The newly freed workers, seeking to become self-employed tenant farmers（直接服务于商人的，没有奴隶主这一环了） rather than wage laborers, made direct arrangements with merchants for supplies.
However, wood chips occupy （占）less than half the volume of the branches from which they are made. 就是阐述了一个事实！！！
Transportation costs from the logging site to the factory that are determined by volume of cargo would be lower （if the conversion into chips is done at the logging site） rather than at the factory.
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until recently, did; during后面接具体的时间段。