The Coconino sun., 1923-01-05
LUMBER IS BIG RAPIDLY
GROWING STATE INDUSTRY

To most people of our state very
little is known of one OF It's Oldest
and most important Industries, that
of lumber.
The first sawmill, of any impor-
tance, in Arizona, was erected III
Flagstaff, in the year 1881 by Edward
Ayers. Two years later it was ta-
! ken over by the dan brothers ana
has been operated continuously by
them, since that time, as the Arizona
Lumber and Timber company. Thls
sawmill is one of the oldest establish
ed manufacturing plants in Arizona.
1t was originally built for the pur-
pose of getting out ties and timbers
for the old Atlantic & Pacific Rail-
way, now known as the Santa he. The
plant was in operation long before
this railroad reached Flagstaff. Con-
ditions in the lumber industry, in Arl-
zona, at that time were very crude.
Oxen and mules were used exclusive
ly for the handling of logs, and the
logs were hauled to the mill on four
wheeled trucks.
Since the erection of this mill the
industry has grown very rapidly un-
til today we have 81 operating mills
| in the state and the manufactured
product has increased from 12,000,000
feet per year to 160,000,000 feet.
Ninety-five per cent of this amount
is being produced by five large mod
e1n sawmills, three of which are To-
Gated at Flagstaff, and one each at
Williams and Cooley, the combined in
vestment Of which is approximately
S10,000,00O. The approximate value
of one years cut by these mills is
S4,8000O0. That this industry is of
! immeasurable benefit to Northern
Arizona and the state at large, can at
once be seen by the following facts
and figures:
These five mills give practically
steady employment to 5000 men, who,
with their families, make a total of
5000 dependents. Their combined an
nual pay roll is approximately S3,000,-
| 600. For state and county taxes they
pay annually 100000, good portion
| of these taxes go toward the building
and maintaining of the wonderful
roads we find in that part of the
state. For timber the mills annually
pay about 100000, and for supplies,
something like S1,500,000, making a
total of expenditures, including the
pay roll, of S5,000,000, practically all
of which is expended in our own state.
With very few exceptions all supplies
are purchased from Arizona mer-
chants. During the years 1919 and
1920 the state received from this in
dustry for the university timber fund
! the sum of $105 ,226.12. Each mill has
/ it's own railroad system with COM
plete organization for it's operation.
/ These railroads are Of the standard
gauge type and from 10 to 35 miles
long, depending upon the distance
from mill to the timber. Together
they are now operating about Ito
miles of railroad with IL locomotives,
800 logging cars, several leaders,
skidders and other necessary equip
ment for logging purposes.
The market for the Arizona mills
extends practically from coast to
coast. Finish and shop lumber is ship
ped into the states of Missouri, Iowa,
| illinois. Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio,
Pennsylvania and New York; finish
and common lumber into California,
New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Okla
homa and Texas, and considerable
quantities of common lumber is ship
ped into Old Mexico. Before the war
frequent export shipments were made
from the Arizona mills to England
and Scotland.
In Arizona, which receives so much
benefit from the operation of these
mills, it is to be regretted that very
little of their product is specified In
our homes and buildings, while in ad-
Joining states it is used so extensive
i iy, and at the present time it is safe
to assume that only about 30 per cent
of the lumber being shipped into Phoe-
nix is of the native product. = John
A. johnson in Phoenix Republican.
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