The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-03-30
WALNUT LOGS IN DEMAND.
France Needs Both She Light and the
Dark Varieties.

| France Needs Both She Light and the
Dark Varieties.
Owing to the great scarcity IN France Of
walnut logs for the manufacture Of furni-
| ture, Mr. skinner, the United States Con-
/ SUI at Marseilles has written 20 the State
! Department, giving the names OF some
/ Of the firms who might become buyers
( of American walnut if offered TO them at
J reasonable prices The scarcity OF wal
nut logs. says the consul. has been re
ported 10 me BY dealers IN this city who
express a desire to get in touch with
American firms able to supply both light
and dark-colored walnut All kinds OF
| exotic wood in logs are admitted free Of
duty: squared lumber is dutiable at the
rate of q cents per 220 pounds. While
walnut IS the timber most in demand and
the most difficult to obtain. there is also
an opportunity to dispose OF ebony and
mahogany. if American firms are at pres
ent prepared to export these woods from
our colonial possessions
The walnut logs should not be less
than Il inches in diameter nor less than
9 feet in length Sawed lumber should
| be at least 1 inch thick and preferably
thicker The buyers desire timber that
| is handsomely veined and free from
blemishes- Present lrices are about
/ $3.50 per 1863 cubic yards for logs and
S3412 per L30S cubic yards for sawed IIm-
! Der. While it is desirable that American
firms quote C. l. prices, this is not
/ imperative if + o. b. prices at Baltimore.
New York, :r New Orleans are named.
/ There is frequent steamship com
munication between the three ports nam
! ed and MarseilIes. and there is also a line
Of Italian sailing ships from Pensacola.
! The most frequent sailiugs from Mex
York to Marsei.Ies are those of the Cy--
/ prien Fabre Company ard Of the Anchor
! Line
The LapaIud Company. IS3 rue Ferrari
( manufacturers of furniture. claim 20 be
! able to absorb over 2.0e1 cubic meters
! themselves and believe that there IS an
/ opening for an extensive business with
4 other local firms and cities in the interior.
/ In addition to the firm named. the other
resident buyers who might be interested
/ in receiving quotations are
| Alexander Facio, Place du + Septen-
( bre
Bombay < Galibert. rs Boulevard Ma
| tionaL
Reg AIianon, 81 rue Chateau Pagan.
/ The above make a specially of exotic
1 woods.
c G. Bergman. 50 rue cirignan, and A
/ SylYander, ID EourS du Ch8pitre. are OK
/ tensire buyers of American pitch pine and
might perhaps do something in walnut
/ II advantageous propositions were made
/ TO them
Il would suggest that American ex-
/ pOrterS place themselves In direct com
+ rnunication with one or more Of the fore
] gong HrTElS, and / shall be happy to IA
J clitaIe the opening of business relations
| IN any way Within my power"
The following are extracts from a. let
/ enquiry of New York firm relative to
/ the piJch-pine trade of that city
! All q the American pine imported at
! Adsrseii-ss IS purchased from London
/ I1iddlemeE- I have had occasion to in
/ VeSJlSGCe this matter, and discover thar
/ the occasional efforts made IN this city
70 Dijy direct have been extremely unsat-
! lsiactory- Justly or uujusCiy. the local
I buyers attribute to the actual exporters
/ IN the United States sa unwiIIingnesS to
conform strictly to contract lions
both as respects quality of wood and
| agreement as TO terms II is pretended
/ taat If1e American firms. as a rule have
/ very limited capital, and, as the average
/ cargoes received in AIarseilles are worth
| about S29OzJ, the resident buyers prefer
to take no risks and to lose something
Ike per cent which Is a described ~
British middleneH: hence all business IS
done by that indirect method.
! fwo London firms are reported to me
TO be the actual importers OF fully 50 per
cent OF all the American lumber shipped
to England and the Continent These
( concerns send their representative into
the FlOl-da and other pine regions who
! tIal departure of the lumber for its mai
destination Having practically unlimited
| cdiIlai, they ADVANCE money on as much
As q year : or even two years time TO
! the American millers and assume respOri-
/ Sibllty for satisfactory delivery To Fbe.
MaTSellleS buyer. The American exDorf-
erS send their representatives to EUrnr,a
/ annually, but they visit the trade win
the agents of the two British firms The
operation as have described il has been
/ conducted Tor 50 long time and with
results so satisfactory To the FifroD+au
buyers that in SlIrSeIlIes at I4slst a,r,nT,o-
| sltionS for direct sales are very skef1i-
{ caily received. in spite Of the obvious ID
/ EaEt2SeS OF such method The local
! firms with which the MarseiIIeS brokers do
business would prefer TO be freed from the
/ present obligation OF dealing with the
I London concerns. but the brokers insist
that they can afford to take no chances
am tree TO say that the system as
/ II exists Is irrational, but it will require
/ persistent and Well-dire-:ted effort on the
part OF our exporters TO divert from Lon
don 70 the Cnited States q business which
has been built up with great pains and
rests upon broad foundation of Inurlisl
confidence and esteem
w hat is true OF the lumber trade is
/ also more Or less true OF many other com
/ nSrcIaI lines and I think il would sur
! prise great many American business
/ men II they could realize the extent 10
which they are dependent uDOu British
/ middlemen for their foreign trade FIX
ports are made direct TO BUYERS fr.,uo
many American ports. and casual inspec-
ton OF shipping m3nifeStS would indi-
cate that this business is controlled in an
I its details by the American seller. but
when the facts are investigated. il more
/ frequently than not u shown that the
| actual negotiation Is entrusted to irnoor-
taut British or Continental firms. which
are thus IN position 10 swing the trade
/ from the United States To any other ex-
porting country the moment conditions
seem favorable for such a diversion.
1 The growing tendency OF our people
10 establish themselves abroad and cut
Oh commissions and TO operate directly !
one that cannot be too strongly eIlc,1Jr-
I aged. and ! know Of no branch of f1lr
| business IN " hlch efforts along these lines
would be more appropriate than in onr
lumber trade
CURRENT HUMOR
Didn't Want to Be Asked