58 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



ot the National Manufacturers' Association held 

 in New York City the tore part of this weelf. 



Herman I.undeen, vice-president of the Knee- 

 iand-Bigelow Company, Bay City, was a visitor 

 in Cadillac last week looking over the Cummer- 

 Diggins Company's alfalfa field. Mr. Lundeen's 

 company is also interested in alfalfa. 



The Deer Lake sawmill, near Boyne City, to- 

 gether with forty acres of timber, was destroyed 

 hy Are May 11, causing a loss of $1,000 on the 

 mill and as much more on the timber. 



Muskegon may lose the Brunswick-Balke-Col- 

 lender piano works by not being able to produce 

 enough bonus to hold the factory. The city has 

 .lust raised $20,000 for use of new factories, hut 

 for some reason this amount is not available for 

 the plant. 



The liamsay-Alton Manufacturing Company, 

 I'ortiand, Mich., which has hertofore produced 

 Morris chairs, has decided to add to its business 

 the manufacturing of automobile tops. It has 

 increased its capital stock by .$10,000. taking 

 in .T. Hayes, Detroit. The new enterprise is ex- 



pected to give employment to about fifty men. 



Mrs. H. U. Butters, age seventy-three, mother 

 of Marshall V. and Walter Butters of the But- 

 lers Salt & Lumber Company. Ludington, died 

 :mexpectcdly at the home of her daughter, Mrs. 

 .1. H. Lyons, Ludington, Mich., May 13. She 

 had Just returned from Los Angeles, Cal., after 

 having resided there for five years. 



The Pere Marquette steamer No. 5 made her 

 last trip of the season from this port to Milwau- 

 kee from Ludington May 14. She will go into 

 dry dock in that city for a new wheel and re- 

 pairs to her stern which was damaged by con- 

 tact with the breakwater at Sheboygan last win- 

 ter. After she is repaired she will proceed to 

 Manistee to be titled out for the season's run 

 between Chicago and Duluth under charter of 

 the Chicago & Duluth Navigation Company. 



J. C. Knox, secretary of the Michigan Hard- 

 wood Manufacturers' Association left May IG 

 lor a trip into the upper peninsula in the inter- 

 est of the association. He will be gone for over 

 a week. 



Hardwood Market. 



(By HA3D'WOOD BECOBD Ezclnsive Market Bepoiters.) 



CHICAGO 



Progress towards a normal condition in the 

 local lumber trade has not been as satisfactory 

 as has been anticipated by the ma.iority of the 

 trade. From ail indications there is promised 

 a rather dull summer trade, at least for the 

 opening months. The usual uncertainty in re- 

 gard to the market prevails. There has been 

 no noticeable fluctuation as to prices, the Chi- 

 cago dealers and wholesalers seemingly having 

 realized the importance of maintaining prices 

 quoted. Reports from northern mill points to 

 the effect that new dry stock in large quan- 

 tities will soon be in transit tend to weaken 

 the market along certain lines of upper grades 

 birch and maple, which have for some time 

 been unusually short. There is no general over- 

 abundance of stock, neither is it the general 

 opinion that there will he any diiiiculty in se- 

 curing desired shipments, provided the pur- 

 chaser is willing to pay the price demanded. 



Quartered white oak has continued to be 

 rather above the demand, the consuming trade 

 showing a desire to substitute other less ex- 

 pensive woods. The price has weakened to a 

 slight extent. Ail the upper grades of oak are 

 in pretty fair demand and command steady 

 prices, though some concerns in the local trade 

 report firsts and seconds, both red and white, 

 very slack and low-grade selling at a normal 

 rate. The demand for heavy construction oak is 

 in a slightly healthier condition than two weeks 

 ago, but is still far below the figures for 

 1907. However, concerns handling this class 

 of material state that the trade is improv- 

 ing continually. In general the oak trade is 

 very fair, and stocks are plentiful enough to 

 supply the demand, though uot long in any 

 quarter. 



The cypress trade in Chicago is progressing 

 very satisfactorily as to price and orders, and 

 seems to have completely recovered from the 

 slight relaxation of a short while ago. Stocks 

 in all the southern mill points have become 

 well balanced, and the dry stocks arc pretty 

 thoroughly sold out. The only shortage is in 

 "tank" and ".shop," and this is not really a 

 shortage, but rather a temporary scarcity. The 

 local building trade is showing an increasing 

 tendency to use cypress for light building con- 

 struction, such as in framing and window sills. 

 Prices are unfluctuating. 



Birch has not been as strong for a shoit 

 time as when last reported, a condition very 

 probably attributable to the fact that dry stocks 

 in increasing quantities are arriving constantly. 

 The lower grades are still exceedingly weak 



and prices in firsts and seconds are maintaining 

 the former level with a slight falling off of 

 orders in that grade. Prices from all northern 

 mill points are firm. 



Maple as usual is holding its premier posi- 

 tion in the Chicago hardwood trade. Both hard 

 and soft maple are enjoying very lively move- 

 ment and command prices eutirely satisfactory. 

 One, two and three-inch soft maple is par- 

 ticularly active, and, of course, with a continued 

 increase in flooring production, the demand for 

 one-inch stock maintains its healthy condition. 

 Hard maple is more active than last reported, 

 with but an individual fluctuation in prices. 



A slight improvement has been evident during 

 the past week in the movement of the upper 

 grades of poplar. Panels and box boards ar.s 

 of course, in constant and increasing demand, 

 and firsts and seconds are in proportion a 

 strong item on the local market. When last 

 reported the lower grades of poplar were sell- 

 ing at a better rate than the uppers, which 

 for some reason had taken a considerable slump. 

 The situation has again reversed itself and 

 gotten back to normal, with the usual run of 

 prices prevailing with no material changes. There 

 has been some trouble in securing poplar stock from 

 certain southern mill points depending upon 

 water transportation for their log supply. 



The best item in the gum trade on the local 

 market seems at present to be gum box boards, 

 which have taken a decided jump and are 

 bringing excellent prices. Next to box boards, 

 firsts and seconds red gum are commanding a 

 good market among the Chicago consumers, 

 though common and sap are not in any consid- 

 erable demand. Of course, the demand for gum 

 is bound to increase with the constant boom- 

 ing which it is getting from all quarters and 

 there should be no difficulty in realizing sat- 

 isfactory prices. 



The basswood situation maintains its usual 

 low level. Prices are without any semblance 

 of uniformity and are not productive of any 

 material profit. There does not seem to ce 

 any general demand for this wood and stocks 

 are in fair condition. 



Another item bringing satisfaction to the local 

 trade is soft elm in all grades and thicknesses. 

 The demand seems good in all directions and 

 bids fair to clean out the available dry stock 

 before the new stock can be brought in in 

 suflicient quantity to replenish the supply. Rock 

 elm is also selling very favorably, but not as 

 rapidly as soft elm. Good prices are being 

 realized on both varieties. 



The wagon manufacturers are as usual con- 

 suming but a small relative amount of hickorv 

 and are buying at prices which have not shown 



any change for the benefit of the trade. Stocks 

 are fairly long in most items, though there 

 has been a scarcity in good quality pole stock. 



The ash producers still feel the loss In trade 

 of the wagon manufacturers, who have seem- 

 ingly cut out the incorporation of ash in vehi- 

 cle construction to a large extent. This item 

 continues to be the slowest on the Chicago hard- 

 wood market. 



The railroads show a continued inclination 

 to buy more ties, 'ooth mixed and selected, 

 though the demand is far from satisfactory to 

 the dealers. There still seems to be an uncer- 

 tainty in regard to the Washington situation, 

 which evidently keeps the railroads stirred up 

 and in an undecided state of mind relative to 

 the purchase of new materials. In keeping with 

 the several large car orders recently placed 

 there has been a fair increase in the demand 

 for car stock, though 1907 figures have not been 

 approximated as yet. 



Poplar and Cottonwood box boards are in nor- 

 mal demand, prices continuing about as for- 

 merly quoted. Low-grade stuff for box manu- 

 facture is a poor seller at any figure, the box 

 men seemingly being up against it in many ways. 



r 



NEW YORK 



The 1oc!l1 liardwood market shows a slight 

 lalliiig oft: in tlie amount of busiress of late in 

 the wholesale branch, but this is construed gen- 

 erally as of no material importance and merely 

 as a result of retail and consuming buyers hav- 

 ing sutficlent stocks for the moment to take 

 care of their immediate wants. It is therefore 

 believed that later when the market would be 

 more or less dull, there will be considerable more 

 activity than could uaturally be expected at that 

 time. There is a fair movement of lumber out 

 of the retail yards and the local manufacturing 

 and consuming trade is busy on a good run of 

 business. As an indication of the falling off in 

 wholesale shipments there is a general report 

 oi a greater percentage of cars at all shipping 

 Itoints than have been enjoyed for a long time 

 past. But there is no immediate cause for 

 anxiety, as the general feeling in the wholesale 

 market is that lumber will begin to move briskly 

 within a short time by reason of the activity 

 at the consuming end. This temporary lull has 

 had no effect upon prices, which continue to rule 

 iirm and are especially stiff on good grade lum- 

 ber. Oak, maple, poplar, chestnut and ash are 

 particularly strong and many firms report prac- 

 tkall.v an entire sale of all their low-grade 

 Slock with the possible exception of low-grade 

 poplar, which seems to be somewhat sluggish. 

 Hence with a market which represents a large 

 percentage of good-grade lumber supplies, the 

 matter of future prices is of no concern. 



BUFFALO 



It is the rule to call the lumber trade quiet, 

 but everything is healthy and prices are pretty 

 satisfactory, so if the demand remains light 

 the dealers will remember that they sold a 

 large amount early in the year and have the 

 money for the lumber. It is not believed that 

 the present dullness Willi continue very long as 

 the consumption of everything is good. 



Authorities in the iron trade, which always 

 sets the pace, say that they do not look upon 

 the country as having recovered from the panic 

 lully. Trade with them is spotted, just as it 

 would be when still recovering from a period 

 of depression, so they do not look on the ups 

 and downs of any sort of business as of pe- 

 culiar meaning now. Lumber will follow the 

 same course, no doubt. 



There is not much to be said of the various 

 kinds of lumber. All are in a fairly active con- 

 dition, with oak always leading. Birch is scarce. 

 as is also chestnut. It takes a pretty good 



