The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1916-05-18

port Purposes.
Indications in the yellow pine mar
during the last week, and though the
situation still lacks uniformity, inn
provement in the car supply has as.
sisted in clearing up excessive stocks
at various points sufficiently to ma
terially reduce their influence on the
market. The recession of prices. which
some manufacturers attribute in part
to advances several weeks ago in adj
vance of the market. and therefore
due for reaction. seems now to have
passed it lowest point, and the ten
dency is again upward as evidenced
by reports from both the mills and the
consuming markets.
The recovery perhaps is not strong
or uniform as yet, but is sufficient to
justify the belief that the momentum
of the downward movement has been
spent, and a realization of this fact
on the part of distributors is expected
to bring out a substantial volume of
delayed orders.
Moderation in product still marks
the policy of many of the larger mills.
and this has served materially to
: l hold the situation reasonably firm.
and while many small mills have
started up, and have mostly operated
TO capacity, this has been largely Off
set by the curtailment of the large
mills, which they seem disposed to
continue until the balance of supply
and demand is restored
Weather Improved.
Confidence in early Developments
is strengthened by improvements in
weather conditions in the North,
which have unusually retarded build
ing operations. Now that the season
is more advanced and settled, greater
activity is promised in this line and
this influence should be sufficient to
create decidedly firmer tone in the
market In this connection. the Off
cial building record for April, which
has just been issued shows an en-
cOuraging state of activity. 104 of the
principal cities of the country having
issued building permits amounting to
$S9,S12,962, an increase of Is per cent
over those of the same month last
year.. which represented a value of
$77O56.47S.
In this connection it is stated that
April, 1915, showed a marked improve
ment over April, 1914, and return
to a normal basis, so that last years
record is regarded as Is per cent above
normal. For the first four months of
the year the record is $279,114,O21, as
compared with $3.50, 9O4,959 last year,
an increase of q per cent; and it APP
pears that dwellings of the class call
ing for lumber have increased largely
while the greatly advanced prices of
other materials indicate more ex-
tended use of wood in building
While no figures are available of
building operations in the smaller
towns and in the country, reports from
the South. where building is under
way, show more than the usual
amount of work in progress. That the
lumber demand is fundamentally
strong. apart from temporary fuc
tuation, appears from commercial re-
ports from the principal markets,
statistics from Chicago for instance.
showing receipts and shipments prac-
tically twice what they were a year
ago, with strong call from the sur
rounding territory. Although there is
but little railroad building underway.
and the demand for new construction
material is limited. that for repairs.
car material and other purposes keeps
up strongly, and numerous large or
ders are reported.
Gulf careoes.
Increasing difficulties in the shape
of high rates and shortage of tonnage
do not appear TO materially affect the
movement of yellow pine for export,