AMERICAN LUMBER IN FOREIGN MARKETS. 157 



AMERICAN AND HUNGARIAN OAK. 



[From the Pester Lloyd, of Prague, of February 1, 1894. Translated by Consul Karel.] 



When, about eight years ago, the news leaked out that a French association had 

 decided to purchase a large tract of oak forests in the Caucasus, some fear was felt by 

 our home dealers in oak wood. That enormous tracts of oak forest exist in the Cau- 

 casus is well known, and the apprehension that the competition of this oak would 

 become dangerous to our home production was, therefore, justifiable. Fort- 

 tunately that fear passad away without having caused any other injury than that 

 the French association, with which an Austrian firm was also interested, met with 

 a decided failure. 



The French association sent at that time several experts for careful examination 

 of the Caucasian' oak forests. The investigation lasted six months, and the report 

 of the delegates, headed by a member of a Vienna firm, was made in enthusiastic 

 language, describing the magnificent virgin oak stock, and praising the excellent 

 quality and grand dimensions of the oak trunks. The calculation made promised 

 vast returns, but the real outcome has been disappointing to those directly inter- 

 ested. 



The fear of Russian competition is therefore disposed of for the present, at least; 

 but a more serious danger is threatened from American competition. 



The Americans are a practical people. Through premature alarm of the market a 

 depression of prices in oak wood would have been anticipated, and they desire to 

 profit by the high prices in Europe as much and as long as possible. 



To begin with, official instructions* were issued from Washington to all American 

 consuls in Europe, directing them to collect facts regarding the production and con- 

 sumption of lumber, partisularly regarding oak timber, its peculiarity, and availa- 

 bleness. These instructions were carried out with astonishing thoroughness. Every 

 one of the more important firms dealing in oak wood in Austria and Hungary received 

 judicious interrogatories from the American consuls. In case of insufficient answers, 

 the consuls applied for further information. 



The Americans went to work very quietly, guided by the information obtained 

 regarding the availability of the oak, and what followed? Reports came from 

 London, Antwerp, Rouen, Hamburg, showing that American oak was brought and 

 offered on the market of those places for fuel and sawing purposes. Our home firms 

 dealing in oak wood did not notice this competition, because at the beginning it was 

 of such small proportions. But gradually its importance began to be perceptible, 

 and at the present day there are considerable importations of American oak, espe- 

 cially the so-called " German coopers' wood." 



Staves for a vessel containing from 80 to 100 eimers (the eimer = 14.94 wine gal- 

 lons) have been sold in Germany at 95.2 cents per eimer. The demand for barrels 

 for breweries was so great that our exporters, in consequence of the continual 

 increase in the value of oak forests, and in view of the fact that, for such large-sized 

 staves, the oak trees were becoming scarcer, were obliged to raise their prices. Sud- 

 denly there appeared stave wood of American origin on the German market. The 

 shipments from the United States to Hamburg increased and the prices went down 

 little by little. 



***** 



A shipment of several hundred thousand so-called "French staves," of American 

 origin, arrived in Bordeaux. Thus American competition is trying to get hold of this 

 important line of business also. 



In the English lumber market the shipments of American oak timber for sawing 

 are steadily increasing. In London, Liverpool, and Glasgow this oak timber, which 



*The answers to these instructions were published by the Department of State, 

 under the title "The Stave Trade in Foreign Countries." 



