The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-02-10
FREDERICKSBURG TIE sTATE,


There is no department of state ad-
ministration in which the people of Mn
nesota are represented with less intel.i-
gence than in that which relates to the
management of our timber industry One
Of the great sources of the states wealth
has been utterly diSregarded and pubic
theft has been an active instrumentality
from the beginning in the work of trans
ferring the ownership of our timber lanGs
from the commonwealth to the corpora
ton or the individual. Not only is this
true, but theft is today in constant ooe-
ration as an agency for denuding our
state lands of their timber growtlls
Within short time the state auditor
has made the announcement that timber
thieves-trespasser is the designation
usually applied to these crininal:-would
have to be punished by fine and imprison-
ment hereafter as the former method of
con1scating the stolen lumber and en-
forcing a punitive price for the same
was found inadequate to punish or pre-
vent the tf1efts.
The trouble Is that there is no line
drawn at which it can be said that pub
lie ownership ought to end and private
ownership begin.S If the timber lands of
the state are to be transferred away
from the state without let or hindrance,
as has been the rule from the begin
ming, with us, of course the penalty las
to be paid sooner or later 1t has been
paid, and the result Is today that it is
practically impossible for any citizen to
pre-empt a piece of good timber land
The lumber corporations have either got
ten control of existing lands after hav-
ing completely denuded vast areas OF
their timber growth, not taking even the
simplest precaution to render the land
available for future growths
OF course something must be done by
the state sooner or later to remedy this.
criminal improvidenee and theft. There
is plan suggested which seems on its
face to have considerable merit. It in.
wolves the reforestry of the abandoned
lands of the state. A bill has been pre-s
pared for Introduction in this session Of
the legislature. It provides for the
transfer to the forestry board by the
state of forfeited and abandoned non
agricultural lands. The bill contenpIates
a test of the recommendations of Prof.
Schenck, the forestry expert of Bit
mora u,I,O
investigated the future possibilities Of
this state for forestry. It involves, too,
an effort to grow new pine in the NORTH
ern parts of the state which have been
and by forest fires.
The bill is an outcome of the Pillsbury
gift of 1000 acres for forestry purposes,
and will embody a requisition for a.
small appropriation to carry along the
experiment which is involved. The soon
er it is introduced and put in the way of
adoption, the necessary precautions being
taken to protect the state in its rights,
the better.
1t is understood that Prof Schenck re-
CARDS the areas thus available as being
| capable of producing timber growths that
within periods ranging from fifty to 100
years will pay an annual interest Of
per cent on the original investment In
any event it will be effective in putting to
| some tangible use thousands of acres of
| public lands which are now worthless;
and if the law is properly framed it will
assure the gain to the state rather than
! to the individual.
In time, no doubt If something of this
kind is done there will be some system
of public policy in operation which will
prevent the timber areas of the state
| from being transferred over to individ-
uals and be thus made the medium of pri-
vate enrichment at the public. loss and
! expense, as they have heretofore been.
Il