4S 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



July :;:■. itus. 



OUXDXESS 



Rcad\} Resources $925,845 



URPLUS 



and Reinsurance Rescrx'e . . . 856,634 



AVINCS 



Returned to Subscribers. . . . 546,757 



ERllCE 

 60-da\i Jnspections; Monthl]) Fire Bulletins. 



These are some of the vital features 

 upon which the management of the 



Lumbermen's Underwriting 

 Alliance 



bases its plea to tlie LUMBERMEN FOR 

 A SHARE OF THEIR Insurance Lines. 

 These safeguards are the result of TEN 

 YEARS of successful underwriting. 



$155,000.00 



in CASH DIVIDENDS went into the treas- 

 uries of ALLIANCE Policyholders in 1914. 

 Owners of protected plants, with five or 

 more years' timber supply, are invited to 

 become identified with us. 



U. S. EPPERSON & COMPANY 



Attorney and Manager, KANSAS CITY 



Over 



One Million Dollars 



in savings has been returned its members by the 



Manufacturing 

 Lumbermen's Underwriters 



and there remains to the credit of members over 



Nine Hundred Thousand 

 Dollars 



The membership, which is constantly increasing, 

 is now composed of nearly four hundred and fifty of 

 the best saw mill plants in the country. Insurance in 

 force exceeds thirty-five million and nearly three 

 million dollars has been paid in losses. If you have 

 a first-class plant adequately protected and are inter- 

 ested in low cost fire insurance, correct policy forms, 

 an inspection service which may save you from a dis- 

 astrous fire, with the certainty of a prompt and 

 equitable adjustment in case loss does occur, and 

 wish a list of members and annual statement we will 

 be glad to hear from you. 



Rankin-Benedict Underwriting Co. 



HARRT B. CLARK 



W««tftrD R«prt8«nt&tlT* 



Portland, Ore. 



Attorney in Fact 



KANSAS CITY, MO. 



iicivsMi ry for iimiiuliirliirt>r« to broiidiii o|H'rutloDa. Ilowevvr, tlicie Is 

 II fi'Olliii; tlint bUKluoKS will nut be ronumctl on ttio old time 8rn|p until 

 nfter the cIokc of the war in Europe, thoueh home demnnd may oiiuhc 

 miiterliil InereiiKc In coniiumptlon. ITIcpi* li:ivc Hhown no inntorltil rhiiiiKc 

 the pniit two weeks. 



=•< BRISTOL >= 



lOiiroiH'iin war orilerH received by licvcrnl large maiitifncturerN In thiH 

 Kci'lliin wKliln the paKt few dnyK have clvon u stimulus to mauufacturlnK. 

 .\8 n result at least one Inrgv liaud mill that has been Idle for n year 

 will be put Into operation Immediately, lloivever. It Is not expected Ihit 

 the lumber Industry will be benellled uuy further by war orders. 



The movement of stock Is llKhl. The majority of the mills are still 

 running and are shipping; probatily about half ns much stock as they 

 arc cuttlnK. While there Is consldiralib' apathy In the trade, the Renernl 

 nellnK Is that business will liiiin .v ^lljhlly toward fall. 



=-< LOUISVILLE >= 



Hardwood trade Is Impruvlni; In a lot of ways. It has been pIckInK up 

 n little In volume tor some time, and now It Is galnlnc ns to price. .\8h 

 bus been strengthening for some time, and now Is practically back to 

 normal, especially us far ns thick ai^b for export purpo.ses is concerned. 

 Then, too, poplar, which has also been selling well, has shown ability to 

 advance as to price, the low-grades volng very well. Cull poplar Is very 

 popular for this purpose, because of the line surface It offers for the 

 piinting plates. Ued gum Is n little more active than It has l)cen, and 

 ih'st and seconds sap sum has tceu in ^rood demand. I'lain oak has shown 

 quite a spurt of late, and Is selling well enough to encourage those 

 whose stocks of this staple ore untiiiiy large. Quartered oak Is not par- 

 ticularly brisk, but prices arc holding firm. Hickory Is In good demand, 

 the automobile trade taking a goml deal of this. Altogether, there Is a 

 measurable Improvement In business as compared with conditions a few 

 weeks and months ago. 



--<, LITTLE ROCK y-- 



Generally speaking Um lumber business in .Vrkansas Is somewhat bet- 

 ter than It has been for some time, though In all parts the industry 

 is not faring so well. At Searcy, Ark., the large plant of the Henry 

 Wrape Stave Company has begun to run on full schedule again. This 

 mill has been operating on short time for several months, and even 

 with the reduced schedule had a large supply of manufactured products 

 on the yards and in the sheds. The sales have Increased, however, to 

 such an extent as to Justify the running with full force and long time 

 hereafter. 



=-< MILWAUKEE >= 



While trade in the local liardwooil market might be better, the usual 

 summer slump in business does not seem to be so serious this season. 

 Wholesalers are confident that a decided revival in business will be ex- 

 perienced during the coming month, when the fall building operations 

 take on a litlc more activity. While the amount of the building Invest- 

 ment in Milwaukee has been showing a slight falling off of late, the num- 

 ber of permits, with the exception of the past week, has been showing 

 a gain, due to the fact that there is a great deal of small building. In- 

 cluding residences, flats and apartments, going on. During the week 

 Just closed there were 62 permits Issued by building Inspector W. D. 

 Harper for structures to cost $iao,76S, as compared with 7o permits 

 and an Investment of .$22.'!,625 during the corresponding week a year ago. 

 Many large building projects, planned earlier in the season, were held 

 over because of the depression in some lines, and work on these will start 

 early this fall. 



Local factory buyers are still inclined to take only enough stock to 

 meet their present requirements, but the demand from these concerns Is 

 holding up very well and the total volume of business received thus far 

 has been very satisfactory. A big increase in demand from this source 

 is expected next month, however. Stocks on band at all the interior 

 woodworking plants arc far from large and it will be absolutely neces- 

 sary for these manufacturers to buy a little more freely. The furniture 

 people are buying carefully and as yet, have not jshown an inclination to 

 anticipate their future wants. 



Stocks of northern hardwoods arc not large ; in fact there Is a scarcity 

 in some lines, particularly maple flooring, which has been selling well 

 all the season. Holders of stocks of northern woods arc not inclined to 

 show any price concessions, as there is a feeling that higher values may 

 be expected early this fall, it the amount of building that Is anticipated 

 develops. New stocks of birch and basswood and some other lines are 

 arriving in the local market, but they are hardly in shape for immediate 

 use. 



One of the most hopeful signs for future business Is the brilliant crop 

 outlook all over Wisconsin. Unless something unforeseen occurs, Wis- 

 consin will harvest a bumper grain and hay crop. Corn has been delayed 

 somewhat by the excessive rains of this season, but the hot weather 

 recently gave the crop a fresh start and a normal yield Is expected. 

 When crops In Wisconsin and surrounding states are good It usually 

 means that general business here will be satisfactory. The recent crop 

 statistics Issued by the Wisconsin state board of agriculture were highly 

 favorable and gave promise of heavy crops In all sections of the state. 



