iJANUAL LABOUK. 183 



table of average wages is compiled, the wages being increased or 

 diminished when necessary, or new tables of wages may be pre- 

 pared annually, according to the price of labour. In the latter 

 case a written agreement to hold good for a year between the 

 forest owner and the workman must be made, and signed by both 

 parties. 



Besides the fact that it really furthers economy to secure fair 

 wages to the workman, it is also clearly in the interest of the forest 

 owner, as contented workmen will avoid waste in felling and con- 

 verting timber, and damage to young growth. Care for the 

 welfare of the forest depends more or less directly on the wood- 

 cutter's work, and the latter will always turn the rate of pay to 

 his own advantage. The amount of care he takes of the forest 

 will be always the less, the lower his wages are driven by the 

 competition of other workmen. 



In forest management, as in all great productive industries, 

 the determination at any time of fair rates of wages is of the 

 greatest importance, and the question then arises, how should 

 this be done ? 



(b) Determination of Rates of Wages. — It is clear that the 

 woodman must obtain as high wages in the forest as he could 

 get by a similar expenditure of labour in any other rough in- 

 dustry. The forest owner has to compete for his labour with 

 other industrial enterprises ; he may usually compete with them 

 successfully when he remembers that the industrious wood- 

 cutter should receive wages somewhat above those actually in 

 force for other works in the district for the hard and frequently 

 dangerous forest work in ordinary fellings. This addition to 

 the ordinary local wage depends on the favourable or unfavour- 

 able aspect of the circumstances affecting wages which have 

 been already described; it may be sometimes 10 per cent., 

 20 per cent., or even 30 per cent, above the usual daily wages of 

 labourers. The amount of the daily wage once settled, the next 

 step will be to fix the pay for each unit of work in accordance 

 with it. 



It is easy to ascertain from the results of the previous year's 

 felling, what amount of work an industrious workman can do in a 

 day, i.e., how many cubic feet of converted timber he can prepare 

 in summer in ten hours, and in six or seven hours in winter. 



