The Coconino sun., 1927-11-25

Arizona and to this county In particu-
lar?
Take, for instance, the Saginaw &
Manistee Lumber company of Will
liams, with its big sawmill and woods
operations, and consider these facts:
The Saginaw & Manistee Lumber
company last year paid $681,000 local
! ly in wages and for supplies bought
in this county and state.
One year during the great war.
when costs were higher, it spent in
wages and for supplies bought in this
state S1,600,0O0.
Since 1899, when the company was
reorganized, it has paid more than
| $10,000,000 in wages to people in CO.
conino county and as much or more
besides for supplies bought in this
county and state.
These are big figures. Take that
payroll from this community and our
share in the supplies money away and
the effect would be unpleasant and
Immediately felt.
The mill was built in Williams early
in the '90s. It then was the Saginaw
Lumber company. In 1899 it was re-
organized and from then until now
has been the Saginaw & Manistee
/ Lumber company.
In 1899 w. F. Dermont came to
Williams from Michigan and enlarged
the mill to it's present capacity. Mr.
Dermont died in May, 1915, and was
succeeded by r. A. Nickerson, who ar
rived on July l Of that same year and
is still in charge.
/ Mr. Nickerson says Mr.. Dermont
deserves the credit for perfecting the
organization and its operations to the
present high standard. He was a
peach of lumberman and a wonder
full and fine man." Mr.. Nickerson
says, and seems to imply that under
/ Mr.. Dermont's skillful handling opera
tions received such an impetus they
have continued ever since without los
ing smoothness or speed.
There are other lumbermen, how
ever, who know Mr.. Nickerson well
and who know that an organization of
that size cannot maintain a high
standard or much of any standard at
all without firm and skillful control,
who say complimentary things about
| him that he couldn't be induced to say
about himself.
| lumber business in northern Michigan,
beginning at cruelty hard labor, when
men who drew wages lower than they
would think of accepting now worked
far harder and longer hours than they
now could be induced to. Work IL to
/ l18 hours seven days in the week was
his during the apprenticeship through
which he gradually arose to man
agerial positions requiring great ex-
ecutive ability and intimate knowledge
of all the details of the industry with
which he is identified.
They say corporations have no
souls. Here are two of several condi-
tions prevailing with this one that
convince that this is one corporation
that has soul.
Just as far as possible every"
thing needed in the way of mate.
rial and supplies is bought in this
county; if it can't be bought in
this county, then in this state.
Eighty-five per cent of the en-
ployees of the company have been
its employees for from IL to Is
years.
Read those two paragraphs again.
They are worth reading again for IN
themselves they prove the consistent
community and state spirit of the
management and mutuality of feeling
and interests between it and its en-
ployees. ;,
The percentage of materials and
supplies bought in this county and
state increases each year, because
each year it becomes possible to buy
more of them here. Occasionally a
part for machine cannot be had
through any agency In this state and
has to be bought outside. But nearly
everything can be bought here. This
| is true even of the big saws and many
other parts of sawmill and logging
equipment for which agencies have In
the last few years been established In
Arizona, All Of the meats and gro
ceries used in the woods camps are
bought in this county, and all of the
canned goods, etc. Some of the vege-
tables and fruits in season cannot be
bought as early or in sufficient guam
titles here, but they are bought in the
state. The flour is from Arizona
wheat.
"Maybe sometimes we pay little
more on some item than we would
have TO elsewhere" Mr.. Nickerson
says, "but it pays in the long run, be-
cause it keeps our people happier and
our business livelier and that amply
compensates. 1t has now come to the
point that we buy only few thousand
dollars worth of supplies outside the
state"
In the average length of employ
ment the situation is unique. In some
of the most important positions sons
have succeeded fathers who have died
or retired. Superintendent Charlie
Lindstrom's father was with the cor
poration in Michigan and later here
for 42 years. One sawyer has been
with the company "a years, another
for more than 90 years. A filler has
Just retired after 19 years with the
company. Another filler, Greek, came
to this country 20 years ago and be-