July 25, 1915. 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



17 



Where the Lumbermen Can Benefit Themselves 



WHILE THE STATEMENTS PBEPARED for presentation to 

 tlie Federal Trad? Commission at Chicago this week were 

 replete with interesting facts and data, it was also apjiarent that in 

 a good many instances positive information was lacking. This was 

 particularly true when lumbermen were requested to re]jly to leading 

 cjuestions propounded by members of the commission, and it was 

 apparent so often as to point to a real necessity for absolutely 

 dependable data covering all phases of lumbering in every producing 

 and consuming location. 



At first thought the compilation of this information apjtfars to be 

 too gigantic and complicated a task to seem practical, but it is within 

 the lumbermen's power to have the task performed without any effort 

 or expenditure on their part if they will but embrace an oi)portunity 

 that is now offered which can be broadened if they will but nmke it 

 known that they wish it to be. We refer to the present investiga- 

 tion of lumber and lumber markets as being carried on by the Fed- 

 eral Forest Service. 



This investigation as originally planned was to have covered the 

 entire lumber industry in all of its departments from the stump to 

 the finished article made from wood and to embrace all woods. Due, 

 however, to the fact that no one is jiarticularly or directly interested 

 in seeing that each wood is given its fair share of attention, and 

 inasmuch as it seems to be expedient to cut down the scope of the 

 investigation on account of insufficient appropriation, the Forest 

 Service officials in charge of the work eliminated tlie investigation of 

 many of the important woods and are now dealing only with a limited 

 territory and in a rather limited way. 



The point is that if the lumbermen would make it known to the 

 Forest Service that they urgently desire that the investigation be 

 made comprehensive of all industries affiliated with the lumber 

 industry and all industries directly dependent ujion the lumber indus- 

 try, the Service would be able to secure without undue trouble suf- 

 ficient funds from other sources to make this study one of real 

 importance while it is being done, rather than of merely casual impor- 

 tance in a general way and of no direct importance as far as its 

 being representative of the entire industry is concerned. It would 

 appear there has been too much slurring of this work in almost all 

 investigations, possibly with some exception in past years but in the 

 present instance the investigations are being carried on at a time 

 when lumbermen are more interested than ever, due to their efforts 

 to gain recognition before the Interstate Commerce Commission and 

 the Federal Trade Commission in securing every fact and every bit 

 of data available to show exactly the status of lumbering, and the 

 Forest Service should, and undoubtedly would, be willing to stretch 

 a point if it appreciates the fact that the immense interests embraced 

 in the lumber industry so desired. It is not sufficient that any man- 

 ufacturer merely agree with this assertion; he must on the other hand 

 be one of those who makes his wish known to the Forest Service. If 

 a sufficient number of influential lumbermen and organizations will 

 take this suggestion unto themselves they will be enabled to secure 

 just that character of information for which they have been making 

 such a frantic search and without which they are absolutely lost in 

 their efforts to present their case to federal and other authorities. 



the larger type of buyers the smaller men seemingly having either 

 passed up the show or not having made up theii' minds as to just 

 how nuich they wanted to bu}'. It is this latter type who have post- 

 poned their purchasing until the salesmen get out, but there is hardly 

 an exhibitor who has not lined up a very fair number of future 

 buyers. 



Period stuff is by long odds the best seller, particularly in the 

 better class of furniture. On the whole it can be said that the mod- 

 erate and cheaper lines are going best in a general way, and in these 

 lines oak seems to rather predominate. The call for the respective 

 finishes is spotty according to territory, but the continued popu- 

 larity of the highly polished golden oak is still apparent. The rea- 

 son for this, of course, is easily appreciated as the class of people who 

 ordinarily buy this cheap stuff seem to want to get as much show 

 for their mone.v as they possibly can. On the whole, however, the 

 waxed finish is undoubtedly the most popular. The mission styles seem 

 to be on the wane. 



Several manufacturers who have been pushing walnut report that 

 it is going in very good shape and that they anticipate good demand 

 for walnut, increasing in importance as the popularity of this wood' 

 is more thoroughly establisheil. There are some beautiful offerings of 

 black walnut in different styles of furniture and it is unquestionably 

 a fact that this wood has made a lasting impression on manufacturer, 

 dealer and consumer. 



Mahogany is still strong, holding a leading place in period offerings, 

 while Circassian walnut does not occupy the conspicuous place that 

 it did some months ago. On the whole the buyers seem rather to 

 feel that American walnut, oak and mahagany are especially strong. 

 There were some exceptionally handsome exhibits in gum, especially 

 in figured stock, the wood being made up in a variety of 'finishes 

 tending to bring out the best in the wood in as handsome a way as 

 possible. Gum furniture has gained a place of it sown in the minds 

 of the buyers. It would seem, however, that the chief difficulty has 

 been the hesitancy about offering gum in its true light to the pur- 

 chasing public. As a general thing it is not offered as gum but as 

 some other wood in disguise, which is an injustice to this beautiful 

 and altogether dependable American hardwood. Gum is every year 

 showing more and more importance in the trade and it is pretty nearly 

 time it is recognized on its own merits by the retail furniture 

 dealers. 



All together the show can be said to have been entirely satisfac- 

 tory when all conditions are considered. Sales were very good in total 

 volume although not up to expectation in number of individual 

 sales. The South and Southwest, according to exhibitors, showed the 

 greatest atendance and greatest interest in purchases. All the middle 

 western states seemed to be in pretty fair shape, according to the 

 exhibitors' version of the stories they got. In this territory there 

 bids fair to be an excellent fall business although the actual sales 

 at the show were not as great as sales in territory farther south and 

 farther west. 



One fairl3- competent authority estimates that for every one or 

 two dollars' worth of stuff we export, the domestic consumption is 

 $98 or $99. If this is true the big job is to keep alive and serve 

 the domestic trade. 



The Furniture Shows 



WITH THE CHICAGO furniture show practically over the exhib- 

 itors are fairly united in an optimistic opinion of the results. 

 Such results have not all been directly realized on the floors of the 

 exhibition building through consummated sales, but in innumerable 

 cases furniture buyers have expressed themselves as desiring to pur- 

 chase at a later perioil and have requested the manufacturers' rep- 

 resentatives to be sure and stop in as soon as they go out on the road. 

 Some of the exhibitors seemed rather discouraged, but there was a 

 preponderating number who not only felt optimistic about the pres- 

 ent but are of the opinion that there will be a condition approach- 

 ing almost normal in the fall. 



For the most part those who actually purchased on the floor, and 

 most of these purchases were of very satisfactory proportions, were 



Toy making as a means of consuming scrap wood has long been 

 quite an industry in Germany, and the present season has fur- 

 nished splendid opportunities for its development in this country. 



The best way to get hardwood sawdust onto land as a fertilizer 

 is to encourage its use for stable bedding that it may make up a 

 part of the manure body. For fertilizing purposes hardwood saw- 

 dust is better than pine because it will decay and produce fer- 

 tilizer, while pitch pine sawdust wall not. 



.Just as long as the folks with money prefer financing war 

 doings to pushing business, just that long will business progress 

 have a handicap. 



There's not much being said about it, but the ship yards ought 

 to be doing considerable lumber buying these days. 



