April 10, 1918 



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The Lumberman s Round Table 



Red Gum for Paneling 



The new Woods Theater iu Chicago, one of tlie finest playhouses 

 recently erected, is notable for the handsome panels which adorn 

 its lobby. These panels, which are exceptionally large in size, are 

 made of figured gum, and the effect is remarkable. Many people 

 take them for Circassian walnut, and while the figure is hardly 

 extreme enough to suggest Circassian to anyone acquainted with 

 that wood, it is undeniably striking. The panels are given a rubbed 

 finish, the natural color of the wood being preserved, so that the 

 admiration which the woodwork has excited is a tribute to the 

 beauty of gum. 



If anyone had said ten years ago that the finest tkeatcr in Chicago 

 would be trimmed in gum, and that figured gum panels would be 

 regarded as the height of beauty in woodwork, the chances are 

 that that individual would have been derided. Yet that very thing 

 has happened. 



Selling in the Building Field 



In view of the generally reduced operations of the builders, as 

 a result, largely, of the discouragement given building by Secretary 

 McAdoo and other government officials, who believe that money 

 should not be invested at this time in building construction, it is 

 up to the manufacturer of doors and other wood products used in 

 building to study his market carefully in order to be able to get 

 results from his sales promotion efforts. 



One well-known Wisconsin door manufacturer, who has been sell- 

 ing his product in all directions for a number of years, has scanned 

 the field and has found that hospitals are about the only class of 

 buildings which are being erected in the customary number. Owing 

 to the necessary character of these structures, there is no ban on 

 their erection; besides, the war seems to have stimulated giving 

 for charitable purposes, and the hospitals are having comparatively 

 little trouble in raising funds. Hence many new buildings are 

 being erected, and additions provided for established institutions. 



The door concern referred to has a large line, of course, but 

 just now most of its advertising is confined to a series of flush 

 doors especially suitable for hospital work. In fact, in all of its 

 advertising to architects it is featuring this door, realizing that 

 this is the line of least resistance, and that there will be more 

 opportunities to specify hospital doors than any other kind at 

 this time. 



By looking over the situation and analyzing market conditions, 

 it is possible for the manufacturer to expend his effort in a way 

 to produce the maximum measure of returns. 



The Stock of the Factory 



Although one has got in the habit of supposing that furniture 

 manufacturers no longer carry big stocks, trips to various consum- 

 ing plants indicate that the average concern is still finding it 

 highly desirable to have a fairly good sized stock on its own yard, 

 where it can put its hands on the material at any time. 



Theoretically, the manufacturer of wood products who figures 

 his operations so carefully as to be able to take his lumber out of 

 the cars, shoot it into the kilns, and move it from the kilns to the 

 machine room, is in the best possible position, because he is not 

 tying up much of his capital in raw material. But in practice it 

 is very difficult to make delivery coincide exactly with manufac- 

 turing necessities, and it is important to have an anchor to wind- 

 ward in the form of an adequate stock of dry lumber on the yard. 



The writer recently visited a large Chicago furniture factory, 

 which uses a big quantity of oak and other lumber. It has on hand 

 close to a million feet of lumber, which is on sticks, getting ready 

 for use. The head of the factory admitted that this stock repre- 

 sented a lot of money; likewise, that it was necessary to have a 

 big investment in land, for yard purposes, in order to take care 

 of this stock. 



"But we find it is a good thing to do," he added, "especially 

 in times such as we have been experiencing. Cars have been scarce, 



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and deliveries of lumber have been somewhat uncertain. The result 

 is that we have drawn heavily on our reserve stock. It costs more 

 to carry the lumber, but it is mighty fine to have it on hand when 

 it is needed." 



Being able to let the other fellow carry the stock will be accom- 

 plished when the industrial millennium arrives. 



Using Water Transportation 



Railway congestion and shortage of rolling stock are making 

 shippers and receivers of lumber give more consideration to the 

 use of waterways for the movement of stock. Comparatively little 

 use has been made of the available resources, and for this reason 

 additional facilities have not been developed. Much can be done 

 along this line. 



For example, a factory in Chicago, which is located on the 

 Chicago river, and could easily receive lumber from boats, is arrang- 

 ing this season for the first time to have lumber shipped in by 

 water. The material will be moved from ports on Lake Michigan 

 and docked right at the factory, saving a big amount in freights, 

 and also making a movement that for convenience could not be 

 surpassed. It is expected that the use of this method of delivery 

 will save a big amount in transportation charges in the course 

 of a single season. There is no reason advanced for not having 

 done this heretofore. 



In the South a good many sporadic efforts have been made to 

 employ the rivers for this purpose. Logging is, of course, accom- 

 plished in this way iu many instances, and in others the finished 

 lumber could be moved out by steamboat and barge if the effort 

 were made. But not many people have tried to do this. 



Up to this time railroad competition has been aimed to suppress 

 river transportation. Under government control and supervision, 

 the railroads should encourage river traffic, and should cooperate 

 with them in such a way as to encourage this mode of transpor- 

 tation. It will relieve the pressure on the transportation system. 



Why Advertise Now? 



A certain lumber manufacturer, who is cutting a lot of stock at 

 present, but is devoting practically all of his attention to govern- 

 ment work, is observed to be doing just as much advertising as 

 he ever did, and to be spending just as much effort on getting the 

 right kind of "copy" before the trade. 



One of his friends inquired the reason for this system. 



"We don't want to be forgotten by any of our good customers," 

 he said. "We haven't a great deal to offer at present, and are not 

 in a position to solicit new business in volume, but we know that 

 conditions at present are abnormal. If we wait for normal times 

 to return before we do any advertising, we will have lost a lot of 

 ground, and will have a great deal of impetus to restore to our sales 

 work. Inasmuch as our salesmen are not on the road at present, 

 and we are not reminding our customers through them of our busi- 

 ness and facilities, it is all the more important to talk to the trade 

 by means of the printed word. 



Why the Jobber Lasts 



One of the best known concerns in the Ohio Valley, which for- 

 merly operated a mill, is now doing strictly a jobbing business on 

 ash. It is assembling stocks made on a great many mills, and is 

 specializing to such an extent that it is becoming very well known 

 among buyers of ash. Ash is one of those woods which is scattered, 

 as to growth. 'There are no forests of ash, where a mill can be 

 established to cut nothing else; but each manufacturer gets a little 

 of it. In a case of this kind the jobber is a very important factor 

 iu the trade, since he brings together the product of many mills, 

 and makes it possible for the buyer to get just what he wants, with- 

 out having to take a lot of stock that he doesn't want. There are 

 many other examples of jobbers' service, but this is one of the best 

 ways to demonstrate that it would be impossible to eliminate the 

 jobbing yard from the hardwood business. 



