^i^;^\y^\i^^mvj^iv;^^iv]^j^^ 



^.'<^^jmmm^' 



RMUMWM 



Publiihed in the lolerest of ihe American Hardwood Forests, the Products thereof, and Logging, Saw 

 Mill and Wood-working Machinery, on the 1 0th and 23th of each Month, by 



THE HARDWOOD COMPANY 



Henry H. Gibson, President 

 Burdis Anderson, Sec'y and Treas. 



Entire Seventh Floor Ellsworth Building 

 537 So. Dearborn Street, CHICAGO 



LIBRA 

 NEW V{ 



eOTANIC 



Qardb 



Vol. XXXIV 



CHICAGO, JULY 25, 1912 



No. 7 



\>^TOaaTOyaait!roiroa4TOi>it?>iTO^JiTO^^ 



Editorial Comment 



General Market Conditions 



While the usual seasonable slowness is making itself manifest 

 in certain hardwood centers, it cannot be said that this state is 

 universally evident. In fact the month of July as reported from 

 a number of leading markets has been a banner month. The call 

 for dry stock in a great many cases far exceeds the available 

 supply, and in no instances is any material weakening of prices 

 reported. From the North comes assurance that there is no 

 prospect of hardwood mills catching up with orders for some time 

 to come. Practically everything moving from northern hardwood 

 points is immediately taken care of — in fact, considerable difficulty 

 is met with in getting hold of enough northern stock to meet 

 actual requirements. A feature which has helped to maintain the 

 shortage of dry stock is the general scarcity of labor in the North 

 which has effectively prevented northern manufacturers from run- 

 ning to full capacity. There is reason to believe that this condi- 

 tion wOl continue and that, combined with the fact that the mills 

 already are far behind in shipments, would make it reasonable to 

 suppose that the shortage will be maintained. 



Judging from the active call for flooring stock of maple, beech 

 and birch, the flooring business in these woods is in an unusually 

 good condition. It is stated that all grades of northern flooring 

 except No. 1 birch are in particularly good condition as to sales. 

 Prices are fairly satisfactory. 



Continued improvement in manufacturing conditions in the 

 South, brings to the market a slowly increasing amount of south- 

 ern dry stock, although as yet there is no appreciable lessening in 

 shortage. All southern mill points are reported to be doing an 

 active business, particularly for this time of the year. Shipments 

 are constantly becoming more certain. It is a significant fact that 

 the building trades continue to play a strong part in the demand 

 for hardwood lumber in all centers. 



Logs are coming in well and it is expected that a normal supply 

 will be available in the near future. 



The furniture trade continues to be behind with inquiries and 

 orders, but furniture buyers are continuing to arrive at the exhibits 

 in goodly niunbers, and there is an optimistic feeling prevailing 



among furniture manufacturers as to sales in the near future when 

 the exhibits are closed. With this stimulus in their business, the 

 demand for hardwood lumber should be considerably increased in 

 the course of the next few weeks. 



On the whole the situation is satisfactory with conditions appar- 

 ently approaching normal again and with increased confidence evi- 

 dent in every line of business. 



A Recrudescence 



There has been an apparent slacking up in the press agent work 

 looking toward the substitutions of various materials in the place 

 of wood in innumerable instances. Newspaper accounts of railroad 

 wrecks of late seem to have left out in most instances flagrantly 

 biased statements of the advantages of steel car construction. Oc- 

 casionally there leaks out a rehashing of the old question. One 

 prominent Chicago daily in speaking of a recent serious wreck 

 confines itself to the sane remark that the crushing of cars was 

 undoubtedly prevented by steel under-framing, thus supporting the 

 opinion of Hardwood Record in former articles. But a pronounced 

 recrudescence of the old epidemic is instanced in an editorial in 

 the July 13 issue of the New York Commercial. The object of this 

 literary effort seeriis to have been to secure for the railroads more 

 favorable consideration upon the part of the public. It seems that 

 the railroads have gone pretty heavily into the installation of steel 

 ears and in advertising the overwhelming advantages of that type 

 of car construction. The result of this campaign of publicity 

 seems to have been that the public, according to the newspaper 

 accounts, is clamoring for the destruction and absolute elimina- 

 tion of the "old style" wooden cars and for the immediate substi- 

 tution of the "safe and sane" steel death traps. This "public 

 clamor ' ' has brought a squeal from the railroads, which seriously 

 object to backing up their former assertions that their work was 

 in the interest of humanity, and which complain that any legisla- 

 tion which forces them to totally abandon the wooden cars would 

 amount to confiscation of private property. In championing the 

 cause of the railroads the editorial cites as a parallel case the fol- 

 lowing: 



SUBSCRIPTION TERMS: In the United States and its possessions, 

 and Canada. $2.00 the year; in foreign countries, $1.00 extra postage. 



In conformity witli the rules of the postofflce department, subscrip- 

 tions are payable in advance, and in default of written orders to the 

 contrary, are continued at our option. 



Instructions for renewal, discontinuance, or change of address, 

 should be sent one week before the date they are to go into effect. 

 Both old and new addresses must be given. 



Both display , and classified advertising rates furnished upon 

 application. 



Advertising copy must be received five days in advance of publlca* 

 tion dates. 



Telephones:— Harrison 8086-8087-8088. 



Advertising Representatives: Jacob Holtzman, 5254 Larchwood Ave- 

 nue, Philadelphia, Pa. ; E. W. Meeker, 537 South Dearborn Street, Chi- 

 cago, 111. 



Entered as second-class matter May 26, 1902, at the postofBce at 'Chi- 

 cago, 111., under act of March 3, 1879. 



