Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-02-11
TIMBER GUT REDUCED
Loggers Can Not Secure Men
For the Camps For Love
or Money
MCCARTHY LAW HANDICAP
Statute Requiring Payment of Wage
Upon Demand Makes the Former
Industrious Lumberiaek Rowing
Forest Tramp-AII Contractors Have
Same Complaint.

Minneapolis, Feb. 11.-Men who have
come in from the woods say that nearly
a third less timber has been cut to date
than was cut and scaled at this time a
year ago, and the percentage of logs
already landed is even smaller.
The chief cause for this slump is the
scarcity of experienced help, which has
been IL serious handicap to all loggers,
most of whom are operating their
camps, with minimum crews, as they
have been forced to do since beginning
operations last fall. Conditions for los
gins IN the northern part of the state
were anything but favorable up to the
first of January In some places the
early SHOWS were too deep TO permit OF
effective work in clearing roads thru
the timber belt; in others mild weather
kept the swamps from freezing, SO
matchmaking was next to impossible.
and en- all sides there was, and still is,
a scarcity of men.
G. A. K. Simpson of Powers Simpson
Company. firm of logging contractors
maintaining headquarters at Hlbbing'
in sreaking of conditions, while on q
recent trip to Minneapolis, expressed II
as his opinion that the Mccarthy labor
law, which permits the men to quit ana
demand their pay at any time, is one
of the greatest menaces encountered by
the lumbermen.
1T has tended to fill the woods with
tramps," he said They work at one
camp until they have a few dollars
coming and then for no other reason
except that they have those few dol
lars due them, quit the camp and go to
town, where every inducement is held
out to them to spend their earnings In
dissipation of every sort. When they
find themselves broke they go back TO
some other camp, and the demand fol-
men always being greater than the sup
ply, they are never turned down. Often
they go back to the same camp or an
other camp of the same firm, and In
that manner they circulate about the
woods the entire winter, benefltlng nc
one by their presence, not even them
selves, for they are usually broke when
spring comes.
Their example is bad on the whole
crew, but more especially on the new
mer. The man who has gone to the
woods for the first time and sees men
coming and going every day is apt To
get the habit too with the result that
as soon as he has become somewhat IA
milar with the work in the camp he
demands his pay and is off to pastures
new. There is no way to prevent q
stampede at any time. The only re,
dress the firm has is to refuse to take
the man back, should he apply later
but that is out Of the question, fol
every available man is needed
"The men are given the best OF
everything at the camps. The table SCI
| by most of the loggers could not be inn
proved upon sleeping quarters are
warm and the comfort of the men is
the aim of every well established firm
in the state. Pay has gradually been
increased in the last three or four
years. Common help that was easy to
get at SIG a month few years ago, is
hard to get today at S26, the lowest
wage now being paid. But wages don't
seem to have any effect in holding the
men The rowing disposition outweigns
all other considerations and they leave
whenever the spirit moves them
The Red River Lumber Company es-
capes this phase Of the situation to a
considerable extent. That firm does an
extensive logging business near Akeley
where it cuts about a hundred million
feet of lumber the year around for the
Akeley mill. BY providing permanen!
employment for its men, the company
is enabled to maintain a practically
crew