The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-08-14
TURPENTINE MEN TO MEET.
Will Convene I'm Jacksonville To-
day and Discuss the Problems of
Unreliable Labor and Over Pro-
ducffOn.

ductiOn.
Jacksonville, Fla, Aug. 13.-Naval
stores operators and handlers are
awaiting with some curiosity, and it
may be said with a great deal of in
terest. the proposed meeting of the
dealers and operators in naval stores
which is advertised to be held in this
city tomorrow at the inspiration OF
a Mr.. Timmons of Triton, Ga, who has
done Jacksonville the honor of choos-
ing her for the meeting, but as far as
can be ascertained has failed or neg
lected to notify the various companies
in this city of the objects of the meet
ing. or to send any of their represen-
tative an invitation to attend.
President Mcmillan of the Mutual
Naval Stores Company, a Georgia con-
Germ, was seen to-day by your CORE
spondent. While he professed ignor-
ance of the object of the proposed
meeting of naval stores operators, he
talked interestingly of the situation in
which the dealers and operators in the
turpentine section find themselves.
Il have had no notification of any
meeting save what l have read in the
Savannah Morning News and the Ma
val Stores Review. There has been no
communication addressed to me or to
the company regarding any meeting
here. / am of the belief, however that
If there was a meeting of naval stores
operators and a desire to act in har-
mony much good could be accomplish
ed in the way of putting this import
ant business on permanent and pay
| ing footing.
The greatest drawbacks at the pres
ent time seem to be the matter of
wages and the matter of production,
both of which could be regulated by
concerted action. Such action taken by
| the lumber manufacturers has undoubt
eddy been of great service to that in
dustry.
I'VE are suffering from overproduc-
| ton on the one hand and an uncer-
| tainty of labor on the other. The
wages of the turpentine hand
| is above the normal wages paid col
ored labor and this fact causes much
of the unreliability of labor. When a
turpentine camp is paid off on Satur-
day there may be full crew and on
the following Monday the camp may
be deserted. Turpentine hands can
| make enough one week to last them
! the next. and are almost certain of
employment wherever they GO Con-
| sequently the turpentine operator who
employs free labor can never calcu-
| late on his men. This naturally is the
source of loss and vexation and there
should be some way to remedy it and
| secure labor that can be relied on"
President Mcmillan is also of the
opinion that an effort should be made
to curtail production and regulate the
! manufacture and sale of the products
of pine gum. He thinks that the tur-
| pentine men and the owners of turpen-
tine lands should form an alliance with
a view of limiting the number of boxes
cut per season.
The fact that the territory in which
| turpentine is produced is being RAPIDLY
exhausted ought to awaken the turpen-
tine men to the folly of making too
mitch turpentine Properly regulated
the business could be probably carried
| on Tor years while at the present rate
the product will soon be exhausted.
with but few persons making any pro-
MT out of the business.
Mr.. Little, the confidential clerk OF
walter Coachman of the Florida Ma
val stores Company, is agreed with Mr.
Mcmillan both as to the matter of
wages and the question of overproduc-
ton. He is of the opinion that the la
Dor question is one that should be reg
ulated in some systematic manner He
had no knowledge of the proposed
meeting of turpentine men here
The labor question is a serious one
and the operators are not complaining
OF the high wages they pay to the
hands, on account of the desire to re-
duce expense OF operating. On the con-
trary they would be glad to pay high
wages If IL would insure permanent
and reliable class of labor. AS It is the
labor employed is all negro labor. and
as soon as the hands have made
enough they knock off leaving the oper-
ator to shift for himself until he can
| pick up another crew.
II have been for the past twenty
| I'VE years more or less connected with
the turpentine business, and / do not
know of any attempt being made TO
employ any other kind of labor than
that OF negroes. Perhaps the importa-
ton of another class of labor might aid
| in solving the problem"