STORY OF CANADIAN PINE

[Music] through sheer taste walls of rock to bring Canadian lumber to worldwide industry [Music] [Music] [Music] the journey from the forest to the mill embraces a wide variety of river routes which finally converge into one or other of the major waterways of the Dominion the Ottawa River plays an important part in this respect and every spring the bays and other sheltered places along the shores of this ancient highway are crowded to capacity with logs of Canadian pine here they are sorted by sharp-eyed River men according to the branding that appears on the butt of every log a job requiring infinite patience as the logs are selected they are formed into booths a boom being a skirting of logs that have previously been chained together these booms of floating islands that sometimes measure five or more acres in area and afford an impressive sight as they are towed down the river to the Ville day after day the slow procession continuous mile after monotonous mile that tugs struggle with their load navigating majestic rivers fighting wind and storm depicting a scene that is typically Canadian a scene that expenses enterprise and commerce and men's conquest of the forest the logs find a journey's end in the Mill Pond an unimpressive term given by unromantic lumbermen into the body of water that faces the sawmill from the Mill Pond the logs are hold up an incline chute by an endless chain provided with ropes the logs having been previously sorted as to size and quality in order to meet various industrial requirements [Music] [Music] the interior of the mill is a marvel of mechanical engineering that reaches a climax in the carriage and feeds the logs to the hungry soil from the conveyor trough a kicker knocks the log onto the loading arms located at the foot of the deck mechanical hands known as with human attributes of the strength of a thousand horses turn the log into position for the waiting song traveling at the terrific speed of two miles a minute the teeth of the bandsaw eat into the log as the carriage moves forward another log is fed into position on the conveyor trough while the first log is being rapidly reduced to boards [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] the sawmills of Canada reflect the characteristics of modern factories master three an average year in the lumber industry two billion feet valued slightly under 30 million dollars were produced in the mills of a Dominion this lumber is placed end to end the form of bloom pod 16 feet wide will extend for a distance of 25,000 miles the circumference of the world of the Equator intricate machinery has not only been installed but is being constantly replaced as more efficient and more economical means are devised these edges handled by expert operators are examples of modern sawmill practice here the lumber is edged to various widths the bark being removed from both sides in a single operation by revolving saws having adjustable positions on the shot the spacing of these saws is determined and manually adjusted with lightning rapidity to meet the requirements of each individual boy when the outside cutter slab is of sufficient thickness it goes to the slab resaw where another board has recovered the balance going to a slash souls to be cut into lath and picket lengths leaving the resaw the boards are conveyed to sorting tables and to the trimmers the trims being got through an opening in the floor to be conducted to the last meal beneath the sawmill floor running circular saws reduced the trim news to the required links for lath and tickets and the salvaged lumber is transported from various sources in the sawmill to adjoining buildings that house the smaller woodworking machinery labor-saving conveyors of various types are generously represented in Canadian sawmills and as the belt proceeds train sorter select suitable material for ticket wood that Wood firewood and other specialized purposes the tickets and the math thankfully our hives of Industry high speed ceiling machines relatively eat the lumber nearby and operators busy butting pickets into lengths tickets vary in length from 16 to 48 inches according to requirements skilled labor is employed the pay being based on the production basis the greater the production the greater the pay math is used principally in building construction as a wall support for plaster a splitting machine who cuts the lumber to the required thickness usually about three eighths of an inch when the last has been cut to size it is sorted into quantities of 15 and bundled in this simple but effective machine that does everything but tie the knot waste is a comparatively unimportant factor in the sawmill at the end of the conveyor very little lumber remains having any commercial value perhaps the chemist from the agriculturalists of the future will find an applet for the unwanted leavings of the lumber industry even today sawdust is being used experimentally as a fertilizer to reclaim arid and barren soil but in the mean time it is necessary to dispose of a small percentage of waste and great burners which have become familiar landmarks for the sawmills of Canada back in the mill finished lumber of various thicknesses and widths is rolled over the sorting table for an initial grading and the inspection conveyor role as a moving chains are used extensively for transporting the boards to the various sections of a bill among the advantage of this system aside from efficiency and speed is the low percentage of damage which in the Columbia undergoes in the numerous handling processes without these time-saving facilities Canada's lumber production would be substantially reduced and it is possible that an industry of the first magnitude would have remained in its former position at the lower levels of the industrial scale perhaps in no other industry is the inspection phase carried out to such an extent as it is in the lumber trade when every step calls for a rigid examination by highly-trained inspectors different effects in the finished lumber are quickly detected and removed although it may be necessary to sacrifice board length you therefore seem that the ratio of waste must be very high of the contrary most of the timber entering the sawmill is used in one form or other to commercial advantage before the board's leave the sawmill an initial inspection by a greater of many years experience assures the consumer of the highest quality Canadian pipeline obtainable great markings appear on every board this system protects industry from lumber of inferior quality Wood has always been subject to discoloration until science devised ways and means of combating an accepted evil today Canadian white pine is chemically treated in what is known as a chemical dip this dipping process protects the lumber with a chemical coating that prevents fungi and tiny organisms from attacking the wood and causing stains the journey of a lumber from the forest to the mill is all but ended now all that remains is the sourcing of the finished product according to blade size and quality as a general rule the dumbell yard is located some distance from the mill necessitating a privately owned miniature railway to provide the transportation linking the transportation of Canada's forest products is a factor of nationwide important Canadian owned and operated railroads in 1934 all over two hundred and thirteen thousand tons of lumber a tribute not only to the increasing demand for Canadian pipeline but to the substantial growth of the entire industry located on high dry ground the lumberyard is an example of methodical and scientific arrangement here in the lumber is dried beneath cover boards designed to protect the piles from the effects of snow and rain ventilation is an important consideration in the lumber yard because ventilation controls the drying speed of the lumber most piling without adequate ventilation perhaps the moisture and hevanddan the lumber which results in the formation of Milanoo a destructive form of rot on the other hand if the drying is too rapid the lumber splits and checks so great care and foresight must be exercised in the formation of the pilot it is estimated that Canada has about 13 billion feet board measure of standing pine of merchantable size from this vast storehouse the average annual consumption is less than 200 million feet for about one sixtieth of the available supply which is constantly being replenished thus Canada is in a position to meet the commercial requirements of the world without appreciable reduction of our great natural lumber resources the higher grades of Canadian white pine are piled in sheds as an additional precaution against fast driving these sheds contract the effects of stormy weather and permit the loading of freight cars regardless of weather conditions with the final inspection and rating each board is branded with the hallmark of quality a symbol that has become known and appreciated whatever Canadian white pine is used while the lumberyard has its romantic aspects it also has a serious role in the complex story and Canadian pine the lumberyard for instance is the buffer that smooths out the peaks of supply and demand provides labor with a more equitable employment and assures a material reserve for industrial means technically the lumberyard affords a period of seasoning for the lumber although Canadian white pine is noted from slow shrinkage factor and uniform texture upon which time has little effect destined for points that line north south east and west car loadings are constantly in evidence trains of cars are carried Pinus strobus defensive lines for the markets of the world Canadian white pine in sails the seven seas on ships at Alfred bound to distant lands beyond the Blue Horizon crowd blame ships that sail into the dawn and the sunset with their precious cargo of Canadian wood to sum each sailing may represent investments valued in terms of dollars or pounds shillings and pence but the true value is intangible and cannot be estimated by material measures Canadian white pine is Canada's salute to a higher standard of living to better and more enduring homes to industry and its manifold applications a thousand outlets that unite to make this world of ours a finer and a happier place in which to live thus ends the story of Canadian pint a story that chronicles the happenings of timbrel its route from Canada's broad acres to the highroad of the scene in other lands through years to come Canadian white pine will lend its durability and its quality for the moaning of the human race Canada's contribution to the better things of life [Music]