San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1882-02-09
LUMBER IN THE SOUTH.
Gaming Trade OF New Orlsans-Lumbsr Lands Of
the South.

New Orleans Democrat
This with the lumber sawed in the
"a. makes business of from 100, 000,-
o o3 TO 100, 100000 feet, worth about
90 oOO, 1000, handled here each year.
Tpo manufactures OF woods,cars boxes,
&C. amount to about 81 5000 giving
90 ZOO 900 rs the total amount involved
in this interest.
" Of the lumber imported by the lake
.hout 81 per cent. comes from Pearl
";Uar 10 per cent. from Handsboro, Is
.'ar cent. from Pascagoula, q per cent.
pom stockton and the remainder from
Rsyou Lacombe, the Tchcfuncta, Blind,
Jordan, Wolf and Amite rivers, Mobile,
Biloxi and Appalachacola.
A LuMBERMAN's EXCHANGE.
number of lumber dealers have
iona into the mechanics and traders
Exchange, which they propose to make
a Grand institution worthy Of New Or
IaSns Others insist on tho organiza
zion of regular lunberman's exchange
IN This city, devoted to this interest
alone. Chicago, they say, did not
thrive as n great lumber centre until
This was done. 1t is claimed that an
Exchange of this kind could easily start
ont with 30 or 40 members, as all the
leading mill-men of the Mississippi
coast would readily join it. : "
TRADE PAPER.
Another necessity of the lumber bust
ness, say some of the mill men, if we
are going to become II great lumber
mart. as seems probable, is a lumber
trade paper, sort OF price current for
mill-men, builders, etc. A paper of
tbis kind was started here once but it
fell through. The nearest paper devo-.
ted to this special interest is published
in st. Louis. An agent of paper to
he published in Nashville, devoted to
the lumber interest of the South, APP
reared in this city some time ago and
picked up quite number of sub
scribers, eager to encourage an enter
prise of this kind; but for some reason
or ether none of them have heard of
tbis paper since or received single
CODY of it, and they are naturally quite
discouraged. a lumber trade journal
here would probably have much to con-
tend against at first, but if it kept on
in the business would finally win over
all those engaged in this industry,
which is large enough to make it pay
we'll.
THE QUESTION OF LABOR.
Some of the lumbermen complain
that we have not as good log and lum-
Der labor as the East and West. In
Maine and Michigan class of steady
lumbermen have grown up in the bust
ness who understand numbering thor
oughly and have been educated in it
by years of experience. Our lumber in
terests have developed of late years fas-
ter than the supply of labor, and there
has consequently been some scarcity.
But few hands, however, have come
from the West, and nearly all our labor
is native born. In this connection 1t
should be mentioned that the negro
makes one of the best of lumbermen.
He is, it is we'll known, one of the finest
wood-choppers in the world, and has
always enjoyed this reputation. He is
equally good as chopper, log driver and
saw-mill hand. A good proportion OF
the labor throughout the lumber dis
trict around New Orleans is colored.
It is claimed that the cost OF cutting
1000 feet of lumber here, as compared
with the same work in the West, is from !
80 cents to 81 there, while here it
ranges from $3.50 to S.. On the other
hand, it should be stated that some OF
the largest saw-mill owners deny this
and claim that we have just as good
labor as any other portion Of the coun-
try.
TRADE IN TROPICAL WOODS.
The import trade in the tropical
woods of the West Indies and Mexico
naturally centres at New Orleans. The
Gulf of Mexico has few good harbors,
and vessels engaged in this trade must
approach the shores through shallower
streams. Since they cannot venture
out of the gulf they naturally seek an
American distributing point, on the
gulf, and New Orleansis much the most
prominent, and it is almost necessary
that the light draught vessels should
come here, and their cargoes be after
ward sent North and West by steamers.
About 1000, 900 feet of mahogany was
brought here last year, and the impor'
tation of this and other fine woods is
sure to increase.
BUYING TIMBER LANDS.
A New York firm has had agents IN
the South, especially on the Mississip.
pi coast, for some time past, buying all
the lumber land they could lay their
hands on. They have already succeed
ed in gobbling up quite considerable
amount of our best woodland and are
eager bidders for as much more as they
can get. They have, as yet, made no
attempt to begin saving any of this
timber, and their aim seems,at present,
TO be nathan fine nnnnisitinn of land