The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-11-24
Lumber Workers in South-11-Hou Work Day,
3 Wage Cuts Bring Rate to 1926. Cents Per Hr

and no more than three thousand men
at work in the section. You see, Cap,
this was great yellow pine district.
Looked years ago like it would last
forever. But its nearly all been
chopped away now-nearly all used
up and little or none coming on.
"The change began last January.
was working for the Standard Lum-
Der Company, at Alden, then. 1t was
one Of the largest mills, with several
branches, and worked upwards of J.
500 men at that time. Wages weren't
so bad either Common labor was
getting from 35 to As cents an fore
men got from 65 to 70 cents.
Wage Cuts.
1.-The first cut, as | was saying,
came in January. More than 500 men
were turned off in our camp during
the month. Other cuts followed
swiftly. I got my time in April. At
first the men went over to the near
est mill to get work, only to find that
the bosses had made like cuts at the
other mills too. Wasn't no use to
hunt for job any more in that re
gion. So I came over to the Quincy
section, and was lucky in getting a
place with the McRay Lumber Com
pany. AS foreman they gave me so
cents an hour to start with, tho had
been getting 70 the year before with
the Standard
Three More Cuts.
"But that amt the worst of it, Cap,
l have received three cuts since then,
and we are looking for another any
time now, as there is fellows around
every day a hunting jobs that would
be glad to work for less. The first
cut came early in July, another in Au-
gust, and the last in September. We
foremen now are only getting 40
cents, and our men, who were getting
rs to IS last spring, are only getting
from l8 to 25 cents now. And only
the very biggest and strongest get
rs"
How many men are working at
McRays, and what are the hours" l
inquired.
Eleven Hours.
''There are about $50 men in the
woods where am working, and be-
tween $50 and eco at the mill. Those
in the mill work in two different
gangs, as the mill runs day and night
shifts, eleven hours each And we
work the same hours in the woods.
It's powerful heavy work too, Cap, and
about so per cent of it is in marshes
and swamps where we have to work
much of the time in slush up to our
knees. The men are sick lot, and
besides it isn't uncommon to see them
get hurt handling the heavy logs.
Modern Industry.
You see, the Alabama Power Com
pany is building a dam at Jackson
Bluff across the Ocklockonee River.
When it's complete it will make an
artificial lake covering $4,000 acres
of land. They have already got the
dam built up to where it is beginning
to flood the woods where we are cut
ting. That's the reason, Cap, that
they are crowding US so. The Power
Co. will have to shut down pretty
soon if we don't get the logs cut and
out of the way in the lake section"
Il suppose that you will soon get
that done and be out of job again y
| remarked.
mo, Cap, they tell us that they
have enough timber in this district to
run the mill for about four years vet.
About sixty per cent of this is hard
wood and forty pine"
Company Houses.
Have you family" I asked, "and
do you own your home?"
No, Cap, we all live in the COM
pany,s board shacks, and pay $8 a
month for them. That's high enough