HARDWOOD RECORD 



26C 



orary membership was conferred on H. Katz, 

 who was for years stationed in Memphis as 

 representative of M. B. Bodenheim. but who is 

 now with the same firm with headquarters at 

 Dermott, Ark. 



The entire office force of the E. Sondheinier 

 Company, which has just removed its general 

 offices from Chicago to Memphis, has reached 

 this city and the company is busy getting every- 

 thing in working order. For the present quar- 

 ters will be in the Randolph building, but when 

 the Tennessee Trust Company has finished its 

 skyscraper, probably September 1, the company 

 will have its offices In this structure, which is 

 in the heart of the banking and business dis- 

 trict. Max Sondheimer, president of the com- 

 pany, has already Identified himself with the 

 lumber interests here by Joining the Lumber- 

 men's Club. He said some right spicy things 

 to the club at the last meeting because it had 

 not improved fully all its opportunities for ad- 

 vancing the cause of the lumbermen in this, the 

 largest hardwood-producing district in the world, 

 and declared himself to be iu favor of a more 

 progressive and aggressive policy. lie said he 

 was for Chicago as long as his headquarters 

 were there, but since he has come to Memphis 

 he was heart and soul for this city. Memphis 

 lumbermen regard him as a most valuable ac- 

 quisition. 



W. H. Russe of Russe & Burgess and presi- 

 dent of the National Lumber Exporters' Asso- 

 ciation is of the opinion, after a five months' 

 trip abroad, that the tide has turned in the 

 lumber business in England and on the Conti- 

 nent, and expressed the view that there are 

 better things in store for exporters of American 

 hardwoods. Mr. Russe is by no means bullish. 

 He takes a conservative view of conditions, but 

 is inclined to believe that the worst has been 

 passed. He notes that the heavy consignment 

 stocks, which were such a depressing factor last 

 year, have disappeared from first hands, but 

 asserts that a great deal of lumber is still in 

 the hands of the dealers, thus preventing free 

 purchases on the part of importers of American 

 lumber. He refers to the depression caused by 

 the Boer war, traces of which are still evident. 

 and says there is a feeling of uneasiness regard- 

 ing the possibility of international complications 

 growing out of the Russo-Japanese war. Both of 

 these features, he says, are less noticeable now 

 than they were a short time ago and he sees 

 some improvement in prospect as a result of the 

 smaller amount of oak lumber produced in 

 Russia this year, because of the internal trou- 

 bles in that country and because of the smaller 

 Importations of mahogany, growing out of the 

 higher prices for this wood, and the smaller 

 amount available just now. He recalled that 

 during the past year prices on this wood had 

 been relatively so low as to almost exclude 

 quarter sawed oak shipped from the United 

 States. "To sum tip," he concluded. "I be- 

 lieve it safe to say that the worst is over ; that 

 If there is not a repetition of the consignment 

 of lumber there will be a marked improvement 

 In the foreign situation and that the advance 

 which foreigners will have to pay will not 

 deter them from being good buyers of Ameri- 

 can hardwoods, though just now there is a wait- 

 ing policy in evidence among the larger buyers, 

 pending further developments in important par- 

 ticulars." 



The Kentucky Lumber Company is erecting a 

 modern band saw mill at Tutwiler, Miss., with a 

 daily capacity of 30,000 feet. 



A meeting of the executive committee of the 

 Hardwood Manufacturers' Association of the 

 United States was held at the Hotel Gayoso a 

 few days ago, though nothing has been given 

 out regarding the subject of the conference. 

 Those present were : President R. H. Vansant. 

 Ashland, Ky. ; Secretary Lewis Doster, Colum- 

 bus, nhio : Fred C. Fischer, Coal Grove. Ohio : 

 John B. Ransom. Nashville, Tenn., and William 

 Wilms, Chicago. 



George M. Spiegle, of George M. Spiegle & Co., 

 Philadelphia; Richard W. Price and 1;. A. Far- 

 ber, of Price & lira Id, Baltimore, were in Mem- 

 phis this week. Mr. Spiegle is chairman of the 

 transportation committee of the National Lumber 

 Bxpdrters' Association, while Mr. Price is treas- 

 urer of the same organization. 



T. J. Dodd and W. F. Harrison, Camden, 

 Tenn., have purchased extensive timber holdings 

 in Louisiana and will put in saw mills and stave 

 plants for the development of their newly ac- 

 quired properties. 



The Ripley, Tenn., Lumber Manufacturing 

 Company was recently organized at that point 

 with a capital stock of $10,000 and with the 

 following officers : J. A. Gurney, president ; J. 

 S. Harris, vice president, and R. D. Holt, sec- 

 retary and treasurer. E. II. Walker will super- 

 intend the mill work. 



James E. Stark of James E. Stark & Co. re- 

 cently returned from an extended trip through 

 the North. Mr. Stark reports lumber conditions 

 healthy, though he admits that the demand just 

 now from some of the large consumers, notably 

 the furniture manufacturers, is not at all urgent. 

 He is of the opinion, however, that there will 

 not be any decline in prices and bases this view 

 on the knowledge that stocks in the hands of 

 consumers and manufacturers alike are not 

 large in hardwood lumber. 



.T. W. Thompson of the J. W. Thompson Lum- 

 ber Company says business is good, with the out- 

 look encouraging, despite the slight lull expe- 

 rienced during the past fortnight. 



W. A. Bennett of Cincinnati was here during 

 the past week. He had been on a trip to New 

 Orleans with George C. Ehemann. a member of 

 the firm of Bennett & Witte, in charge of the 

 Memphis office. Mr. Bennett is inclined to be 

 a little pessimistic about some features of the 

 lumber situation and particularly over the scar- 

 city of new orders. He reports the Memphis 

 business as rather larger than that of Cincin- 

 nati. 



The Southern Hardwood Lumber Company of 

 this city has filed an amendment to its charter, 

 increasing its capital stock from $5,000 to $10,- 

 000. This is one of the more recent companies 

 to enter this field. 



W. E. Smith of the Three States Lumber Com- 

 pany, alter a short illness is able to be at his 

 office again. 



J. J. Bruner, connected with the local office of 

 Bennett & Witte. has returned from a trip to 

 New Orleans. 



Minneapolis. 



A II. Barnard and P. W. Strickland of Bar- 

 nard & Strickland, local wholesalers, have 

 returned from a trip over in Wisconsin looking 

 at some of the new sceason's stock which they 

 will handle this year. They report that the 

 new lumber they looked at is excellent in qual- 

 ity, and that they will have a better and heav- 

 ier stock than they had last season. 



D. F. Clark of Osborne & Clark returned Fri- 

 day from an extended business trip in the East, 

 looking after the disposition of some of their 

 stock to old and new customers. He gave 

 Chicago a wide berth this time. They received 

 orders to stop shipment on a large order sold 

 to a Chicago customer and are holding it until 

 the labor trouble subsides. Mr. Osborne says 

 the firm is enjoying a good, steady demand from 

 retail yards, and is having trouble in supplying 

 the call in some lines of stock, especially oak. 

 And at that they are more fortunate than most 

 of the dealers in possessing stock that is 

 wanted. 



P. R. Hamilton of the Minneapolis Lumber 

 Company reports trade somewhat quiet with 

 Wisconsin. Prices are firm, and while some of 

 the buyers are ready to take stock if they can 

 get concessions in price, Mr. Hamilton believes 

 that it will pay them to hold the stock until 

 they get what it is worth. 



W. H. Sill of the Minneapolis Lumber Com- 

 pany pi: o days ago from an ex- 

 tended trip in Wisconsin, negotiating for stocks 

 which the company will place on the market 

 this season. He found stocks of new lumber 

 not heavy, but was able to get some good offer- 

 ings. 



F. H. Lewis, the local wholesaler, finds con- 

 siderable interest in oak, which is by far the 

 scarcest article on the market. He says that 

 on account of good drying weather this spring 

 some of the winter-sawed stock has been put 

 in condition for possible shipment, although 

 about 500 pounds heavier to the thousand than 

 perfectly dry stock. However, customers who 

 wanted the stock had to have it, and the extra 

 freight was paid. 



E. Payson Smith, the well known wholesaler 

 of southern hardwoods, has reopened his offices 

 in this city, securing commodious quarters at 

 417 Andrus building. Mr. Smith says the mar- 

 ket is steady and he is having a good sale for 

 every variety of stock. He has even sold some 

 of the much despised gum in eastern markets 

 lately. Southern oak is selling freely up this 

 way, and at advanced prices. George S. Agnew, 

 who has been working under Mr. Smith for the 

 past two or three years, started out a few days 

 ago to try his fortune as a traveling salesman, 

 and will cover Iowa, Nebraska and Illinois for 

 Mr. Smith. 



L. P. Arthur of the Arthur Lumber Com- 

 pany, Memphis, Tenn., was In Minneapolis last 

 week and visited two or three days with E. 

 Payson Smith, who is an old acquaintance. 



Grand. Eapids. 



A delightful dinner, informal and nicely pro- 

 portioned in its shop and social features, was 

 tendered by Henry W. Carey of Eastlake to 

 about thirty members of the Michigan Maple 

 Company and the Hemlock Bark Company at 

 the Hotel Pantland, Monday evening. May 1. 

 Mr. Carey is at the head of both these organi- 

 zations and the principal matter to be discussed 

 by the manufacturers present was the formation 

 of a lumber manufacturers' association, con- 

 fined to the lower peninsula of Michigan. It 

 was felt by W. H. White of Eoyne City, Mr. 

 Carey and others who have been prominent in 

 association work for years, that the gain in the 

 . way of promoting better fellowship in the trade 

 is ample reward to the members, if business rea- 

 sons are left out. The manufacturers were in 

 accord with the plan and the replies to the 

 letters of invitation sent out since the meeting 

 indicate that it will be carried to a successful 

 issue. When the replies are all in another 

 meeting will be called in Grand Rapids for 

 organization, and it now appears as though 

 this would take place within a few days. 



John M. Cherry of Auburn. Iud., has bought 

 the old veneering building at Adrian and will 

 start a handle factory there, manufacturing 

 fork, rake and broom handles. He has inspected 

 timber lands within a radius of twenty miles of 

 Adrian and finds plenty of available hardwood 

 for his purposes. 



According to the report of the bureau of com- 

 merce giving industrial statistics of Michigan, 

 the lumber manufacturing industry has decreased 

 in four years over $13,000,000, or 24.3 per cent. 

 In spite of this the value of sawmill products 

 for 1904 reached $40,569,335, and of planing 

 mill products $14,375,407. 



Louisville. 



The annual meeting of the National Associa- 

 tion of Slack Cooperage Manufacturers was held 

 in Louisville, May 3 and 4. The chief business 

 before the meet in, was the discussion of ways 

 and means to promote the interests of the busi- 

 ness through the more general use of barrels 

 instead of boxes. It was asserted that barrels 

 are far more economical in many instances than 

 boxes, and efforts will be made to bring this 

 fact to the realization of wholesale grocers and 



