flaMwoi RecoM 



Published In the Interest of Hardwood Lumber, American Hardwood Forests. Wood Veneer Industry, Hardwood Floorlnc. 

 Hardwood Interior Finish, Wood Chemicals. Saw Mill and Woodworking Machinery. 



Vol. XX. 



CHICAGO, AUGUST 25, 1905. 



No. 9. 



Published on the 10th and 25th ol each month 



By The HARDWOOD COMPANY 



HENRY H. GIBSON 

 FBANK W. TUTTLE 



President 



Sec-Tress. 



OFFICES: 

 Sixth Floor Ellsworth Bldg., 355 Dearborn St, Chicago, III., U.S.A. 



Telephones: Harrison 4960. Automatic 5659. 



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General Market Conditions. 



During the fortnight just passed there seems to have been a little 

 lull in the general hardwood buying demand. 



Notwithstanding the marked shortage of both red and white plain 

 oak, the jobbers as well as the large consuming trade are hesitat- 

 ing about placing orders, apparently hoping that by some possibility 

 the market may break. 



The situation does not warrant a belief that there will be any di- 

 minution in oak values for the rest of this year. The prevailing 

 taste demands oak furniture, and in many instances oak doors and 

 oak trim, and contracts have already been entered upon to supply this 

 class of goods to such an extent that many manufacturers ' plants 

 will be fully employed up to Christmas. Oak stocks in the bands 

 of manufacturers, jobbers and consumers alike are in short supply. 

 There is no prospect that the oak country will be able to produce 

 enough stock to in any wise overburden the market. It is the old 

 question of supply and demand, and it is undeniably a seller's 

 market. 



From the fact that itinerant lumber buyers are pretty well shut 

 out of quite an area of the oak-producing section, by reason of the 

 yellow fever scare, it may be possible that some of the smaller oper- 

 ators will accumulate some stock, and their necessities may lead them 

 to shade values a little for the sake of getting quick returns. Since 

 this class of production goes very largely through the hands of the 

 jobbing trade, even if the condition noted should prevail, it ought 

 not to have the effect of lowering prices to the consuming trade. 

 Plain oak has the call, above all other American woods at this time, 

 and the prices being realized today are not extravagant ones. 



There seems to be quite a marked falling off in sales in northern 

 hardwoods, while the trade in Ihe good end of poplar and cotton- 

 wood remains very fair. The field of red gum is constantly widening 



and as users learn to properly handle the wood, it is gaining in f»vor 

 and increasing in volume of sale. 'With increased application of the 

 wood it is fair to presume that a better price will be secured for 

 it before long. 



Hardwood flooring makers are still occupied to the full capacity of 

 their plants, owing to the immense demand for flooring for new fac- 

 tory and mercantile structures in all the large distributing centers 

 cif the country. 



The manufacturers of veneer of all classes report an excellent 

 Irade. In quite a number of ca3es plants are being operated both 

 day and night. 



The situation as a whole looks very well, and there is every reason 

 for believing that Sept. 1 will see a renaissance of very strong lum- 

 ber buying throughout the country, and that the fall trade will be 

 even better than that of last spring. 



Policy ol Fair Play. 



The Hardwood Record is giving considerable space in this issue 

 to an abstract of the proceedings of the reciprocity conference 

 which was held in Chicago last -week. While there exists an under- 

 current of opinion that the action taken by this conclave of men 

 prominent in business, economics and politics was a cut-and-dried 

 affair, still it is certain to lead to a stirring political conflict that 

 will arouse keen interest throughout the country. 



As might h?"7e been supposed, communications were received from 

 lumber organizations in the Pacific Northwest, protesting against 

 any proposed legislation which should diminish or revoke the present 

 $2 tariff on lumber. The agitation possessed so little interest to the 

 yellow pine, white pine, cypress and hardwood interests of the 

 country that they did not even utter a protest against any of the 

 recommendations of the convention. 



While this country is pledged to protective measures, there is no 

 logical reason why a sliding scale of duties should not be provided 

 so that industries that need no protection should no longer be "pro- 

 tected," and so that a means might be invoked for reciprocating 

 with and conciliating foreign countries that are fast raising a 

 barrier against the immense agricultural and manufactured surplus 

 of this country. 



As for the lumber tariff of $2 a thousand feet, when this duty 

 was instituted there was a logical and justifiable reason for it. It 

 was during a period of comparatively dull business. The country 

 was loaded down with coarse lumber and was afflicted with competi- 

 tion from coarse Canadian products that was an absolute men - 

 the lumber industry of the I'm ted States as a whole. Since that 

 time there has been much progress made in the utilization of the to- 

 tality of forest products. irers have learned to take the 

 larger portion of the coarse end of the output and convert it into 

 merchantable and acceptable shape for the consumer; consumers 

 have learned that they can practice a distinct economy in using 

 coarse lumber and cut-up materials. Generally speaking, today toe 

 country is uot "long" on coarse lumber product. 



Again, the beginning of the end is in sight of the onee magr 

 American forest area, and it is especially short in white pine and 



