178 TIMBER SUPPLIES AND THE WAR 



Little need be said here of larch. The timber always 

 finds a ready market, and there will probably be an 

 upward tendency in prices for this material. For oak 

 high forest the scrub areas have been already dealt 

 with in the absence of the nearest supplies which 

 come from Austria-Hungary and Germany there is 

 likely to be a larger demand and a higher price. Birch 

 may be in demand for furniture-making purposes, in 

 addition to pit props, as also our other useful hard- 

 woods, to take the place of imported manufactures. 



As to the size of the wood materials in demand. 

 It will be unnecessary to dwell upon division i, logs 

 and sawn timber. A few remarks may, however, 

 prove useful on pitwood. The following is a quota- 

 tion (abbreviated) for Scots pine and spruce pitwood 

 drawn up in August 1914 by a large colliery proprietor 

 in Scotland. 1 The classes are four in number round 

 props, quartered props, crowns, and pit sleepers ; the 

 prices are carriage paid, delivered at the mines. 



Round props 3 in. up to 4 ft. in length fetch 35. nd. per 100 ft. 

 in in. classes, and varying lengths, to 5^ in. up 

 to 8 ft. in length, fetching IDS. gd. per 100 ft. 

 Quartered props Ex. 5 in., 6 in., and 7 in. up to 4 ft. long fetch 

 25. id., 2s. gd., and 35. ^d. per 100 ft. respec- 

 tively. 

 Crowns 3$ ft. x 3 in. x i J in. fetch id. each. 



4 ft. x 3 \ in. x i J in. fetch i\d. each. 



5 ft. x 4 in. x 2 in. fetch i\d. each. 

 5 ft. x 4jin. x 2in. fetch ijrf. each. 

 5 ft. x 5 in. x 2$ in. fetch -z\d. each. 



Pit-sleepers 3 ft. 3 in. x 5 in. x 2 in. fetch 155. 6d. per 100. 



The butt ends of trees are usually cut up into quartered 

 wood, pit sleepers, small crowns, and hutch-boards. 



1 The prices have since greatly increased. 



