The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-09-08
THE INSPECTION OF LUMBER.
An Important Point.
EDIsTo RIVER, September /.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEWS.

of inspector-general OF TIMBER and lumber has
recently been created IN the City OF Charleston.
| Your paper being considered the exposition Of
the wrongs inflicted upon the people by the
| present officials in power, with your permits
siop. in behalf of those interested ip getting
timber and lumber, / should like to inquire,
through it's columns, II, in the face Of an act
of the Legislature Of this State. the City Coun-
Gil can create such an Officer The act referred
to was passed by the Legislature in December.
1854, entitled an act "to provide for the mea-
suring of tim ber in the City of Charleston, and
to create the Office otinspector and Surveyor
thereof" Section II Of said act provides that
.the City Council Of Charleston shall elect,
annually, one or more inspectors and surveyors
of TIMBER" no further authority is delegated
| to the City Council, nor has any other Council,
besore this. assumed such authority. Section
III goes on to prescribe the duties and fees of
the measurers. This section was amended in
December, 1856, by an act reducing the fees Of
the meaaurers to eight cents per thousand feet,
the price now paid. Section Y makes any vio-
lation of the act q misdemeanor, and fixes
penalty for the same ''of not exceeding two
hundred dollars"
understand that another infringement of
this act has been made by the passage OF an
ordinance prescribing very rigid and unjust
measurement of timber (which ordinance you
will confer favor on q number of your coun-
try readers by giving an insertion in your
paper.) allowing much higher fees than those
prescribed by the laws of the State. 1t is quite
probable that the Council was not aware that
there was srch an act Of the State on the sta
tutes OF large; therefore, will you please bring
the facts prominently before the public, that
the Attorney General Of the State may see that
the laws thereof are not superseded by an Or
dinance of the City Council?
The enforcement OF an unjust measurement
can but operate injuriously to the City Of
Charleston, in causing much Of the timber
from this river to go to Savannah. where,
though the route is more tedious, the prices
are much more remunerative; in fact, good
deal OF our finest timber has to seek that mar
ket now on account OF the low prices for such
timber in Charleston. JUsr1TA.
The ordinance referred TO by our correspon-
dent is as follows:
AN ORDINANCE TO CREATE THE OFFICE OF IN
| gPEoToR-GENERAL OF TIkBHR AND LUMBER
| WITHIN THE LIMITS OF THE CITY OF CHARLES
TON, AND TO DEFINE HIs POWERS AND DU-
| TIES. AND FOB OTHER PURPOSES RELATING
| THERET0.
SECTION /. eI ordained by the Mayor and
Aldermen of The City Of Charleston in Council
assembled, That from and after the passage Of
this ordinance. there shall be an inspector
general of timber and lumber, to be elected
by the Mayor and Aldermen OF the City Of
| Charleston, who shall take the same oath, now
required by law. from the present timber and
| lumber inspectors and meaSurers, and not be
interested, either directly or indirectly. in the
purchase or sale Of any timber or lumber. The
| inspector-general shall be elected regularly
every two years-the first election under this
ordinance to serve to the time OF the annual
election Of timber and lumber inspectors,
md for two years thereafter. go,
SEQ, 2. The duties OF inspector general shall
be: To keep au office in the City OF Charles
ton, which shall ba open from eight O'Clock A.
n. to one P. Ii, and from two P. M. to five T.
during the winter, and to Six P. M: during the
summer The inspectors shall receive their or
ders to measure in every case from the inspec-
tor general, and shall promptly obey the same;
he shall make out all survey bills and sign the
same officially, keeping in his oftce copy OF
each bill as Q record; he shall collect all Bills
for survey and dlnspeciton anu be responsible
for the same to his subordrnates. All rafts ar
riylne within the limits Of the City OF Charles
ton shall be forthwith reported to him, he
keeping record OF the times when they are
80 reported and by whom; AMI it shall be his
duty to at once assign some surveyor to survey
aud inspect such Iaft Under no circum-
stances shall the inspector-general or any OF
his subordnates be allowed any interest, by
ownership, on advances made, or In any other
wav, on any timber or lumber arriving in this
market, or offered for sale, unless by permis:
sion OF the City Council, to whom tEey shall
apply. In case any Of them de ire to cut tim
| Der for market, and in such case, he shall not
| be allowed to measure or inspect the same.
| TIMBER Clause
! SEC. s. That all square hewn shipping tim
Der must be measured az .he mia1fe OF the
stick. Mill timber must be measured at one-
third from the top, and mill logs at the top or
| small end.
SEC. 4. all defects in any of the above tim
| ber, such as loose, hollow, rotten or otherwise
defective knots, red rot, rotten butts, cut faces
ring, wind or heart-shakes, injurious spiinters,
dra VS., and all other injurious defects, are to
! be marked on the margin. OF the survey bln a6
| defective; and all detective timber to be paid
| for ait one-third the price agreed upon between
| the buyer and seller for merchantable timber.
Sec. g., Sufficient allowance to square the
stick must be made in the measurements OF
under-hewn square timber.
SEQ 6. ALI sticks shall be distinctly marked
with the SIZE and length thereof and private
mark OF the Surveyor.
SEC. z. Ia the measurment OF mill logs, the
| inspector must make an allowance when the
| stick is crooked. 30 that in cutting it up the
miller eau obtain the measurement 1t calls for.
| SEQ. g. All RATS must be classified, No. l. q
| and 8. and distinctly marked 90 on the survey
bill, No. !. or shipping timber. must be we'll
| and smoothly hewn to squsre edges, clear OF
wane, soora hacks. and injurious axe-rnarks.
square butted, and not have more than one
| insh taper to every twenty running feet No.
q. or null timber, will comprise all square tim
| ber not coming up to the above requisition OF
| shippiag timber, and in measurment allowing
one.hlt, the wane. No. 8. Or mill logs, viii be
known ss round or scsbbed logs, and in meas
uremeht must be squared from the smaue9t
diameter OF the log. Inspectors shall invariably
| exclude pin holes in taking the length.
SEc.- g. Inspectors shal be notified OF the
defective timber found In their measurement
| within fifteen days from the day OF sale.
| SEo, 10. In all cases OF dispute as to meas
| urement or inspection Of timber, the decision
| of the inspector4general shall be final, and
when requested to do so, 1t shall be his duty
! to re-survey inspect any timber which my
| be the cause OF dispute.
SEC. II. The Inspector general shall be
| competent surveyor, and shall give bond OF
| five thousand dollars with two or moro good
and approved securities as is PRESCRIBED by
law.
SEQ. 12. The fees for the survey and inspec-
t;on ~ a n t,n,bor shall he thirty cents per