The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-11-11
NAVAL STORES INDUSTRY.
Its Salvation Depends Upon COmbi-
nation of Operators and Factors.


nation of Operators and Factors.
Editor Morning News: Allow me, as an
expert in the land and timber business, TO
argue in favor of the proposed combina-
ton of naval stores operators and factors.
This country produces nine-tenths OF the
turpentne and rosin of the world, and
nearly all of it comes from the long leaf
yellow pine belt, which fringes the Allan
tic and Gulf coasts, from Virginia south
ward.
During the three years of opera
ton, one average acre of pine produces
about twenty-one gallons of turpentine.
At present rate of production this means
the destruction of more than 100000 acres
of timber every year. There is not in
sight to-day in all the long leaf yellow pine
district over 5000 900 acres of round tim
Der, and this estimate includes all tracts
owned by mill companies and land grant
corporations, and scattered tracts of land
owned by settlers and everything con-
trolled by the turpentine operators. There
fore, at present rate of destruction, the
naval stores industry has barely eight
years of life before it.
One of the grandest resources of this
country, and one of its greatest industries,
is being rapidly extinguished, and its val
liable product obtained at minimum cost
of labor and with comparatively small
profits to the producer, is being furnished
at ridiculously low prices to European
manufacturers, and to the ricn trusts of
the North, (the Rubber Trusts, the Soap
Trust, the Varnish Trust, the Paint Trust,
etc.), while the operators and factors here
hustle and scramble to see who can pro-
duce the most naval stores, at the least
expense for stumpage and cheapest labor;
oil tori hn hon of fTI {
North and the rich manufacturers or Eu-
rope.
Is this a desirable condition of affairs
for the people of the yellow pine belt and
for the labor of the South? Wouldn't 1t
be far better all around if the naval stores
business was practically under one man
agement, that could maintain good prices
for it's product at all times, thereby en-
abling it to pay better prices to the land
owner for his timber, and good wages 10
its employees, while preventing oYerpro-
duction, waste and destruction, preserving
the forests by more economical and ra-
tional methods of bleeding the pine, pre-
venting disastrous forest fires, and there
by perpetuating the great naval stores in
dustry Such a company could make a
pine forest last ten years instead of three,
could cultivate and encourage the Guilt
walton of turpentine orchards, and in many
ways benefit the whole country.
In France, the naval stores business Is
controlled by the government, and 1t is
perpetual. Trees there are sometimes bled
100 years, and the pine forests are renew
ed the same as fruit orchards.
A naval stores combine here could effect
reforms and economies that are utterly
impossible, while the business is in the
hands of more than 700 operators, hercely
competing with each other indifferent
about results, except a large production
at lowest cost possible, and working
largely with borrowed capital, obtaining
a high rate of interest.
Certainly your people are not interested
in supplying the Rubber Trust and the
Soap Trust with cheap naval stores, and
you all have the most vital interest in any
plan that will put stop to the criminal
waste now going on, and will tend to the
perpetuation of one of your best industries.
If any one has a better plan for the ac-
complishment of this end than that OF
placing the entire business under one man.
agement I have never heard of it.
A. L. Langellier,
Pensacola Fla.