July 25, 1917 



Why Lumber Can't Be Displaced 



One of the greatest advantages of the lumber business is that 

 material can be p^pduced in a comparatively short time, and it is 

 therefore almost always available in case of emergency. One of 

 the reasons why substitutes have a hard time making permanent in- 

 roads on business held by the lumber trade is because just at the 

 moment when they appear to be succeeding, it is discovered that mate- 

 rials can't be furnished, and the consumer turns back to the old 

 reliable, wood. 



This condition is emphasized by the complications which have 

 £.risen in connection with the furnishing of the cantonments for the 

 training of the new draft armies. Metal beds were to have been 

 used, and indeed have been specified. But it appeared that only one 

 company had a sufficient amount of the tubing used in these beds to 

 be able to handle the business, and this of course was not to the 

 advantage either of the government or the other manufacturers. 



In this connection it is interesting to note that the steel situation 

 generally is going to favor the increased use of wood in many lines 

 where the former has been used heretofore. The Committee on Co- 

 operation of the Council for National Defense recently published this : 



It should be anticipated that the steel situation, which is developing with 

 rapidity, will probably make it impossible for those general manufacturers, 

 unable to find a steel substitute, to secure adequate supplies of steel, and 

 may even make it impossible to secure any. No substantial increase in 

 production is anticipated. Even maximum production from existing facili- 

 ties cannot be expected, because transportation, labor and material condi- 

 tions will interfere with the full operation of plants. On the other hand, 

 iudications are that war requirements will continue to increase. 

 Lumber and the Consumer 



The biggest consumers are realizing more and more how important 

 the purchase of lumber is, and are putting this department into the 

 hands of experienced men, qualified in every way to handle the pur- 

 chase and delivery of stock. Formerly it was thought that the 

 purchasing agent, regardless of his knowledge or lack of knowledge 

 of lumber, could take care of this item simply by sending out re- 

 quests for quotations, and that the lumber could be inspected by 

 anybody who was able to tell one variety of wood from another. 



In sharp contrast with this, ouq of the members of the firm is lum- 

 ber buyer for one of the largest and most successful furniture 

 companies in Chicago. He devotes himself exclusively to this end 

 of the business, and to the collateral details connected with the 

 delivery and seasoning of this stock. And, incidentally, this furni- 

 ture man is one of the greatest advocates of preparedness as to 

 lumber stocks, and regularly carries 'upward of 4,000,000 feet of 

 hardwoods on his yard. He has plenty of kiln capacity, and might 

 get along with less, but he prefers to be on the safe side, and to 

 have stock on hand for any emergency. The result is that the 

 factory is never delayed and is never compelled to use lumber of 

 questionable dryness. 



Lumbermen prefer to deal with experts of this kind, who know 

 lumber, and who can buy intelligently. There are a few members of 

 the trade who like to find someone who is ignorant of lumber values, 

 and whose business is supposed to represent ' ' turkey" ; but in most 

 cases connections of this kind are of brief duration, because someone 

 else is always turning up with a better proposition — apparently. 



When you are selling to a real lumber buyer, who knows the game 

 and who is willing to pay 100 cents for a dollar's worth of lumber, 

 everybody is satisfied. The lumberman makes an honest profit and the 

 buyer gets just the stock he is looking for. Likewise, he usually gets 

 real service, because he knows how to go after it. 



The Hegira of Ham 



The exodus of negroes from the South, which is said to have 

 ■developed alarming proportions, is not without interest to lumber 

 manufacturers of that section, many of whom rely almost entirely 

 upon colored men for their help. 



The hegira has resulted in negroes leaving the Southland at the 

 rate of 500,000 a year, according to some estimates, the figures 

 being greatly increased since the war has created a great demand 



among the big industries of the North and East for more help, 

 and has established scales of wages which are almost incredibly high. 



That the negro, who is a Southern product, and belongs there because 

 the climate suits him better than any other, has some reason for 

 yielding to the temptations held out before him is hardly to be 

 doubted. Many negroes employed in logging work, at mills and in 

 other departments of the industry are given treatment which is not 

 calculated to develop any great amount of loyalty, and while there 

 are operations at which employes of all classes, negroes as well as 

 whites, are treated generously and well taken care of, these, it must be 

 admitted, are more often the exception than the rule. 



Some lumbermen believe that the negro has to be driven in order 

 to produce results. Yet every lumberman can name individuals of 

 that race who are remarkable not only for strength, but for intel- 

 ligence and ingenuity, and are next to indispensable around the miU 

 and yard. A good negro is a mighty valuable hand, and lumbermen 

 in the South are in the best possible position to appreciate the value 

 of services such as this. 



There is no disposition to preach as to what should be done, bul 

 the practical problem of making conditions favorable enough to hold 

 negroes in the South, where they are badly needed not only on the 

 farm but in such industries as the manufacture of lumber and other 

 forest products, is one which every lumberman employing negro labor 

 ought to give some consideration to. 



Labor Saving Devices in the Lumber Yard 



In comparatively few lumber yards, at least in the hardwood 

 trade, has any great effort been made to develop labor-saving devices. 

 In most instances results are accomplished ' ' by main strength and 

 awkwardness, ' ' as they say in Kentucky. Yet now, with the labor 

 situation more difficult than at any previous time in the history 

 of the industry, seems to be a logical time to introduce whatever 

 devices are shown to be practical and definitely adapted to this work. 



The general equipment of the yard could be improved in most cases, 

 without taking up mechanical features. For instance, the alleys 

 in many yards are without metal of any kind, and in bad weather 

 moving lumber is exceedingly difficult, and naturally expensive of 

 time and labor. Putting down solid, well-made roads would be a big 

 help. A concrete foundation could be laid, or a good macadam road- 

 way constructed. Second-hand brick can often be purchased at a 

 low enough price to warrant their use in road construction. If a yard 

 is regarded as a permanent proposition, there is no reason why the 

 roads should not be built with an eye to permanence and to the 

 speedy and easy movement of the trucks. 



An alternate plan is the construction of platforms extending all 

 through the yard. In addition to making for ease in handling the 

 trucks, platforms save labor in loading and unloading cars, as they 

 are built at the proper level for moving lumber in and out of the 

 latter. The writer knows of one yard which was equipped in this 

 way, and the lumberman in charge of it claimed that it was a good 

 investment. This yard is no longer operating, so that it is a question 

 whether the period during which the platforms were in use was long 

 enough to enable the cost of construction to be charged off. Then, 

 too, platforms need constant repairs, and the labor cost on this amounts 

 to something. 



With good provision for moving the stock, however, the lumberman 

 is then in a position to consider the use of power-operated trucks. 

 Manufacturers of equipment of this character are making a drive for 

 lumber business, and insist that there is a big saving to be made 

 through its use. At any rate, the proposition seems to be worth 

 considering, in view of present labor conditions, not to mention the 

 high cost of feed. 



Good piling sticks are worth while on any lumber yard, and since 

 dry sticks are preferable to green ones, taking the trouble to make 

 good ones will do much to insure their being taken care of and used 

 after they have become dry. 



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