HARDWOOD RECORD 



27 



to warrant detailed reading now. However, they will repay careful 

 scrutiny and their chief significance will be pointed out. 



The secretary then read a statement of cut and shipments of 

 June, 1911, and June, 1912, which Tvas contained in the last issue 

 of Hardwood Record. 



The following comparison of cut and shipments from January 1 to 

 June 30 this year and last is based upon reports from the same Arms in 

 the corresponding months: 



HEMLOCK 



Cut Shipped 



Mft. M ft. 



1912 1911 1912 1911 



Totals 155, S3S 140.732 216,424 153,559 



IIARWOODS 



Cut Shipped 



Mft. , M ft. 



1912 1011 1912 1911 



Totals 136,174 156,713 109,632 84.161 



Increase in hemlock cut, 11 per cent. 

 Increase in hemlock shipments, 41 per cent. 

 Decrease In hardwood cut, 13 per cent. 

 Increase in hardwood shipments. 30 per cent. 

 Decrease in total cut, 2 per cent. 

 Increase in total shipments, 37 per cent. 

 Stocks held by forty-flvc firms .luly 1. 1912, and July 1, 1911 : 



HEMLOCK 



On hand unsold On hand sold 



1012 1911 Increase 1912 1911 Increase 



JI ft. M ft. Per cent M ft. M ft. Per cent 



No. 1 59,639 57,318 4 5,072 3,012 68 



No. 2 29,734 39,918 — 26 3,006 1,470 105 



No. 3 17,618 32,456 — 45 7,392 2,504 195 



Not Specified 58,066 41,749 39 15,826 3,808 31G 



Totals 165,057 171,441 — 4 31,296 10,794 190 



Total hemlock sold and unsold July 1, 1911, 182,235,000 ft. 

 Total hemlock sold and unsold July 1, 1912, 196,353,000 ft. 

 Increase, 8 per cent. 



HARDWOODS 



On hand unsold On hand sold 



1912 1911 Increase 1912 1911 Increase 



XI ft. M ft. Per cent >I ft. M ft. Per cent 



Ash 969 2.832 66 2,267 2,772 — 18 



Basswood 10,720 14,929 28 11,465 10,140 13 



Birch 17,598 26,597 41 28,142 25,673 10 



Rock elm 1,656 3,270 49 3,283 3,072 7 



Soft elm 3,361 4,640 28 7,432 7,142 4 



Hard maple 11,916 11,167 + 7 17,975 13,862 30 



Soft maple 607 638 5 1,317 1,772 — 26 



Oak 1,067 2,247 53 1,361 514 165 



Totals 47,900 66,320 28 73.242 64,947 13 



Total hardwoods sold and unsold July 1. 1911, 131,267,000 ft. 

 Total hardwoods sold and unsold July 1, 1912, 121,142,000 ft. 

 Decrease S per cent. 

 Proportion of total hardwood stock on hand sold, July 1, 1911, 50 per 

 cent. 



Proportion of total hardwood stock on hand sold, July 1, 1912, 60 per 

 cent. 



Total hemlock and hardwoods sold and unsold, July 1, 1911, 313,502,000 

 feet. 



Total hemlock and hardwoods sold and unsold, July 1, 1912, 317,495,000 



feet. 



Increase 1 per cent. ^ 



Last January there was twelve per cent more unsold hemlock lumber 

 on hand than on January 1, 1911, due to the very heavy hemlock produc- 

 tion late last fall, while there was a slight decrease in hardwood stocks. 

 Taken altogether, the January 1 (1912) reports showed an increase in 

 hemlock and hardwood stocks on hand of ten per cent over January 1, 

 1911. The extraordinary movement of lumber during the first six months 

 of this year, together with only a normal production, have reversed these 

 figures, so that on July 1 there was four per cent less unsold hemlock 

 on hand than on July 1 last year, and twenty-eight per cent less unsold 

 hardwood on hand than a .vear ago. Taking hardwood and hemlock stocks 

 together, sold and unsold, the totals reported by forty-five concerns this 

 year are practically the same as those reported last year. However, 

 turning to our cut and shipment reports, from an average of more than 

 seventy firms during the last twelve months, we find that during this 

 period hemlock shipments have exceeded the cut by twelve per cent, 

 and that hardwood shipments have gone beyond production by seven 

 per cent, making a total excess of shipments over cut since July 1, 1911, 

 of ten per cent. It is especially interesting to note that the stock reports 

 show forty-five per cent less No. 3 unsold hemlock on hand July 1 this 

 year than on July 1, 1911. Moreover, there has been much more effort 

 on the part of buyers to contract stocks ahead. While large blocks of 

 hemlock stock are seldom contracted for. nearly three times as much 

 hemlock was sold ahead on July 1 of this year as on July 1. 1911. More- 



over, at this time, sixty per cent of the total hardwood stock on hand 

 is sold, while a year ago only fifty per cent was sold ahead. 



More lumber was shipped by association members in May than in an.T 

 other month covered by our records, while the June reports show but a 

 slight decrease from the high mark set by the May shipments. A sum- 

 ming up of reports by the same firms in the corresponding first six months 

 of this year and last indicate an increase in hemlock cut of eleven 

 per cent, an increase in hemlock shipments of forty-one per cent, a de- 

 crease in hardwood cut of thirteen per cent, and an increase in hardwood 

 shipments of thirty per cent, making up to date this year a decrease in 

 total cut of two per cent and an increase in total shipments of thirty- 

 seven per cent over the corresponding period of 1911. There is no doubt 

 that the total hardwood production in 1912 will be less than in 1911. 

 and so far as can be determined the same will be true of the hemlock 

 cut. Hemlock sawing in large volume began earlier this year than last, 

 but it is not likely to continue as late into the fall as it did in 1911. 



In reporting association activities, the report told of various 

 accomplishments since the last meeting. 



In speaking of market conditions Secretary Kellogg said: 

 Your secretary never has had the pleasure of making a more cheerful 

 report upon general business conditions than he can do now. While he 

 has sometimes been accused of being unduly optimistic, be has abundant 

 justification for a cheerful outlook. 



Crops the country over are coming in much better than the spring 

 reports indicated. Winter wheat is yielding heavily in the regions of 

 greatest production and the spring wheat outlook is steadily improving. 

 Other crops are turning out well, and prices for farm products are at the 

 point which means prosperity for the farmer. There are no severe, 

 drouths such as prevailed in many sections last year. 



Building operations are going ahead on a record-breaking scale, and 

 foreign trade is exceeding all previous figures. Steel production is at a 

 high point, with decided advances in prices. Business of all kinds is 

 active, and upon a sound basis. 



There is no over-production of lumber in sight for the balance of 1912. 

 The lumber situation as regards prices and stocks has more favorable 

 features than at any other time during the last five years. There is 

 plenty of noise about politics, but no deterrent effects. The country is 

 coming to the realization that it is too big to get the colic every four 

 years, and the business man is looking with confidence to 1913, whether 

 he be a follower of the Elephant, the Donkey, or the Moose. 



M. J. Quinlan reported for the committee on grades and informa 

 tion. He told of the resignation of Chief-Inspector Lusk, and 

 stated that his successor had not been appointed. According to 

 the speaker, statistics would tend to show that low-grade lumber 

 is not bringing sufficient money at present, this being particularly 

 true of grain door stock. With abundant crops and scarcity of 

 low-grade stocks he stated it was his belief that prices would not 

 be realized in keeping with the actual value of that product. 



A general discussion covering other topics of grading and market 

 conditions then followed, various members contributing their opin- 

 ions to the talk. 



W. 6. Collier, chairman of the railway committee, submitted the 

 following report: 



The matter of a special rate on hemlock is where we left it last year 

 with the Wisconsin lines ready to make the rate and the Illinois 

 Central blocking it presumably on account of its large interest in hauling 

 yellow pine into territory that belongs to the hemlock mills, and unless 

 some pressure can be brought to bear on that railroad, your committee 

 thinks the Wisconsin lines will not insist on putting in the special hem- 

 lock rate for the reason that they do not think they can do so without 

 the Illinois Central making it uncomfortable for them in other territories. 

 We are sure, however, that we have good grounds for asking for a 

 special rate on hemlock from the fact that it is a cheap wood and should 

 not stand as high a rate as more valuable building woods are made to bear. 

 Our Michigan friends have been trying to get the Interstate Commerce 

 Commission to oblige the railroads to establish more accurate means of 

 weighing cars loaded with lumber, and what they ask for appears reason- 

 able. They ask that the railroad scales be put in on cement foundations, 

 built high enough to keep the balance beams out of the water and ice 

 that may accumulate in the foundation pit; that balance points be kept 

 sharp and that cars be weighed light before being placed for loading. 

 Your railroad committee has not been directly identified with this work. 

 but has done what it could to help. We understand that hearings have 

 been held and that there is a fair chance of lumber shippers getting some 

 relief. It goes without saying that in the past with just claims for over- 

 weight many claims have been made for overweight where no over- 

 weight existed and that at least a part of these claims have been paid. 

 The railroads became aware of this and a few years ago adopted a 

 rule through the Railroad Weighing Association not to allow any claims 

 for overweight where they have two railroad scale weights regardless of 

 whether the tare weight of the cars are correct or not. This is mani- 

 festly unjust and will no doubt be regulated, but it appears that it will 

 take some time and a good deal of work by someone to have the matter 



