Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-12-26
i TLOOK OF LUMBER
kAsr
>GGiNG OPERATIONS FOR
'HsPREsENr WINTER.
PRICES ARE STlFFENING
White Pine Holds a Stronger Position
Than at the Opening OF the Month
or at Any Time in History-Wage
Rates in the Woods-Weathe All
That Can be Desired.

| Minneapolis, Dec. 21-Lumbermen
estimate that on the deals now made
and those in prospect 100 900. 900 feet
of logs will be brought from the
northern woods to Minneapolis by rail
/ in 1902. This is about double the
amount transported by rail this year.
| Rail transport alton is one of the
| means whereby the local lumbermen
| hope to bring next years lumber cut
somewhere near the figures Of this
year, providing other conditions are
as favorable.
The weather is all that the lumber
men can desire for logging, and work
on this winters log cut has a good
start. There is about six inches Of
snow in the northern woods. This
is not too deep for rapid operations
in good condition.
The number of small contractors is
fully as large this year as last. The
expense of logging shows a big in
crease over the figures of a few
years back. The men are receiving
nearly double the wages paid in the
winter of 1896 and 1897. Transfers,
swampers, choppers, sawyers and
chain tenders receive $50 per month
and board. Leaders receive $35, black
smiths $50 and cooks S65. Good cooks
have been hard to find even at the
T,1r Crnc ant
ago cooks were paid $40 per month,
blacksmiths $35, teamsters SIG,
swampers $13, choppers $14, leaders
$40, graders $13, chain tenders SIG.
The lumbermen's expense accounts
for supplies are Is per cent. greater
than six years ago. Wheat has adj
vanced from 40 to Is cents per bushel;
corn from 40 to 60 cents; oats from
20 to 40 cents; hogs from 81 and SIS
and $40 per hundred; pork from
$3.50 to SIS per barrel; iron from
$1.75 to 81 per hundred.
With the continued building boom
and development of the west and
southwest this advance in price of
commodities and labor means that
lumber prices will rule strong next
year.
The market on white pine lumber
shows a strong tone throughout the
list. During the past fortnight it has
developed that lumber manufacturers
are turning down many orders through
sheer inability to fill them. They
cannot procure supplies from other
sources, conforming to certain quail
ficatiOns, and their own yards are bare
of them. In one particular instance
it is noted that firm received orders
agsregating over fifty cars in a single
Gay. Of these orders 90 per cent. were
turned down because the required
lumber was not available.
The active demand during the first
half Of December aggregating at least
100000 feet more than during the
same period year ago, has developed
the white pine lumber famine much
more rapidly than was expected and
shortages today are an important item
in filling nearly all current orders.
Selects, siding and lath seem to be
the strongest items on the list this
week. Practically all manufacturers
in this valley are short, and many in
the Wisconsin valley are unable to
meet the demand. Dimension prob
ably comes next. Under this heading
may be mentioned 2X4, 2X6, 2X8 in y
IA, 16 and 18-foot lengths, and it is
In boards No. / and No. are short in
many yards and movement continues
free. Boards above No. 3 are the best
property at this writing they have
ever been. Flooring is coming in
for more consideration and stocks are
first of December there has been a
more active demand than before, com
paratively speaking, owing to the large
amount of interior finishing being
done on buildings constructed during
the summer. Fencing is also on a
strong basis. While local manufac-
turers have been noted for their con-
servatism in making price changes,
there is already an impression in some
quarters that prices are too low on
some descriptions, considering supply
and demand and condition of stocks
Statistically white pine holds a
stronger position than it did Dec. 1.
1t is evident that shipments for the
year by rail from Wisconsin and Min
nesOta points will be fully 20 per
cent ahead Of 1900 This means an
aggregate increase of 385,000,000 to
100000, 600 feet in the movement for
the year, against which there has been
an incease in the production of barely
100000, 900 feet, and it is doubtful if
final statistics will make the showing
as large as this. Of the lumber sold
this year 175,O00,000 to 200,O00,O00 feet
has been drawn from the surplus on
hand a year ago, and the surplus
stocks have been depleted to just that
extent. Statistically it is very evident
that white pine is stronger today than
it has ever been in the history of the
northwest as a lumber producing Sec
ton.
Cruiser Off for Panama.