HARDWOOD RECORD 



49 



MEMPHIS BUSINESS MEN'S CLUB 



CENTRAL BANK & TKUST BUILDING 



things other than raw material and favorable freight rates that enter 

 into the economy of furniture production. Undoubtedly more furni- 

 ture might be produced in Memphis than at present, but it must be 

 considered in this connection the lumber used in furniture making 

 represents tes than one-third of the manufacturing cost. The great 

 centers of furniture production today liave been many years in the 

 building. The expert furniture maker is a descendant of a long line 

 of ancestors. The original cabinetmakers came from Holland, Ger- 

 many or England. The present generation of furniture artisans in 

 Grand Rapids, Chicago and Roekford are descendants of the original 

 cabinetmakers who entered upon this calling a half century ago. 

 These men .and their .sons and their sons' sons have been trained in 

 this line of work. They own their own homes, and it would upset 

 economic conditions to attempt to group the furniture manufacturing 

 projects of the country at Memphis. 



Again it must be considered that the greatest markets for the 

 sale of furniture, the places where the demand for furniture is 

 heaviest, are in the rich country north of Memphis, and the furniture 

 factories established today are working in the very center of furni- 

 ture sales and distribution territory. Locating a multitude of furni- 

 ture factories at Memphis would mean a material saving on the 

 freight rates on raw materials, but would of necessity mean an in- 

 creased freight rate on finished products. 



The probabilities are that the most logical new business in connec- 

 tion with lumber production in Memphis would be the establishment 



of one or more large dimension plants fitted to handle 100,000 feet 

 or more of low-grade lumber daily and handle it in the form of kiln- 

 dried dimension stock ready for the machine work, to be shipped 

 direct to Grand Rapids, Chicago, Roekford and other great fur- 

 niture centers. By the same logic of economy, flooring strips could 

 be produced for many oak flooring manufacturers in the northern 

 conntry which would meet with ready sale, as well as dimension mate- 

 rial covering hundreds of different manufactured articles not cut from 

 higher grades of lumber. 



Considering the low price at which the cheaper grades of oak, 

 gum and other hardwoods can be secured in the Memphis district, 

 there is no good reason why a series of such factories should not pay 

 handsome dividends on the investment, besides effecting a manifest 

 economy to users in the material they employ for the manufacture 

 of many kinds of woodwork. 



It is more than possible that additional flooring factories, interior 

 finish factories and kindred lines could be established at Memphis and 

 be money-making enterprises from the very start. It is conjectural 

 if additional coffin factories could be made profitable in this city, as 

 it is well known that the output of the present plants is considerably 

 in excess of the demand. The same can be said of the hickory handle 

 business. Handle values are ranging very low. The majority of 

 plants are now located "close to the stump," and very few of them 

 are earning material profits. 



If seems reasonable that additional veneer plants could be built 



