Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1900-04-03
!, GOOD WAGES WE'RE PAID.

GOOD, WAGES WERE PAID Fad I. WI \:
Lumber Jacks,' Received Better Pay
Last Season il the Woods Than They
Have Il Many Years. NJ
The logging season which has
just closed is generally conceded to
have been more profitable to the
men employed than the employers
who conducted the operations. A.
there were about GOO men from this
city and the surrounding country
employed In the different numbering
sections OF Northern Minnesota, the
question Of wages u quite an i'm
portant zone and we give some fig-
ures herein, obtained from operators
and employees, which show conclu-
sively that wages for thespast sea
son were fully 25 per cent higher
than for the previous season and In
some CAGES 80 per cent higher than
for several years past. 5..s ( !. n.
That the past season was not
generally q profitable one to the log
gers was not due to the high wages
but was due to the unfavorable
weather conditions from the begin
ming to the end. Last fall, 1T will be
remembered, long after the ground
ie usually frozen, we had rains and
warm weather that made log skid
ding slow, difficult and expensive.
The hauling season did not begin
until about the first Ct the year, and
even at that late time, many log
gers had considerable of the work
to do that would have been done in
an ordinary season a month before.
There was no snow. which complete
~ shut out small operators, and
several warm spells between that
time. and spring destroyed the ice
logging roads Of the larger opera
tors, and made hauling very eXpen-
sive for them. -
The wages, however, were kept
up. and there was employment for
all men that could be had. to work
in the woods. In Buckman's camps
and the camps OF those interested
with him several hundred men were
employed Wages at the beginning
OF the season last fall were from $26
to $45 per month, as compared with
$20 to $35 and in few cases $40 for
t he season preceding it. The Com
monwealth Lumber company, OF
Frazee, hired q large number of men
from this city. Wages from the be-
ginning were from 1926 to $45 which
were stated to be, by men who
worked for that concern the past
two seasons, fully rs per cent higher
than for the season prior to the last
one. 90 r..
As the season advanced and the
operators wan ted to take all advan-
tage possible of the short hauling
season, leaders especially and teamt
sters became in great demand, and
some fancy figures were paid. About
the middle OF January Wilson Bros,
OF Royalt on, hired number of load
ers from this city and paid them $50
per month and railroad fare. 3. B.
Tisdale, numbering on the Crow
Wing, was also short a large num-
her of men at about that time, and
similar fancy figures were paid. Nor
were these tw" just menti ned the
only ones who found themselves
short Of help at that time. j. Mars
ton. ~ hose camps were at Long
lake. We are informed, paid as hf& h
as $55 per month. Powers near
Hibbing paid similar sum, and
johnson on the Crow Wing, like the
others. to get men when they We're
wanted badly, raised to $50 or better.
And some of those who secured all
the men they needed early in the
season also raised some oftheir mems
wages to the figures above quoted
in order to retain their full crews,
aud no doubt If they hadn't, they
would also have found themselves
short by their men DESERVING them
to accept the fancy figures others
were offering. - e-:,. s.@s&',
The driving season will soon be-
gin, and according to- reports. there
will be an advance this season in the
wages over the figures that, pre-,
vailed last year. 50 One driver stated
this morning that he had just &C me
from Brainerd, and offers of $3.50 per
day for old drivers were frequent
He thought this figure in some cases
would be exceeded. .., ,''';s !.
From these figures it would seem
that the men who are employed In
the logging industry, have LITTLE
cause for complaint. IN j..
The running expenses OF Hen