FIFTH NATIONAL CONSERVATION CONGRESS 231 



"Golden Rule;" or an opportunity to invest savings either in investment com- 

 panies, building and loan associations, or some similar organizations. 



The promotion of Social Welfare work, which has for its object the better- 

 ment of the social life of the community, is a. comparatively new departure in 

 the lumber industry, but one that is being received very favorably. 



Since labor problems have such a strong bearing on efficiency in every form, 

 a few of the methods used to increase it are here touched upon. 



Piece-work Basis of Payment 



A large cypress mill in Louisiana has had in operation during the last five 

 or six years a system of the above character which has probably been developed 

 to as great an extent as at any logging operation in the South, if not in the 

 United States. 



The following lines of work are those to which the piece-work method of 

 payment applies. 



Logging department — 



1. Girdling trees. 



2. Felling and log-making. 



3. Skidding logs from stump to car. 



Saw-mill— 



4. Sawyers, edgermen, trimmermen. 



5. Foremen. 



Sundries — 



6. Piling lumber. 



7. Shipping lumber. 



In explanation of the manner of conducting the work is the following: 



1. All cypress trees are girdled several months in advance of the cutting. 

 The usual price for this work is 8 cents per tree, although the price varies some- 

 what from time to time, depending on the labor market and the size of timber. 



2. The average price paid for felling and log-making for logs averaging 16 

 feet in length is 40 cents per tree. This price varies with the size of timber and 

 the labor conditions. 



3. Overhead cableway skidders are used to bring logs from the stump to the 

 logging railroad and to load them on cars. Each skidder uses a crew of seven- 

 teen men, each of whom is paid a certain number of cents (as per following 

 schedule) for each full carload of logs received in good condition at the log pond 

 from the machine that they are operating. If logs are lost oiif the cars enroute 

 to the mill or for any reason the cars are only partially loaded on arrival at the log 

 pond, the skidder men do not receive any pay for them. 



