National Conference on Forest Products 41 
SMALL SAWMILL WASTE AND A REMEDY 
By JAMES H. ALLEN 
President, Sterling Lumber Co 
I am here as the representative of factory men, flooring men, furniture 
the Concatenated Order of Hoo-Hoo, men, competent accountants, a com- 
which has an active membership of petent sales manager, a competent saw 
9,000 lumbermen, and the ideas I ex- filer, a competent treasurer. 
press are as near the composite ideas The object of the plant would be lum- 
of the thinking men of our fraternity ber utilization; it would be supplied 
as I can make them. with raw material by the small mills 
I first desire to qualify as a compe- tributary to it. This would give a 
tent witness for Col. Wm. B. Greeley, market to every small sawmill within 
who has spoken to us on waste prob- the vicinity of the plant. The small 
lems. My reference to my personal operator not having sufficient capital 
affairs is made in order that I may to finance himself could ship his lum- 
qualify. I am vice president and gen- ber to this unit and receive therefor 
eral manager of the National Lumber a warehouse receipt and on the face of 
& Tie Co., which has a contract to it the market price of lumber for the 
deliver to the Southern Pacific Rail- day the lumber was received would 
road 1,000,000 ties per year, approxi- be shown. This warehouse receipt 
mately 40,000,000 feet. We buy these could be used as collateral by the 
ties from subcontractors, and 80 per small-mill operator with his local bank. 
cent of them come from mills that are After the lumber became seasoned, 
cutting less than 10,000 feet of lum- worked, and shipped, the warehouse 
ber per day. There are at least 100 reeeipt could be taken up at a price 
sawmills cutting on this contract. I equal to the price obtained for it less 
am familiar with their mode of opera- cost of working and 10 per cent profit 
tion, their manufacture, their distri- for handling. 
bution, and their waste; and I want To this unit the small operators 
to say without qualification that the could come at regular periods for in- 
statements that have been made here struction. Simple accounting could 
by Colonel Greeley and also those in be taught, saw filing, setting-up ma- 
the booklet, “Wood ‘Waste Preven- chines, estimating timber—in fact, the 
tion,” are conservative. This com- different departments of lumber. At 
pletes my case on small sawmills this unit a group of five or six mills 
waste. in any given locality throughout the 
The interest shown in this confer- South or Southwest of the United 
ence is proof that there are patriotic States could be given a system of co- 
men of faith and practical experience operation whereby, under their own 
ready to serve the Nation if the oppor- supervision and capital, one planing 
tunity is offered. Where is the convex machine could be put into a commu- 
lens that will assemble all of this nity, or two, or three, or whatever the 
patriotic zeal so that the rays may be raw material might require, with the 
collected and concentrated. Edison purpose in view of creating in any 
said that education through things given locality a bonded warehouse ad- 
that you see comes so much more joining a finishing plant owned: localy 
easily than through things that you and cooperatively, if they should de- 
hear. Could this convex lens be a sire, whereby the neighboring small 
demonstration mill? mills could ship in their lumber green 
A lumber utilization plant should and create collateral through that 
be built at some central locality tribu- mill for operating purposes while 
tary to many small sawmills. It their Jumber was becoming dry wait- 
should be financed by the Government ing for its perfected manufacturing. 
of the United States, the State in Small planing-mill units could be 
which it is located, and the industries created under the instruction of this 
within the State, so that there will be plant at many points throughout the 
a community of motives. This plant lumbering districts of the United 
should be in charge of a thorough and States, thereby stopping a large per 
competent lumberman, and under him centage of the mismanufactured lum- 
there should be timber estimators, ber that is shipped into the consum- 
official lumber inspectors and grad- ing markets, and at the same time 
ers, expert planing-mill machinery giving to the small sawmill man the 
men, expert dimension-mill men, box- opportunity to learn the importance