The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-06-24


into the hand of its owner. This looks SO
fair that few persons take the trouble
to recount the money. Here is where they
are easy. In turning the handful of
money into the outstretched hand the
artist retains half dollar or a quarter
in his palm. which IS slightly contracted
to secure the piece
Perhaps a ten-dollar note is rendered
in payment for a ticket The man in
the gilded box first counts the bills over
to himself. Then he reaches out to the
waiting hands and counts the bills for
the benefit of the buyer.
He does not place the bills entirely in
the victims hands as he counts them,
however but grips one end of the bunch
in his left hand while he counts the free
ends laying the ends back over his hand
as he counts. lie does this slowly and
deliberately.
Then rolling the bills into a wad he
smilingly places them in the impatient
port. La, and Baldwin and Unseld of
GAINESVILLE, Tenn, and Bardstown, Ky.
The parties have been on the trade for
some time, and all met at Philadelphia to
go over the titles and close the transact
ton The purchasers evidently propose to
get out this timber on a large scale OF
operations for they are in the market
for all the additional stumpage they can
secure.
Labor Problem Acute.
The labor problem Is now uppermost
among the worries of the saw mill men
of Mississippi The course of the market
Is not causing much alarm, because there
is every confidence felt that the market
will straighten out again in due season,
and the mills, instead of cnrtailing their
output are taking advantage of the pres
emit lul In the market to get out as much
as possible of the manufactured material
in order to be ready to supply the de-
mand when it revves. But at this point
In their calculations they are met by the
disinclination of the negro hands to apply
themselves to the hard labor of the mills
during the hot season. There is great
need for the negroes on the cotton plan
tations. and while the mills are able to
offer them better wages than they can
get i'm the country the negro has sort
of instructive impulse In the direction of
the cotton field which he can resist only
with difficulty. In many cases their in
olinations pause between the mill and the
plantations and they end by quitting work
of every kind.
The authorities of all the towns and
villages throughout the lumber country,
taking note of the need for help in the
mills, are exerting themselves to enforce
the vagrancy laws, hoping TO drive the
negroes to employment in the mills. But
there is little good gotten from this pro-
cedure, for the quality of work obtained
from a negro Yagrant is not such as
profits the mill men very much.
One of the largest mills doing business
In this vicinity adopted a new method
to prevent it's hands from quitting work
after getting their pay at the mid-month-
ly pay day in June. The company an
nounced that the pay would be withheld
for a few days, arguing that the men
would not quit till they got paid up full
time But the negroes were sharp enough
for that trick. Every man of them en-
gagged about the plant, numbering up in
the hundreds. went on strike. The mill
was compelled to close down, but after
few hours the company came to terms,
paid off the hands and resumed oper-
atoms with such of the hands could
be induced to stay
Export Trade Holds Its Own.
While the attention of the lumber trade
Is these days centered upon the declining
tendencies of the interior markets for
finished lumber, 1t is surprising to find
that the export trade Is holding it's own,
that shipments are as heavy as ever and
that prices show no indication of weak
ness This fact Is no doubt responsible
for the strength that is felt in the do
nestle trade in heavy material, special
stuff, car and railroad stock. The monthly
report from Gulfport last issued shows a
steady increase over preceding months
and the reports from Pensacola show a
truly surprising state of affairs at that
port.
shipments of lumber and timber from
lat for ast a
news special from Pensacola, have been
exceptionally heavy, vessels clearing with
immense cargoes for foreign ports. Mon
day two steamers cleared with nearly
half million feet of sawn timber and
lumber, and today the tseamers Barren
drecht, Senator and Nontmoor took out
clearance papers for Buenos Ayres and
Liverpool respectively, with 4,56O'0OO feet,
If the shipments continue at the present
rate, more timber will be sent from this
port during this month than has been
done any month during the past two
years The large number OF steamers and
sailing vessels in port taking on cargoes
of lumber and timber require a small
army of men. and there has not been a
day that the stevedores could procure
sufficient skilled labor, and We're COM
PEELED to take men who had no experience
in storing either timber or lumber. Many
millions of feet were placed in the holds
of vessels, and it is thought the coming
week will see an equally large amount Of
work The men who do this class of
work receive 81, Sc and IS per day. but
even at these wages not enough men
could be secured, and stevedores were Of
fering better pay to men but who were
engaged in other work The large amount
of timber taken on board vessels during
the week reduced the stock considerably,
and this has had the effect of steadying
the timber market, which had been on the
decline for several weeks"
Pensacola has also OF late been making
some heavy shipments of naval stores.
One of the largest cargoes of this kind
ever to be shipped from that port was
cleared by the Belgian steamer Clematis.
The shipment, which was made by the
S. p. Shotter company, consisted of 10000
gallons of turpentine and 10000 barrels of
rosin The cargo was consigned to Bris-
toll and London. The Clematis, which is
a vessel of 2267 tons bears the distinction
of being the first vessel that ever entered
the port of Pensacola bearing the Belgian
flag. The big cargo Of naval stores was
loaded into the hold Of the vessel while
she was lying at the Louisville and Nash
vile wharf No. l.
HDaouo The Rrinhfecf Coach noO