December 25, 1920 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



57 



that there is a wide shortage to be filled when the buyers gel down to 

 business again. Shipments going forward at the present time are in 

 small lots, about two cars being the limit with a greater part of the 

 orders covering only one car. Most of the stuff being shipped at the 

 present time is high grade items and thick stuff, of which there is very 

 little in this section. 



So, far as the local Texas market is couceraed, factories are doing very 

 little, some of them being shut down. As cotton is the principal agri- 

 cultui*al crop in Texas, anything that affects the price is almost im- 

 mediately reflected in the sales of the furniture, piano and implement 

 and vehicle men. The recent slump has been the greatest in the history 

 of the industry, particularly when cost of production is taken into con- 

 sideration, ^xnd the outlook for a demand of articles in which hardwood 

 is concerned, is very slim. 



There are considerably more than half of the mills in this district 

 closed down and just when they will resume operations is problematical. 

 Some of the mills are now tightening up on what little stocks they have 

 and are not inclined to start up the mills again until there is a prospect 

 of better prices and a reasonable assurance that they will have a steady 

 run. 



LOUISVILLE 



High grades are backing low grades off the boards in sales just now, 

 such demand as there is being almost entirely for the better grades. 

 Jobbers and producers report that demand is for firsts and seconds and 

 common or better largely, and that red gum, quarteretl red gum, plain 

 oak and poplar are among the best sellers. Walnut is showing up a 

 little better than it was. Inquiries are not developing so much business 

 just now, it being explained that many inquiries are merely to get a 

 line on prices, or for the purpose of checking up on inventories, and not a 

 real demand for lumber. It is predicted that buying will continue dull 

 until about February 1, when it is expected to come much better, espe- 

 cially if the furniture sales are successful. Glued-up stocks are espe- 

 cially slow just now and veneers are not showing much activity. It is 

 reported that some of the hardwood houses are shipping fifty to sixty 

 per cent of normal footage, largely on old orders, however. 



ST. LOUIS 



There has been very little change in the hardwood market here during 

 the last two w>eeks. Things are still very dull, but the trade is looking 

 for better business shortly after the first of the year. The railroads are 

 buying quite a little car material, and with the opening up of some of the 

 big automobile plants here, which have been shut down for several months, 

 it is expected there will be a revival in the sale of hardwoods. 



Furniture men here will attempt to stimulate their business by putting 

 new style furniture on the market at reduced prices after the first of the 

 year. This, no doubt, will also stimulate the hardwood market locally. 



Building, as usual at this time of the year, is very quiet, but indications 

 are for a big boom in business during the spring. Efforts are being put 

 forth to influence the legislature of Missouri to place mortgages on a 

 taxation plane, which will attract money to the building of city homes. 

 In the meantime the market is-merely rocking along, with everyone sitting 

 tight and hoping for better times. 



MILWAUKEE 



As might be expected during a period \vhen industries are running at 

 very low capacity, if at all, because of the holidays, and in preparation 

 for the annual inventory taking, the demand for hardwoods is at a low 

 ebb. Stagnation in business has been brought about by the immediate 

 conditions, and for the coming week to ten days little trade activity is 

 looked for by manufacturers and wholesalers. There is a firm conviction 

 apparent, however, that after the middle of January a healthy demand 

 for lumber and stock will come. Buying has been of such a small volume 

 in the last two to three months that it seems certain that stocks in 

 second and third hands* are near the point of exhaustion and require 

 replenishment without much delay. The needs which will come before 

 the manufacturers probably will bo small for the time being, but the 

 impression prevails that business is going forward with momentum when 

 the new year is fairly under way. 



Logging operations in the hardwood timber regions of the North are 

 proceeding against unusual obstacles, principally the lack of snow and 

 extreme cold temperatures. While the input this winter is likely to show 

 a material decline from the operations of last winter, nevertheless a 

 majority of concerns are actively engaged in woods work, but they are 

 hampered by unusual climatic conditions. Although operations show a 

 general reduction, the labor situation is not favorable, there being hardly 

 enough men available to carry on woods work at the reduced schedules. 

 The men decline to accept woods jobs at the recent reduction of 10 to 25 

 percent from the wage scale of the last eighteen months to two years, and 

 when they do accept are wont to drift about from camp to camp, finally 

 going back to the centers of population. 



On the whole, the hardwood lumber situation is not wholly unsatisfac- 

 tory, and the prospects are growing more and more encouraging, in the 

 opinion of representative operators. 



Receivers' Sale 



of stock of 



Kittinger Lumber Yard 



at 



Winamac, Indiana 

 January 4th, 1921 



W. S, HUDDLESTON, Receiver 



? LOOKING FOR ? 



Here are a few items of year old 

 stock that we want to ship quick: 



All Regular Widths and Lengths 



ASH — Wisconsin Brown 



No. 1 & Btr., 5/4 8 moa. dry 



No. 2 & Btr, 6/4 8 moa. diT 



BIKCH 

 No. 1 & Btr. 4/4. 10 mos. dry (good widths and longtlis) 



No. 1 & Btr. 5/4. S mos. dry 1 car 



No. 1 & Btr. 6/4. 8 mos. dry 1 car 



No. 1 & Btr. 8/4. 8 raos. dry 1 car 



No. 1 & Btr. 10/4, 7 mos. dry 2 cars 



BASSWOOD 

 No. 1 & Btr. 6/4. 10 raos. dry 2 cars 



Wheeler-Timlin Lumber Co. 



WAUSAU, WISCONSIN 



Send us TOUR 



Inquiries for 



NORTHERN 



HARDWOODS 



and HEMIiOCK 



May we quote you on 

 our present stocks of 

 Southern Hardwoods 



Oak Poplar 



Chestnut Ash 



MANUFACTURERS 



BAND mills: 



TAYETTVILUE ,TENN. 



BASS.ALA. 



EanrETTVILLE,TEHH. 



Tennessee Red Cedar 



{AROMATIC) 



Basswood Maple 



Elm Walnut 



OTHER HARDWOODS 



