50 BULLETIN 711/ IT. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
that it is difficult for the contracting parties to get together on terms 
with sufficient security; (2) breakage of timber in felling and buck- 
ing is likely to increase; (3) disputes may arise because of the way 
and time logs are scaled ; (4) it does not work well to have two crews 
in a camp under different heads, which may result in a disparity in 
the wages paid or the hours worked, and thus breed discontent; (5) 
there are phases of the work that the contractor may not look after 
so well as an employee of the company. 
A few camps use bonus or profit-sharing systems in connection with 
the felling and bucking. Two systems are in use. One consists of 
setting output standards for the fallers and buckers, and allowing 
each faller and bucker who has been in the employ of the company a 
certain length of time a certain amount per thousand feet in addition 
to the regular wage for every thousand feet felled and bucked in ex- 
cess of the standard in a certain length of time, generally a month. 
One company that uses this system in three large camps, feels that it 
is a success, since it has enabled them to reduce their felling and 
bucking costs materially and to secure a knowledge of what fallers 
and buckers can and should do. Another company used this system 
for three months and went back to the straight wage system. The 
results obtained in the way of increased output were not disappoint- 
ing. The trouble was that the workmen paid too much attention to 
the quantity and not enough to the quality of the work. 
The other bonus system consists of setting a labor cost per thousand 
feet, and allowing each faller and bucker who has been in the employ 
of the company a certain length of time — say, 60 days — a portion of 
the difference between the actual and standard labor cost per thousand 
feet, on the basis of the number of days each has worked. In other 
words, if the total wages paid give an actual average cost per thou- 
sand feet of $0.55 and the standard cost per thousand feet is $0.65, 
the difference is divided between the fallers and buckers on the basis 
of the number of days they have worked. 
One of the objections to bonus systems is that they tend to increase 
breakage. It would seem, however, that with proper supervision this 
objectionable feature could be practically eliminated. 
SUPPLIES AND REPLACEMENTS. 
It is impossible to say with any degree of certainty how much it 
costs per thousand feet for supplies and the replacement of equip- 
ment. The amount, however, is small and few logging companies 
have deemed it advisable to classify their logging costs in such a man- 
ner as to make this information available. It is close to $0.03 per 
thousand feet. The writer has seen annual segregated cost statements 
that indicate it to be as low as $0.01 per thousand feet: others as high 
