November 10, 1915. 



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"»;?• Wisconsins Hat is in the Ring 



Members of the Northern Hemlock and Hardwood Manufacturers' 

 Association demonstrated beyond any doubt that they are going to 

 be very much in the going as far as efforts to line up legitimate mar- 

 kets for their products are concerned. 



At the quarterly meeting of the association, which was called to 

 order on Tuesday, October 26, at the Hotel Pfister, Milwaukee, plans 

 were presented and adopted for a campaign based on a minimum ex- 

 penditure of $22,500 a year for a period of five years for expanding 

 markets for hemlock. Before the meeting was closed considerably in 

 excess of this amount was signed up and the special publicity com- 

 mittee was charged with the task of selecting the proper plan and 

 of collecting and properly distributing the funds subscribed. 



Insofar as the market for hemlock is specifically a fertile field for 

 the use of materials other than lumber, such, for instance, in the 

 manufacture of silos and farm buildings, the efforts to increase the 

 hemlock markets will fit in very nicely with the trade extension 

 efforts of the National Lumber Manufacturers' Association. Other- 

 wise the plan is, as are other plans advocating individual woods, an 

 energetic effort to maintain for the wood in question its rightful mar- 

 ket in the face of competition with other woods coming in from out- 

 side territory. 



President E. B. Goodman of Goodman, Wis., was in the chair at 

 the opening session, which convened at 10 o'clock. Secretary O. T. 

 Swan of Oshkosh presented the first business in the form of his 

 report. This was confined to a statement that the association work is 

 rapidly broadening in scope and importance and that its fiuan^dal 

 affairs are in a satisfactory shape. 



A. L. Osborne of Oshkosh, chairman of the bureau of transporta- 

 tion and legislation, before introducing the new traffic manager, F. 

 M. Ducker, reviewed other work of the association particularly as 

 referring to the reclassification hearing and the lumbermen 's efforts 

 in this direction brought to a head at Chicago at the recent con- 

 ference. 



Traffic Manager's Report 



F. M. Ducker's report was limited naturally to the two month's 

 period that has been covered since he was put in charge of this 

 newly incorporated department. The first effort was the attempt 

 to secure a tariff file which was successful to the extent that tariffs 

 of carriers applying from that particular territory as well as tariffs 

 of carriers whose lumber tonnage is competitive with the product 

 of the association were secured. Similar tariffs will be available as 

 soon as they are issued in future. 



The bureau participated in other work in the sixty days includ- 

 ing the traffic conference in Chicago on September 15 and the hear- 

 ing in Oshkosh on October 21. There will also be a hearing on Inter- 

 state Commerce Commission docket No. 675, before the commission 

 at Minneapolis, November 10. Other work covered the checking of 

 rates for the purpose of bringing up to date the Western Rate Book, 

 which is expected to be ready for distribution within the next sixty 

 or ninety days. It is the plan of the bureau to supplement such rate 

 books with corrections and additions which will be available from 

 the railroads from time to time. 



M. P. McCuUough of Schofield, Wis., chairman of the bureau of 

 advertising, described tests at the Forest Products Laboratory, Madi- 

 son, Wis., on hemlock for the purpose of establishing definite data 

 in the interests of that wood. It has been demonstrated the hem- 

 lock properly treated will outlast wire, glass or metal window trim 

 when subjected to heat. 



Discussion on Statistics 



J. W. Kaye of Westboro, Wis., chairman of the bureau of statis- 

 tics, sent in the following written report: 



One of the main questions that have come before the bureau was that of 

 the so-called Osbliosh resolution, whereby only those mailing reports to the 

 secretary were to enjoy the benefits of all the reports sent in. This resolu- 

 tion certainly has been of much benefit in getting out the reports wanted, 

 and since its taking effect our bulletin has been increased in size apd 's of 



much better value. Some, however, have taljen exception to this rule and 

 possibly some modiflcation should be made. It certainly is not asking much 

 for our members to at least send a postal card each week to the secretary's 

 office advising they have no report to make and thereby receive the benefits 

 to be had. However, this matter should be up for discussion and those 

 believing we should modify the rule should discuss the question thoroughly. 



Another feature that has come to our attention is the cost of getting out 

 the weekly bulletin. Since the Cshkosh meeting, on account of the resolu- 

 tion adopted at that time, our members have been sending in a large num- 

 ber of reports. To print and mail these is costing us considerably more 

 money thai>~the old bulletin containing a few reports. Some seem to think 

 that some manner of condensing the reports could be made, thereby reduc- 

 ing the expense of publication and at the same time giving the membership 

 practically the same information. Personally I would like to see the bul- 

 letin kept up, as it has been at least until our annual meeting, and while 

 the expense is getting a little high I believe that this advertising we are 

 doing among our own membership is as good as, and probably better than, 

 putting the same amount into advertising to the trade. We want to know 

 and should know how things are progressing among ourselves and this 

 manner of informing ourselves seems to be good. However, this is a matter 

 for the members of the association to decide and it should have thorough 

 discussion. 



In the discussion which followed it was decided that the present 

 rules governing the distribution of bulletins will be followed but 

 that the secretary will be allowed to use his discretion in sending 

 out bulletins to members who make no report but give a satisfactory 

 explanation of their failure to do so. 



Report on Market Conditions 



M. J. Quinlan of Soperton, Wis., chairman of the bureau of grades, 

 took the chair for the discussion of market conditions. 



Birch, Elm and Basswood 

 C. A. Goodman of Marinette, Wis., reported for birch, elm and 

 basswood as follows: 



BIRCH 



Interior prices : F. A. S. No. 1 Com. No. 2 Com 



■J/4 $3S.nO $1S.00 ?12.00 



">/4 40.00 ■ 20.00 14.00 



6/4 and 8/4 42 to 44 22 to 24 1.1 to 17 



10/4 very scarce and prices strong, sales having been made as high as 

 ?50, $38 and .$24 f. o. b. mill. 



12/4 not plentiful, sales made at about $48, $36 and $22. 



16/4 — some demand for stock to be cut to order, but none carried in 

 stock and no sales reported. 



Eastern Wisconsin and Bayshore prices are about $2 a thousand feet 

 higher on F. A. S. and No. 1 common than the above and about the same on 

 No. 2 common. Both F. A. S. and No. 1 common should show a material 

 improvement up to the first of the year, and after the first of the year it is 

 quite probable that everything in dry birch will bring higher prices. There 

 appears to be no great surplus of anything in birch now except 4/4 No. 2 

 common and some mills show a surplus of narrow No. 1 common. Birch is 

 looking better than for some time and the tendency is for F. A. S. to 

 advance. 



No. 3 common birch is sold as low as $11 Milwaukee, hut this stock 

 ought to be sold at not less than $0 at the mills, for the reason in compari- 

 son with what other lumber is selling for it is worth $13 delivered Milwau- 

 kee and Chicago, with prospect of a very good advance above that figure. 

 There is quite a little demand for 5/4 at $1 more than 4/4 and some 

 demand for 6 '4 and 8/4 at the same price as 5/4. 



Differences in the quality of birch at different locations make it difficult 

 to make a price on log run, but we should say that a fair quality of birch 

 running 25 to 30 per cent F. A. S. should be worth from $22 to $24 for 4/4 

 and thicker log run f. o. b. mill to the wholesale trade and the same stock 

 sorted up and shipped direct ought to net from $25 to $26. 



ELM 



Soft elm in 5/5 and thicker has become quite scarce and the prcies 

 stronger. Sales of 8/4 soft elm have been made at interior points at $38, 

 $28 and $18 : 5/4 and 6/4 at $36, $26 and $18. There seems to be no sur- 

 plus of anything in soft elm excepting 4/4 No. 1 and No. 2 common. 



BASSWOOD 



A good many inquiries for special widths and special lengths of basswood 

 are circulating. These are difficult orders to fill and are worth a very large 

 advance over ordinary widths and lengths. 



Four-quarter No. 3 basswood has sold as low as $13.50 to $14 Milwaukee 

 and Chicago, but prices now appear to be $14.50 to $15, which would be 

 no less than $12,50 f. o. b. mill ; 5/4, 6/4 and 8/4 No. 3 basswood is selling 

 at $14 to $15 f. 0. b. mills, and should be worth $16. 



—27^ 



