The Omaha guide., 1933-08-05
STATEMENT OF THE NEGRO IN
DUSTRIAL LEAGUE CONCERN
ING THE CODE OF FAIR CON-
PETITION FOR THE LUMBER
AND TIMBER PRODUCTS IN
DUSTRY
By Robert A. Pelham director
The Capital News Service, Inc.

and timber products industry, VIII
are either members of the League Q
members of labor bodies affiliate
with the League. Our interest in thi
code relates to Articles vi and vi
and schedule A and B. Testimon
which ! have to present on behalf Q
the League is support of the content
IONS that the wages proposed for tn
Southern branch of the industry i
these schedules are entirely made
quate to conform to the Requirement
of President Roosevelt for a decen
living wage; and that the hours O
service there provide for this section
are entirely too long to bring abou
substantial increases of employment
The Southern branch of the lumbe
and timber products industries is
most important part Of that group O
undertakings. In 1929 the state.
classified by the Census Of Manu-,
features as southern produced lumber
products Exclusive of planning mill:
and cooperage goods) valued at $4O1
75S,652 In addition the output of the
North Carolina pine states (that is t.
say North Carolina South Caroline
an Virginia) was valued at S1O8. 586
597 Thus in an aggregate nationa.
output valued at 81, 0,637;193 the
lumber and timber products of these
Southern states accounted for $780,.
345,299 of the total valuation. These
two sections cut 41.9 per cent Of all
the lumber felled in the United States
in 1929. Mississippi was the leading
producer of yellow pine in that year
Within her borders 2,144,295 M board
feet of soft wood were cut. The re-
maindr of the 11,629,689 M. board
feet of yellow pine save 1852, $3.50 M
board feet, were cut in tn Southern
states. The eleven leading oak cutting
as well as the twelve lading red gum
producing states were also southern.
The South also dominated cypress
production Thus it is apparent that
the Southern region is the outstand-
ing factor in yellow pine, oak, red
gum and cypress production.
nv
The Negro has always been an i'm
portant element in the labor supply
in the lumber industry of the South
ern region In the nation as a whole,
out of 584,409 workers reported at
tached to the industry in 1880 by the
United States Census Bureau, 144,-
865 were Negroes. This latter number
represented "a. per cent Of the total
labor supply in this industry for the
entire country Inasmuch as most
Negro labor in the industry will be
found in the Southern branch, the
Negro percentage Of the total labor
supply in that region is considerably
higher. Of the 1928 lumbermen,
raftsmen and woodchoppers in the
country, 24,441 or Is per cent of
them were Negro. Among the class
Of workers Negroes were especially
important as teamsters and haulers
They comprised 20 per cent Of the
total number in this group. Eight and
eight tenths per cent Of the semi
skilled workers classified as oper-
atives in the industry by the Bureau
Of Census in 1880 were Negro In
that same year there were 1924 73
workers in the lumber and timber
PRODUCTS industry classified as labor.
ers- Of these los, 642 o r 81 per cent
were Negroes Thus in the industry
as a whole the Negro represents al
important factor, in the Southern
branch Of this industry, where he il
for the most part engaged as a lab.
orer or semi-skilled operative, al
wages in either class now below the
minimum wage, his position calls fol
careful consideration at this hearing
In the Southern states numbering
engages more Negroes than any 9th.
er which is to be considered under
the National Industrial Recovery Ac.
with the exception Of the building
trade industry. In 1890 more than 9S
per cent Of all Negro lumbermen
raftsmen and w~oodchoppers were at.
tached to the Southerns branch O.
the industry. Of the total number o.
Negro operatives in saw and planning
mills, 5,186 or 80 per cent e from
this region; while 90 per cent or 81.
BIG Of all Negro classified as labor.
ers in saw and planning mills were
concentrated below the Mason anC
Dixon line When the numbers Of
Negro workers in the Southern regior
are compared with the totals
white workers in this section we finc
that A 9 per cent of the luinbermen
raftsmen and woodchoppers; 31.9 pc
cent Of the woodchoppers and 60 PEE
cent of the laborers in that section
Of the Industry were Negro.
While the figures and percentage
relate to the condition Of the industr,
in 1880, it is fair to infor that thes,
conditions obtain practically tn
same today 1t is striking1y apparent