LOGGING IN THE DOUGLAS FIR EEGION. 



49 



The wages paid the different members of the felling and bucking 

 crew vary. During certain years, or parts of years, wages are higher 

 than in others. At a given time some camps pay 8 to 10 per cent 

 more per man than others. Then in the same camp some of the men, 

 because of special fitness, receive a larger compensation than the 

 others. For these reasons it is difficult to state the average wages 

 paid the different members of these crews during the past several 

 years. 



The following list is intended to approximate the wages — average, 

 high, and low — paid the members of the felling and bucking crews 

 by the logging companies in the region during the six years ending 

 1916 : 



Position. 



Wages per day. 





Average. 



High. 



Low. 





$3.50 

 3.50 

 3.25 

 ■3.25 

 3.75 



S3. 75 

 3.75 

 3.50 

 3.50 

 4.00 



$3 25 





3.25 





3.00 





3.00 



Filer 



3.50 







The wages given in the column headed "Low" do not represent 

 the lowest wages that have been paid. Camps that have paid the 

 wages included in column headed "Average" paid the following 

 wages in October, 1915 : 



Per day 



Head bucker $3. 00 



Head faller 3.00 



Second faller 2. 75 



Bucker 2. 50 



Filer 3. 00 



The scale of wages for head buckers and filers is less standard 

 than for the other members of the crews, hence the wages listed for 

 them are more or less deceptive. Then, too, head buckers are paid 

 more now than they were two or three years ago, some of them now 

 being paid $5 or more per day. A good head bucker can easily earn 

 this amount. Filers are paid from $3.50 to $5.50 per day, depending 

 on their ability, the character and amount of work, and whether 

 they are working as head or second filers. 



A small percentage of the operators do the felling and bucking by 

 contract, payment being made on the basis of the thousand feet net 

 or gross log scale. The contract may be let to one man who emploj^s 

 labor by the day to do the work, or directly to the workers. Contract 

 felling and bucking has not been popular in this region, chiefly for 

 the following reasons: (1) The character of the work varies so much 



61361°— Bull. 711—18 4 



