400 



Canadian Forestry Journal, October, 1919 



A big aid in forest protection. Corduroy roail acro.<.~ 



attention by its disastrous effect upon war 

 industries. 



Partly the rough pioneer character of the 

 industry, but largely the failure to create a 

 healthy social environment, has resulted in 

 the migratory, drifting character of the work- 

 ers. Ninety per cent of those in the camps 

 are described by one of the wisest students 

 of the problem, not too inaccurately, as 

 "womanless, voteless, and jobless." The fact 

 is that about 90 per cent of them are un- 

 married. Their work is most intermittent, 

 the annual labor turnover reaching the ex- 

 traordinary figure of over 600 per cent. There 

 has been a failure to make these camps com- 

 munities. It is not to be wondered, then, 

 that in too many of these workers the in- 

 stinct of workmanship is impaired. They 

 are — or rather have been made — disintegrat- 

 ing forces in society. 



The Commission found that the life of the 

 average camp did not exceed three and one-half 

 years. With migratory forest industry it is 

 financially impossible to construct residences for 

 workers, because the annual depreciation 

 charges of 25 per cent or more would be far 

 beyond the ability of the worker to pay from 

 wages. On a $1,600 home the annual charge 

 would be $400 for depreciation, and average 

 of about $50 for interest and perhaps $50 for 



maintenance, a total of $500 per annum. This 

 means a monthly rental charge of between $40 

 and $50, which is far beyond the reach of the 

 unskilled worker as he is now paid. WilJi the 

 continuous operation extending 25 years or 

 more, depreciation on such a residence would 

 be reduced to about $64 per annum, and since 

 maintenance and interest would not be much 

 affected, the annual charges would be only 

 $164, or less than $14 per month. 



The Idea of Perpetuation. 

 These unsatisfactory conditions in the in- 

 dustry can be rectified by transforming it from 

 an industry which uses the forest as a mine to 

 one which treats it as a renewable resource. 

 Such a transformation is difficult on private 

 lands. A few private owners may be found 

 now ready to change their method of handling 

 their timber resources and thus provide oppor- 

 tunities for permanent communities. As a rule, 

 however, such a transformation will not take 

 place without the people first securing control 

 of the large timber holdings. For the purpose 

 of providing for the returned soldier we must, 

 therefore, look to the national forests. These 

 afford immediately opportunities for creating 

 permanent forest communities in connection 

 with logging operations on them. Assuming 

 that only two-thirds of the forest area within 

 the national forests, or 100 million acres, is 

 actually forest-bearing land, this area, when 



