18i FELUXn AND CONVKKSlOX. 



and in this way, gjiven the rate of daily wa^^'e, the rate per unit 

 ( f work can be fixed. 



There are, however, several classes of wood produced in each 

 forest, and a distinction must he made between conversion of fire- 

 wood and that of timber of different varieties. As re^ijards fire- 

 wood, it should be noted that split billets are frequently the pre- 

 dominating class. As regards classified timber, it cannot be 

 predicted which class will predominate ; this depends on the 

 mode of conversion and the size of the trees, &c. Thus, in some 

 districts, middle-sized butts for saw-mills — in others, average- 

 sized logs — will be the material on which the wood-cutter bestows 

 most of his labour, and for which the rate should be fixed. 

 Firewood and timber are produced by all forests, so that there 

 are two standards of rates of pay, of which one is for a cord of 

 split firewood, and the other for a unit of that class of converted 

 timber which the forest yields most abundantly. 



(c) Scale of Wages, — The standard rates, therefore, consist in 

 those paid for split-wood and for one kind of converted timber : 

 but on every felling-area there are several — often many — 

 classes of timber and firewood, the preparation of which does not 

 exact the same amount of labour, or the sale-vaiues of which are 

 highly dissimilar ; there must therefore be several grades in 

 the rates of pay for piece-work. These difi"erent piece-work 

 prices are always multiples, or parts, of the two standard rates of 

 pay, and in their case the amount paid, besides being, as far as 

 l)Ossible, proportional to the work done, should also be propor- 

 tional to the sale-value of the converted material. 



As regards the former of these factors (the expenditure of 

 labour on any work) round billets are much easier prei)ared than 

 split-wood, and should be paid for at a lower rate ; whilst the 

 preparation of 100 bean-sticks should cost less than tliat of 100 

 hop-poles. 



The amount of labour involved in the work is, however, made 

 subsidiary to the sale-value of the out-turn, and the maxim of 

 making the labour-charge for preparation of more valuable 

 material higher than for what is less valuable is of the highest 

 importance. Thus, the preparation of the bettor classes of logs 

 or scantlings is more highly remunerated than that of the lower 

 classes, even when the amount of labour expended is the same 



