The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-08-10

lC8Q 0O09 WAk0Oos 49, SSsAoSs-sssS
ton Of furniture 10 . diincult pic
ture to imagine. but the furniture
situation indicates that we may yet
zee . reversion to the Japanese
style which considers. few mats
and 4 "a table adequate equip
ment for housekeeping.
Just now the retailers say that
they cannot supply fast enough the
demand for twin beds and floor
lamps ct prices several times the
old rates. But, as We cut deeper
into our timber reserves the prices
will rise still further, until We reach
a point where even the most rashly
extravagant buyer will balk. Then
there will doubtless come q fad for
simple housekeeping, which we
can only hope will take more ra-
tional form than the overall cpl
sode in the clothes reform.
Furniture dealers are getting
stock ordered year or more ago,
and the manufacturers have begun
to recover from their war diff
culties with labor and embargoes.
The consumer derives no financial
gain from this lessening Of the
tension. He profits only to the ex-
tent that he can now spend his
money as he likes. During the war.
SO far as furniture was concerned,
that privilege was limited by the
shortage of stock. but now he is
led around to look at period fur
niture, pieces which he is told rep
resent the Chinese influence, and
other exhibits pleasing to the eye
and tagged with startling prices
Furniture is skyrocketing with a
speed that would surprise even per-
sons calloused to price shocks.
Price Multiplies Six Times.
A manufacturer entertained a
convention recently by explaining
that dressing table Of cheap oak
before the war sold for around
$3.9S. He said that last year the
same dresser brought $3.50, and
now it would be tagged at least $25
The 1898 dresser is gone, and there
is nothing cheaper to take its place
In fact, even the SIS article is not
plentiful. A number of manufac.
turers Of the so-called cheap furni-
ture-the straight oak bedroom and
library sets-have stopped making
this grade because at its new price
level It is not popular.
The man who sees cheap grade
bureau marked S25 argues thus:
That's a good deal to put into
an ordinary and not too we'll made
piece Of goods. Guess I'd better
pay $40 more and get something
that will look high-class and las,
longer" At least, that is how fur.
niture dealers say customers rea
son. The dealers hold that it is i'm
possible to sell very ceLap furni
ture, that they have tried selling il
at cost, and the public, with its ris.
ing standards, refuses to give it q
glance.
The demand now, they say, is fol-
mahogany, with walnut as second
choice. Mahogany requires careful
usage and regular rubbing and pol
ishing, but its wearing qualities
coupled with its aristocratic ap
pearance cause it to be regarded a!
a good investment. Banks use i
lavishly for woodwork and fur
nishings in the Offices of executives
and good deal of the furniture TO,
organizations less pretentious thai
banks is also made of mahogany.
To be sure when you look will
awe at massive dark red desl
you are probably not feasting you
eyes entirely on imported wood
but on a combination of mahogan,
and gum. Until a few years ag,
the red gum was regarded as
weed tree, unfit to be used for fur
niture material because it warpe,
and twisted. Then a firm found
way of overcoming this difficulty
and now every manufacturer OF ma
hogany pieces knows some secre
process Of treating gum.
Gum Savee Mahogany.
Gum Is used FOO legs and othe
parts of a piece wher> the grain O
the mahogany would net show any
way. Gum takes the ssme polisl
as the mahogany top, ana no on
but q connoisseur would deG>ct tn
difference. Manufacturers elair
that to make a piece of furniture O
solid mahogany is as great a vast
Of valuable wood as it was for tn
Cubans to lay solid mahogany rail
road ties, which they did until tn
extravagance of it was explained t
them.
Mahogany is shipped to US Il
large quantities from the tropic.
where 1t If apparently plentiful
Our domestic hardwoods, on tn
other hand-hickory, maple, wal
nut ash and others-are bain
turned into tables and sideboard
SO fast that they are rapidly reach
ing extinction. The forest servic