24 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



Probably today the actual reduction of logs to lumber, j. e., saw- 

 milliiig itself, is down to a base of cost that is as low as can be 

 reasonably expected. That is to say, the average band or circular 

 sawmill when regularly run is now producing lumber at a remarkably 

 low cost per thousand feet. Apparently the eiforts of all machinery 

 and lumber manufacturers have centered on this one feature of lum- 

 ber production. It has been possible to accomplish this result in 

 this end of the lumber business by reason of the location of these 

 plants; by means of improved machinery; by means of centralizing 

 competent labor; and primarily, by reason of the principals' per- 

 sonal attention to this detail of the business. 



Cost weakness, if it may be so termed, in many cases is manifest 

 in the entire range of logging operations. Here cost varies one 

 hundred per cent, and sometimes three hundred per cent, under dif- 

 ferent conditions, and it seems to be a feature of lumber produc- 

 tion where etficiency is very seriously lacking, but wliere it is prac- 

 tically impossible to get the work down to a system of high efficiency. 

 Again, for years there has been nothing evolved b}' which the cost 

 of yarding lumber, and handling lumber from the sawmill to the 

 pUes, and from the piles to kilns or cars, has been reduced. 



In the study for the making of higher efSciency and lowering cost, 

 it would seem that the two features of the lumber business open to 

 criticism on account of high cost are the logging and yard ends of the 

 business. Ko student of lumber affairs will argue that it is not 

 within the realm of possibility to eliminate a good deal of the pre- 

 vailing woods and sawmiU waste in the initial end of lumber opera- 

 tions. It would seem also that there is an unnecessary and extraor- 

 dinary cost; in handling lumber from the mill to the cars. Much of 

 lumber yard cost now prevailing should be eliminated, and a gteat 

 deal of the handling and rehandling of lumber must be avoided if 

 the lumber manufacturing business is going to be put on a plane 

 with many other manufacturing industries. 



The steel trust in its various plants has the reputation of having 

 achieved a very high state of efficiency in the production of its 

 product. Testimony coming out in the steel trust case, during the 

 last few days, indicates that, notwithstanding some very extraordinary 

 intermediary profits, the actual cost of steel rails is approximately 

 $18.80 a ton. Hence, it is easily shown that when the steel people are 

 making the railroads pay, as they have for years, .$28.00 a ton for 

 steel rails, they are getting a remarkably fancy profit, but it must 

 be borne in mind that the steel rail business apparently constitutes 

 the one element of steel production that does show such a profit. 

 Other items of steel and iron production are being sold relatively 

 at a very much lower price, and in fact down very nearly to gross 

 cost. Its general line of production is practically being handled as 

 "fillers," to maintain tonnage, and keep the numerous plants of the 

 trust in operation. 



The same monetary interests control lo a large extent the cement 

 industry. In this line it apparently has reached even a higher state 

 of efficiency in production, and in the face of this low cost, it is 

 selling its product at and below cost. 



As Siteel and cement are the two chief competitors of lumber, it 

 would look as though lumber manufacturers in self-protection should 

 exercise all possible acumen in an attempt to achieve higher efficiency 

 and a lower manufacturing cost, in order to meet competition. 



Bearing on this subject of lowering average cost is the much dis- 

 cussed and comparatively little practiced scheme of the utilization 

 of woods and sawmill waste. Really in only one community in the 

 United States is this plan carried out in a logical way. This system 

 prevails at Cadillac, Mich. Authoritatively it may be stated, that 

 based on present stumpage values, Cadillac producers figure that 

 there is no jirofit in the production of lumber per se, but that their 

 entire net revenues come from the saving they make in the remanu- 

 facture of their rough lumber, and in the utilization of woods and 

 sawmill waste. 



There never was a time in the history of the trade when lumber 

 manufacturers had greater problems confronting them than at the 

 present time, and here is the opportunity of associations' co-operation 

 in analyzing these difficulties and making plans to correct them. 

 Can the problems be solved? 



Fire Losses for 1911 



The Lumbermen's Underwriting Alliance has just issued a bulletin 

 in which it says that the general fire loss totals for 1911, on all 

 classes of property in the United States and Canada, are practically 

 the same as in 1910, being in excess of .$234,000,000. Records avail- 

 able show that over fourteen million dollars worth of lumber proper- 

 ties burned during the twelve months. 



The circular recites that a resume of the origin and causes of these 

 fires, so far as known, brings into fresh prominence the excessive 

 penalty paid for negligence, partly due to lax cleaning methods and 

 partly to failure to examine and properly maintain fire apparatus. 



The prominent feature of losses for 1911 is the unusually large 

 proportion of sawmills and planing mills destroyed. One unusual 

 feature of the 1911 losses was the destruction of two practically 

 new sawmills, both equipped with standard fire-fighting facilities, 

 and of several others which ranked high in the average for good 

 housekeeping and fire-protection. Of sundry sawmill fires, causes 

 are traceable in three cases to sparks, probably from stacks; four 

 from sparks, probably from the slab pit; one from sparks, probably 

 from the furnace; one from smoking, probably pipe ashes, cigarette 

 ends or matches ; two probably from friction or hot bearings causing 

 dust explosion, and one probably from defective electric wiring. 



In a further analysis of these losses, the circular states that out 

 of sixty -four fires, forty per cent started on Saturday night, Sunday 

 night or before operations began on Monday morning. A large 

 portion of them occurred during the absence of the manager. The 

 reasons assigned for fires imder such circumstances are analyzed 

 that mills are usually at their dirtiest at the end of the week, and 

 hence sparks find much nutriment in the form of dust, grease and 

 rubbish ; and in the absence of the owner or manager, employes are 

 prone to slight their work, and rules against smoking are frequently 

 disregarded during such absence; and lastly, that watchmen following 

 the time-honored practice of making Saturday night a period of 

 indulgence and relaxation, are not in the best condition to either 

 discover or extinguish a Saturday night blaze. 



The Alliance suggests that owners of sawmills insist on earlj' eve- 

 ning clean-up work, and that it be done - thoroughly ; a close weekly 

 inspection of the fire-fighting apparatus, that watchmen may have 

 facilities to handle blazes in their first stages; and close supervision 

 of watchmen's habits and practices, that his faithfulness and valua- 

 bleness may be determined. 



The Gibson Tally Books 



Two years ago H.\rd\vood Recoru put out an aluminum tally card 

 cover, designed to carry one to four tally tickets, 4VsxS% inches in 

 size, or two double page tickets S^xS^ inches. Eights to the [lalents 

 of the General Manifold Company were taken over to use its carbon- 

 backed paper for this purpose, and these tickets were made in single 

 manila cardboard, or with one or two duplicate sheets on top thereof, 

 enabling users to have single tickets, double tickets or triplicate 

 tickets as they might desire, and in any form of ruling or design 

 that might appeal to their taste. 



This Gibson Tally Book scheme fell into immediate favor, not 

 only with lumber manufacturers and jobbers, but with the factory 

 trade. At tliis time the book is employed by more than two tlious;ind 

 institutions, and now customers are a daily occurrence. 



This aluminum cover system of handling tally sheets, and the 

 tickets themselves, have appealed to manufacturers, in many other 

 lines, who tally various products, and orders are frequent from con- 

 cerns outside of the lumber industry. 



Recently a Wisconsin operator placed an order for a log scale 

 report card, and he advises that it suits his purpose exactly. This 

 card shows at a glance the number of logs of each kind on a car, 

 the total number of logs, and the scale of each log, together with 

 the fpctagc of each kind separately, and the total on the car, together 

 with the totals previously reported, and a grand total. 



Any reader of Hardwood Record who is not familiar with the 

 Gibson Tally Book and the system, will be forwarded circular litera- 

 ture and specimens of the tickets ciii :ipplii'atiiin. The cover itself 

 is sent on iippnival tci rcspousibli' liiiycrs. 



