HARDWOOD RECORD 



amount of shade is wanted around homes and 



gardens in summei'. and unlilie the former will 



not intensity gloom or dampness during the 

 rainy season by shutting out the sunshine. 



Death of W. E. Smith. 



On May 23 at Eau Claire, Wis., occurred the 

 death of William Emerson Smith, president of 

 the W. E. Smith Lumber Company, and secre- 

 tary of the Three States Lumber Company of 

 Memphis. Although Mr. Smith's health had not 

 been good for a year or more and he went north 

 to recuperate and rest, his parents and friends 

 did not look for so sudden a termination of his 

 life. Paralysis was the immediate cause of his 

 death. 



Few men are better or more favorably known 

 In lumber circles throughout the country than 

 he : in the words of a friend. "Everybody loved 

 •Billy' Smith." He was born at Eau Claire, Wis., 

 In 1869, and began life as a newspaper reporter 

 for the Eau Claire Leader. About twelve years 

 ago he entered the lumber business, associating 

 himself with the Three States Lumber Company 



THE LATE W. E. SMITH OF MEMPHIS, 

 TENN. 



of Cairo. III., in a minur position from which 

 he continually advanced until he became a power 

 in the concern, and was one of its otbcers at the 

 time of his death. About three years ago he 

 moved the company's headquarters to Memphis, 

 where he became actively interested in lumber 

 affairs of that district. Nearly a year ago he 

 was obliged to retire from active business on ac- 

 count of poor health. Mr. Smith's funeral was at 

 the home of his parents in Eau Claire the Sun- 

 day following his demise, and interment took 

 place in that city. 



once out of court, as they instructed their bank- 

 ers to dishonor the draft. Smith & Tyrer then 

 sued for the value of the draft and of course 

 succeeded. 



The case, however, opens up a field for dis- 

 cussion as to the relative position of the ship- 

 per, broker and merchant. Undoubtedly, the 

 merchant is placed in a somewhat unfair posi- 

 tion and has a genuine grievance. He makes a 

 contract with a firm of brokers of undoubted 

 financial stability, who in turn place the con- 

 tract with a shipper in the states who may be 

 entirely a man of straw. Again he may make 

 a contract for say a carload of firsts and sec- 

 onds quartered oak boards, wliich bears the nota- 

 tion, "Should any dispute arise in connection 

 with this contract the buyer shall nevertheless 

 take delivery of the goods as shipped and make 

 due payment as herein agreed." 



It necessarily follows then that if the ship- 

 per should happen to ship No. 1 common plain 

 oak the buyer must not refuse delivery or pay- 

 ment. If he gets an award from arbitration 

 the broker generally pleads that he has no 

 funds belonging to the shipper and tells the 

 merchant to go himself and obtain 'his money 

 by suing the shipper in the American courts. 

 The shipper in this case is in a safe position 

 and unless the amount is large the legal costs 

 would make it so that it was not worth while; 

 in a case such as that of tire Powell concern, 

 of course when a verdict has been obtained 

 there would be no assets to pay the claim 

 which has been awarded. 



Quite an agitation is being formed by Eng- 

 lish merchants here to try and force shippers 

 to make brokers responsible to pay tlie claims 

 made against them. 



Litigation Over Export Shipment. 



.\ legal case has .lUst been fought out in the 

 Liverpool law courts between Smith & Tyrer 

 of Liverpool and Adams & Co. of Gloucester, 

 which is of considerable interest to lumber cir- 

 cles. Smith & Tyrer. on behalf of the W. A. 

 Powell Lumber Company of New Orleans, La., 

 sold a large quantity of lumber to the Adams 

 concern. The lumber was duly shipped and 

 Smith & Tyrer received a draft in exchange 

 for the shipping documents, of course before 

 the lumber had been inspected by Adams & Co. 

 The wood when it arrived was not in order 

 and a considerable award was made to the 

 Messrs. Adams. 



Before the acceptance became due for pay- 

 ment the W. A. Powell Lumber Company, the 

 shippers, failed, and Adams & Co. were left 

 with a claim against a bankrupt firm. The 

 action they then took seemed to put them at 



of wood it is found in sections where the 

 largest production should be noted, it is light, 

 and shows that hardwoods are in short supply 

 as compared with the demand. 



A general feeling exists that there is no rea- 

 son for prices to change except to a higher 

 trend. 



Producers have enough business to carry 

 them on an average of from three to tour 

 months, and an exceptionally strong fall trade 

 is looked for. 



In comparison with the pines and west coast 

 products the hardwood industry is in much 

 better shape; production is lighter and condi- 

 tions in markets better than in any other 

 branches of the lumber business. 



Heroes of the Board Walk. 



Conspicuous among the throng of illustrious 

 personages in attendance at the recent meeting 

 of the National Hardwood Lumber Association at 

 Atlantic City was the ubiquitous presence of the 

 pair of distinguished lumbermen portrayed here- 

 with. This snapshot was taken on the Board 

 Walk, and exhibits them as they appeared in 

 one of Atlantic City's famous roller chairs. It is 



The Hardwood Situation. 



The Hardwood Manufacturers' Association 

 of the United States recently sent out a series 

 of questions to members with the request that 

 accurate and full replies be made, for the 

 purpose of enabling the secretary to compile 

 a summary of trade conditions wliicli sliould 

 represent a consensus of opinion from manu- 

 facturers in all the states in the hardwood 

 belt. The questions were as follows: 



Are your inquiries satisfactory in volume? 

 How do your unfilled orders compare with 

 Jan. 1. 1907? 



How long will your present suppl.v of orders 

 keep your shipping department busy? 



Are your stocks on hand at present larger or 

 smaller than on Jan. 1. 1907? 



W^hat are your prospects for production dur- 

 ing the balance of this year? Will it be larger 

 or smaller compared with the first four 

 months? 



How is your car supply at present? 

 Have you any accumulation of any kind of 

 wood? If so, state below. 



State the woods which you have in shortest 

 supply over demand. 



Conditions of trade, outlook, etc. 

 W'hat suggestions have you to offer for the 

 benefit of other members? 



■U'hile answers were not numerous, it was 

 deduced from the material sent in in reply to 

 the questions and an accompanying letter, 

 that building conditions throughout the entire 

 northern country have been delayed owing to 

 the later spring, but not-withstanding this per- 

 mits for the month of April, 1907. in fifty lead- 

 ing cities of the United States, show a gain 

 of five per cent over the same month for 1906. 

 It is expected that a large corn acreage will 

 be planted this year to overcome the scarcity 

 of wheat which is caused by the late spring. 



The prospects for hardwood production are 

 only fair and not up to the average. The con- 

 suming markets, especially in furniture and 

 construction work, are busy using hardwoods 

 and are in the market to purchase. 



In the seventh question as to accumulations 



"HOME AlN"i .N.ri'lllM: I.IKH THIS." 



hardly necessary to state who they are. but for 

 the minority not acquainted with them — who 

 thereby acknowledge themselves unknown — it 

 may be said that these real heroes of the hour 

 were Sam E. Barr, the famous shellbark hickory 

 dealer of New York City, and J. H. P. Smith, the 

 e(]ually well-known purveyor of poplar and other 

 wooden plunder of Parkersburg, W. Va. 



Ne-sv Lumber Dock for New Orleans. 



Following out the plan of keeping the several 

 associations advised of important matters being 

 handled for tiie general benefit of the export 

 lumber trade, the New Orleans Lumber E.xport- 

 ers' Association advises that in investigating 

 conditions at New Orleans and recognizing the 

 fact that it was impossible for lumber to move 

 through that market in anything like the volume 

 it should by reason of the city's geographical 

 situation and natural advantages, it conceived 

 the idea of going before the Board of Port Com- 

 missioners and suggesting to them the erection 

 of a dock for the purpose of handling all wood 

 goods where handling charges might be reduced 

 to a minimum and where the lumbermen might 

 exercise some reasonable control over their own 

 products. Following out this idea, it succeeded 

 in meeting the Dock Board at a special meeting 

 called for that purpo.se and with the hearty 

 support of a committee from the Belt Railroad 

 Commission headed by the Hon. Martin Behr- 

 man. president, put the matter in a manner that 



