HARDWOOD RECORD 



Disposes of Big Timber Interests 



It is reported that H. B. Curtin, Clarksburg, W. Va., has sold all of his 



big timber tract on the Klk river in Webster county, W. Va., to the West 



Virginia Pulp & Paper Company and his stumpage on the Gauley rirer 



to the Cherry River Boom & Lumber Company of Scranton, Pa. 



Korn-Conkling Opens Memphis Office 

 The last addition to the Memphis hardwood trade Is the Kom-Conkling 

 Company of Cincinnati. O.. manufacturer of hardwood lumber for the 

 export and domestic trade. The offices are open at 1325-27 Bank of Com- 

 merce and Trust building, Memphis, and since July 1 the sales depart- 

 ment and purchases have been handled through that office. 



F. A. Conkling and W. C. Palmer will be located in Memphis, in charge 

 of that office. The Cincinnati office will be continued with Mr. Korn in 

 charge. This office will handle the veneer and export business and the 

 accounting department. 



The company's southern operation is in Mississippi and the new office 

 brings it in ck.s,-r touch with the mill onil of the business. 



Clubs and Associations 



Program for Alluvial Land Meeting 

 The second semi-annual meeting of the Southern Alluvial Land Associa- 

 tion is to he held at the Gayoso Hotel. Memphis, on Friday, June 12. The 

 session will begin at 12:30 noon with luncheon, followed by an address 

 by President McClure and the report of F. E. Stonebraker, secretary. The 

 principal addresses will be by William S. Mitchell and Homer K. Jones. 

 This will be followed by a general discussion, by moving pictures showing 

 public road building, farming and agricultural development and by new 

 business. 



Manufacturers' Directors Meet 



The board of directors of the Hardwood Manufacturers' Association 

 met at Cincinnati on July 2 in a very important conference. A feature 

 was the report of F. W. Mowbray, chairman of the lumber committee 

 working in conjunction with a similar committee of the vehicle Interests. 

 This is given in full elsewhere in this issue. 



A discussion of the association's welfare resulted in authorizing F. R. 

 Gadd, assistant to the president, to carry out a strong membership cam- 

 paign and to engage an assistant secretary who will work mostly in the 

 field. 



The establishment of traffic insurance and cost department was also 

 authorized together with enlargement of the bulletin and Increasing the 

 scope of the valuable information covered in that publication. 



Plans were made for larger quarters for the association in the Union 

 Trust building. Cincinnati. 



It was further planned that President E. O. Robinson appoint an ex- 

 ecutive committee to meet monthly m Cincinnati, and that the board of 

 directors meet every two months instead of every three months as at 

 present. 



It was decided to go ahead in every wav possible with furtherin? the 

 plans for a oniform cost accounting system. 



'■^ w>^:A»■v.^>l^>x■/^>y » o;.y^^vl^>;</^L>i^^fe.t^l^ ^ 



Pertinent Information 



Studying the Lumber Price Fixing Problem 

 Hardwood Interests of the Cleveland. O., district are preparing to co- 

 operate with the National Retail Lumber Dealers' Association, in its plan 

 to work with the government on the fixing of prices to the consumer on 

 lumber. Guy Gray, head of the Gray Lumber Company of this city, is the 

 local representative of the national body, and he Is now in communication 

 with General L. C. Boyle, legal representative of the organization at Wash- 

 ington. It Is the opinion of the hardwood trade of Cleveland that this price 

 fixing program must be approached with the greatest caution, as it Is too 

 far reaching to be decided upon offhand. It is their contention that it all 

 lumber prices are to be fixed to the consumer, all materials entering into 

 building, such as hardware, plumbing, sewage and the like, should be thus 

 classified also. Opinion is divided as to whether or not this will aid 

 building here. The main outlet for hardwood in this territory is for interior 

 finishing of housing, and practically none of this Is going on now. In fact 

 building as a whole is but 40 per cent or at the most 45 per cent of that of 

 last year, and that was below normal. It is pointed out that the recent 

 increase in freight rates, although not affecting all material right now, 

 because there is some hardwood In local stocks and some in transit before 

 the rates became effective, has not served to stimulate building even where 

 builders and others wotild take advantage of the comparatively lower prices 

 at the moment. About the only factor that would tend to aid the buUding 

 program right now is the settlement of the labor disputes, and the fact 

 that all labor is now back at work. On the other hand the increased cost 

 of building, so far as labor is concerned, from now on will be 15 per cent 

 additional, for that was the average wage increase. 



Adds to Export Embargo List 



The War Trade Board, with reference to its latest export conservation 

 list, says : 



Under the heading of wood (ash. birch, chestnut, fir timber, mahogany. 



l.Tini^< r. \lannt:i.tur.d in nil .lini.ii-i.m -I,.- :. ' hmt.-kU uses, 



inohi.lii:- n 1- -uii.-ililr f..r ;;i;ii -T. ..!<>. ;iir-|i|,ii.. ;.i.;. , .. i.;,iil.'s, veneers 



for :mii:.ii:> ;iiii| li y,l r. ipla n.' ■"nji.-. ai i-]ii:i n. .,i;.! ■ .i r. .|.l,-i n" frames, 



plies : walnut, mahosany, or birch wood cut for parqii.-t ti....rins. 



Partly inauutaotured articles in an unfinished shape that are to be com- 

 pleted into a finished article at the point of destination when made from 

 the specified woods, such as K/D desks and barrels, furniture stock, par- 

 quet flooring, cooperage, etc. 



Individual licenses are not required for completely manufactured articles 

 made of woods specified above, such as desks, furniture, barrels, casks, 

 etc., when exported to Canada and Newfoundland. 



Asks for Bids for Navy Lumber 



be opened this month 



Bids have been asked for lumber for the nav 

 as follows : 



10.000 feet (about) B. M. ash, gelects, green 



by 10" or over by S' 



follows : 



-' ruining feet (about), ash, 1" thick. 10 or 12" wide: 2000 running 



f.,r .ai iti. oak. 1" thick. 10 or 12" wide; 1500 running feet (about). 

 oak. U'i-.>" thick. S or 10" wide; 500 running feet (about), hickory, 2%" 

 thick. 4" wide and up. 



Ash, white, brown or mixed (bidder to state which), for joiner work, 

 air or kiln dry ; F.\S : 6" and up wide, averaging at least 9" wide, standard 

 length of 8 to 16' long, as follows: 



15.000' b. m. (about). 1" thick; 10.000' b. m. (about).. IH" thick: 

 30.000' b. m. (about), IV2" thick: 35.000' h. m. (about), 2" thick: 

 25.000' b. m. (about). 3" thick: 10,000' b. m. (about), ash. white, I14" 

 thick: 12"-up wide; 12 to 16' long; 15,000' b. m. (about), ash. white, 

 2" thick: 10"-up wide: 12 to 16' long. 



Poplar, firsts, air or kiln dried, as follows: 20,000' h. m. (about), 1" 

 thick: 20,000' b. m. (about), 2" thick. 



Application of Prices for Soft Wood Lumber 



Under date of July 2, the price fixing committee of the War Industries 

 Board passed the following supplementary ruling as to the application of 

 prices for soft wood lumber : 



All lumber manufacturers and dealers are hereby notified that the 

 present prices for soft lumber for mill shipment as heretofore established 

 or which may hereafter be established by the price fixing committee of 

 the War Industries Board, shall remain in effect during the period of time 

 prescribed and tliat in no case must orders for lumber for mill shipment 

 or reconsignment thereof be accepted, sold or invoiced to any purchaser 

 by either a manufacturer, dealer or other person at a greater price per 

 item than the maximum price fixed by the price fixing committee of the 

 War Industries Board, except where "delivered prices are made to pur- 

 chasers" destination points, in which cases freight may be added on the 

 basis of standard weights for each item so priced, also except as to orders 

 received or contracts made prior to the date of ruling of the price fixing 

 committee governing the producing territory involved. 



The price fixing committee has taken the position that cost figures pre- 

 sented by the Fe.leral Trade Commission on which the price fixing commit- 

 tee h- " ' ■*: -iiiings alreadv Include sales service to jjurchaser. So 

 in '": li.- price fixed in the ruling, the purchaser has already 



pail -■■vice. The purchaser or public should not be asked 



to 1 1 price to any vender offering mill shipments. 



It : I -alers that under this ruling their only chance is to 



obf.iin I'lnr't-r from mills at less than government prices. 



Baltimore Exports for May 

 The statement of exports of lumber for May from this port shows as the 

 most striking feature a heavy foreign movement of fir from the Pacific 

 coast. Not less than 1.176,000 feet of this wood went out to Europe by 

 way of Baltimore during the month, and a new record was set which may 

 stand for some time to come. That the fir shipped was high-grade stock is 

 indicated by the declared price, which Is nearly equal to that of spruce, a 

 wood that is wanted for aeroplane construction and must therefore be of 

 the finest grain. It is understood that fir has been entering largely into the 

 building of aircraft and that this accounts for the heavy shipments. An- 

 other reason for the selection of the Baltimore route, of course. Is to be 

 found in the federalization of the railroads, which has resulted in the 

 routing of freight wherever it can be handled with the greatest faculty. 

 If, for instance, there are available at Baltimore vessels for a certain 

 commodity, a diversion in the shipments to Baltimore of this commodity 

 results, as a means of averting congestion and making the most of the 

 transportation facilities. The exports of spruce keep up, the need for 

 these stocks evidently being as urgent as ever before. There was some move- 

 ment of poplar during the month, and oak also figured in the exhibit, as 

 did "hardwoods" and implement and tool handles. The statement, as com- 

 pared with the same month last year. Is as follows : 



191S 1917 



Quantity Value Quantity Value 



Boards, fir 1,176,000 ft. $119,379 $ 



Boards, oak 161,000 ft. 17,002 



Boards, poplar 208.000 ft. 14,272 9,000 ft. 374 



Boards, spruce 1,451,000 ft. 149,507 1.928,000 ft. 159,511 



Boards, hardwood 61,000 ft. 3.743 



Implement and tool handles 41,071 



Staves 4,796 1,200 3,159 750 



Other lumber 13,934 



Furniture 669 335 



Other manufactures of wood 47.569 31,856 



Total 



$394,502 



.$206,760 



