MwolRocoM 



Published Irv the Interest of Ha.rdwood Lvimber, Americ«k.n HaL.rdwood Forests, Wood Verveer Inflvjstry. Ha.rdwood Flooring, 

 Hcvrdwood Interior Finish, Wood CKemica.ls, Sa^w Mill a.nd Woodworking Machirvery. 



UAttO., 



Vol. XXX. 



CHICAGO, AUGUST 25, 1910. 



No. 9. 



Published on ihe lOlh and 25lh of each month by 



THE HARDWOOD COMPANY 



HENRY H. GIBSON. President LOUIS L. JACQUES, Sec'y and Trcas. 



Sixth Floor, Ellsworth Bldg., 355 Dearborn Street, Chicago. III. 

 Telephones Harrison 8086-8087-8088 



Eastern Territory ■ 

 Northern Territory 

 Southern Territory 



REPRESENTATIVES 



Jacob Holtzman, 5254 Larchwood Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 



C. F. Dcdekam, 355 Dearborn St.. Chicago 



H. C. Haner, Gayoso Hotel, Memphis, Tenn. 



TERMS OF ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION 

 In the United States, Canada. Phihppine Islands and Mexico ^ $2.00 

 In all other countries in Universal Postal Union .... 3.00 



Subscriptions are payable in advance, and in default of written orders to 

 the contrary are continued at our option. 



Entered as second-class matter May 26, 1902. at the Postoffice at Chi- 

 cago. 111., under act of March 3. 1879. 



Advertising copy must be received five days in advance of 

 publication date. Advertising rates on application. 



Coming Association Meetings 



HOO-HOO ANNUAL. 

 The annual meeting of tlie Concatenated Order of Hoo- 

 Hoo will be held at San Francisco, Cal., September 9-12. 

 J. H. BAIED, Scrivenoter. W. A. HADLEY, 



Snark of the Universe. 



NOETHEEN HEMIOCK & HAEDWOOD MANUFACTUE- 

 EES' ASSOCIATION. 

 The semi-annual meeting of this association will he held 

 on Wednesday, September 14, at 10 a. m., in the Hotel. 

 Pfister, Milwaukee. This will be a very important meeting 

 and every member is urged to attend. 

 W. C. LANDON, President. 



E. S. KELLOGG, Secretary. 



General Market Conditions 



The general trend of hardwood market conditions is improving 

 daily. During the past fortnight the Record has had advices to the 

 effect that more than a score of orders, involving a million feet and 

 upwards of lumber, have been placed by leading wholesale consumers. 

 This trade has come from the flooring, interior finish and furniture 

 people quite largely, although the railroads and other large corpora- 

 tions are becoming quite liberal buyers. 



Every manufacturer and dealer reports an immense increase in 

 inquiries, indicative that buyers have now awakened to the necessity 

 of replenishing their stocks. Everything points to a full resumption 



2 of sales and shipments during the next month. 



■; Outside of lumber the general trade situation on the whole is 



good. Dry goods people report a large volume of business and this 

 is duplicated in many other lines. About the only cloud on the 

 horizon is a manifest overproduction in the iron industry, to which 

 may be attributed considerable depression in the iron market. The 

 iron people, based on advices from this trade recently received by a 

 leading factor, assign a wide variety of causes for present conditions 

 that may be enumerated as follows: General business depression; 

 lack of confidence in business outlook; too much politics and political 

 agitation; legislation adverse to railroads and large corporations and 

 fear of further adverse legislation; uncertainty of actual crop condi- 

 tions; general speculation; too high prices; overpurchases; inability 

 of railroads to raise money on securities; railroads staying out of 

 the market to influence legislation; automobile craze; concerted 

 attack on motor industry; monopoly and special privileges; general 

 dissatisfaction with the new tariff law; high wages and high cost of 

 living; labor unions; shortage of reliable labor; personal extrava- 

 gance; unsettled financial conditions; poor bond market, and compe- 

 tition from those who do not know true costs. 



The majority of reasons above mentioned might apply to the 

 lumber situation, but in spite of them even conservative operators 

 are firm in their belief that the faU lumber trade is going to be 

 excellent and it is simply a question of having the stock, to move it 

 at satisfactory prices. Trade at the chief commercial centers of the 

 country is certainly improving, and this condition will surely be 

 reflected in other sections of the country early in September. 



The Box Situation 



During the last few years there has been a decadence in the use 

 of wooden boxes and crating that has reduced the consumption of 

 wooden containers to a point slightly above half the high-water 

 mark. The wooden package business seems to have received such a 

 "black eye" that it is doubtful if it will ever attain its pristine 

 magnitude. 



This situation has come about by reason of the packing of a 

 variety of merchandise that formerly was shipped in wooden boxes 

 in fibre and paper boxes. In containers of this sort, a large propor- 

 tion of food and other products are now being shipped. 



A strenuous efl'ort has been and is being made to convince the rail- 

 roads that they should amend their classifications on goods packed in 

 these comparatively friable and fragile containers by making a 

 higher rate on goods packed therein or reduce the rate on merchandise 

 packed in the stronger wooden boxes. 



Regardless of the result of this agitation it is very doubtful if 

 fibre boxes, which cost less and freight lighter than wooden packages, 

 can be driven out of the market. Manufacturers of every line of 

 goods that it is possible to pack in the paper box, in their eagerness 

 to effect a low cost, are certainly bound to use the substitute package, 

 even if the railroads should conclude to charge a premium on the 

 freight. 



In some sections of the country, notably in the South, there is a 

 growing overstock of coarse lumber which was formerly employed 

 in box and crate making. This overstock is likely to eventually 

 become a menace to the profits in hardwood production, and it looks 

 as though hardwood manufacturers should exercise their ingenuity 

 in devising other means for the utilization of this stock, since the 



