James Kennedy

From the light that science projects into the obscurity of the remote past we have every reason to believe that not only the progress but the very existence of the human race was dependent on timber. The trees provided a refuge for our ape-like ancestors and thus saved them from destruction by the monstrous beasts and reptiles that then inhabited the earth. The first weapon of primitive man was a wooden club. Without wood the discovery of fire, which started man on the road of civilization, would have been impossible.

This lengthy text was published by the Industrial Workers of the World in 1922. While by now some of the information is considerably dated, this study is still thoroughly exhaustive for its time. The breadth of knowledge possessed by the workers in the Lumber Industry is demonstrated here, and it shows that, even in 1922, control of the industry by the workers was entirely possible. So while technology and conditions have changed, the song remains the same. The working class and the employing class have nothing in common.

• Chapter 1 - Lumber in its Relation to Other Industries.
• Chapter 2 - Early Methods of Logging.
• Chapter 3 - Evolution of the Lumber Industry.
• Chapter 4 - Private Monopoly of Natural Resources.
• Chapter 5 - How Rich Grafters Got Possession of the Timber Lands of the Country.
• Chapter 6 - Ruinous Mismanagement of Stolen Property.
• Chapter 7 - Labor Conditions in the Lumber Industry.
• Chapter 8 - Organization.
• Chapter 9 - Right Versus Wrong Methods of Organization.
• Chapter 10 - Past Battles of the Lumber Workers.
• Chapter 11 - How the Workers can Manage Industry.