Evolution in Sawmill Indusrty. 37 



quality of wood in many cases. It is impossible for the small mill 

 to employ high grade mechanics or to buy specialized machinery. 

 As already pointed out the cost of such machinery distributed 

 over a small product would be prohibitive. Moreover, a mill 

 possessing such machinery w^ould no longer be a small mill nor 

 turn out a small output. While, therefore, its output can no 

 doubt be improved, it can never equal in character that of the 

 efficient large mill. 



A third efficiency of machinery in the large mill lies in its 

 elimination of waste as compared with the small mill. This is 

 perhaps at the present time most marked in the difference in the 

 sawkerf between the two classes of mills, the large mill using the 

 band saw with not over half the sawkerf taken by the circular saw 

 used in the small mill. That the band saw' will be used in the 

 small mill is to be doubted. It requires much higher priced labor 

 to manipulate, it is more difficult to keep in adjustment, and is 

 in every way a more expensive machine to operate. The saving 

 effected in lumber will not pay for the increased cost of operation 

 where the output is small. It can be considered as entirely im- 

 practicable in the portable mill. There are other savings in the 

 large mill of the same kind but perhaps not so marked. 



Specialisation of Labor. 



Still another efficiency and cost saving in the large mill is due 

 to the specialization of labor there. This is a well known ad- 

 vantage of all large scale production and needs only brief mention 

 here. Where high skill is needed it can be employed, as for 

 example in grading. The same applies to running headsaws, 

 planers, etc., and in the care of the machinery. No extremely 

 high skilled man can be employed in one of these branches in a 

 small mill because the output is not large enough to absorb the 

 high wages. In the small mill men continually change from one 

 task to another and attain proficiency in none. 



Saving of Waste Effected by Location and Size of Large Mill. 



Passing on to the saving of by-products we find a still more 

 important advantage lying with the mill of large size, especially 

 when located in a center of population as such mills almost in- 



