20 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



AuguHt 10, 1U13. 



rc^' of Hixi iiiorcaM' iiixl .Uvr. •.!>«• ill eonsiiinption of liom- 



lock tlmt an intolli|{i>iit riiin|iiii^ii iniiv l>o condvictoil to the 



end tlmt innrkote iiiiiy Iv more fully ilt'vi'lo|H?it. lie Miid tlmt tlio 

 arcliitofts •diould bo iipproudicd directly with the view of intorestinc 

 them ill iiiirh information as trould be coni|iilcd in this wny, and that 

 the mamifnoturers are not hclpiuf; their 8nli"»nien cnoU);li to maintain 

 markfts but are blaming the men when sales do not come in prop- 

 erly. He made a strong plea for nctiun on this score, saying he 

 would lie willing to agree to a twenty -five cents a thonsaiid feet levy. 

 The ipiestion was taken up by the resolutions committee, as noted 

 L'lter. 



Plan to Cut White Cedar Shingle Surplus 

 I rjarics K. iJaley of the Menominee Kiver Shingle tuiiijMii.>, 

 Menominee, Mich., presented the following proposition in behalf of 

 white cedar shingles. Mr. Daley has l>een interested in retailing as 

 well as in the manufacture of j\hite cedar shingles, and said this type 

 <'( >l,iii:;les is not receiving just consideration by the retailer, as the 

 wnltli "i the red cedar shingle rather recommends it to the liuihler. 

 Mr. Daley said there are over 400 retail lumber dealers in southern 

 Wisconsin and 100 in northern Illinois in the vicinity of Rockford 

 or north of the Chicago-Aurora line. If each of these dealers would 

 put one car of white cedar shingles in their yard, car containing 

 160,000 piece.«, it would make a total of 80,000,000 shingles and 

 materially reduce the surplus at northern Wisconsin and Michigan 

 mills. He maintained if they will put in white cedar shingles they 

 will sell them easily and come back for more. Mr. Daley has made 

 a close personal investigation of the trouble with white cedar shingle 

 markets and said that after closely analyzing it he has concluded he 

 could personally put through a proposition of this sort, and believes 

 the association should give him the opportunity. His plan was well 

 received and may be adopted by tlic association. 



Interesting Figures on Hardwood Values 

 C. A. Goodman reported for birch, elm and basswood. His paper 

 follows : 



FAS basswood 5/4 and thicker is not plentiful in dry stocks and in 

 some instances better prices arc being obtained than at the beginning of 

 the year. Quite a little dry 4 '4 lias been moving and although some 

 low prices have been made there have been, nt the same time, some sales 

 $2 or $3 higher than the lowest prices, so tbat there seems to be quite a 

 variation on prices being quoted on FAS and it may be that some prices 

 ^ are being made lower than the market. At present fair average prices of 

 sales made seem to be as follows f. o. b. mill points : 4/4, $35 ; 5/4 and 

 6/4, $37 to J38: 8/4, $38 to ?40. 



Some sales have l»en made right along on basis of 4/4, $36 : 5/4 and 

 6/4, .?38 to S40: S/4, $40 to $42; 10/4 and 12 '4 FAS is sold In small 

 quantities and the price seems to vary from $47 to $48. 



No. 1 common basswood 5/4, C''4 and 8/4 is not very plentiful. Prices 

 are running f. o. b. mill about $25 to $27, with some 8/4 &elling at $28. 



4/4 No. 1 common basswood is where the largest variation occurs in 

 price and also the greatest variation in grade. 4/4 No. 1 common is 

 being quoted as low as $21.50 dellvored Chicago, and as high as $26.50. 

 <julte a number of .sales are being made at $23 to $24. .50. An average 

 of some sales made would indicate that price of 4 4 No. 1 common ought 

 not to be less than $24 f. o.' b. mill points, with perhaps a concession of 

 50c to $1 on stock that runs unusually narrow or short, or where the 

 4 and 5" clear siding strips have been taken out. 



No. 2 common basswood is selling at $20 to $21 for 5'4. 0/4 and S'4. 

 and $17.50 to $18 for 4/4 delivered Chicago and Milwaukee. 



No. 3 common basswood Is selling at $17 to $17.50 for 5/4. G '4 and 8/4 

 delivered Milnaukee and Chicago, and $15 for 4/4. This makes tho 

 prices at the mill about as follows : 



4/4 No. 2 Common ' $15.50 



.V4, i;/4 & .V4 No. 2 Common 18.00 to $18.50 



4/4 Nn. 3 Common 12..50 



5/4. 4 & 8/4 No. 3 Common .' 14.50 to 15.00 



This No. 3 basswood comes somewhat in competition with $4 white 

 pine and it seems that this price for No. 3 basswood Is very much lower 

 than it should be. Three years ago No. 3 4/4 basswood sold at about $1 

 less than white pine No. 4 boards. Now it is selling at $3 or $4 less. 



Basswood, taken all the way through, is selling at less than Its Intrinsic 

 value when you consider the many purposes for which it can be used. 

 The stocks of basswood through the state are being reduced and we believe 

 the time will soon come when dry stocks will be at a premium. .\t present 

 the selling price of 4/4 and thicker log run f. o. b. mills appears to be 

 about $24 to $25, and for 4/4 and thicker No. 3 about $13. 



Stocks which are Ireing sorted np and sold direct to the trade arc net- 

 ting some more than this according to the percentage of FAS. A good 

 fair stock of basswood running 25 to 30 per cent F.\S ought to net $27 

 to S2.'« for No. 2 and hot lor and about $14 for No. " common f. o. b. mill. 



Kl.u 

 Soft olm la fortunate lu belni,' in Nuch Mcht »upply that the demand In 

 liiklni; (he dry stuck n» tut ai> It iKciiiiiulatcf) at prlccx as Iduli or liluher 

 than at the openlug of the year. .\t preHcnt there sei'inH to be no nccumu. 

 liitinn of dry Hoft elm In any urnilix nr ililckni'KAi'K except xomp 4 4 Jacket 

 boiirdK ; that Is, low uradeN 4/4 rnniiliii: narrow iiiul short mid moitly No. 



I and 2 cuinmon. A eonipm i>"ii "I sales reei'ntly iiiadi' would Indicate 

 that No. 2 •'4iiiiiih>n and iH'tii-r "It i-lin Ik worth about ii-* follows, f. o. b. 

 WIscoiikIii iiiill pninIK : Narrow 4 4 about $22, ,'•4 unit 11/4, $2)1, anil 

 s 4. $27 to $2S. tin ismdeii a nuiiilier of sales have recently licon made 

 and are being made now at prices about as follows : 



12/4 $42.00 $30,00 and $18.00 



11/4 and 8/4 37.00 27.00 and 17.00 



'.'4 36.00 26.00 n lid 16.00 



1/4 30.00 26 00 and 1 0.0(1 



II good average widths, but Jacket boards (short and narrow) are selling 

 nt [iriccB less than tills down to S.'M. $22 and $14. .\ gowl average cut 

 of soft elm ,5, 4 and thicker with the Jacket boards cut that will run 25 

 to .30 per cent FAS should be worth $27 to $28 at the mill. 



No. 3 elm has siillercd on account of low prices made on other No. 3 

 hardwood and Is now selling at considerably lower prices than it should. 

 'I'lie lurrent price on 4/4 No. .'i elm delivered at Wisconsin manufacturing 

 lioints seems to be about $14. .50, some sales being made at $15, with 00c 

 added to the delivered price for resawinl rough. 5/4, 6/4 and 8/4 BcUIng 

 at from $1 to $2 above this price. This appears to make the present price 

 f. o. 1>. mill points about $12 fiir I 4. $13 for 5/4. 0/4 and R '4. Kven 

 under present conditions, prices ought to be f. o. b. mills not less than 

 $14 for 4/4 and $15 for 5/4, 6,4 and 8/4. 



There has been such a scattered demand for rock elm that It is diflicult 

 to get a line on the price. Apparently there is much less rock elm In the 

 state than at any time for some years and all thicknesses, even 4/4, seem 

 to be moving out, so that there does not appear to be much of an accumu- 

 lation of any one thickness. This seems to be selling f. o. b. mill points 

 at about $22 for 4/4 and $24 to $20 for 5/4, 6/4 and 8/4. There is much 

 variation in the quality of rock elm, some of the lietter cuts selling as 

 high as $.30 for the entire product No. 2 common and better. This would 

 lake stocks where the logs are goini enough to produce some stock thicker 

 than 8/4. 



.Apparently log run rock elm Is now worth from $26 to $28 f. o. b. 

 mill, according to quality. There is very little of this sold on grades, 

 although some sales have been reported of No. 1 common and better at 

 about $4 per thousand feet above tlie price of No. 2 common and better. 



Bir.CH 



Birch, being a wood of which there is a large amount of good quality 

 produced in Wisconsin, quite a large amount of which Is manufactured 

 early in the year and comes on to the market early in the summer, seems 

 to vary more in price through the year than some of the other woods. 

 Some birch is being olTereil now, especially FAS and No. 1 common, at 

 prices less than were being obtained last winter and at probably much less 

 than the stock will be selling for next winter. The mills naturally want 

 to move this lumber as soon as it will get dry, but the best market Is In 

 the winter when manufacturing consumers are making contracts and 

 when the interior finish people are getting ready for their spring business. 

 For this reason it seems a mistake to go out and try to sell birch now by 

 making extremely low prices. 



4/4 F.\S birch is selling in some cases at $40 f. o. b. mill, but some 

 sales have been made as low as $35 and $36 ; 5/4, 6/4 and 8/4 Is selling 

 at from $2 to $4 more than 4/4. The good fair market price of birch 

 today, based on actual sales, appears to be 4/4 FAS, $38 ; 5/4, 0/4, $42 : 

 S/4, $44. These prices refer to unselected birch of good average widths 

 and lengths and would say that those prices are not the top prices because 

 some sales are now being made at higher prices than these. Present con- 

 ditions would Justify price of $40 f. o. b. mill for 1" FAS : $44 for 5/4, 

 and $46 for 0/4 and 8/4. There has not been much demand for 10/4 and 

 12/4 F.\S birch until recently; there has been some business In. 10/4 on 

 account of eastern war orders. 1(14 is being sold at $56 to $58 delivered 

 Philadelphia for F.\S, and No. 1 common at $10 less. 



No. 1 common birch containing 50 to 00 per cent of the log naturally 

 accumulates faster than the oihc r grades. For this reason there appears 

 to be at times unreasonably low prices made to move this grade in advance 

 of the natural demand. A good grade of 4/4 No. 1 common birch Is lirlng- 

 Ing $20 at the mills : 5/4 and 6 4 about $24, and 8/4, $26. 6/4 and 8/4 

 No. 1 common birch is scarce and in fair demand. 5/4 No. 1 common Is 

 in more plentiful demand, but seems to be moving about as fast as dry. 

 There Is considerable 4/4 No. 1 coraaion In the yards but there appears to 

 be no reason for making the price any less than $20. 



4/4 No. 2 common birch has been shipped out cleaner than the No. 1 

 common. Some of the larger mills have absolutely none of this in their 

 yards. This Is selling now at about $12 to $13 f. o. b. mill points. 5/4 

 No. 2 common is selling at $14 lo $15 f. o. b. mill points and Is scarce. 

 6/4 and 8/4 No. 2 common should bring $16. There Is very little at the 

 mills and there is enough demand to take this as fast as dry. It would 

 seem that a fair price for birch f. o. b. mills on a basis of 4/4 with the 

 other thicknesses higher in proiiorlion would be $40 for FAS, $20 for No. 1 

 common and $14 for No. 2 common, and as low a price as any of the average 

 sales would indicate necessary t.i make at present, and these sales we 



