The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-02-14

the price Of stumpage increases, and
the number Of owners, and with this
the opportunity to buy pine decreases,
one mill after another drops out.
More than half the pine mills OF North
ern Wisconsin have already ceased to
exist, or are about to shut down.
With the concentration of { owner
ship a reduction in output will be the
consequence which will continue to the
last-if a last" there be-so that even
the present stand is likely not to be
cut in eight or ten years, as might be
inferred from comparison of present
supply and cut, but may easily last
twenty and more years.
Waste of Timber.
OF the waste which has been going
on, the official report of the reconnais-
sarce says:
The present consumption of saw timber
alone may be set down as over $1,000, ,oO0,-
coo feet, not including railroad ties, pulp
wood. posts, poles and other bolt size ma
terial while the cut Of coniferous material
alone for the year 1897 may be placed at
$500 00O, 900 feet, board measure. The wood
consumption altogether. equals in value one
third the products OF agriculture in the
state. The lumber and woodworking in
dustries relying upon this crop represent
a capital of over 500. 100000, the lumber
mills alone paying half the state taxes,
and In wages and running expenses S25 900
0O0. Not less than 10000 009 coo feet of
timber and untold quantities of young
growth have been wasted by fires since
settlement began about sixty years ago
The detrimental influence of forest destruc-
ton on wateriow OF rivers is unmistaka-
Bile.
What may be done to restock the land
will vary from place to place, according
the land is well under way to recIothe
itself, or is a bare waste, or is a tangle
OF debris or covered with worthless thick
cts of fire-damagcd woods. his work may
be done at once gradually; IL NAV be
done thoroughly roughly; it may assist
nature to a small or large degree and any
detailed directions are beyond the scope
CT ttis report.
To those who are frightened at the mere
Idea Of planting forests, and who scorn-
European methods as impract cable IN this
country, it may be Of interest to know that
In the government forests of Saxony which
from 100000 ?cr"e Weld an annual net
revenue of $1.@0Oca9 continuously. and
where forests are largely planted with
nursery stock, the sylyicultural work of
planting. sowing etc, all t1la amounts
on an average for the entire woods to 10
cents per acre and year and involves only
per cent Of the total expenses, all log
ging operations included. &
whether similar Efforts saws tie
report in coTc;Usior. will pay here as
long as the lard is held by private
owners whose fortunes are only Of to-
day, and whose heirs will prefer to
parcel the land out to ineKr1r,jenc9 q
settlers. cannot here be considered
The experience abroad and also in this
country indicate that the state must
at least undertake the most difficult
and Improbable parts, ard that the
greatest good to the greatest number
lies in state ownership of forests.
New York waited a long time to see
private owners manage it's woods
nationally. brt has found itself com
PEELED at last to buy the lard to es-
tablish forest organization to keen
its mountains from being converted in
to desert brush lands and its streams
from being alternately dry. branches
and mrG torrents"
Handling the indians.
Few people realize that the commit
tees on Indian affairs in the senate and
house are among the most important
of all. Eastern people generally lool
upon the Indians as a forgotten issue
something long ago settled, and yet tbs
indian committees have under thail
care an appropriation bill amounting
to over 81. 900, 900 dollars The Indian
bureau has nearly 5000 employees in it.
schools and agencies. It has fifty-seve
agencies under its control and som,
tEirty-sfX Indian training and indus
trial schools in addition to the resevva
ton ard other -schco's-22G in ail-il
v hich 23,G00 Indian children are nov
taught.
The magnitude of the Indian servic
appears when we contrast the 81, ,675 %
! spent for our whole diplomatic and con
sular service with the more than s. ,O09.
0C0 spent On the Indians some of whic1
| of course is paid out cf treaty none,
to the Indians under previous co1trac t
! With the government. 1t is but par
, of the work of the committee to e1l
| anime every item in this large apprO
| priation ard report the completed bill
| to the house
The difficult and complicated oues
| tons in regard to the InFian lands an,
| reservations, the protection of the IN
| dian on one hand against Unjust en-
crcacbnent and the recognition n on tn
| other hand of the necessity of operiai
many OF the reservatiors for settle
ment-quite SIS much fcrPtheTgood O
the Indian IS for the Goodscf TIE whit
man; the problem of the Indian terri
tory, the question OF g ant;ns the righ
of way to bora fde cCrparations, rail
road corporations, through 1nGian 1essr
VatiOns and many pr:Vate'sc'afr com
up in the $50 bills referred to tn
Irdian committee every year" The s.
figures give some idea cf the dilnen
siOns of the Indian problem still re
naming.