18 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



It may be remarked in passing that chances to sell American lumber 

 are probably better under Italian than Turkish rule. 

 Transportation 



Seagoing vessels cannot make much use of Africa's rivers. They 

 are either too shallow or they are obstructed by cataracts. The Nile 

 is the longest river in the world; the Kongo is exceeded in volume 

 only by the Amazon ; the Niger and Zambezi are large streams, but 

 as avenues of trade between the interior and the sea they are at 

 present of little value. Small vessels can saU thousands of miles 

 on their upper courses between, above and below the rapids which 

 are met with in many places. 



Eailroads supply the only means of transportation which lumber- 

 men can use between the ports on the coast and the interior. These 

 roads are at present capable of handling all the business that comes 

 to them. Most of the good ports have raUroads running some dis- 

 tance inland, some of them hundreds of mUes. Lack of transporta- 

 tion facilities is not a hindrance to the extension of the American 

 lumber trade in Africa. Beyond the termini of the railroads there 

 is at present little demand for forest products, such as we have to sell. 



The distances from the eastern and Gulf coasts of the ■United 

 States to the African ports are not so great as those from our 

 Pacific ports to eastern and southern Asia and to Australia. The 

 eastern African coast is somewhat farther away but is within easy 

 reach. American lumber is finding its way to eastern Africa along 

 the whole line from Egypt to Cape of Good Hope. It is no trouble 

 to send cargoes; the only trouble consists in finding markets in 

 Africa. We compete there with Australia, India and the countries 

 of northern Europe, 'and the present demand is small in proportion 

 to the vast extent of country. What we have is worth holding and 

 the prospect is excellent for securing more. 



Exports 



Our forest products exports to Africa for 1913 show that the 

 range of commodities is extensive. A beginning has been made 

 in nearly all lines and in some of them the progress has been 

 encouraging. Figures somewhat in detail concerning the American 

 lumber trade there are given below, all of the statistics being for 

 1913. 



TIMBERS 



Africa is not a promising market for American round and square 

 timber- It is a fact that Africa sells us more of such timber than 

 it buys from us. It has mahogany, ebony and cedar for sale 'in 

 the log, and it buys hickory, beech, walnut and longleaf pine. Its 

 purchases in 1913 amounted to $3,892 worth of hickory, all of which 

 went to British South Africa; $208 worth of black walnut, which 

 went to the same market; while Portuguese Africa paid $300 for 

 miscellaneous round logs. Longleaf pine went in sawed square logs 

 as follows: 



British South Africa $159,950 



French Africa 147,912 



Portuguese Africa 132,094 



LUMBER 

 Eough lumber of several species reaches various parts of Africa 

 from the United States. Fir, presumably Douglas fir from Wash- 

 ington and Oregon, was bought last year to the value of $80,880 

 by British South Africa. The same market took gum invoiced at 

 $1,948, and Egypt bought to the value of $1,320. No other gum 

 went to that market last year. South Africa purchased $24,646 

 worth of ash, and the purchases of this wood by German Africa 

 amounted to $123. White pine has a" fairly good market on the 

 Dark Continent and was sold in amounts shown below: 



South Africa '. .'fl25,406 



British West Africa.. 5.853 



Portuguese 4,908 



The Portuguese colony is the largest African buyer of longleaf 

 pine lumber, though eight states or colonies purchased the article 

 last year to the following values: 



Portuguese $104,458 



Caiinry Tslaufls 67,379 



South Africa 63 215 



French Africa .19,192 



British West Africa 35,700- 



Morocco 16,739' 



German possessions 1,346 



Liberia 1,219- 



Other yellow pine, the exact kinds not being specified, was exported 

 to the countries named: British possessions, $56,389; the Canary 

 Islands, $9,742; Portuguese, $3,267, and Liberia, $569. 



South Africa bought yellow poplar to the value of $63,882, Por- 

 tuguese $3,504, and the German possessions took $100. 



The spruce shipped to South Africa was worth $7,816, and that to- 

 the Portuguese possessions $2,760. 



Sales of various other lumber is here shown: South Africa, $9,396; 

 Portuguese colonies in East Africa, $1,331; Canary Islands, $1,250. 

 The Canaries imported from the United States joists and scantlings 

 worth $22,703 and the Portuguese bought to the value of $90. 



BOXES AND COOPERAGE 



The Africa market for boxes and cooperage materials is reaching 

 respectable proportions. South Africa in 1913 bought box shooks 

 from us to the value of $3,939, and Liberia's purchases were worth 

 $168. French African colonies imported $900 worth of barrel 

 shooks, and South Africa $526. Staves, however, constituted the 

 largest item of cooperage, of which French Africa took $30,056, 

 South Africa $29,124, and the Canary Islands $676. Miscellaneous 

 articles of cooperage imported into various parts of Africa were 

 valued at $50,385. To this should be added empty barrels worth 

 $6,212. 



DOOnS, SASH, AND BLINDS 



South .Africa $161,086 



Portuguese possessions 15,897 



Uberia 49& 



German Africa 116 



FOItNITUEB 



South Africa $196,200- 



Portuguese possessions 15,918 



Egypt 10,494 



French Africa 8,715 



British West Africa 4,379- 



Liberia 2,837 



British East Africa 2,364 



Canarj- Islands 2,186 



Morocco 870' 



Belgian Kongo 354 



German Africa 344 



Tripoli 125- 



Madagascar 61 



The exports of incubators and brooders to Africa have not yet 

 attained large proportions, but the following figures show that a 

 good beginning has been made: British possessions, $7,793; Portu- 

 guese, $195; Egypt, $40; French Africa, $9. 



Interior house trimmings were shipped to South Africa to the 

 value of $29,854, Portuguese possessions $714, and Egypt $37. 



Woodenware to the value of $35,133 went to British possessions 

 and Egypt took $37 and South Africa bought wood pulp worth 

 $9,209. 



CABBIAGES AND WAGONS 



Carriages Wagons 



British possessions $32,298 $21,536 



Portuguest 3,728 6,901 



German 3,431 739- 



French 542 1,066 



Eg.vpt 445 72 



Canary Islands 333 197 



Spanish Africa 150 



Madagascar 85 



WHEELBARROWS AND HANDCARTS 



British Africa $60,072 



Portuguese 1,927 



French 400 



Egypt , 224 



German Africa 10 



MISCELLANEOUS 



British Africa $161,369 



Portuguese ". 15,645 



French 1,843 



Liberia 1,252 



German 1,213 



Egypt -. 915 



Madagascar 18 



