HARDWOOD RECORD 



countries bordering on the coi 



ean Sea are large users ot rough I 



nutactuted from it. Hostilities 



Europe will close the sources of tin 



southern Europe, in northern Africa and in contiguous territorv. 

 A vast field is also offered jn Central and South American ports. 

 In addition to this, we have the vast possibilities offered by the 

 rehabilitation of Mexico, With the imminent prospect of peacc 

 iu that country, the market that will there be presented is great. 

 Already steamship lines are establishing regular routes to Mexicar. 

 ports and lumber will be a large part of the freight earrieil 



The second opportunity will fol- 

 low indirectly to lumbermen from 

 the similar opportunities presented 

 to manufacturers in other lines for 

 increasing the export business. In 

 short, every authority on this sub- 

 ject seems of the opinion that the 

 opportunity now presented for a 

 tremendous stride ahead for indus- 

 trial America is an opportunity 

 which has at no other time been 

 presented to any country in the his- 

 tory of the world. The only logical 

 result will be marked activity in de- 

 mand for all products in which lum- 

 ber is used. 



The farmers, needless to say, will 

 be big consumers. This will logic- 

 ally follow from the extent of their 

 present crops and the entire likeli- 

 hood that they will realize unusual 

 values on account of excessive for- 

 eign demand. Here lies a tremend- 

 ous field for lumber consumption. 



Other factors will present equally 

 favorable opportunities. The rail- 

 roads must and will bring their roll- 

 ing stock to normal condition not 

 only because of the grain crop move- 

 ment, but because they will neces- 

 sarily move to and from seaports 

 the merchandise moved by the newly 

 expanded foreign commerce. The 

 same can be cited for almost every 

 group of lumber consumers. 



How, then, will American lumber- 

 men take advantage of this oppor- 

 tunity? It is most decidedly not 

 child's play to break into a foreign 

 market with a new commodity. It 

 is, however, an easily possible task 

 for those men who have made 

 American industry what it is today. 

 The only thing necessary is the em- 

 ployment of business-like methods 

 and a staunch co-operative spirit 

 which will obviate any possibility of 

 a panicky condition as far as our 

 domestic markets are concerned, and 

 will enable Americans to pull to- 

 gether not only for the maintenance 

 of present fairly satisfactory condi- 

 tions, but for a general revival in all 

 lines which must assuredly result 



from the dominant financial and industrial position into which this 

 country will be thrust. It is necessary only to maintain a level 

 head and to pull together with the universal resolve that this 

 opportunity will not be neglected. The result must be that this 

 country will progress as far in the next year or two as it would in 

 ten or fifteen years under ordinary- circumstances. But it is up to 

 the business men. 



Hardwood Record urges that you keep cool and instead of 

 looking for reasons why this country will so to the dogs, keep 



the present 



tor opportunities to 



•J ti 



INCE THE OPENING OF HOSTILITIES in Euroi: 

 ions of every character 



Markets in Mediterranean 

 Countries 



--pHE 



it of the Mediler- 

 mber and products 

 n the northern half 

 ber supply in that 



Probably two-thirds of the quantity heretofore 

 reaching Southern Europe, Northern Africa and Turkey in 



been carried in ships trading with Northern Europe. While 

 the war continues, little wood will come from that quarter, 

 yet the Mediterranean countries will need as much as ever. 

 They may need more, brcause business will be stimulated in 

 the regions which are at peace. 



Americans now have a chance to supply that trade with 

 American forest products Spain. Portugal, Italy. Greece, 

 Turkey, Egypt, Algeria, Tripoli and Morocco constitute the 

 prospective market where American lumbermen may increase 

 their business. It is a market for manufactured products as 

 well as for rough lumber and heavy timbers. The fruit crop 

 alone demands enormous quantities of boxes. The wine and 

 oil interests need barrels. Furniture makers in those coun- 

 tries are already buyers of oak, gum, walnut and yellow 

 poplar. They must have larger shipments from this side of 

 the sea. The boat builder will want more ash for oars, more 

 pine, spruce, fir and cedar for spars, decks and planking. The 

 market for veneers ought to increase. American vehicles 

 are already popular there, and more should now be in de- 

 mand, and additional vehicle supplies ought to find sale. 



The opening for agricultural machinery should greatly 

 enlarge, particularly in the eastern Mediterranean countries. 

 Sales ought to increase in southern Russia, in the Balkan 

 stales, and particularly in Turkey, where some of the strongest 

 competition may now be expected to disappear for a time. 

 Agricultural implement require much wood in their manu- 

 facture. More than 320,000,000 feet a year are so used. 

 Three times that much goes annually into furniture in this 

 country, and mote than ten times as much into boxes and 

 box shooks. It is apparent that any substantial increase in 

 the foreign market for these articles will stimulate all branches 

 of the lumber business at home. 



Future markets which do not now exist are in sight. De- 

 velopment in Northern Africa is under headway. Now is 

 the time for Ameiican lumber to obtain a hold there. A 

 timely beginning is valuable. The North Africa countries 

 have no timber of their own. They must buy all they use. 

 and America is the natural place to get it. The same is 

 largely true of Asiatic Turkey. That region, as tar east as 

 Mesopotamia, now has railroads, and development is bound 

 to follow. There is little native timber and America can 

 get business there. 



Some of these markets are now ready ; others are pro- 

 spective; but aggressiveness only will secure the prizes in full 

 measure. Great trade changes will likely follow the present 

 troubles in Europe. American lumbermen and other manu- 

 facturers can secure a large share if they go after it with the 

 right kind of taiih; but it must be borne in mind that "faith 

 without works is dead." 



Possibilities of Sales Abroad 



publica- 

 this country have been overflowing 



atuied suggestions that American business men must 

 not overlook the chance of building 



up foreign trade in new directions 



during the time when those coun- 

 tries which have been supplying the 

 necessary raw material and finished 

 articles are incapacitated in this di- 

 rection. 



It has been a very apparent fact 

 that while all sorts of advice have 

 been offered of a general character, 

 there has been practically nothing of 

 a specific nature to enable the Ameri- 

 can business man to proceed to take 

 advantage of these circumstances. 



Believing that specific advice is 

 more to be desired than generalities, 

 H.MiDwooD Record decided to in- 

 vestigate as fully as possible the 

 question of new markets for Ameri- 

 can lumber and manufactured prod- 

 ucts in which lumber is involved. 

 The possibilities as at first develop- 

 ed seemed rather meagre but after 

 getting into the subject the avail- 

 able material broadened to such an 

 extent that the results have been 

 extremely gratifying. 



This investigation is embodied iu 

 a series of articles, the first of which 

 appears in this issue. The initial 

 article merely summarizes the pos- 

 sibilities, while the following arti- 

 cles will take up group by group 

 various receiving ports of different 

 sections, analyze the different cus- 

 toms in those countries as closely 

 as possible and will give every scrap 

 of information now available that 

 might be of assistance in developing 

 trade in new sections. Hardwood 

 Record really feels that the infor- 

 mation offered in this series will be 

 of substantial assistance to its read- 

 ers both among the lumbermen and 

 among the manufacturers of wood 

 products and suggests that those in- 

 terested in building up this trade as 

 much as possible follow the articles 

 closely. H.iRDW0OD Record also asks 

 that any questions which are not thor- 

 oughly understood be referred to this 

 offiee where every effort will be made 

 to elucidate as fully as possible. 



Regarding South American Trade 



COMMENTING ON THE POSSIBILITIES of opening up export 

 business for hardwood lumber in South America, one of the 

 biggest exporters in the South writes that the buying customs of 

 the people in that section offer what seems an insurmountable 

 barrier to trade development. 



This correspondent cites an instance which illustrates the wide 

 divergence of custom which, if not approached properly, will con- 



