CANADA’S LUMBER KING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19502, 10 June 1925, Page 5

CANADA’S LUMBER KING.

Mil J: 11. BOOTH'S CAHEER. ROMANCE OF TIMBER TRADE. STILL “BOSS” AT 93. The other day Air J. R. Booth, of Ottawa, celebrated the ninety-eighth anniversary of his birth, with a routine day in his" mills and offices (says the Herald s Toronto correspondent, writing on April 25). He is, perhaps, the world's outstanding miracle of longevity and vigour. For 50 years Mr Booth has been known as tlie "lumber king” of Canada. Am one knows how rich ho is. His fortune is nm invested in stocks or bonds or ships nr reiil estate the marketable value of which can be estimated. He owns a business and an empire—an empire-of forest and wood reserves that would form a ribbon two miles wide streaching from Halifax to Vancouver. But there is no doubt that his fortune represents one of the world s great wealth accumulations. And Mr Booth is still “the boss.”. Every morning he sots off to inspect his mills and booms and office just as he has for lO years. Not long’ a pro he found workmen trying to loosen up for shipment ground pulp "which had frozen solid in the yards in a temperature below zero. They were sticking dynamite charges into perpendicular holes, making lots of noise, but loosening little pulp. “Drill the hole in horizontally,” said the near centenarian. Two car loads of pulp were loosened on the first blast. “That’s the way I make my money,” was the old gentleman’s comment. DROPPING INTO THE OFFICE. Later on in the day Mr Booth drops into the office. Passing through the cuter office, he asks a young assistant, who turns out to be a grandson, brother of the Princess Erie of Denmark, “Is that paper up?’ “ Yes, sir,” is the answer. “ Then I'll bo out to see it presently.” Then into his private office—the private office of a “king,” a multi-millionaire. Mahogany furniture? Statuary? Paintings? Oriental rugs? No such trappings! His desk is an oldfashioned, sloping-topped table, at. which three other executive workers besides himself find elbow room. His chair is a worn old Windsor chair —the type that used to he famous in country taverns. In 75 years big business hero Mr Booth never “financed,” never issued a share of stock in a business world which now seems impotent without incorporation. Ho has never risked a cent speculating in stocks. He has been first, last, and all the tiino a worker in wood, since he began life as a carpenter. Up till four years ago the firm name of the business was simply “J. R. Booth.” At that time for convenience it was turned into a limited liability company so that members of the family—but not the public—might share in the ownership. Mr Booth began life by learning his trade as a carpenter in the eastern townships in Quebec. Ho crossed the border into the States, and recently to distinguished companions ho pointed to a bridge, remarking, “That is a good bridge. I helped to build it.” A large lumber mill at Burlington, Vermont, still testifies to the interests ho formed across the Quebec boundary in those early days. GENESIS OF A GREAT BUSINESS. In 1852, 14 years before Ottawa became the capital of Canada, Mr Booth reached Iho site, then known as Bytown, a little lumbering village. Ho rented a. small shingle mill on the Hull side, but when the landlord raised the rent he crossed over to the Ontario side and started a little sawmill on the site of his present great plant, on an island in the river between the cities of Hull ami Ottawa. HLs industry soon became notorious. Ho did not loaf in the winter as other sawmillers were apt to do, but overhauled his mills and sought for “limits.” His plunging in buying timber "limits” was more notorious. Competitors said ho would soon come a “cropper.” But ho has kept his mills busy for 70 years, while a score of competitors have gone out of business because at last they laid no more timber to cut. Once a bank manager suggested that tbo bank would finance a detain purchase. “Put that in writing,” said Mr Booth. At the auction, bidding was spirited, and Mr Booth had to pay 25,0'0C) dolhirs (£9030) for the "limit.” The bank manager said it was a crazy price, and tried to back out. “You can’t,” said Mr Booth, tapping his agreement. And he made a million dollars out of that one “limit” in a few years. Fifty years ago a great depression hit the lumber industry. Partnerships failed; mills closed, “limits” came on the auction block. A man with a pocketful of cash could buy an empire, and Mr Booth had the pocketful of cash. His holdings grow lo about 6000 square miles. He became the “lumber king of Canada.” WORLD’S GREATEST SAWMILL BURNED. By 1892 Mr Booth’s sawmills at Ottawa had a daily capacity of 1,100,000 broad feet of timber. The world has never seen such, a sawmill. Its yearly output was over 100,090,000 broad feet, sometimes as high us 160,000.000 feet, though the output of ike present mill is only 40,000.000 feet. In 1895 the greatest sawmill in the world was burned. “That is the cud of Booth,” said tho world. But not Mr Booth. He rebuilt immediately, and shortly afterwards added pulp and paper boxes to ms lumbe. enterprise. Rounding out; cue organisation came shops to manufacture wagons, sleighs, and harness. There is also tho large business at Burlington and timber tracts in British Columbia. One son owns a couple of oliico buildings in Ottawa, but uie Booth fortune is still chiefly confined to a single giant industry, One does not find the Booth name on any important list of directors. Only once, was Mr Booth lured away from his beloved lumber industry. Nearly 50 years ago a politico-railway group in Vermont projected a railway to act os a feeder for the Central Vermont and to run from Cotoau Junction, near Montreal, lo Ottawa and on to Parry Sound, on Georgian Bay. As tho Canadian Atlantic Railway passed through his timber empire, Mr Booth backed the project financially. Tt got into deep water aim he had to lake it over and complete it. Years later ho sold it to the Grand Trunk Railway for 14,000,000 dollars. It was a good sale, and the general impression was that Mr Booth had added to his millions by his railway venture. But afterwards ho admitted to his sons that he had made no monev in railroading—the only venture in which he ever lost. “But I had a lot of fun,” ho sa id. WONDERFUL PHYSICAL RECORD. Ii is not Mr Booth’s wealth, great though it is, but his health and longevity that is his most interesting attribute. To-day ho ip pears as a small, somewhat bent figure, and snow-white whiskers under his chin, and with some cf the fragile appearance of great age. But he .steps with vigour, and hi- complexion is ruddy. Some years ago. in tho yards of the plant, a large 12ft beam, weighing several hundred pounds fell on Mr Booth, striking him over the back. It broke three ribs, and, in falling, his foot caught in a ci©vice and lie had his leg broken with a compound fracture. His head was also out. Of course, everyone thought it was the end of J. It. Booth. He was then in his late eighties. His heart would not permit, of anaesthetics for the setting, so he sat up, holding his son's hand, and watched the doctors do it. A great specialist was rushed from Montreal. This doctor said that if tho patient could lie prevented from catching pneumonia he might conceivably pull through, though it was not likely. Ur Booth lay for three or four days. Thou he demanded that he be put on the verandah. The family and nurses wore scandalised. He made so strenuous a row that, despite the objection of the specialist, he was at last put out on Hie verandah. He was up and around two months. Two winters ago, when his granddaughter was being married to Brine© Uric of Denmark, Mr Booth was very ill. On his recovery the doctors ordered him south for the remainder pf the winter. He prompHy ordered out his private car and went to his lumber camps on the Madawaska, where the thermometer drops to -40 below zero. PNEUMONIA THREE TIMES. Mr Booth has had pneumonia three times. More than once he has had narrow oseapes from death hy accident. Ome a copper dam he was inspecting burst, and lie got to tlie top of the ladder just as it was smashed from under him by Hie flood. Even yet lie ventures out on the boom logs of tlie rafts of timber tied up at his 'mills. ‘ No use was made of a motor car by Mr Booth until about five years ago. Previously lie stuck to an old horse and buggy. It was always a source of chagrin to Ottawa (which esteems itself socially) that ils most distinguished citizen woul I drive around in an old buggy wearing a lumberman's black pea jacket. About 12 years ago, while driving in Ottawa, Mr Booth's horse shied and threw him out. His sons then insisted that he

have a car. 11c would not hear of such “a piece of nonsense,” hut compromised on a driver to fro with him in the buggy. Hut ho insisted on choosing his own driver. The man he chose was a man almost as old as himself, who happened to he (he man who drove his first logging Irani for him in the lumber camps (iO years before. Finally, about five years ago, Mr Booth gave in on the motor ear issue, and now has protection from the weather. He now seems even to take pleasure in a 50-mile spin into the country after the day’s work is done. Mr Booth has never been in England, though when George V., as Duke of Cornwall, was in Canada. Booth, the lumber king, invited the future king to ids lumber camps. There he regaled him on a dinner of pork and beaus. fie did not smoko until lie was 50, and gave it up when he was SO. Both smokers and auti-smokors may make what they like of that. Here is what Air Booth himself says: “Our constitutions arc what we make them at meal time. Alost ailments can be cured by observing the laws of nature and common sense. Doctors are necessary only in extreme eases. No one ought to eat a meal when lie's tired. Orly persons who do manual labour should eat three meals a day. Two are enough for brain workers. We arc all inclined to eat too much. Above all live in the open air.” Air Booth's granddaughter is a princess of Denmark. But- that interests him less than (lie fact that one of his grandsons knows a good stand of limber. AVhat will happen to this giant industry when Air Booth dies will lie interesting to watch. His two sous are following in their father’s footsteps. Mr Eric F. Booth (father of Princess John) is outside man, and Air Charles J. Booth is inside man. To them the father gives credit for his later successes, though he still remains the Boss.