Evening star., 1899-04-24

Consul Haistead Reports at Length to
the State Department.

In report printed in advance sheets of
consular reports, March 6, Marshal Hal
stead. United States consul at Birmingham.
England, stated that there was a great de-
mand for and inability to procure Ameri-
| can broom handles here, and that he would
| like TO know why there should be that
| scarcity. Under date of March 10 he re-
ceived the desired explanation, volunteered
| by gentleman in the United States, who
| evidently is thoroughly well posted, and
his letter contains so much that is of in
| terest that it is given. He says in his let
| ter. which Consul Halste cad sends to the
State Department.:
Il have been in the past a very large
handler of American broom handles. /
| have shipped a great many thousands-yes.
hundreds of thousands-to England during
| the last fifteen or eighteen years, but have
not done very much for the last six or
eight years, for the reason that they cam
not be sold in England at a price that will
yield any profit to either the manufacturer
or shipper. The broom handle that the
trade wants in England is not what is
known as broom handle in this country.
The English broom handle is used for a
| floor brush and must be ~ inches long, 11k
inches in diameter. and the same size at
both ends. An American broom handle is
IS inches long, seven-eighths of an inch in
diameter at one end, tapering to three
find by figuring 1t out that the English
broom handle takes, including the saw calf
for cutting it out of the lumber, a blank
that is IL inches square and AZ inches in
length, which, figured out in the board
measure, is about six-tenths of a square
foot, and this is figuring very closely. When
you understand the fact that the English
merchants expect or rather want, to buy
the English style of broom handles at
about from s15 to SIS per thousand f. o. b.
steamer and made of white spruce, and
that the lumber from which these handles
have to be cut is worth from S23 to s24 per
900 feet in the boards, you can at once
see that the handles will not bring as much
money all turned and delivered to the YES
sci as the boards themselves would bring at
the mill
Another reason why the handles are
scarce is the fact that the English people
will insist upon having nothing but white
spruce, whereas the broom handles that are
used in this country either birch or
basswood. I have tried very hard in my
experience to introduce the American bass
wood handle into England, but they simply
won't have it. Ther erefore. the high price of
the spruce in this country and the fact that
il is growing scarcer and scarcer every
year is the reason why there Is an insufti,
cient supply of broom handles in England
In the same mail which brought the New
York explanation Consul Halstead received
from American in Hamburg, who is
doing business there an agent for
United States manufacturer, a letter in
which the following paragraph occurs:
The reason why broomsticks are so
scarce is probably this, that there has been
an unexpected boom in brooms in the
United States. The price has gone up 20
per cent within few months, which is
quite unusual for such a staple article, and
my manufacturers are in consequence four
or five months behind in their deliveries
Another reason is that forbroom handles.
long, straight spruce or Eastwood sticks
are. required, and they must be well sea-
soned in order not to crack. The boom has
unquestionably taxed the manufacturers to
the utmost, and their kilns are doubt
full and cannot be emptied before the wood
is thoroughly seasoned"
Some months ago, Consul Halstead says,
he met in London American citizen of
Swedish nativity, whose relatives in Sweden
have for many years derived their income
by the sale of spruce timber from their
lands, and he said that not only was spruce
almost exhausted in their neighborhood,
but pretty generally throughout Sweden
and Norway. The consul hopes that the
English will consent now to make an eX-
perimental use of Eastwood.