Lumber and the New Minimum Wage Rate

Late in October President Truman, signed the new minimum wage rate law that increased the minimum wage per hour from 4O to 75 cents

So far as the lumber industry is con,cerned, that change was important fop the time being, only in the South and Southwest.

No part or segment of the lumber industry in the Western part of the country is affected, since the wages paid in mills, logging camps, and lumber yards are higher than the 75 cent minimum.

Inquiry directed to one of the large sawmill operations in the Pacific 'Northwest brings the statement that the average rate of pay for their sawmill employees is about ?.10 per hour, and the average wage of their logging crews is $2.3O to $2.35 per hour. It was added that they pay the cooks in their logging camps from $550 to $600 per month, and the waitresses in the logging camps average over $350 per month.

In the South the new law will make very little change in the wage rate of the larger mills. Many of them p^y ZS cents todayf some are paying more than that, while most of the others pay very close to it. Competition has seen to that. And, while many Southern mills that do a strictly in-

-Kaicer Acquires New Gypsum Products Plant

fn a move to increase production to'rrfeet the growing demands of the West, Henry J. Kaiser announced'October 10 the acquisition of the Redwood City, California, gypsum products plant formerly operated by Pacific Portland Cement Company.

The newly acquired plant and that of the Kaiser affiliated Standard Gypsum Company of California, located at Long Beach, will henceforth be owned and operated by Kaiser Gypsum, a Division of Kaiser Industries, Inc.

The Redwood City plant will manufacture a completti line of gypsum products for distribution in Northern California, Westerh Nevada, Oregon and Washington.

trastate business do not come under the provisions of the wage and hour law and therefore have no legal provisions to comply with, their wage rate is fixed to a considerable, deS'ree by the competition of the interstate mills. The mills,most affected in the South are the myriad of small mills that must sell their lumber far chetper than their larger and better equipped competitors. It is conceivable , that the continued operation of many hundreds of such mills will be threatened bv the enforcement of the new wage rate, which becomes effective ninety days after the bill was signed.

fn opposing the passage of the new wage rate law, Southernlumber people stressed what might happen to the sawmill industry of the South and to their employees, should even a mild depression overtake the economy of this country. They pointed out that during the early.thirties literally thousands of Southern sawmills operated on a hand-to-mouth basis Tor no reason othe4 than to keep their men employed and furnish them a subsistence \ rage. All such operations were run at a loss, and the mills sacrificed their valuable timber in order to help their men. Should such times come again, they agreed, the mills could have no choice but to close down, and throw their employees on relief.

Mr. Kaiser explained that additional production was necessary because demand for the company's products has increased so greatly in the last few months that existing facilities were inadequate.

Production will continue without interruption so that no lag will occur in deliveries.

He also said that an extensive modernization program will be carried on during the coming six months; including new spirr track service and deep water unloading facilities for bulk ore carrying ships that will serve the plant.

Raw.gypsum to supply the plant will be shipped from the company's quagry on San Marcos fsland, off the coSst of Baja California. This deposit, one of only two on the North American continent situated on tidewater. is one of the world's largest high-grade gypsum sources.