HARDWOOD RECORD 



55 



trees are eight to eleven inches in diameter. 

 This new forest has been laid out under the 

 direction of a government forester and it will 

 not be many years before Mr. Day will reap 

 some of the benefits of his laudable enterprise. 

 He will not, however. lumber this new tract 

 under the old wasteful methods, but will con- 

 stantly make selections of the most mature 

 timber, protecting the smaller growth from in- 

 jury, so it may continue a source of income for 

 himself and his posterity. 



The Michigan Railway Commission will make 

 an eflfort to test the right of the Interstate 

 Commerce Commission to make demurrage rates 

 for the various states. The Interstate Commerce 

 Commission in Xovember adopted uniform de- 

 murrage rules which eliminated all overtime 

 ever two da.vs in the unloading of cars, prac- 

 tically doing away with what is known as the 

 Michigan "average plan" agreement. In this 

 the railroad commission will be upheld by the 

 shippers of Michigan. 



Mr. and Mrs. W. W. Mitchell and Charles T. 

 Mitchell have returned from a week's visit in 

 Chicago. While there they met Miss Marie 

 Mitchell, their daughter, who has been attending 

 school in Washington, D. C, and is now home 

 spending the holida.vs with her parents. 



Mr. and Mrs. G. von Platen of Petoskey were 

 the guests of Mr. and Sirs. F. ,T. Cobbs a few 

 days ago. 



J. S. Weidman of Mt. Pleasant has returned 

 home after visiting relatives in this city. 



F. A. Diggins of Murphy & Diggins and W. L. 

 Saunders of the Cummer-Diggins Company have 

 returned from a several days' trip to Chicago 

 and other points. 



GRAND RAPIDS 



The Lumbermen's Club of Grand Rapids held 

 its monthly meeting Tuesday evening, December 

 21, at Bauman's new banquet rooms, the busi- 

 ness session being preceded by an excellent din- 

 ner. There were twenty-four members present 

 and an enjoyable evening was spent. L. L. Skill- 

 man of the Skillman Lumber Company, former 

 president of the club, presided in the absence 

 of President F. I. Nichols. The club adopted 

 the report of the railroad and transportation 

 committee recommending that the State Railway 

 Commission be commended for its attitude on 

 the car demurrage question, and the commission 

 will be notified to this effect through the secre- 

 tary of the club, Fred Dregge of the Dregge- 

 Grover Lumber Company. 



The chief matter of business was the adop- 

 tion of a new constitution and by-laws. H. J. 

 Dudley of the Dudley Lumber Company, as 

 chairman of the by-laws committee, read the 

 new articles, which, after being discussed, were 

 adopted unanimously. Under the new rules the 

 membership is to be widely extended, being 

 made up of three classes, as follows : Active, 

 those in the lumber business in Grand Rapids, 

 wholesalers, jobbers or manufacturers ; associate, 

 those in any affiliated industry, also any lum- 

 bermen, manufacturers or jobbers living out- 

 side of Grand Rapids. Then another class is 

 provided for, made up of men whom the Execu- 

 tive Board recommends be made honorary mem- 

 bers for life, without payment of dues, simply 

 as a mark of esteem. 



The date of annual meeting is changed from 

 the last Tuesday of January to the last Tuesday 

 of May, !ind the old officers will hold over until 

 next May. A change is also made In the 

 method of electing officers. Heretofore the 

 chairman has appointed a nominating committee 

 and this committee would name nine directors, 

 who in turn would select the officers. Under 

 the new by-laws the chairman will appoint two 

 nominating committees of three each, who are 

 to nominate an executive board, made up of a 

 president, first and second vice-presidents, sec- 

 retary and treasurer, and these five officers will 



constitute the executive body in place of the old 

 board of directors. 



The president was authorized to appoint an 

 arbitration committee to take up matters of 

 dispute arising between members and others. 



P. E. Gilbert of the Major Lumber Company, 

 Memphis, was a guest of the club, and on intro- 

 duction by Mr. Dudley responded with an 

 excellent talk. 



Ed C. Allen of Leroy, member of Gibbs, Hall 

 & Allen, was in the city December IS. 



E. F. Miller of the Engel Lumber Company 

 has returned from a selling trip and reports 

 .good business conditions. The manufacturers 

 are feeling fine and have not curtailed orders 

 as much as usual during the holiday season. 



Z. Clark Thwing, manager of the Grand Rap- 



ids Veneer Works, is expected to return the 

 first of the year from an extended business trip 

 through the South, where he has been busy 

 installing dry kilns. 



The Rice Veneer & Lumber Company is busy 

 with the work of removal to its new location in 

 the Vinkemulder building at Market street and 

 the railroad crossing. Trade conditions are 

 excellent with this company. 



The Boyne City Lumber Company, in which 

 several Grand Rapids men are interested as 

 stockholders arid officers, has declared an annual 

 dividend of 15 per cent. Claude Hamilton of 

 this city has been elected a member of the board 

 of directors to succeed Edward Fitzgerald, 

 resigned. 



Hardwood Market. 



(By HARDWOOD BECOBD ETCInsive IIa,Tket Beporters.) 



CHICAGO 



The Chicago hardwood market situation is ex- 

 cellent. At this time of year it is expected that 

 trade will fall off ; on the contrary, the yards 

 are all still busy and have every prospect of a 

 continued demand during the winter. 



Out-of-town salesmen who are daily callers at 

 the Record offices report an excellent trade dur- 

 ing the last fortnight among local yards, rail- 

 roads, corporations and wholesale consumers. 

 Several sales of a million feet or more of hard- 

 woods have been made during the past few days 

 in this market. 



Stocks on the local yards arc in fair balance, 

 but the interior finish and furniture people have 

 not yi-'t accumulated any large holdings. With 

 the immense trade in sight for the furniture 

 manufacturers and interior trim makers, it looks 

 as though there will be about all the business 

 for the months to come that can be conveniently 

 handled. 



NEW YORK 



The hardwood market at New York shows a 

 good tone all along the line, considering the 

 fact that this is the inventory season. While 

 hardwoods have been strong for the most part, 

 particularly high-grade lumber, the strength of 

 the market has for a greater portion of the 

 year been due largely to the scarcity of good- 

 grade lumber, and low-grade stock has not been 

 as buoyant as was wished for. However, the 

 marked Improvement during the past sixty days 

 has been of a much more substantial character 

 in that buying has been more free and general, 

 both as regards good-grade and low-grade lum- 

 ber. This is giving a better tone to the market 

 all along the line and it is believed that while 

 the winter season will not permit much con- 

 tinued improvement, yet the better conditions 

 in all directions indicate a most promising spring 

 trade. The market is unquestionably broaden- 

 ing, which is giving prices a stronger hold and 

 the general situation is encouraging. 



The salient feature of the market continues 

 to be the scarcity and high price of good-grade, 

 well manufactured lumber, and with very little 

 indication of any material change in this direc- 

 tion for some time to come. The low-grade 

 market, as stated, is broadening and if no more 

 low-grade stock is produced than there was last 

 year, the opportunities for improved prices and 

 demand between now and spring are very bright. 

 The call at this time runs largely to plain and 

 quartered oak, ash and chestnut, and also pop- 

 lar. Birch and maple are in fair supply and 

 prices are a little stiff. An improvement has 

 been noted in the export demand. The hard- 

 wood flooring market is one of the most prom- 

 ising branches of the trade for next year. 



BUFFALO 



The lumber trade is in a good condition and 

 is doing well all along the line. Some dealers, 

 however, with no mills l)ehind them and a yard 

 to carry, say they are not getting as good a 

 margin from the mills as they think they are 

 entitled to. Cypress has been selling pretty 

 well of late, considering the time of year. There 

 arc more reports of large orders from consumers 

 in all branches, and even dealers with well as- 

 sorted stocks are turning them down, for they 

 believe it is wise to hold on to good lumber. 

 It will be worth more in three months than it 

 is now. 



Quartered oak and sap birch are scarce and 

 plain oak is very strong. The demand for ash 

 and elm is unsteady. The maple market has 

 improved considerably. All the flooring mills 

 report better prices and a brighter outlook. The 

 demand is holding good right along. Of course 

 there is no letting up on poplar. Less complaint 

 is heard about the lower grade stock. 



pirrsBVRQ 



There is little new to say about hardwoods 

 here. All high-grade stock is scarce and in- 

 creasing in price. Low-grade hardwood has been 

 sold off freely the past month and stocks' are 

 being greatly reduced. Mills everywhere are 

 working full time, many double time. At the 

 country plants a little snow has helped mat- 

 ters the past few days. Roads have been fine, 

 though, all the fall and winter and for two 

 months shipments from these points have been 

 good. Mill owners are getting bullish on hard- 

 wood prices, for they see that by January 1 

 stocks of all grades will be pulled down to 

 normal or below. 



Plain oak Is a very popular seller, with small 

 stocks on hand. Wide poplar is at a premium 

 owing to the demands of the automobile trade. 

 All good poplar lumber is more than holding its 

 own. .\sh has made advances in price recently. 

 Hickory continues to be very scarce. Spruce is 

 selling well at good prices. Some good sales 

 of hardwood timbers, especially of mining stocks, 

 have been made lately. Railroads are big buyers 

 this month. The manufacturing trade's demands 

 have increased. The call for vehicles, imple- 

 ments, furniture, chairs, carriages and wagons 

 is very hard to fill. December will show larger 

 shipments except for the customary holiday 

 week, and the average of prices will be consid- 

 rral)ly over that of September. 



BOSTON 



Firmness prevails iu the market for hardwoods, 

 with the tendency of prices toward a higher level. 



