34 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



cago and other large consuming points. A. S. 

 Bliss o£ the same company says their September 

 business has been excellent, and that it has been 

 good in the Northwest as well as in the East. 

 They have made some excellent sales of maple, 

 .Tnd find that wood not abundant and firm in 

 price. Birch is also rather diminishing, and 

 not many stocks remain unsold. They find a 

 steady demand for southern oak from the north- 

 ern factory trade. 



Wausau. 



W. Wilson of Rhinelander has purchased a 

 large tract of hardwood lands from the Paine 

 Lumber Company of Oshkosh. The lands are 

 located in the vicinity of Stella and he will 

 erect a mill at that place. He has enough tim- 

 ber to keep the mill in operation for several 

 years. 



T. C. Nebrbass of the Nehrbass Casket Com- 

 pany, I'ond du Lac, died recently. 



The Upson Lumber Company is a new corpora- 

 tion formed to do business in Iron county. The 

 incorporators are Martin Brecke. Andrew Brecke 

 and Elmer Stone. Tbey reside at Stetsonville 

 and have bought the mill and timber holdings 

 of the Star Lumber Company at Upson. 



The Roddis Veneer Company of Marsbfleld has 

 already placed crews of men in the woods to cut 

 next year's supply of logs, but is greatly ham- 

 pered for lack of hands. It will furnish em- 

 ployment for 300 men this w-iuter, if they can 

 be secured. Its plans call for 12.000,000 feet 

 of lumber, an increase of 3,000,000 feet over last 

 year. About 750,000 feet of grades of hardwood 

 heretofore not cut at the mill will this year be 

 worked up into veneer for new styles of furni- 

 ture. 



This is the season when lumbermen of north- 



ern Wisconsin begin preparing for their win- 

 ter's work and the greatest difficulty facing 

 them this year is the scarcity of labor. Perhaps 

 not since "the civil war has the "lumberjack" 

 been as scarce in this section as at present. 

 Employment agencies have booked many orders 

 for woodsmen, but this source of supply wil' 

 avail the lumbering interests but little. Log- 

 ging operations are paying better wages than 

 they have for years, with transportation and 

 excellent board and accommodations, but they 

 no doubt will be compelled to draw on the Ital- 

 ian and other foreign labor of the big cities. In 

 fact, even at the present time whole camps in 

 logging districts often consist of laborers speak- 

 ing a foreign tongue, with the camp boss, the 

 cook and the scaler as the only Americans. 

 Crews such as these do not give satisfaction. 

 It recjuires weeks, often months, for the men to 

 become accustomed to the work and the effect 

 as concerns the season's cut is- plainly apparent. 

 Since lumbermen have entered so largely into 

 the cutting of hardwood there is almost as 

 much work in the woods as when pine was su- 

 preme, but the old-time "lumberjack," who in 

 years past was the lumberman's reliance, has 

 disappeared and has been partially succeeded by 

 men less skillful with logging tools. It Is 

 claimed that the large lumbering operations that 

 are opening up in tlie South and West have taken 

 him from Wisconsin. 



A. E. Beebee of McMillan, Wis., secretary of 

 the Wisconsin Hardwood Lumbermen's Associa- 

 tion, is the republican candidate for member of 

 the assembly from the first district of Marathon 

 county. His qualifications and record are a 

 guarantee that he will be an excellent addition 

 to the legislative body of the state, if elected, 

 and the Hardwood Record wishes him success 

 in his candidacy. 



Hardwood Market. 



(By HABDWOOD RECORD Exclusive Market Reporters.) 



Chicago. 

 The last few weeks has seen the rush of fall 

 business actually begun. Most of the firms are 

 busy getting out their orders with more speed 

 than usual this year on account of the car short- 

 age, which is beginning to be felt, and which 

 will undoubtedly increase as the season pro- 

 gresses. In almost all items the market is 

 strong. There are complaints about the slow- 

 ness of quartered oak, although there is no evi- 

 dence of the prices being anything but sound, 

 and it is thought that the active trading of the 

 next few weeks will serve to put the article on 

 a better footing. Plain oak is firm and a con- 

 siderable number of concerns that are making 

 the stuff in heavy quantities have no difficulty 

 whatever in disposing of their product. The 

 general opinion among the local trade and their 

 experience thus far with the state of trade is 

 tbat the coming season will be a remarkably 

 good one. 



Boston. 



While the local hardwood market lacks that 

 snap needed to make an active market, the de- 

 mand shows an improvement in many lines as 

 compared with a month ago. There has been a 

 general hardening of values due largely, it is 

 reported, to a short supply of desirable stock at 

 mill points, available for prompt shipment. 

 Dealers express more encouragement regarding 

 the future than for several weeks. The yards 

 in this vicinity are not overstocked, although 

 many of them have a fair supply on hand. 

 Mauufaclurers of house fini.sh are very busy at 

 present and have been for several weeks past. 

 Some are behind with deliveries. There has been 

 quite a little building going on this summer that 

 has about reached a stage where the interior 

 finish is wanted. Furniture manufacturers are 

 busy and the outlook is that they will run full 

 during the remainder of the year at least. 



A very fair demand for mahogany is reported. 

 Imports at Boston during the past month have 

 amounted to about two hundred logs. A steady 

 market is found for plain oak. although the 

 demand at present is not brisk. No lower quota- 

 tions are expected. Quartered oak has been in a 

 little better demand of late and prices are firmly 

 held in most instances. Birch is in moderate 

 inquiry. In some places this wood is being used 



as a substitute for mahogany. A good demand 

 is reported for brown ash. Whitewood is very 

 firmly held. The demand is not brisk, but deal- 

 ers have but little trouble in getting full asking 

 quotations, as offerings of desirable stock are 

 not large. Cypress is held in strong hands, but 

 the call is not brisk. Maple flooring moves in a 

 moderate way. No large orders are reported In 

 (he market this week. Chestnut is in very good 

 demand. 



New York. 



The salient feature of the market during the 

 past fortnight has been the money question, 

 due to the building trade requiring funds to 

 complete structures in hand, a condition which 

 is always prevalent at this time of year. The 

 stringency in the money market, coming as it 

 does toward the end of a very active building 

 period, has made itself strongly felt in the 

 large number of mechanics' liens filed with the 

 county clerk. At this writing the money market 

 is not high and it is believed that within a 

 very short time this undesirable feature of 

 trading will pass away. 



As to the hardwood market itself, the situa- 

 tion during the fortnight just closed has revealed 

 no weakness, both demand and prices being 

 steady. The wholesale trade reports stocks in 

 hand and at mill points very much broken and 

 holdings of first-class, well-manufactured stock 

 in the better grades are being held very strongly 

 as a general thing. Of course here and 

 there will be found small offerings from 

 small mills at slightly shaded prices, but 

 a majority of the trade who are con- 

 versant with conditions at supply points 

 are perfectly satisfied to keep their stock off the 

 market rather than to make any concessions. 

 Taking the bu.ying trade as a whole, however, 

 purchasing is quite free and every indication 

 points to a good fall and w'inter trade. There 

 is a little weakness shown in maple and quar- 

 tered oak, and there seems to be more than 

 enough stock to go round. In birch, the demand 

 is strong, with good stock in desirable sizes very 

 scarce. TIte demand has been unprecedented for 

 this stock for a good many months and the cur- 

 rent sitimtion shows no change in that respect. 

 Ash is in fair call and some inquiries are hard 

 to fill in the better grades, owing to the scar- 



city of available supplies. Beech is having a 

 very good run, especially in thick plank for 

 temporary work. Plain oak is firm, but stocks 

 in the hands of buyers seem ample for early 

 fall demands and the market is a little easy. 

 Poplar is holding its own, with the better 

 grades in good demand and the lower grades 

 moving quite freely. Prices are firm and the 

 general outlook indicates that it will enjoy a 

 very fair movement during the balance of the 

 year. 



Philadelphia. 



During the past fortnight sales have mate- 

 rially increased, especially in oak and chestnut. 

 Good prices are being obtained for all woods, 

 the lists being strong in all items. Basswood 

 is again becoming a factor after the quiet period 

 of sales experienced in the wood during the past 

 month, and poplar especially good dry stock 

 is in active demand. The outlook for a busy 

 season is favorable and the trade as a unit feel 

 confident that the brisk demand that is begin- 

 ning to usher in the fall business is the fore- 

 runner of a prosperous, steady season. The 

 stocks in the yards are at a comparatively low 

 ebb, and orders from them are beginning to be 

 receiyed in larger volume. 



Baltimore. 



The favorable conditions that have distin- 

 guished the Baltimore hardwood trade all sum- 

 mer still prevail. There is a brisk demand for 

 practically all items of stock, and the mills 

 apparently find a ready market for their entire 

 output, though some of the dealers incline to 

 the view that production has gained somewhat 

 on consumption and that stocks are more plen- 

 tiful than they have been for some time. For 

 the present the inquiry is brisk at figures that 

 are perhaps a shade easier, but that do not 

 depart materially from the range of values 

 which has prevailed during the whole summer. 

 The competition at the mills for stocks is still 

 very active, though the offerings are said by 

 some lumbermen to be more liberal. Oak. ash 

 and other woods in general use are eagerly 

 sought and the distribution is large, though in 

 the southern states the car shortage is causing 

 more or less trouble. Poplar has lost none of 

 its snap, being in strong demand at figures 

 that yield a satisfactory profit. Large quanti- 

 ties of lumber are going abroad, though the 

 quotations there are not relatively as high as 

 on this side. The prevailing prices for walnitt 

 serve to bring out lumber and logs in fairly large 

 quantities, the supplies being taken up in part 

 for domestic consumption, as the home revival 

 in the use of the wood is still in evidence. The 

 local requirements in mahogany are fairly satis- 

 factory. 



Pittsburg. 



In the midst of sultry summer weather the 

 fall market for hardwoods shows a very encour- 

 aging aspect. It is doubtful, in fact, if there 

 has been a fall for ten years when the hardwood 

 dealers of Pittsburg had reason to hope for a 

 better trade than just now. Inquiry is broad- 

 ening and prices are stiffening. Furthermore, 

 stocks of dry hardwood are too small to be 

 counted on to furnish a supply for any consid- 

 erable period. This augurs well for the quick 

 sale of the entire output of the hardwood mills 

 this fall and winter. Pittsburg firms are exert- 

 ing themselves to get their mills and mill con- 

 nections in the best possible shape before winter 

 sets in. 



Prices of all hardwoods are firm with a con- 

 stant tendency to higher quotations. There is 

 not a break in the list, except, perhaps, sound 

 wormy chestnut, which is offering rather more 

 freely than the market demands just now. Oak 

 is a strong leader, all grades being In excellent 

 call. The best grades of chestnut are bringina 

 better prices than a month ago. The small 

 stocks of hickory that are occasionally located 

 about Pennsylvania and Ohio are grabbed up 

 eagerly by local dealers and as quickly resold 

 at prices that are usually named by the seller. 

 Maple flooring is one of the best sellers on 

 the hardwood list. Considerable beech is being 

 sold through Pittsburg agencies, chiefly for 

 construction work on the local rivers. Birch is 

 wanted from eastern points, but its scarcity 

 makes sales small. Both elm and ash are com- 



