The Monticellonian., 1902-08-01
THE LUMBER INDUSTRY.
Statist les Of Unusual Interest Furnished
 By the Census Bureau.

By the Census Bureau.
 The lumber industry of the United States, taken as whole. was in 1900 the fourth among the great manufac- turing industries of the country, being exceeded in value of products only by the iron and steel, the textile, and the slaughtering and meat-packing indus tries, says the United States census. There were 33,035 establishments, with total capital of S611, ell .524. They employed 283,260 wage-earnerg, exclusive of the administrative and clerical force, an average of SC em- ployes per establishment, and paid in wages $104, $40, ,591 The average wages per wage-earner was S370, and per establishment $3,171. The cost of materials used was S317, ,923,54S, and the value of products was s566, S32, ,9S4. The product per establishment was $17,177, and per employe S2,003. The amount of lumber produced by the mills was 35,OS4.166 NJ feet, B. M. The average product per mill was slightly in excess of a million feet.
 Below are some interesting statis- tics for Arkansas, showing the total number of logging camps and saw and blaming mills, capital employed and value of products for the past four decades:
 Mills Capital Product 1900 .....1, ,199 $21.727,71O S23,959.9S3 1890 ..... 539 6,92S,72O S,943, ,O52 1880 .... 319 1O67S4O 1,793,S4 1870 ..... 211 694 400 1.344,4 ,403
 Below is a table showing the aver age number of wage-earners for the same periods:
 Employer Wages 1900 .15,S95 $4.730,413 1890 ................ 6.563 1894 1895 1880 ................ 1,744 237.394 1870 ................ 1,107 255,1S6
 Of the above number nine women were reported in the business in 1900, at wages amounting to $1,4S5, and PIG children under sixteen years, at wages amounting to $37,904.
 In 1900 there was an average of $4,99S worth of machinery in each es- tablishment in Arkansas the average product was S19,9S3, the average num- Der of wage-earners employed was 13, the average wages paid was S3,945, the average product per wage earner was $1507, and the average wages per wage earner was S29S.
 There was 73S logging camps in Arkansas, exceeded only by Georgia with 793, North Carolina, with SIS, and Pennsylvania, with 1,046 There were SIP proprietors, 121 salaried em- ployes at $S4,016, and 5,779 wage earners at s1,S09,766. The total capi- tai invested was $9,572,S51, exceeded by California. Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wis consin. The total expense was S1,- 951,S17, and the total value of pro ducts of the logging camps, S7032. .361. The average value per camp for the United States was $11.321, against S9,o29 for Arkansas, and $2,S90 in wages against an average of $2,452 for Arkansas
 The average stumpage value per 1000 feet of various woods in Arkan4 sas as: Yellow pine, $86; white oak, s1.85; cottonwood, SLY; red gum, SLIP; cypress, $147.
 There were 1,142 sawmills in the state, employing a capital of s10.534- 242, with 1908 proprietors. "A sala- ried employees. 15,273 wage-earners, and total value of product of ST. S06,562 The average wages paid was s3.380, against an average for the United States of $2,59S.
 There was 222 blaming mills, with capital of s2,S93,62S, and with 57 proprietors, 97 salaried employees at s73,337, and 1882 wage earners at s1.0S7,351, the total value of product being $S,471,932
 In Arkansas there were 1.741, ,779 acres of timber lands owned by mm- bermen, with $7,060,S07 capital in vested, and a total of 1917, ,S00,000 es- timated total quantity of merchant l.