The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1946-02-17
Opportunity
District Pulp Wood Industry
Can Produce Rich Cash Crops

crops are gathered, they could
gather up wood and sell it for a
good price to the paper COM
panies.'
'That's fight" paper COM
pany representative said. "We are
eager to get defective and linby
trees which are unfit for anything
else, in addition to other timber.
Difficulties Found
Despite the fact that the three
counties produce one third Of all
the pulp produced in North Caro-
lima, it was said, paper companies
are encountering difficulty in Sc
curing the wood because of labor
shortages. Weather conditions
have been a contributing factor al
so, since transporting the timber
from the woods is impossible in
bad weather.
Currently, the Halifax Paper
company. Roanoke Rapids. is ship
ping approximately IS carloads of
paper from Wilmington each week
to the plant in Roanoke Rapids.
International Paper company now
is shipping between 16 and 80 car
loads a week, and from 200 to 300
cords of the wood per week by
means of barges. The latter COM
pany ships most Of its wood to
Georgetown, S. c. Capacity of
freight car is Is cords.
Controlling Factors
Ranking alongside labor and
weather conditions as controlling
factors in the pulp wood industry,
the representative say, is availa-
bility of wood. Ninety per cent OF
all wood used by the pulp wood in
dustries from North Carolina is
southern pine timber.
Appraisers from the paper COM
panies declare that they will buy
timber in any shape Or form. It'll
buy it on 'stumpage' basis or in
bulk" one appraiser said. "And
if a farmer wants to rake his I'M
wanted timber to the edge of his
woods, I'll be glad to pick it up"
Although the companies prefer to
buy timber in 40 to 100-acre lots,
they are eager to buy it in any
amount.
Wood Pulp Buyers
Purchasers of pulp wood in the
area include the Champion Fiber
company, Canton, N. c., the West
Virginia Paper and Pulp company,
Charleston, S. c., the North Caro-
lima Pulp company, Plymouth, N.
C. and numerous other COM
panies which are supplied by in
dependent producers.
Main cuttings by the pulp wood
industries in the district are in
Hampstead, Burgaw, Leland, Ma
vassa, Supply, Southport and along
the Carolina Beach road.
The timber, after it is felled, it
cut up into 63-inch lengths, the
length most readily handled by
pulp wood mills. Then it is stacked
in one-cord stacks for transporta-
ton. Company representatives say
railroads will not haul the pulp
wood if a rail switch is necessary
from the point of origin to destlna-
ton.
Labor Biggest Obstacle,
But all problems dissolve when
they are compared to the No. One
problem-labor. Today a pressing
need for at least $50 workers ex-
lists. Prisoner-of-war labor IS oeing
used to a limited extent IN the
area, but the POW's do not supply
nearly enough labor for the de-
mand, the representatives say.
Approximately 1875 German pris.
oners now are engaged in pulpwood
cutting operations. All the wood
cut by the POW's is measured by
the government and the paper
companies pay a fee OF ~ ior
every cord Of wood cut by the
prisoners. The money goes into tne
treasury of the United States. NO
POW labor contracts are let LOT
more than a 30-day period.
Hinkle was emphatic in his BE-
lief that farmers of the district
can turn the need for pulp wood
into a good crop during off-seasons
during the year.
Program Important
'"The cumulative effects OF
program in which the farmers
would sell timber to the paper
rnYononine ~ cfiY,N q 4.