HARDWOOD RECORD 



43 



the great building and manufacturing con- 

 suming demand that is going on in Chi- 

 cago has actually taken ovei a g I deal of 



lumber within the last month, but .May will 

 fall oft in eonsum: toward forty 



per cent from April. The yards thai have 

 done the best report a diminution in volume 

 '] ales of nearly twenty-five per cent, and 

 some yards have not done over half as much 

 as they would have done under normal con- 

 ditions. With the speedy settlement of the 

 teamsters' strike, which probably will be ad- 

 i very shortly, there is every reason to 

 belli ve that there will be a large and con- 

 tinued volume of hardwood business trans- 

 acted during the entire remainder of the year. 



if prices are to be taken as a guide, as the 

 whole list remains firm. 



Pittsburg. 



Boston. 

 The condition of the hardwood market varies 

 considerably according to reports, some whole- 

 sale dealers having an active demand; others, 



and they are in the lame majority, agree that 

 the season is rather quiet. All. however, unite 

 in pronouncing the trade id' the early pari of 

 the season as excellent. Quartered white oak 

 Inch Is and 2s is selling at $76 i" $80. Plain 

 white oak boards are in steady demand at $48.50 

 in $52.50. Ash. inch, is quoted at $48.50 to 

 $50; •". 4. $50.50 to s.",i ; s i, sr,4. Inch white 

 ash. of which the supply is growing scarce. 



N47..~.o to $48. Cherry is in g 1 favor, inch 



stock being quoted at $95 to si on. White- 

 weed in the rough is holding its own in demand 

 at sit; t.i $50 with dressed sleek in compara- 

 tively better demand. Price lists r ived from 



several of the new cypress association mills 

 show- ai> advance of $3 on some items. The 

 demand tor cypress is slackening: is. in fact, 

 disappointing in volume even at $45 but the 

 supply of choice dry stock has at no time 



I ii equal to the call. All hardwoods are as 



a rule scarce when dryness is the principal 

 factor. Maple flooring is holding strongly at 

 17.50 for 1" 4 inch face, clear matched, with 

 ot.ier flooring items in proportion. The retail 

 yard trade generally is not so active as it was 

 dining the Hist week in May. A steady trade of 

 nearly normal volume i- expected for the next 

 two or three weeks. 



New York. 

 While the general lumber trade of the metro- 

 politan district is universally reported as ex- 

 cellent, the hardw I market, according to some 



opinions, has developed some peculiar phases 

 during the past month. The movement of oak. 

 ash, birch ami some of the other scarcer items 

 litis kept up to tile usual huge volume, and there 

 is absolutely no complaint on that seme, as 

 everyone realizes the conditions governing these 

 items at manufacturing points. Taking the bal 



ani f the list there seems to be more than 



ei gb Mock to go round and. while prices are 



fairly well maintained, the demand _is not gen- 

 eral and the market conditions on these items 



seem lo lie spotty. There is [In ex| liana t ion ot- 

 tered as to why this is so. nor is it believed 

 that this condition will obtain for a very lone 

 period, but that it is a tact so tar as the present 

 market is concerned N generally accepted. There 

 have I n quite a number of prominent manu- 

 facturers in town during the fortnight, and 

 while all expressed themselves as well satisfied 

 with the genera] business outlook, several of 

 them complained of a lack of activity on some 

 of the hardwoods. After a careful survey of the 

 metropolitan district, however, this condition 

 can hardly be said to apply here. It may he a 

 little difficult to dispose of all the slock that 

 one would wish lor in a day's work, but a trip 

 through the district reveals ample activity in 

 all lines and a consumption of lumber which 

 is pretty general. Of course, here, too, oak. 

 birch and a few other items can be stated to 

 be in better call than the general hardwood 

 list, hut as a whole the hardwood market is 

 not suffering for want of buyers to any extent 



A big ii, i ea se in the volume of buslnes 

 'be Cet the hardwood situation in Pitts 



burg. This increase has ie so steadily and 



yt so rapidly a to cause much less comment 

 than had it come in the form of immense o 

 The best firms in tin- city are so busy with Call 

 sized carload orders that they are paying in He 

 attention to- going after the big orders that 

 have to he taken quite frequently at a cut 

 from regular quotations. The stiff demand for 

 all kinds of hardwood right here in the city 

 is making up a trade that is all the dealers 

 could wash. 



The big volume of house building already 

 under way or soon to be started is hound to 



take a large ai tnt of hardwoods. There is 



als,, an oxee^ ,,f repair work and remodeling 

 in stoics and office buildings this year and a 

 vast amount of making over good but old houses, 

 both of which are using up hardwood rapidly. 

 Outside i he mm salesmen report a brisk trade 

 among the small fin lories. Car load lots are 

 beginning to arrive from the hike ports and 

 this is easing the situation a little, so that it 

 is somewhat easier to fill orders in most woods 

 than a month ago. 



The best call is for dimension oak. No ad- 

 vances have 1 a authorized by the wholesale 



(balers' association. The prices of other bard- 

 w Is have mn advanced, although in a few- 

 eases a slightly better figure has been paid for 

 choice lots of stock. Contractors arc buying 

 treel\ i t all woods and the proportion of cash 

 d< i g is unusually large. 



Kansas City. 

 A canvass i>f the hardwood situation, dur- 

 ing- tin- closing days of spring develops th< 

 fact that the general demand for hardwoods 

 this season has been fully up to the average 

 and noticeably b.-tter than that of the spt in-- 

 of 1904. The local demand has never been 

 better, and this is due to the fact that not 

 only is building very active, espei ially in tin 

 way of the erection of the better class ot re 

 i - i ees. but that never before has interior 

 finish run to hardwoods to such an extent 

 This is probably the ease in all cities, due 

 to the general prosperity, but it is noticed 

 late that wh.ie. a few years ago. residences 

 built to sell tor from two lei five thousand 

 dollars were largely finished in pine, thej at 

 now finished, in the majority of eases, in hard- 



, principally oak. with oak fioorini 

 tie- ground floor. Consequently the hardwood 

 yards Inc. have been kept busy since about 

 February and the indications are that the 

 local demand will be brisk through the sum- 

 mer and fall. The general demand is hardly 

 a-; ai tive as .i '-,.. weeks ago. alt hough tin 

 volume of business is fully normal for the 

 time- nt year and there is a frt e inquiry. Not 



ii tie demand for the better grades fili- 

 ng mill stock been active this season, 

 in. i there has been a strong call for common 



The rail npanii 



oak mills busy with orders for timbers, ties 

 ami piling, and the call for select sto.-k for 

 car work has been unusually heavy. The 

 furnit u noticeably mori at 



tive than la - ear and all factor! s bi 

 -,,, i. ing ordi freelj early and continue to 

 <i,, ... \\ ago i nil implement stot k in 

 in stro Inquiry is 



in exct - - ol in. visible supply 



ii pri tion has been a 



as has been tin- demand, which naturally fol 

 lows. The markets ran 



iv. with little variation during tin 

 son. ami on everything except plain oak. 

 i.ii white and red. the prie- Idered 



only moderately high and will llkel: 



:U 'he prevailing quotations through the sum- 



mer - ' inch 



plain oak 



•ping 



it e at Hi.- mill I. 

 I accepted within tht past month to 

 one-incl plain vi hlti oak ami s:;n ,n 



1 f-tii ii on pla ' ii,,. high- 



- decline in the 

 mills have been able to 

 date a little st,,ek. but in. weal 



ti d Within He m M lays. 



While . vei vih: as ,,, demand 



am! prices, and whil il oh, ok for fulni, 



busim is i onsidered - speciallj g .1, the 



hardwood i pli havi at on late 



about the excessive rainfall which pre 

 in the southern hard! i , 



pei ted that all. i lh, bum 



rain during January, February, March and 

 April, during which timt thi mill! made little 

 headwaj in ^.-ning mn new stock ami 



badly handii ip ied aking shipments, 



there would I,,- a .-bang.- for the better, but 

 all reports from the Arkansas mills in.i 

 that precipitation this month has been as 

 heavy, or heavier, than during some of the 

 preceding mouths. Tales of high water, with 

 resultant damage to nam roads and washouts 

 of dams are frequent, and shipments from 

 most mills have been disappointing and far 

 -lent of expectations. The mill men art 

 independent and buyers are very numerou 

 in the mill country. This is about th ■ only 

 way to get stock this season as buyers are 



haunting the mills i nstantly to make 



it worth while lor th. mill men to pay much 

 attention to mail inquiries. There is son* 

 stock being oil. ,1 hut n e slow in drying 

 out and s beins c ntract d I'm- about as 

 soon as piled. Tin- hardwoo are 



earnestly hoping that tin- rainy season in 

 tlie mill country will soon come to an end 

 and enable the mills to make up for, lost 

 time in getting out stock for the fall ,1. 

 raand, which promi to he active through- 



out the Southwest and middle West. 



Bristol. 



Conditions in this city and section are 

 witli prospects -f a further stiffening of p 

 within the next few weeks. A "nod demand 

 exists fm a.l kinds ot stock, with good prices 



In many part.culars the situation remains un 

 changed. Shipments continue brisk, and ii is 

 reported the there Is ■> material Improvement 



in the . a r sit uat ion I ■ : - \ era I W -■ k- i| has 



been almost ' matter of impossibility fur the. 

 -h ippers i o get 



in Virginia ,\ Southwestern Railway and the 

 Norfolk ,^ Western Railway, bul little trc 

 in this particular is now belli titered. 



Prices on oak of all grades ar,- exceptionally 

 got ,i Poplar is in beavj dt n high 



prices Manj lo ers are sixty daj 



hind Willi orders for I'lphlr stock and tie 



tiprecedented. A slight falling off in 



tin- demand Us and sound wormy 



i in contrast with tie 

 rket in tins line within the past few 



Philadelphia. 



e dif- 

 ferent the demand is 



- 

 Ah sin.!, iii th.- hands of the dealers bi 



tctory. With 



- lions, the hardw Js tiud a 



The building situation Is still 



on the iii,: ase and the demand for hardw d 



from such consumers will find an abund- 

 ■-. usmoss until late In the year. 



