170 Procee:dings of the: 



Large figures are needed to describe the lumber 

 manufacturing plants, the amount produced annually, 

 and the amount of standing timber. Thirty-three 

 thousand and thirty-five establishments were in opera- 

 tion in 1900, and produced 35,084,160,000 feet, board 

 measure, in that year. 



Ten kinds of timber, counting all hardwoods as one, 

 show a total of 1,240,000,000,000 feet available for 

 lumbering. These figures are interesting and impor- 

 tant, but nowhere do we find the amount of lumber 

 consumed annually, and the amount on hand at the 

 beginning of each year; or, in other words, what 

 proportion of the thirty-five billions was used during 

 the calendar year, and what per cent, remained on 

 hand. 



Attempts are made by the twelve lumber manufac- 

 turers' associations composing the ''National Lumber 

 Manufacturers' Association," to procure these figures, 

 but of the thirty-five billions shown to be produced, 

 less than one-half is accounted for by these twelve 

 associations. The need for, and the importance of 

 exact information as to the total amount of lumber 

 in the hands of the manufacturers at the beginning 

 of each year will eventually draw all lumber producers 

 together, and instead of depending almost entirely on 

 a census report published once in five years, they will 

 have figures of their own annually, on which to base 

 their calculations. 



Already steps have been taken to secure the names 

 of 33,000 manufacturers of lumber, and obtain annual 

 reports from them, covering the three essential points, 

 viz., the amount produced, the amount sent forward 

 to the consumer, and the amount of stock on hand 

 when annual inventories are taken. 



The importance and value of such statistics can be 



