Durango semi-weekly herald., 1901-07-22
WORLDS TIMBER SUPPLY SHORT.
Danger 81 It's Fa;Iars unisss Rsforsst.
ina is Fractieed.

The possibility of a failure at no dis.
tant date of the worlds timber sup.
ply was considered by Dir. w. Shlich
in an address delivered before the So.
ciety of Arts. To answer this ques-
tion we must ask three others. TAX
ing the world as whole, do we find
the demand materially Increasing?
II so. is the supply keeping pace with
1t? If not can any remedy be found
| The prospect of such famine Is no
trfliug matter. We are accustomed to
discuss with some misgivings the prob
able curtailment of the national coal
supply but the world at large need
not concern itself with such apprehen-
sions. A deficiency in timber. how
ever, is more imminent and hardly less
serious. Apart from its use for fuel
and building. it has been in immense
demand for making paper pulp and
cellulose. In Europe thirteen coun-
tries are importers. Great Britain be
ing Mt the head of the list, followed by
Germany. with France as third
| Five are exporters, France and Sean
dinavia being the leaders here. In
Europe. as whole imports exceed ex-
ports by over 2,5OG.G90 tons. The
demand also is increasing.
In the British isles imports have
grown during the last thirty-five years
at an average rate of 1879 900 tons and
the price has mounted yet more rapid
ly Germany though it has extensive
forests OF its own, supporting by work
done in them about million people
and three times as many by work in
connection with them, is also a large
importer. though it takes less than
half as much as we require. DR.
Schlich calculates that the consump
ton of timber in the four chief con
suming countries. at the present rate
of increase. will probably have risen
in few years from fourteen to twenty
cubic feet per head.
Among the exporting countries the
forest area is extensive in Russia
and especially in Finland but from
| variety of causes is not capable of
very great expansion. So the supply
OF timber may not improbably begin
before long to fall off. In Scandina
via the limit of productivity seems to
have been already reached. But En-
rope. it may be said is not the world
DIR. Schlich accordingly passes other
regions in review Some of them are
| importers, but their demand is far ex-
| ceeded by the imports of the rest
| the balance on that side amounting to
| 2.2S5,O00 tons, or less by 335,O0 tons
than the European deficit. This. how
ever. is made up by imports from such
| countries as Madagascar. Siam and
Java, which do not figure In the tab
| ulated return. 1t is clear then that
the supply. even at the present time
can barely keep pace with the demand
and the limit of the former has been
very nearly reached. China If II
becomes prosperous. is more likely to
import timber than to export it, for she
has little of her own.
The United States hitherto has been
a large exporter. the average value OF
timber sold exceeding that bought dur.
ing the last ten years by over e2.
100000. But DR.. Schlich maintains
that notwithstanding the vast area
covered by forest and the protective
measures now adopted. the States car
not long support greatly increasing
demand. The position in Canada IS
still worse. The waste has beer
proportionately greater in the past
and measures to check it are only in
the germ. DR.. Schlich therefore con
cludes that so far as coniferous Woo
is concerned the danger OF a deficiency
In the supply is almost at hand. II
our own country this constitutes 81
per cent of the imports. and the price
Is steadily. though slowly. rising
What remedy, then, can he found
DR. Schlich replies: Cultivate tim
Der on waste lands. like other crops
on the more fertile soil There are II
this country 25.O0o0 acres suitable
for the purpose. A quarter of thii
area would make Britain self-support
ing in the matter Of timber. and woult
give employment to thousands of 1T
population.-I Standard