84 



SWEDEN - AGRICULTURAL ECONOMY IN GENERAL 



woods as often, and timber merchants three times as often, as their own 

 woods. 



On forest holdings the landowning employer is generally represented by 

 keepers or other employees ; but such supervisors are too few to be able to 

 exercise over workmen scattered over large forest areas the effective con- 

 trol possible in manufacturing industries. This is the defective side of 

 the organization of work in the forest industry, and gives it quite another 

 aspect than manufacturing industries ; but on the other hand the rural po- 

 pulation of Northern Sweden enjoy the advantage of a strong business 

 sense and show a much developed spirit of initiative. 



The carters form the most important category of forest labourers, each 

 of them being responsible for one or more of the lots forming sections. The 

 woodcutters and other labourers — the loaders, the roadmakers, etc. — 

 should properly be considered as carters' assistants for they are most fre- 

 quently engaged and paid by the carters. 



As regards the proportionate size of the different groups of labourers, the 

 enquiry shows that of a total number of 8,360 the carters form one third, the 

 woodcutters rather more than a half, and labourers of other kinds about 

 a sixth. But the proportion in the different departments deviates consi- 

 derably from this average, partly owing to differences in the method of work. 



The facts which have been collected give some information as to the 

 age and civil status of the workmen. Ninety -two per cent, were found to 

 be over eighteen years old ; the large majority of the 8 per cent., who were 

 under that age, being employed as woodcutters. Of the total number of 

 adult workmen 52.7 percent, were bachelors, and 47.3 percent, married men, 

 widowers or divorced men ; these percentages being 32.1 and 67.9 in the 

 case of the carters, 65.6 and 34.4 in that of the woodcutters, and 55.4 and 

 44.6 in that of the other workmen.. The differences in these percentages 

 are closely connected with the unequal distribution of men of the same age 

 in the several categories of workmen, but are also due to the fact that the 

 workmen are derived in very varying proportions from the different clas- 

 ses of society. 



If the extent to which the three chief classes of the population — the 

 landowning cultivators, the leaseholders and the labourers — are represent- 

 ed on forest holdings in the various districts be examined, the following 

 results are obtained : 



Depart- Dcnart Depart- Depart- Depart- Depart- Depart- Total 



meut Zone 



of of 



Norr- Enquiry 

 botten 



( Landowners 

 (Hit 1)1 100 V 



Wdrkinen Ltaseholders 



there were V 



' Liibourers 



nient meut ment meut ment 



of of of of of 

 Varm- Koppar- Oiivle- Vaster- Jam- 

 land berg < bor^ nofrlaud tlaud 



47-7 

 16.3 

 36.0 



63.1 

 17.0 

 19.9 



18.3 

 20.6 

 61. 1 



38.2 

 158 

 46.0 



35-5 

 10.5 



54-0 



ment 



of 



Vastcr- 



botten 



52.6 



21.9 



25-5 



55-6 412 

 13-3 170 

 31. 1 41.8 



It is seen that the deviations from the general averages in the several 

 departments were considerable ; and as — at least in forest districts — the 



