]66 FELLING AND CONVERSION OF TIMBER, 



involved only for less saleable pieces, the number of which the 

 owner wishes to keep as low as possible. Thus, payment for 

 wood from the stump and roots of the trees is kept very low, 

 to prevent material fit for straight, split, or round cordwood 

 being thus used, and especially to keep down as much as 

 possible the amount of root- and stump-wood. 



(d) Area where the Same Wages Prevail. Once the scale 

 for labour-payments has been decided, it may be applicable to 

 a forest district, range, or working-circle, but sometimes only 

 to a particular felling-area. Thus, where the locality is un- 

 favourable, as, for instance, on steep, lofty slopes ; in fellings 

 where special care has to be taken of the material, or of the 

 regeneration or tending of the forest ; in very remote felling- 

 areas, where the woodmen have far to go to reach their work ; 

 where the trees to be felled are far apart, so that there are 

 difficulties in collecting and sorting the outturn ; and in 

 several other cases, greater demands are made on the 

 labourers than where opposite conditions prevail. 



The preparation of forest accounts is much simplified when 

 the same rates of payment are made in all the felling-areas of 

 the same forest range. In level, uniformly-stocked forests, 

 and especially where only one species of tree is grown, such 

 simplicity is often admissible ; but in the case of irregular 

 woods and unlike conditions, the forest-owner will find it to 

 his profit to have different rates of payment for different 

 localities. 



Thus, we have various rates of payment for piece-work that 

 rise and fall with the local daily wage. In allotting these rates 

 according to the different kinds of produce, too much detail 

 should not be attempted, so that the accounts may not become 

 too complicated. An exception to this maxim arises only in 

 the case of forests yielding highly valuable timber. 



(e) Wages for Barking Trees, Stacking Firewood, etc. 

 When the rates of payment for felling and converting the 

 timber have been settled, it is usual to enter in the agreement 

 the rates for barking the trees, also for collecting the timber 

 and stacking the firewood. The latter work usually involves 

 only one rate, but in the case of collecting the timber in 

 temporary forest depots, the greatest differences of rates, 



