The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-07-22
Rushing Forest Destruction.

The journal had occasion to re-
mark the other day that the government
and the people, rather than the lumber
men are primarily responsible for the
ruthless destruction of the forests, It
Is possible to see in the regulations, pro-
vided by the commissioner of; the general
land office of the department OF the .lnte-
rior, for the removal Of pine from the
Leech Lake group of Indian reservations
evidence in support Of this statement.
On May 20 Commissioner Richards issued
rules and regulations as to the cutting OF
all the pine not on land reserved for for :.
estry purposes, and, among other Things,
required that all the pine offered for sale
must be cut and removed by July. l, 1905.
The area covered by this rule is, about
forty eight miles square, and contains
from 1000 900, 900 to 1,500.000,000 feet of
white pine. AS bids are not opened until
Dec. and later of this year, the bidders
will have only part of one cutting sea-
son and the whole of another-that of
l1904-5-to get their timber down and out.
Cutting with such a rush they will not
be able to perform the work economically,
and will, therefore, not be able to bid so
much for the timber as they otherwise
might. ..s
The law requires them to use Indian
labor as much as possible but in sea-
son-and a. half of rush work there will
not be much chance to consider the In
dian workmen. and they will not cut much
of figure on the pay rolls. If so much
timber is hurried into the water, where
it will have to lie a long time, much of
1t will be injured. Buyers Of the timber
will be largely lunlbermen who have an
abundance of work to attend to in cut
ting timber on their own lands, and they
will have to make extraordinary efforts
in such short time.
The dumping of 50 large a mass of ium-
Der on the market within such a short
time will tend to depress prices and thus
make lower bids, again unfavorably af-
fecting the interests of the Indians to
whom this pine belongs If the cutting
is accomplished in a limited time, the
Leech Lake pine country will have few
months Of feverisn business activity, fol-
lowed by years of depression. From a
business point of view. it would be fal
better to extend the cutting over a num-
Der of years, thus affording an easy tran
sition from numbering to agriculture fol
such parts of the land are fitted for
agriculture. .s.. -. ~, r.. .s.az..q.7 . J
Our Washington correspondent reports
that the governments best reason fol
rushing the cutting is to open the cutove1
land to settlement as soon as possible
Possibly this purpose justifies the celebrity
Of forest destruction demanded by the
land commissioner; but the settlement tina
will result from a. gradual opening up O.
the land for several years will be Of {
more permanent and better character thar
that which would follow a rush on a GER
tain day. If settlement is permitted while
the cutting is going on, the settler will
find employment in the lumber camps ant
also a market for his produce.
Altogether it seems as If the land com
missioner would do well to reconsider tn
time limit he has placed on the remova
of the pine and extend it a few years.