The following table shows imports of Rumanian rough softwood lumber into the United Kingdom for the years indicated:

Only a few firms in Rumania are familiar with the lumber requirements of the British market, the bulk of that country's export trade being with the near eastern countries, which have always been their main outlet. Galatz on the Danube, and Constanza on the Black Sea, are the principal ports of loading, the latter being open practically all the year round, while Galatz is usually icebound from October or November until the following April or May, owing to the Danube freezing over. Rumanian softwood imported by the United Kingdom consists entirely of spruce lumber of "unsorted" quality in specifications similar to those shipped by the north European countries and is sold either as Rumanian or Galatz whitewood, after the port of loading of that name. The lengths as a rule run fairly long, which is an attraction to the British buyer. Imports of Rumanian lumber are widely distributed over the west coast of Great Britain, Liverpool, Manchester, and the Bristol Channel, and to a small extent Scotland, being the principal ports of entry. The reason for its use being restricted to these districts is principally that for building purposes they prefer spruce to pine, and also because large quantities of cheap lumber are used for packing cases by the Lancashire textile trade. London also uses considerable of it for cheap packing cases and boxes, but little for building purposes.

During the early summer of 1927 the market for an average specification of deals, battens, scantlings, and boards, was approximately £15 to £15 10s. per standard (1,980 feet board measure) c. i. f. regular United Kingdom ports, or from 30s. to £2 per standard below that for the lesser known and poorer Finnish stocks.

CZECHOSLOVAKIA

Most of the Czechoslovakian lumber arriving in Great Britain is loaded in vessels at Hamburg; it having been shipped to that port either by rail or in barges down the Elbe River. This river, however, is usually frozen over during January and February, and consequently is not open for traffic during those months.

Most of the softwood lumber imported is spruce, which is sometimes sold as Bohemian whitewood although there is no recognized name for it, the description used being largely left to the judgment of the dealer. In addition to the spruce, small quantities of pine occasionally enter the market, but it is doubtful if they exceed 10 per cent of the total import.

Czechoslovakian spruce is furnished in specifications similar to those of northern Europe, in lengths 10 feet and longer, with a very small percentage of 5 to 9 foot ends which are not usually shipped by

the central European countries. It can generally be bought in special lengths, a considerable attraction in the United Kingdom. This stock sells for slightly less than Rumanian as a rule, the market value for an average specification during the early summer of 1927 being approximately £14 5s. to £15 per standard c. i. f. regular United Kingdom ports.

YUGOSLAVIA

While some rough spruce lumber is received from Yugoslavia the quantity is small and of little importance to the British import trade. It is sold as Bosnian whitewood and imported in unsorted quality, a mixture of first, second, and third only. The principal ports of loading are Fiume, Trieste, and Gruz, or Gravosa, as it is sometimes called.

Bosnian spruce is similar to the Rumanian and Czechoslovakian; it has a decided tendency to split and does not store well.

Shipments as a rule are well manufactured and bright and all sizes from 2 by 3 inches to 4 by 11 inches are furnished. Lengths are long as a rule and importers frequently require a percentage of 18 feet and longer to be included in their specification. "Unsorted" quality of Yugoslavian spruce lumber ordinarily sells for 5s. to 10s. per standard less than Czechoslovakian. Small quantities of pine or redwood lumber, also railroad ties, are received, but the wood has not proved satisfactory for this latter purpose on account of its not holding the spikes used to fasten the rail chairs firm, and the decided tendency, it has to split. In addition to the lumber, efforts are being made to introduce "black pine" (Pinus negricans or Pinus austriaca) from the mountains of Montenegro as a substitute for American southern pine in the British market under the name of "Bosnian pitch pine." This wood contains a large amount of resin and only the best quality or butt cuts of timber are shipped to the British market. A usual specification of this timber will consist of 70 per cent 18 to 30 feet, 20 per cent 31 to 34 feet, and 10 per cent 35 to 40 feet; occasionally longer lengths are furnished but they are unusual, the dimensions run on the small size ordinarily, about 20 per cent 10 by 10 inches to 11 by 11 inches, 60 per cent 12 by 12 inches, and 20 per cent larger dimensions. The quantity available, however, is small and is not likely to have any effect on the sales of southern pine, with which it can not be compared as a structural timber.

GERMANY

Although not generally thought of as a lumber producing country, Germany does ship some pine and spruce to the United Kingdom. All the quantity, however, credited to that country in British statistics does not necessarily originate within its boundaries, but probably a portion is represented by stocks from Poland and Czechoslovakia, passing through for export, and credited to Germany in error.

AMERICAN SOFTWOODS

SOUTHERN PINE

Southern pine, or pitch pine as it is called in Europe, was one of the first American woods to be introduced to the British lumber market, reference being made to it in a Liverpool agent's circular

dated February 1, 1823, the stock in that city being stated as not exceeding 3,000 cubic feet. Two years later, the same company's circular stated, "Pitch pine seldom enquired for, the importation last year was only 20,170 cubic feet and stock is considerable."

It is interesting to compare these figures with those for 1926 for the same district, which show the great expansion in the trade since that time. Manchester, of course, was not a seaport until many years later, when the ship canal was built, so that all imports for that district necessarily passed through Liverpool 100 years ago. The imports of southern pine in 1926 at Liverpool (including Birkenhead and Garston) were: Sawn timber 649,000 cubic feet and lumber 842,000 cubic feet; at Manchester, sawn timber 704,000 cubic feet and lumber 580,000 cubic feet.

The early imports were in the form of hewn timber used principally for masts and spars of sailing vessels, the building of which at that period was an important part of the British shipbuilding industry.

T

FIG. 10.-Hauling southern pine sawn timber. "A pause for dinner"

A little later sawn timber made its appearance and for many years the importation of southern pine was confined almost exclusively to timber with a few deals for stowage purposes, and not until much later were the higher qualities of lumber brought in. Most shipments were made in sailing vessels, and the problem of getting the timber, which was so much longer than anything contemplated when the vessels were built, through the hatches was a difficult one. This was overcome, however, by cutting openings in the bows, called "bow ports," through which the timber was loaded and discharged.

For many years southern pine in the British lumber trade was associated with such ports as Darien, Savannah, Mobile, Pascagoula, and Pensacola, and not until later years were shipments received from New Orleans, Port Arthur, Galveston, and Gulfport, in any quantity.

The British demand has always been largely for the long-leaf variety, short-leaf stock never finding more than a very small market. 92015-28- -8

The reason for this is that southern pine has never been favored for furniture making, as in some of the continental countries, the less expensive hardwoods being preferred, nor for interior finish and millwork, north European pine being used almost exclusively for these

purposes.

Prior to the war, there was a small business done in North Carolina pine, principally in dressed and matched stock for office partitions and interior finish, also some 1 by 12 inch dressed for shelving. During the war, however, it was impossible to get supplies, so that other species were substituted and the market has never been regained. It can well be said that pitch pine is a household word in Great Britain; it needs no recommendation and only its increased price since the war prevents its greater use.

Next to Argentina, the United Kingdom is the most important foreign market for southern pine, and in 1926 took over 97,000,000 feet, composed of approximately 52,000,000 feet sawn and 5,000,000 feet hewn timber, and 40,000,000 feet lumber, practically all rough sawn. However, 1926 was a year of great industrial depression in the United Kingdom, for which, first the general strike of May 1, followed immediately by the coal strike, which lasted until the following November, was largely responsible. In spite of this unprecedented situation, imports of southern pine were only about 11,000,000 feet less than the previous year. Prior to the war southern pine was frequently imported in full cargo lots of from 2,000,000 to 3,000,000 feet, on account of the inability to secure liner tonnage to many British ports from the producing districts, and also because tramp vessels could frequently be chartered at a lower cost than the liner tonnage. Since the advent of the United States Shipping Board, however, frequent regular services are now available to most of the principal British ports, and the large investment necessary for full cargoes makes them undesirable except to a few outports, so that at the present time the import trade is largely done in parcel lots by regular liners, buyers operating chiefly on a hand-to-mouth basis. Ocean freight rates.-Early in 1927 the ocean rate on southern pine from the Gulf of Mexico, through which most of it is shipped, was quoted at $15 per thousand feet for regular United Kingdom ports such as Liverpool, Manchester, London, Avonmouth, and Glasgow, with $1 extra for the east coast, Ireland, and the outports. When full cargoes are shipped they are usually made on a Pix Pinus form of charter, but as so small a percentage of the total import is carried in full cargo lots details of this would be of little general interest.

Volume of trade.-British statistics do not give separate figures for the imports of southern pine, but the following figures, taken from official United States sources and published in "Foreign Commerce and Navigation" by the Department of Commerce, show the United States exports of southern pine to the United Kingdom in 1913 as 255,813,000 feet board measure, valued at $5,621,107; and in 1926 as 97,335,000 feet board measure, valued at $4,391,239.

Only very few round logs were imported and most of the timber is sawn, only specially long lengths now being imported hewn. The lumber, with the exception of a very small quantity of flooring, is all rough sawn.

There has been considerable decline in the importation of southern pine since the last pre-war year, largely owing to its increased value

(causing greater use of substitutes and less valuable species, most pronounced in timber) and to the lesser use of it for the furnishing of churches and schools.

Import centers. Liverpool, Glasgow, London, Manchester, Belfast, and Newcastle-on-Tyne are the principal ports of entry for southern pine in the United Kingdom, although shipments are also received at many other ports.

SPECIFICATIONS

Southern pine is sold in the United Kingdom according to the grading rules of the Gulf Coast Classification as of 1919 and 1923, issued by the Southern Pine Association of New Orleans, La., with which the British import trade is thoroughly familiar.

dressed.

Decking.-22 and 3 by 5 inches, 18 feet and longer, 25 to 27 feet lineal average. Both prime and heart face are imported, but only very small quantities of the latter. This stock must be cut full so as to finish to the above net sizes when Extra prime.-1 to 4 by 8 to 10 inches, 10 feet and longer; 1 to 4 by 11 inches and wider, 10 feet and longer; 1 and 114 by 4 to 6 inches, 10 feet and longer. these, 114 by 8 inches and wider is the most popular.

Of

Rio or Genoa prime.-3, 32, and 4 by 9 and 11 inches, chiefly 3 and 4 by 9 inches, 10 feet and longer; 3 by 6 inches, 10 feet and longer; 21⁄2 and 3 by 3 inches, 10 feet and longer; 2 by 3, 4, and 6 inches, chiefly 2 by 3 and 6 inches, 10 feet and longer; 1 and 14 by 6 inches, 10 feet and longer; 14 and 11⁄2 by 3 inches, chiefly 114 inches, 10 feet and longer.

Kiln-dried saps.-1 by 4 inches, 10 feet and up; 1 by 6 inches, 10 feet and up; 1 by 12 inches, 10 feet and up; 1 by 4 inches, 4 to 8 feet.

Merchantable.-3 and 4 by 9 inches, 10 feet and up; 6 by 9 inches, 16 feet and up, 26 to 27 feet lineal average; 6 by 12 inches, 16 feet and up; 3 by 6 inches, 10 feet and up. The principal demand is for 6 by 9 and 12 inches, this quality in deals and 3 by 6 inches not being favored.

Square edge and sound.-3 by 9 inches, 10 feet and up. Only very little of this quality is now imported, its use having virtually disappeared owing to the advance in ocean freight rates since the war.

Sawn timber.-6 by 6 inches to 10 by 10 inches, average, 8 inches, 16 feet and up, 28 feet lineal average; 9 by 9 inches and up, average, 30 cubic feet, 16 feet and up; 9 by 9 inches and up, average, 321⁄2 cubic feet, 16 feet and up; 9 by 9 inches and up, average, 35 cubic feet, 16 feet and up; 12 by 12 inches and up, average, 40 cubic feet; 12 by 12 inches and up, average, 45 lineal feet and up, average, 50 feet, known as Specials.

Hewn timber.-Specials, 55 feet and up, 15 by 15 inches and up, and 100 cubic

average.

Before the war some railroad ties of southern pine were used, but since that time their price has made it impossible for them to compete with other less valuable species.

PRINCIPAL USES

For many years southern pine decking was extensively used in British shipyards, but with the great surplus of tonnage and reduced volume of trade after the postwar boom had collapsed this industry sunk to exceedingly low proportions.

Cost is now the prime consideration in the shipbuilding industry, and although the merits of this species for decking purposes are admitted, its use has been supplanted to a considerable extent by other species less expensive. Extra prime lumber is largely used for the furnishing of churches and schools. Of recent years, however, the call for southern pine for this purpose has been considerably