The age-herald., 1898-10-13
HERMANN'S REPORT
 ON LAND OFFICE Estimates 11,00O,OOO,OOO Feet of Lumber Destroyed by Fire. REPRESENTING IN VALUE Many Millions of Dollars Loss to the People of the West, Where For
 est Fires Have Been Rag
 ing for Some Time.
REPRESENTING IN VALUE

Washington, October 12.-The annual re- port of Commissioner Hermann of the gen. eral land office estimates that over II 0G),- 090,OOO feet of public timber have been de-. stroyed by fire in the past thirty-fiYe years, representing in value many millions of dol lars The report says forest fires form the main subject for the attention of the land office. now threatening. as they do, not o1- ly the growing forests, but forest lands with productiveness it retards indefinitely. "trhe direct effect the flow of streams and dependent agricultural possibiities,' the report continues, "a so must be con- sidered. Moreover, the loss has been who'll ly without compensation, for none of the timber has gone to develop the country and no local interests have been benefited as la1geley as in cases of forest cutting. Many of our western forests are reported to have been liable to fires on account of the in- flammable character of the h-sh.y rescinous trees in certain portions of the west and the hot, dry climate, which should make us all the more cautious. Fires were fre- quent and destructive. Under these condi- tions the magnitude of the task of pro- tecting forests from contiagrations that yearly sweep them is apparent. The mat.er is clearly one demanding from an econo.n- ic standpoint measures D. iopoctionate to the issues involved
 Sheep grazing is another difficulty in ad- mnisterng some of the preserves, and spe- cial efforts have been directed toward ind ing the particular regions in which condi- tions demand the exclusion of sheep, and to determine the nature of the restr- ctions regulating sheep grazing in other regions.
 Public opinion is reported to have under gone recently a material change in favor Of reservations. Sales of timber is a subject now receiving special consideration, with a view to inaugurating a national system of timber cutting which will supply local de- mands for forest productions, at the same >-Ile yielding a fair money return to the government. During the year 355 cases of trespasses on public lands were reported, involving public timber and its products to the value of $646 1S2, recoverable to the government, The want of proper legislation and the lack of sufficient force of special agents has caused serious difficulties in preventing timber depredatons. Discussing land laws in Alaska, the commissioner says if it shall hereafter be developed that there are large areas of arable land amounting to considerable number of townships in Alaska, he will adopt the system of inde- pendent base and meridian lines there us practiced in other districts. It is impracti- cable to extend the exterior lines over in- accessible portions of the country. Recom- mendat1ons made In the report ask for the compulsory attendance of witnesses at con- tested land case hearings before the local land officers; legislation for disposing CT coal lands in forest reservations; repeal of tAe timber law of June 3, 1879, and August 4, 1892; withdrawal of lands chiefly valuable Tor timber for forest reservations; a gen. eral law to protect and use timber on un- surveyed lands; to increase the force of speclal agents to protect public timber.