

Vol. XXIV. 



CHICAGO. SEPTEMBER 25. 1907. 



No. 11. 



Published on ihe lOlh and 25lh of each monlh by 



THE HARDWOOD COMPANY 



HENRY H. GIBSON. Ed,u,r. EDGAR H. DEFEBAUGll, M.n.g„. 



7th Floor. Ellsworth BIdg., 355 Dearborn St., Chicago, 111., U.S A. 



Telephone Harrison 4960 



E.s„r„ Office: 319 L.„d T„la Buildma. Ph.ladelpl,,.. J.,.„b H.,l,.n,.„. Represe„,a„ve. 



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MEETING OF HANDLE MANUFACTURERS 

 AMENDED NOTICE. 



It has been decided that the meeting of handle manufac- 

 turers to be held on Tuesday, October 8, at the Great North- 

 em Hotel, Chicago, will include manufacturers of both hick- 

 ory and ash handles. The morning session wiU be devoted to 

 hearing addresses from leaders in association movements 

 who will explain the benefits of organized effort and what 

 an association is privileged to do and what not to do within 

 legal Imutations. The meeting will then resolve itself into 

 two separate bodies, one of the hickory handle producers 

 and one of ash handle makers. If it is deemed wise separate 

 associations of each of these interests will be organized 



Particular attention is called to the article on another 

 page of this issue, entitled "The Coming Handle Meeting " 



HENRY H. GIBSON, 

 Editor Hardwood Record. 



General Market Conditions. 



Hardwood market e.i...l,tio„s are in good shape in many soe- 

 tions of the country, but i„ others very spotted, according 'to re- 

 ports in the Hardwood Kecord from the numerous trade centers 

 published in this issue. There seems to be a diminution of de- 

 mand ,n the East, which is always sensitive to monetary stringencv 

 More than likely this is but a passing wave of slight decline i"n 

 sales, as advices from abroad and the large centers of this country 

 point to a marked improvement in the financial world. One au- 

 thority declares that the money outlook the world over is much 

 better than it has been for a long time. While there i| a slight, 

 easing of the tension which will increase as the business let-up 

 goes on, there is likely to be another hardening in the money mar 

 ket when the full tide of crop movement gets under wav. " Much 

 depends upon the corn crop, as to how e.xten«ive this movement 

 will be. The weather of the past two weeks has been distinctly 

 'corn weather-' and with another two weeks of warm moist weath- 

 er the crop should bo a good one. 



There is still little demand for bonds of any kind in the general 

 market. Railroad securities as well as timber bonds go begging 

 and it is not expected that there will be much loose money for this 

 class of investment until after the first of the year. 



Poplar seems to be leading the van in lumber demand and prices 

 lire ranging high. In some sections even oak has eased off a little 

 liut apparently only temporarily. Northern woods are in fair de- 

 mand. 



The strength of the entire hardwood situation lies in the fact 

 I hat there is very little lumber in the hands of manufacturers and 

 comparatively small stocks owned by jobbers. Even if trade should 

 tall off twenty-five per cent there would scarcely be lumber enough 

 to go arounci. 



(-)wing to the diminution of speculative building less big orders 

 are out for hardwood flooring and interior finish than usual, but 

 there seems to be a large amount of repair work and small build- 

 ing in progress, making a fair trade in these two lines. 



The furniture manufacturing business evidently has not much snap 

 lu It but still the aggregate purchases in this class of trade is not 

 small. There seems to be a renaissance of car building and the de- 

 man. I for car material is increasing. 



On the whole the situation is excellent, and no fear should be 

 .ntcrtained for the future of the market. 



The Coming Handle Meeting. 



As noted at the head of the editorial columns there has been a 

 slight change in the plans for the handle meeting to ho held at 

 I'hirago, Tiu.silay, October 8. In the morning a joint meeting of 

 l.otli ash and hickory handle makers will be held, at which addresses 

 on the subject of association work will be made by W. H. Russe, 

 president of the National Hardwood Lumber Association; Lewis 

 Doster. secretary of the Hardwood Manufacturers' Association of 

 the United States; E. W. McCullough, secretary of the National 

 Wagon Manufacturers' Association; E. H. Defebaugh, secretary of 

 the National Veneer and Panel Manufacturers' Association, and 

 others ].rominent in association work. 



During the afternoon the hickory and the ash ht.ndle makers will 

 have separate conferences at which time it is expected that each in- 

 terest will organize an association. From the number of accept- 

 ances received it is anticipated that more than a hundred handle 

 makers will be present, and there is every promise that excellent re- 

 sults will be realized from the nieeting. All haiulle makers will be 

 welcome. 



Revival of Waterway Transportation. 



It IS gradually coming to be recognized that we are about to 

 enter upon a new era of waterway transportation. The influence 

 of the great convention of the Deep Waterways Association to be 

 held at Memphis, Oct. 4 and 5, will be far reaching. For a genera- 

 tion railroads have fought every proposal for the improvement of 

 internal navigation. This attitude is now changed, for they have 

 found it imjmssible to handle the traffic of the country. 



Canal building is an ancient art, and even in the United States 

 it antedates railroad construction. Development of a country in 

 cycles is one of the strange phenomena that students of industrial 

 history have noted. After a period of great activity a correspond- 

 ing era of depression occurs. The popularity of our canals waned - 

 of late years almost to the point of extinction. Now the pendulum 

 swings back and the country is about to witness the greatest period 

 of canal building and improvement of waterways that it has ever 



