass manufacturers Is very 

 light. On the other hand, trade with Industrial and manufacturing con- 

 cerns in general is good especially with those concerns which are build- 

 ing new plants or large additions to their factories. The business In 

 mixed hardwood for mining purposes' also promises to be a very strong 

 factor In spring demand. Trade with the yards has not started since the 

 inventory season. Most of them are cleaned out and the chances are 

 that spring business will start pretty early if the weather is favorable. 

 In general, hardwood men had a much better year In 1^117 than whole- 

 salers in other lines, so that most of them are unt kicking ju^^t now. 



.< BOSTON >= 



Dealers in the hardwood branch of the trade may he said tn have arrived 

 at a state of substantial inability to maiutain any standard business. 

 The difficulties which prevail over the whole country are more favorably 

 qualihed in some sections and a higher proportion of softwood govern- 

 ment usage relieves other divisions of the industry to some extent. But 

 the possibility of bunching conditions of transportation, dry stock avail- 

 able, reasonable prices and a buyer ready to close on uncertainties is 

 becoming more and more unlikely. An improvement in carrying volume 

 is the first requisite, and if that results from the recent assumption of 

 governmental management the dealers anticipate a reasonable flow of 

 business notwithstanding other limitations. 



=-< BALTIMORE >= 



I MADE (MR) RIGHT | 



I OAK FLOORING | 



5 We have 35,000,000 feet dry stock— all of = 



S our own manufacture, from our own tim- — 



S ber grown in Eastern Kentucky. = 



= PROMPT SHIPMENTS = 



\ The MOWBRAY [ 

 I & ROBINSON CO. I 



S (lNC»RPORATEO) = 



I CINCINNATI, OHIO | 



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All Three of Us WiU Be Benefited if You Mention HARDWOOD RECORD 



There has hardly been time since the holidaj-s for the members of the 

 hardwood trade to take a survey of conditions and lay the course for the 

 new year. Many of them have been too busy with stock taking and other 

 matters Incidental to the beginning of the year to give much attention 

 to the soliciting of new business ; but it Is to be said that conditions have 

 not changed in essential respects and are probably more uncertain than 

 before. In addition, transportation troubles are undoubtedly on the 

 Increase. Railroads have Imposed new embargoes, among the systems 

 being the Seaboard Air Line and the Atlantic Coast Line, which have shut 

 down completely on all freight north of Norfolk and Richmond, beyond 

 which points no shipments can be sent. Tliis will interfere greatly with 

 the hardwood movement, considerable quantities of such woods coming 

 from North Carolina. Furthermore, the almost unprecedented cold has 



