Los Angeles herald., 1905-01-06

OF WOOD N ehipbuiiding IL tar larger
than It was before the discovery Of the
art Of building iron ships because vast
" more ships are built. Larger sup
plies Of building lumber are required,
directly or indirectly, for use IN the
construction Of the brick and steel and
stone structures Of great modern cities
than were consumed by the compare
lively few and comparatively small
wooden buildings in the earlier stages
of these same cities. whatever mate
rials may be substituted for wood in
certain uses we may confidently expect
that the total demand for wood will
not diminish but steadily increase.
'It is a fair question. then, whether
the vast demands of the future upon
our forests are likely to be met No
man is a true lover Of his country
whose confidence in its progress and
greatness is limited to the period of
his own life, and we cannot afford for
one instant TO forget that our country
is only at the beginning of its growth.
Unless the forests of the United States
can be made ready to meet the vast de-
mands which this growth will inevi-
tably bring, commercial disaster is In
evitable. The railroads must have ties,
and the best opinion of the experts is
that no substitute has been discovered
which will satisfa ctorily replace the
wooden tie. This is largely due to the
great and continually increasing speed
at which our trains are run. The miner
must have timber or he cannot operate
his mine, and in very many cases the
profit which mining yields is directly
proportionate to the cost of the timber
supply. The farmer, cast and west,
must have timber for numberless uses
on his farm, and he must be protected
by forest cover upon the headwaters
of the stream he uses against floods in
the east and the lack of water for irri-
cation in the west.
Timber Famine Threatens
'If the present rate of forest de-
struction is allowed to continue a tim
Der famine is obviously inevitable
Fire, wasteful and destructive forms
of numbering and legitimate use, are
together destroying our forest re-
sources far more rapidly than they
are being replaced. What such a
famine would mean to each of the in
dustries of the United States it is
scarcely possible to imagine. And the |
period of recovery from the injuries |
which timber famine would entail |
could be measured by the slow growth |
of the trees themselves.
Fortunately, the remedy is a simple
one and your presence here is proof
that it is being applied. 1t is the great
merit of the department of agriculture
In it's forest work that it's efforts have
been directed to enlist the sympathy |
and cooperation of the users of the
wood, water and grass, and to show
that forestry will pay and does pay,
rather than to exhaust itself in the
futile attempt to introduce conservative
methods by any other means. The de-
partment gives advice and assistance
which it will be worth our while to
know more about, and it's policy is one
Of helpfulness throughout and never
the hostility or coercion toward any
legitimate interest whatsoever. In the
very nature of things it can make lit
tie progress apart from you. Whatever
it rhay be possible for the government
to accomplish, it's work must ultimately |
fail unless your interest and support
give it permanence and power. 1t is
only as the producing and commercial
interests of the country come to realize
that they need to have trees growing
up in the forests not less than they
need the products of the trees cut
down that we may hope to see the
permanent prosperity of both safely
Future Is Bright
with what is rapidly getting to be