HARDWOOD RECORD 



pany have been removed to this city from 

 South Bend, Ind. R. G. Page, head of the big 

 fnterprise, and C. E. Wilson of the traffic 

 department, witli their families, are already 

 here. The company has a large lumber yard 



here and extensive interests throughout north- 

 eastern Kentucky and West Virginia, and in 

 order to handle the business to better advan- 

 tage it wa.s thought best to have the main 

 office in proximity to its large timber lands. 



Hardwood Market. 



(By HABDWOOD BECOBD Exclusive market Beporters.) 



Chicago. 



There seem.s to be a slight slackening in 

 local sales to the consuming trade. It is con- 

 sidered on all sides that this is only tempo- 

 rary, and is occasioned very likely by what 

 seems a pretty high scale of lumber values 

 which buyers now have to pay for their stock. 

 Many figure that already top-notch prices 

 have been reached, and that by delaying pur- 

 chases they will not have to pay any more 

 money and may possibly buy at slightly lower 

 prices. 



There are some varieties of hardwoods that 

 are in such short supply at sources of pro- 

 duction as to make them remarkably good 

 sellers when a buyer succeeds in locating any 

 of the stock. For example, dry basswood, of 

 which Chicago is 'the largest consuming mar- 

 ket in the countrj-, is practically exhausted. 

 Very few manufacturers or jobbers have any 

 to offer. The result is that the price on this 

 wood has advanced from $6 to $8 in the last 

 eight months. Some sales of firsts and sec- 

 onds are reported in this market as high as 

 $40. Birch is undeniably doing better, but 

 there is still a considerable quantity of this 

 wood unsold. Thick maple is in good call 

 locally, and what little there is will surely 

 command more money. Rock elm and black 

 ash are practically out of the market. Nearly 

 all the southern woods are in fair demand. 

 There are many more inquiries for high grade 

 poplar than there is stock. Cottonwood and 

 gum are also doing exceedingly well, while 

 the demand for oak still keeps in excess of 

 .supply, and the call for the coarse end of all 

 hardwoods for crating and box material re- 

 mains active and prices have materially ad- 

 vanced. Last fall $9 to $10 was a high price 

 for miscellaneous No. 3 hardwoods, and today 

 manufacturers located along the upper lakes 

 sell culls as high as $12. and in many eases 

 are asking more. The local situation is en- 

 tirely healthy, with every prospect for a 

 strong season's demand. 



Boston. 



The market for hardwoods in Boston has 

 developed quite a degree of activity of late. 

 Prices are firmer in nearly all instances, but 

 this does not appear to have checked the 

 inquiry. While the demand was fairly active 

 during March, it is much better this month. 

 Wholesalers find it difficult to get dry stock. 

 Advices from some of the largest mills in the 

 country indicate that their stocks are small. 

 The reports of the better conditions have 

 evidently reached mill points, as asking prices 

 are higher on nearly every lot offered. The 

 furniture manufacturers are very busy. Their 

 stocks are moderate only and many buyers 

 are "hungry for lumber," as one dealer puts 

 it. Several out of town buyers who have 

 seldom, if ever, called upon the trade in 

 Boston for supplies have been here lately. 



A fair demand for plain oak is reported in 

 this market. Values are high, but all dealers 

 are not getting outside prices. Quartered oak 

 shows considerable activity and prices are 

 tending upward. Offerings are small and 

 dealers find it difficult to place new business 

 at satisfactory prices. A moderate demand 

 for plain oak for export is reported. Walnut 

 is in very small offering, with the demand of 

 larger proportion than for five years. Offer- 



ings of wliite ash are of very small volume. 

 Brown ash is scarce and firm. The call for 

 cypress is not of large volume, but there is 

 enough business to keep prices steady. White- 

 wood is very firmly held. Dealers have small 

 stocks to offer and yards are not heavily sup- 

 plied. All advices from mill points indicate 

 that values will continue firm for some time. 

 Maple is well held with the demand for floor- 

 ing moderate. 



New York. 



The situation in the hardwood trade in the 

 Metropolitan District continues active with prices 

 bullish throughout the entire list. The market is 

 in the hands of the seller in view of the marl<ed 

 shortage at producing and wholesale sources, 

 especially in the better grades of hardwoods. 

 There seems to be less hardwood available at 

 mill points than there was three months ago, not- 

 withstanding the spring log tides. The poplar 

 Situation is particularly acute and all grades are 

 readily salable. Ash and birch are similarly 

 situated. In chestnut, sound wormy has first 

 call, ones and twos common having eased off 

 slightly in demand. Inch maple seems fairly 

 plentiful, but thick stock is scarce and in good 

 call. Beech and gum are more than holding 

 their own, and the oak situation is almost en- 

 tirely in the hands of the seller. The situation 

 is exceptionally good all along the line with the 

 exception of the dirth of supplies. 



The wholesale mahogany trade in the local 

 market is firm and active. The arrivals of logs 

 from foreign ports during the month of March 

 were far less than in either January or Feb 

 ruary. and a large part of such arrivals, together 

 with a large portion of the logs on hand a month 

 previous, has been .sold, leaving the market 

 almost bare of wood iu first hands. This, together 

 with the fact that consumption continues 

 normally active, makes early shipments of good 

 wood necessary. Prices are still ruling from G 

 to 12 cents per foot with the average close to 

 9 cents, the higher prices being selling values 

 for laguDa. Santiago and the choice stock. 



In foreign cedar there were more ports repre- 

 sented in the arrivals in March and more logs 

 were received than in any month for many 

 years. Notwithstanding these heavy arrivals 

 stocks have only been added to in comparatively 

 small amounts, and prices have eased off about 

 one cent a foot owing to the heavy receipts. The 

 large increase in shipments is explained by the 

 railroad development in Cuba, which has neces- 

 sitated the extensive cutting of timber and con- 

 sequently heavy shipments. It is authoritatively 

 announced that such cutting is about completed, 

 with a result that the market will undoubtedly 

 resume a normal basis in the next thirty to sixty 

 days. Prices on cedar rule firm at from 8 to 12 

 cents a foot, according to quality, with the aver- 

 age about lOyu cents. * 



Philadelphia. 



Conditions in the lumber market for the last 

 fortnight have been rather perplexing. A quietus 

 is felt generally along the line. Opinions in 

 trade circles as to the probable cause vary. 

 Some are inclined ot think the backward spring 

 has much to do with it. It is conceded by all. 

 however, that there has been entirely too much 

 contention as regards the doings of the large 

 public corporations both in the newspapers and 

 legislative bodies, creating a want of confidence. 



and in consequence a holding off ot investors. 

 One thing is sure, money is tight at this time, 

 and the bulk of operation work depends on 

 loans, as do also all large public enterprises. 

 It is possible that the opinion expressed by the 

 more conservative trade element that the slump 

 is only temporary, and that conditions will 

 right themselves as soon as the weather settles, 

 is the correct one. The eastern furniture fac- 

 tories, interior finish works, sash and door mills, 

 and veneer and cigar box makers, are all af- 

 fected more or less by this wavering feeling as 

 to future business, for although things are 

 humming right along, aud they have a fair stock 

 on hand, they prefer to wait for developments 

 before buying ahead. Yardmen feel the de- 

 pression also. Some of the hustling firms, how- 

 ever, in the face of all this disquietude, seem 

 to have all the business they can handle and 

 make no complaint whatever. Permits for large 

 structures are being applied for right along, as 

 also for operation work for rows of dwellings. 

 Among the hardwoods, ash, chestnut and 

 basswood hold front rank in values but are still 

 very scarce. Poplar has retreated somewhat as 

 to volume of sales and in some quarters is super- 

 seded by cypress, the latter being so much 

 cheaper. Oak is somewhat uncertain. It was 

 thought this wood would advance in price ; in- 

 stead there is a downward tendency in values, 

 which may be only temporary, however. Cherry 

 and maple hold old status : maple flooring keeps 

 steady and in good demand ; gum remains firm. 



Baltimore. 



There is no change of consequence to be re- 

 ported in the hardwood Inisiness of this section. 

 Stocks are in strong demand and prices are 

 firm. All the dealers report that they have 

 numerous inquiries and that they are unable to 

 till orders for want of supplies. The mills 

 are being operated to the limit of their capacity 

 and their output is taken up as fast as it can 

 he made ready for the market at figures that 

 tend to stimulate operations. Kspecially is this 

 true with respect to oak, which wood is being 

 called for in large quantities not only to meet 

 the needs of the domestic market, but also to 

 fill orders for foreign consumption. European 

 buyers are at present disposed to meet the terms 

 of shippers and they also manifest a tendency 

 to aid the American exporters in their efforts 

 the stop the practice of shipping on consignment. 

 The situation abroad is very much improved and 

 an excellent feeling now prevails. Poplar is also 

 called for in large quantities, though some ex- 

 porters allege that manufacturers are forward- 

 ing stocks at lower figures than they can be 

 bought for in the domestic market, and that 

 this expedient is employed for the purpose of 

 preventing a break in the market here. How- 

 ever that may be, the fact remains that poplar 

 is in strong request and that stocks are sold in 

 large quantities. The trade is evidently pre- 

 pared to take all the lumber which the mills 

 can turn out and the supplies in the hands of 

 local dealers at the present time are lower than 

 they have been for many months. Other hard- 

 woods are in equally good shape and there is 

 every prospect that the prevailing state of af- 

 fairs will continue. 



Pittsburg. 



The call for hardwood lumber continues very 

 active. There is an increased call for ash and 

 hickory which are used largely by the imple- 

 ment and carriage and wagon manufacturers. 

 Straight grained white ash, dry enough for use, 

 is a much prized article in the market just now 

 and is bringing the wholesaler's price. There is 

 little of it in stock for the country mills of 

 western Pennsylvania and Ohio have not been 

 able to deliver their usual quota of dry lumber 

 owing to the extremely unfavorable weather and 

 resultant bad roads preventing them from get- 

 ting logs into mill. Most of the West Virginia 



