30 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



be a let-up in extremely active buying until 

 fall. The general situation is healthy and the 

 year promises to round out well. 



Boston. 



There has been no particular change in the 

 local hardwood market. Those dealers who 

 make a specialty of export business report a 

 slightly better inquii-y and all agree that it 

 prices were lower they could do a much 

 larger foreign business. The yards in this 

 section are all fairly well supplied with lum- 

 ber, yet there is no surplus, especially of the 

 desirable grades. Advices from mill points 

 for the most part report a shortage of dry 

 stock, but it is the consensus of opinion that 

 there will be plenty of lumber within a few 

 weeks. The manufacturers of interior finish 

 are fairly busy and they as well as furniture 

 manufacturers are interested in anything that 

 looks like a bargain. Some of the latter have 

 larger stocks on hand than regular lumber 

 yards and most of this was bought at prices 

 under those ruling today. 



Plain oak. is not in large offering although 

 some state that there is more to be had now 

 than a few weeks ago. Quartered oak moves 

 in a moderate way at very firm prices. Brown 

 ash attracts a fair business. Stocks are small, 

 especially in the most desirable grades. Birch 

 is firm and in small offering. Maple flooring 

 is not in active demand, but no weakness in 

 prices is reported. Whitewood is in fair call 

 at firm prices. 



The market for cypress is very firm. Many 

 complain of the way they are obliged to buy 

 from the large selling company. They claim 

 that there is very little to be made by selling 

 on a commission basis today when all the 

 selling company will allow them from the list 

 is foxu- per cent. They also complain of the 

 methods. In buying they must remit the full 

 amount to the mill and later the selling com- 

 pany will return the four per cent, providing 

 there has been no claim for shortage made. 

 If there has been a claim oftentimes there is 

 no commission allowed. Many dealers are 

 buying outright and then putting on their 



own prices. 



New York. 



Leaving the manufacturing interests out of 

 the question and taking the consuming end 

 of the business as a barometer, which is really 

 a true one, there is practically no complaint 

 so far as the Meti-opolitan District is con- 

 cerned as to general demand for hardwood 

 lumber. Dealers all report that they are doing 

 a good volume of business — not quite as large 

 as last year, but more than is usual in nor- 

 mally good years. There are no labor troubles 

 of a general nature and universally the move- 

 ment of lumber is free and stocks are being 

 moved out in such volume as will bring about 

 an active buying period within a short time. 

 Hence, so far as the Metropolitan District 

 is concerned, it may be said that conditions 

 are good and will continue so, provided that 

 the wholesaler and manufacturer handle the 

 present situation intelligently. 



There are no surplus stocks of hardwoods, 

 and in fact supplies generally are not of suf- 

 ficient volume to create a temptation to push 

 the market. The demand is very fair; any 

 great increase in the call for the leading 

 hardwoods would immediately create a short- 

 age, and such an increase is looked for within 

 a very brief period. The hardwood yards 

 have fair stocks, but the manufacturing trade 

 is running close on supplies and all orders are 

 for rush shipment. Ash. birch, plain oak and 

 chestnut are still the leaders in demand. Dry 

 stocks are by no means plentiful and any 

 holders of these stocks have a profitable 

 asset. Maple and quartered oak are quiet, but 

 poplar is moving steadily, particularly in the 

 lower grades. Buyers returning from pur- 

 chasing trips to the mills all bring the same 

 tale of light supplies. 



Philadelphia. 



The market is quiet. The lull is looked upon 

 as the usual condition that marks early sum- 

 mer business and consequently is not causing 

 any alarm. In certain quarters there is a ten- 

 dency to regard the market as weak, and in 

 others the wholesalers say business was never 

 better, but the average firm undoubtedly find's 

 sales in general a trifle slow. 



Red and white oak have been doing well, as 

 have chestnut and poplar, some low grades of 

 poplar, especially, being very scarce. A fea- 

 ture of the market is the volume of business 

 being done in cypress and basswood, cypress 

 coming into the market in the same heavy 

 quantities as it was some weeks ago, and bass- 

 wood being received la^ge!y by the box mak- 

 ers, who seem to be extremely busy. 



The retail yards, especially those supplying 

 timber for railroad and bridge work, are busy. 

 Stocks are fairly plentiful among them, but 

 the scarcity of dry stocks at the mills tends 

 to keep the market up all around. 



Pittsburg. 



Every line of hardwood lumber is moving 

 well and prices are firm. Oak still leads Xla 

 procession, if we except poplar, which is sold 

 two months ahead in some quarters. For 

 heavy oak timbers the inquiry is better if any- 

 thing than in April and May. Railroads are 

 calling for an enormous amount of oak tim- 

 bers for bridge and trestle work, as well as 

 ties, and the local traction companies are sure 

 to place some big orders very soon. The bet- 

 ter grades of oak for finishing lumber are sell- 

 ing well, chiefly in the surrounding towns, 

 where building is more active than in Pitts- 

 burg. Chestnut shows a slight falling off. 

 notably in sound wormy, from, the rate of sale 

 a few weeks ago. Maple is being taken in 

 good quantities by the local wholesalers from 

 the small mills in Ohio and Pennsylvania, 

 and is finding a ready market among the fur- 

 niture manufactories of the East, Recently 

 ash has been much more active in the local 

 market. 



In general the local demand for all sorts of 

 lumber is poor at present. The carpenters' 

 strike has delayed building to a large extent 

 and has forced a shut-down of a good pro- 

 portion of the planing mills in the Greater 

 Pittsburg district. Unless some settlement is 

 reached soon the planing mills of this terri- 

 tory will be practically out of business, for 

 the owners are almost a unit in declaring 

 that they will not pay the $4.00 a day mini- 

 mum scale demanded. 



A feature of the hardwood market just now 

 is the large amount of lumber being shipped 

 to Ohio. Within the last two weeks a dozen 

 or more big orders have been secured by 

 local companies for Ohio delivery at points 

 which have hitherto been supplied chiefly by 

 Ohio concerns. Handle and spoke manufac- 

 turers are taking a good part of this stock, 

 and at prices that encourage Pittsburg dealers 

 to go over the Ohio territory with larger 

 forces of salesmen and much more carefully 

 than hitherto. 



Buffalo. 



Sales are good, but it is necessary to patrol 

 wider districts every year to keep up even 

 fairly complete stocks. Maple is no longer 

 cheap and plentiful as it used to be. It is 

 possible that there is a little more birch on 

 the market than there was, and though it 

 runs heavily to white dealers say it sells well. 



There is a little better report of chestnut, 

 some being bought green to come in when 

 dry, so that the yards bare of this wood will 

 not continue so through the season, though it 

 does not appear that there are sufficient quan- 

 tities of the wood to last very long. 



There are still reports of sales of low-grade 

 hardwood here and there, some going into 

 regular consumption as an evidence that con- 



sumers are making up their minds that they 

 must lower their standards of quality. 



The demand for poplar is greater than it 

 has been for some time, and stocks are short. 

 Unless there are freshets through the summer 

 it will not be at all equal to the demand. 



It appears that the fears that leading hard- 

 woods, oak with the rest, would run very low 

 are not to be realized. The stock of basswood 

 is also quite good and it is selling better, as 

 is also elm. though both are regarded as 

 rather high for the eastern trade yet. 



Tile problem of securing stock grows more 

 difficult, but the Buffalo hardwood dealer by 

 being continually on the outlook is getting his 

 full share. 



Detroit. 



The hardwood market in the lower penin- 

 sula of Michigan is somewhat spotted. Bass- 

 wood shows considerable improvement, being 

 on the average $2.00 per thousand higher than 

 a few months ago. Hard maple and beech are 

 about stationary, but with a firm tendency in 

 5/4 and thicker maple. Birch is decidedly 

 quiet in this section, although a very good 

 market in Buffalo and east of there is re- 

 ported. Black ash is in scant supply, and 

 dealers have no diflficulty in putting through 

 at top notch prices all they can get hold of. 

 The same is true of red oak. Soft elm con- 

 tinues the weakest item on the list, and deal- 

 ers are backward about taking hold of stocks 

 of this wood. 



Bristol, Va.-Tenn. 



Trade conditions in this section conlnme 

 good and the tendency of the market seems 

 to be toward higher prices. The country' mills 

 are all running regularly, many of them over- 

 time, in an effort to catch up with orders and 

 get out as much stuff as possible while the 

 roads are in good condition and it can be 

 hauled to the shipping stations. 



Cincinnati. 



The hardwood market the past two weeks 

 has developed nothing of especial significance. 

 There has been little or no alleviTition in the 

 stringency of dry stocks in suitable lots, and 

 prices have held their own. The usual lull in 

 trade which appears about this time of the 

 year is beginning to be felt. 



Plain oak in desii-able thicknesses continues 

 to be the feature of the market, with firmness 

 prevailing. Ash and cypress were fairly ac- 

 tive. Cottonwood remains in good request 

 and red gum is not far behind. Poplar is mov- 

 ing slowly. 



Nashville. 



The local market is reported as very firm 

 in all departments, with plenty of inquiries 

 and a tendency to increased prices. Poplar 

 is steadily going up, so heavy is the demand. 

 A slight advance is noted in plain oak. No 

 red oak is being quarter-sawed, however, ow- 

 ing to the excellent demand for plain, at ad- 

 vanced prices. Ash and chestnut are hard to 

 get, as usual, and bringing excellent prices, 



Memphis. 



There is somewhat of a lull in the demand 

 for hardwood lumber, compared with the latter 

 part of May and the earlier portion of tho 

 current month. The volume of business, how- 

 ever, is reported satisfactory by both manu- 

 facturers and wholesalers, and conditions are 

 regarded wholesome. The most noticeable 

 feature is the disposition of consumers to buy 

 only to meet immediate requirements, being 

 under the impression that the volume of lum- 

 ber now going on sticks in the South will have 

 the effect of reducing prices to some extent. 

 This belief is not strongly held here and some 

 of the best informed say that unless there is 

 a very decided slackening in demand or a 

 wonderful increase in production, • there is 

 not going to be enough surplus stock next fall 

 to warrant any depreciation in hardwood lum- 



