The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-04-28
The Gorernment Timber Suits.

The recent suits brought by the United
States government against various mining
companies. notably the Silver King. in
Arizona, and the Eureka and Richmond, in
Nevada. for the recovery of the value Of
wood alleged to have been stolen from
government land, are another illustration
of How not to do it." says the Engineer
inn and Mining Journal. The mining com
NAMES in question used the wood in their
ordinary requirements, to enable them to
carry out their pursuits, and paid d fair
price for it too, though II IS more than
probable that none OF the price came into
the hands of the original owner, the gov
eminent.
In the case of the Silver King, the de
cision has been given in favor of the com
panv. and now it remains for the other
COMPANIES to prove that they were neither
robbers nor willful receivers of stolen
goods. The whole origin OF the difficulty
is the want of an efficient department of
forestry. 1t must not be supposed that we
are finding fault with the Jealous and able
chief of the division or his staff, but simply
the whole matter of forestry is treated, for
IFS importance, in too trit1ing manner.
The annual appropriation is quite made
ouate for the proper custody, conservation
and promotion of our vast forestry inter
ests. With proper supervision these gov
eminent suits against citizens pursuing
iBeir lawful avocations could have been
avoided. .-. -.
Instead of prosecuting innocent mine
burners and irving to collect from them the
millions of dollars claimed to have been due
ON timber stolen from government land ~
the irresponsible parties who cut it and
sold il TO the mines, the government should,
through proper officers, collect its dues be-
fore the timber is removed. 1t is both I'M
inst and a needless Impairment OF a great
industry TO charge it with the losses due TO
the governments own neglect OF duty.
The efficient discharge Of this duty
sbouId become a source of revenue to the
Government here as it is IN other coun-
Take. for instance, the result of the for
es+ administration in Lower, or what was
formerly called British Burmah. The
tonooranbical forest survey just completed
has added q per cent. TO the areas unq re
eyovernment proprietorship, and an IN
creased revenue of e23,394. The survey IS
on a scale of four inches, and two inches 10
the mile The increased area protected
from forest fires was l3I,JS0 acres. Inc
gross forest revenue for the past year
amounted TO e22l, $50 and the expenditure
IN p1O3 369. compard with el9S,S6I ana
l107. $50 respectively in the preceding year.
Tbis expenditure is for surveys. protectoh
from fire. supervision of the lessees, plan
tations for renewals, etc.
The extent of the plantations for renew
ale of fine forests as they are cut down or
DESTROYED accidentally by fire, covers nearly
II. 600 acres The amount OF tl1nDer eA-
t,.51otoS nv thinning out the forest (appar
e,+Iy tbey do not 1'clear'') was 1881 tons
Of Of tls and IS, 529 tons Of other kinds. -
A rec recent report of the government OF
West Australia shows the Importance at
t mJ9e bv If to the forest resources of that
colony. and the information on the subject
is very interesting, and showing that Aus us
tralia is not quite so bare OF tl1Oer as nas
70 note that the Egyptian government in in
yiting tenders recently for 100000 railway
ties are more likely to allot the contract 10
treeless Australia than to Europe though
fhe latter country is so much nearer