The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-08-02
This Great Industry Of South.
ern States Sharing in
Business Revival.
DEMAND is GREATER
AND PRICES BETTER
Conditions in the Trade Gathering
Strength Every Day, and Pros
poets Are Brighter Than at
Any Time Since the
Business Depression
Set In.
Especial to The Timos- Dispatch. j

Especial to The Times Dispatch
NORFOLK. VA. August 1.-Revlew. 4
Ing the revival of activity In lumber.
circles and other Industrial lines. and
the wholesome results to follow. tho
southern Lumber Journal, in It's issue
to-day, says:
Southern Lumber Journal. covering
the States of Virginia. North and South
Carolina, Georgia, FloriGa. Alabama
and mississippi, 1T is shown that ren-
eral awakening has taken place and
revival of trade in the long and short
leaf pine districts of the South during
me past thirty and sixty days, carry
ing an advance in prices anywhere
from TO SO per thousand feet. This
is N part accounted for by the general
revival In business along all Industrial
and commercial lines. reminding of
fires In factories, mills, iron and steel
plants, as we'll as operations generally
throughout the great mining regions
of the country. In the meantime rail-
roads and car builders have quietly
emerged from their hiding and are
placing orders for Southern pine car
stills, decking, lining and other mate
rial of this character Dimension lum-
her of both the long and short leaf
varieties are moving with greater free
dom and at better prices. while cypress
Is holding its own. Gum, poplar, oak, AZ
ash and other woods are doing fairly
well after long siege OF depression.
From markets UP North and out West,
like New York. Philadelphia, Plttsburg.
Boston. Providence. Buffalo. st. Louis.
Kansas City. Louisville, Cincinnati. In
dianapolis. Baltimore, Toledo; and else
where. the reflex action of the i'm
proved order of things at the South is
apparent and prices are responding
accordinsly."
| Conditions Improving.
| Continuing. the Journal further on
says:
"From the best information we can
obtain by personal contact with the
manufacturers of lumber from 7Vir-
ginia to Florida during the past few
days and buyers at the North, 1t is
now fixed fact that lumber trade
conditions are gathering strength and
volume with each rising and setting of
the sun. Ordinarily this is the period
when many of the operators take their
annual vacation, and no special effort
Is made for business.
This year. however, is an exception
to the rule. in that{many Of the manu-
facturers as we'll as several of the
dealers have been practically on a
vacation for several months. The fiscal
year ending with June 30th has passed.
and July 1st has come with its dis
trbution of hundreds of millions of
dollars in dividends and other profit
sharing arrangements, while the busf-
ness of the past year has been brought
to close, satisfactory or unsatisfac-
tory, as the case may be.
Prospects Are brighter.
With new enterprises starting up
afresh after a long shutdown witt, a
full quota of hands, tho great iron and
steel plants and coke ovens In the
mining districts being now in full
blast, railroads and other. corporations
taking back hundreds and thousands OF
lafd-off men and money more plenti-
full, the skies are daily brightening
Crop prospects in every part of the
United States. North and South, East
and West, were never before so full
of promise, and it is now patent to all
that the railroad and TRANSPORTATION
companies are going TO be taxed TO
their utmost to move these crops. Con-
tidence is being rapidly restored In all
parts of the country, banks show an
abundance of money on hand, and
everything points to a rapid resump-
tton of business in all commercial, 2fn-
dustrial and manufacturing lines such
as should produce in the very near
future normal state of business con-
ditions. The present output of tlle
mills, however. is ample for all pur-5s
poses until the new order of things
gets well on foot. and 1t would be bets
ter for the trade II the idle mills OF
to-day should remain closed until de-
lnand evens up with supplies.