HARDWOOD RECORD 



17 



the meeting, but by coming prepared to offer intelligent and helpful 

 suggestions. They will be treated with some excellent addresses by 

 men in position to discuss various subjects coming under the general 

 heading of inroad of substitutes. The program has tremendous pos- 

 sibilities and cannot but be of extreme benefit to those lumbermen who 

 have the ambition to co-operate in this cause for the benefit of all. 

 Surely nothing of more vital importance to every branch of lumber 

 manufacturing has ever come up. The full co-operation of all lum- 

 bermen is deserved and should bo forthcoming. 



What the Foreign Trade is Offering 



P SEQUENT REPORTS OF SALES of large \olumes of a variety 

 ^ of manufactured articles made in different parts of the United 

 States are bringing pleasing smiles to the countenances of certain 

 manufacturers. To a great extent this has been confined to lines 

 that are, to say the least, remote from lumber, and the average lum- 

 berman has been rather inclined to treat the information more or 

 leas pessimistically as far as any benefit to hiui personally is con- 

 cerned. He feels that a big sale of blankets, saddles and woolen 

 socks, or any other similar article cannot by the most persistent use 

 of the imagination be connected favorably with the lumber business, 

 as far as constituting a good omen for the future of that particular 

 industry is concerned. 



This general attitude is rather unjustified as no one will dispute, 

 upon considering the economic laws prevailing under such circum- 

 stances, that advancement in any line of industry in this or any other 

 country, if that advance is at all consistent and continued, is going 

 to react favorably upon all other lines, to a lesser degree it is true, 

 but in the end to an appreciable extent. 



Of course the orders which have been received have been a mere 

 drop in the bucket of normal export volume, but it must be remem- 

 bered that so far the tide across the water has but just started and 

 the momentum which it is gaining is going to increase its force 

 tremendously. As it increases, it is going to cover a greater variety 

 of trades and even now it has actually touched the lumber business 

 noticeably. As an instance, there is a firm manufacturing knock- 

 down houses which has just received an order from the British gov- 

 ernment for 600 such structures, these houses to be used for winter 

 quarters for the troops. As a consequence 7,000,000 feet of lumber 

 manufactured in this country will go abroad in remanufactured form, 

 which is an even better development from an economic point of view. 

 The lumber trade has felt the effect of demoralization of sources of 

 supply abroad in other ways also. 



A very pleasing number of sales on different species of stock have 

 been commented upon in these pages from time to time, and these 

 sales have covered large quantities of walnut for gunstocks and other 

 purposes. They have helped the poplar manufacturers, tlie belligerent 

 nations having purchased very substantial quantities for mess tables. 

 The oak manufacturers have felt the good effect to the extent that 

 they have shipped oak for various construction purposes, for wagon 

 building, for use in naval construction, and in other lines. 



It is true, of course, that the warring nations have provided a 

 great quantity of supplies of different kinds, Germany particularly 

 having equipped herself with remarkable thoroughness. However, in 

 the case of some of those nations which are now battling for their 

 very existence, they have relied upon their abilities to secure raw 

 material and manufactured articles from neutral nations rather than 

 in the case as with Germany, of relying strictly upon their own 

 accumulation of supplies and the maintenance of facilities for manu- 

 facturing them. 



The result will be that as the conflict goes on and a greater and 

 greater number of men is mobilized for army purposes, while at the 

 same time various war accoutrements are being captured or destroyed, 

 there will be increasing necessity for augmenting such supplies. No 

 one doubts for a moment that the United States will furnish the bulk 

 of the raw material at least. 



Then it must be remembered that a vast quantity of canned goods 

 will go abroad from this country, and all these goods are packed in 

 boxes which in the main are made of wood. The box business is 

 pretty active even under present circumstances, but it will be in- 



creasingly so when the effect of this exodus of American canned foods 

 begins to be felt. 



The main point to be borne in mind, however, is that whether the 

 exports are of lumber direct or of manufactured articles made from 

 lumber, any prosperity resulting to any other American industries 

 either as a direct result or as an indirect result of the war, is going 

 to bring, to a corresponding degree, not only actual prosperity to 

 those persons directly affected, but through increased purchasing 

 power of many employes many other lines will be helped. It will 

 have a strongly favorable mental reaction. 



With the maintenance of a more sane and optimistic viewpoint, 

 business will be benefitted tremendously. This country has not gone 

 to the dogs nor is it going to the dogs. It is rapidly adjusting itself 

 to conditions which it has never before been called upon to face. 

 When this readjustment is completed, the thought of the country wU] 

 be directed at the problem of increasing productive capacity rather 

 than sales. 



Opening for American Oak 



A N INFLUENTIAL LUMBER TRADE JOURNAL of London 

 *»• recently criticized the government for specifying Austrian oak 

 in a contract for book cases in one of the public offices. It was 

 pointed out that there was other oak that could be had. The purpose 

 of the criticism was wholly patriotic, on the part of the English 

 editor who was naturally not pleased to see an order go to a country 

 at war with England. Business men on this side of the sea observe 

 proper neutrality, as between countries at war on the other side; 

 but when it comes to selecting oak for furniture, the American 

 dealer has a right to speak in behalf of American oak. 



The international strife is breaking up old trade relations, and 

 new ones will be established. When business is about to change 

 hands, the American lumber dealer who does not try to get his share 

 of the new deal is entirely too timid for his own good. If the 

 English, for reasons satisfactory to themselves, should decide not to 

 use Austrian oak, there is no reason why they should not use tl;e 

 American wood. It is of as high grade as Austrian oak, as high in 

 class, as high in character of its service, and the only thing iu which 

 it does not rate as high as the Austrian wood is price. 



The commercial oak of Austria, England, Italy, and of most other 

 regions of southern and western Europe, is all of the same species. 

 If there is any difference in the wood, it is a difference due to soil 

 and climate. It is handsome and substantial. Its color is a little 

 darker than old, mature American white oak, and not so dark as 

 old red oak. It has a pleasing, subdued tone. It may be quarter- 

 sawed, and that is sometimes done; but it is said that the plain- 

 sawed stock is more popular in Europe; and it is certain that little 

 quarter-sawed European oak is ever seen on this side of the Atlantic. 

 When this oak comes over here it is sold at about double the price 

 of mahogany. 



It is not claimed that American oak is an exact substitute, but the 

 claim can be made without reservation that it is as handsome and as 

 serviceable. It would seem to be an auspicious time for American 

 dealers in high-class oak, suitable for furniture, to gain a footing 

 in European markets. It is useless to waste time with poor or com- 

 mon stock. The English are good judges of wood, and while prob- 

 ably somewhat severe in condemning what does not please them, 

 they are fair in their decisions. The American oak should win on 

 its merit, and it ought to be given a chance to take some of the 

 market which Austrian oak seems in a fair way to lose. 



One of the most expensive woods used regularly in an established 

 industry in the United States is boxwood, the favorite material for 

 wood engraving. It has been quoted at four cents a cubic inch, 

 and about $1,.S00 by the thousand board feet. 



What is supposed to be record speed in getting men to a forest 

 fire is reported from Oregon, where on one of the national forests 

 a ranger went to town, hired ten men, and got this force to the fire 

 twelve miles away within forty-eight minutes after he was notified 

 by telephone. 



