HARDWOOD RECORD 



47 



ber Company, interests which manufacture a 

 large amount of hemlock and hardwood lumber. 



The lumber companies at this point have taken 

 an active part in the Western Michigan Develop- 

 ment Bureau and are interesting farmers to lo- 

 cate on their cutover lands. This policy has 

 been assumed for a number of years and as the 

 result the back country has rapidly been settled. 

 Fine wheat, oats, corn, potatoes and ordinary 

 farm crops are being raised. Many farms have 

 been paid tor with the first crop of potatoes. 

 The outlook for this place is promising. 



The Manistee Iron Works Company is in- 

 creasing its capacity by the addition of a large 

 boiler shop. It will manufacture the Butman 

 boiler, a comparatively new invention that is 

 meeting with favor. This new addition means 

 employment to a large number of boiler makers. 



deciding when the meeting should take place. 

 There are many warm baseball fans among the 

 hardwood men, and if the meeting is held at a 

 time when tlie Tigers are at home a big attend- 

 ance is assured. 



DETROIT 



The Dwight Lumber Company has just com- 

 pleted a handsome addition to its office building. 

 The interior is finished in hardwood with 

 products of the factory. The flooring is the spe- 

 cial Dwight brand, while the finishing was also 

 manufactured in the company's plant. The new 

 addition, which is used as a private oflice, is 17 

 by 26 feet in size. John Lodge, secretary of 

 tne company, reports the factory is very busy 

 just now. He says the demand is much better 

 than it was at this time last year. 



John Dudley, Sr., of the Dudley Lumber Com- 

 pany of Grand Rapids, was in town on a business 

 trip this week. 



The plant of the Thomas Forman Company 

 had a narrow escape from serious damage by 

 lire last week. The blaze originated in the 

 boiler room, but prompt and effective work by 

 the firemen confined it to that section and the 

 damage was only about $800. Repairs were 

 rushed and the factory lost no time, resuming 

 operations next morning as usual. This is the 

 second local hardwood plant to be visited by fire 

 during the month, the H. W. Harding Company's 

 plant being damaged to the extent of $10,000 

 earlier in the month. New lumber sheds have 

 been erected to replace those destroyed by fire at 

 the Harding yards. 



J. M. Clifford, large dealer in hardwoods, looks 

 for a big spring business. "Thirty days after the 

 event of good weather things will be booming in 

 lively shape," says Mr. Clifford. "At present 

 business is very fair and with indications point- 

 ing to a boom there is nothing to complain 

 about." 



William X. Kelly of the Brownlee-Kelly Com- 

 pany and John Commerford of the Detroit Lum- 

 ber Company are making a two weeks' trip to 

 Washington, New York and other eastern cities 

 for a vacation both feel that they are entitled to. 



William M. Dwight. manager of the Dwight 

 Lumber Company, has been receiving the con- 

 gratulations of the trade on his address before 

 the Interstate Commerce Commission at Wash- 

 ington recently. His topic was "Milling in 

 Transit," a subject which Mr. Dwight covered 

 very thoroughly in his address. 



The Brownlee-Kelly Compan.v of Detroit has 

 bought the entire cut of N. M. DeHass, Skan- 

 nee. Lake Superior district. It included 2,500,000 

 feet of dry lumber on the docks and all the stock 

 to be manufactured during 1010. The deal in- 

 volved over 7.000,000 feet of lumber, of which 

 more than 4,000,000 feet was hardwood. The 

 company has also made other extensive pur- 

 chases in the Lake Superior district. 



John Stump of Armada, Mich., has purchased 

 the band mill formerly owned by M. .T. Thiesen 

 at Sibley, a suburb of Detroit, and will remove 

 it to a tract of timber near Imlay City. 



Hardwood manufacturers are looking forward 

 to the April meeting of the state association, 

 which will take place at the Hotel Pontchartrain 

 tne last of April. No definite date was set, the 

 executive committee waiting to see what dates 

 the Detroit Tigers would play at home before 



GRAND RAPIDS 



David W. Kendall, treasurer and general man- 

 ager of the Phoenix Furniture Company, who has 

 bought the lumber and supplies for this large 

 concern for years, died of heart failure February 

 10 in the city of Mexico while on a pleasure 

 trip. Mr. Kendall came to this city in 1879. 

 He was a leading designer and has brought out 

 many of the leading finishes used by the fur- 

 iiiture manufacturers, such as antique oak, six- 

 teenth century and early English, as well as the 

 colored finishes, such as tobacco brown and forest 

 green. He was fifty-eight years old and leaves 

 a widow and an aged mother. 



Henry S. Holden of the Henry S. Ilolden 

 ^'eneer Company is in Norfolk, Va., visiting the 

 company's southern plant for two weeks. 



S. M. Bonner of the Chicago office of I. T. 

 Williams & Sons has been calling on the veneer 

 trade in this city during the past few days. 



Fred I. Nichols of the Nichols & Cox Lumber 

 Company has just returned from a business trip 

 to Memphis and other southern points. He re- 

 ports favorable trade conditions, with stocks mov- 

 ing well and everything that is dry sold up 

 close. The company's plant here is very busy. 



The Rice Veneer & Lumber Company is now 

 well located in the Vinkemulder building, Campau 

 street, with commodious oflSces directly across the 

 street from its yards. The company now has 

 much more room for its expanding business, with 

 improved facilities in every way and an excel- 

 lent trade is reported. President Rice was in 

 Chicago a few days during the past week. 



The Dennis Bros. Salt & Lumber Company is 

 operating its three mills and flooring factory in 



Osceola county with full forces. Hardwood is 

 being cut this winter and the company has a 

 four or five years' run there. 



Henry G. Dykhouse of the Acme Lumber Com- 

 pany has purchased the plant of the Kalamazoo 

 Interior Finish Company at Kalamazoo for $80,- 

 000. Mr. Dykhouse was vice-president of the 

 company. About two months ago the company 

 was thrown into bankruptcy by the sudden disap- 

 pearance of Louis Larsen, the manager. The busi- 

 ness has been turned over to Mr. Dykhouse, who 

 will continue to operate the plant. 



The Michigan Shippers' -Vssociation, which was 

 formed in this city during the past year with 

 the primary object of securing lower basic freight 

 rates between Grand Rapids, western Michigan 

 and the Atlantic seaboard, will continue its cam- 

 paign, though the general freight traffic men 

 have recently replied that they could not grant 

 the request. The matter has now been placed in 

 the hands of the State Railway Commission and 

 early relief is hoped for. President R. W. Irwin 

 of the Michigan Shippers' Association and a 

 prominent furniture manufacturer here, says : 

 "Detroit has an advantage over us in eastern 

 shipments by some 20 per cent, while it can ship 

 v.-est just as cheaply as we can. Points in north- 

 ern Wisconsin can place products in Cincinnati 

 as cheaply as can northern Michigan points, and 

 shipments from Maine can go into southern cities 

 at as low and perhaps lower rates than the 

 Traverse City district. In the Saginaw campaign 

 and hearing before the Interstate Commerce Com- 

 laission the main point of refusal to grant the 

 petition was the contention that relief given in a 

 local rate would tend to disturb rates all over 

 the state. This contention cannot apply in the 

 present instance. We feel that in securing the 

 active aid of the State Railway Commission we 

 have made a substantial gain in our campaign. 

 These rates have been in effect for many years 

 and are maintained by powerful influences. Ship- 

 pers of the state must fight hard shoulder to 

 shoulder to secure relief." 



Hardwood Market. 



(By HARDWOOD BECOBS Ezclnsive Market Beporters.) 



CHIC AGO 



General trade conditions for this city show 

 no remarkable change, either for better or worse 

 over conditions which prevailed two weeks ago. 

 in general, there is a tendency on the part of 

 both producers aud consumers to "rest on the 

 oars" ; the former, as in the past, are asking 

 more than the local market is willing to pay 

 and the consumers are holding off with the 

 expectation of a break in prices, due to over- 

 production or to the necessity for changing some 

 of the stock into money. The question is who 

 can hold out longer. Still, while business is 

 not rushing, it is fair and in some lines could 

 be called good. 



Concerns which deal with the railroads say 

 that they are not only extremely close with 

 their orders but are slow in payments, conditions 

 attributable to the over-caution of the public 

 in bond investments, and hence financial short- 

 age for the companies, and to threatened adverse 

 agitation, and prosecutions, which very probably 

 make the railroads rather timid in placing ex- 

 tensive orders. 



Some concerns report difficulty in procuring 

 piling and ties, oak ties in general being scarce 

 generally and selling in Chicago for 71 to 73 

 cents, in carload lots. The increasing use of 

 concrete products in the place of wood, as piling, 

 posts, etc., will undoubtedly have a weakening 

 effect upon the market for those articles, though 

 such a change must necessarily be very gradual. 



Heavy bridge timber handled by the same 

 concerns, is in good demand and in red oak, 

 stocks are low. Best grades bring as high as 

 $30. 



The mahogany trade is good and promises a 

 steady improvement. Prices have steadied, 

 though no material advance is shown, and prom- 

 ises to improve as the year advances. The best 

 grades of African mahogany are worth in Chi- 

 cago 13 to 13% cents per square foot. 



The cypress situation is bright in most quar- 

 ters and prices good, and improving. All grades 

 except finish are low. The country trade is as 

 yet not brisk and as that is the principal source 

 of consumption of finish, stock in that grade 

 is rather full. 



Oak in general continues its irresistible ad- 

 vance and will continue to do so, though quar- 

 tered white oak shows a slight fullness and has 

 declined to a small extent. There is the usual 

 scarcity in red oak. 



Upper grades of birch have been sold for $36 ; 

 the spring supply hasn't reall.v started to come 

 in yet, and good stock is hard to get. Poorer 

 grades of southern birch for boxing are selling 

 well, and find a market as a substitute for gum 

 in that capacity. Such stock is worth $12 and 

 $13, gum bringing $18. Poplar box boards are 

 bringing $62 and cottonwood for the same pur- 

 pose, about $55. 



Maple and cherrs', especially upper grades, 

 are in .good demand. 



Basswood has not shown any great improve- 

 ment over recent conditions. 



NEW YORK 



The hardwood market at New York shows a 

 fair volume of trade for this season of the year. 

 The chief interest, however, in all branches of 

 trade lies in the spring prospects, which con- 



