Daily Kennebec journal., 1906-04-12
OUR WILD LANDS.
Continued from page six.)

There is one phase of this subject
that has been very much discussed
which ! did not intend to notice, and
do so now only by special request. 1t
has been suggested that one of the
members of the State board of asses
sors HAY ing connection with a company
that is a large holder of wild lands.
sucn connection might have an infiu-
encc in the valuation of such lands
held by such company. Now if we
carry this 70 its natural sequence, then
it would follow that it would hardly be
safe to put any property holder on any
of the boards OF assessors in any of the
towns throughout the State. With
out expressing any opinion on the sub
ject. | will simply say that the two
valuations which Mr.. Simpson has as
sisted in taking since he has been
member of the State board of assessors
give an increase in the valuation Of all
the cities, towns and plantations in the
State Of a little more than per cent;
increase in wild lands in unincorpor-
ated township a2 per cent: and the in
crease in the valuation Of the town
ships i'm which the lands of the Ameri-
can Realty Company are located (of
which company Mr.. Simpson is treas
urer) is 50 per cent.
trust that every candid citizen who
gives the question his thoughtful con-
sderation will realize that difficult and
perplexing problems must confront
those who attempt to equaliZe the valu-
alton to be- placed on the wild lands of
our State, and until the contrary is
proven will give the State Board cred
| il for doing what their best judgment
as honorable men has prompted them
to do in the matter.
Gentlemen familiar with the subject
assure us that very much of the tim
Der on the remote townships, being
situated 50 far from railroads or wat
erWays, has no market value today,
but only = prospective value: And
more than tWo-thirds, at least. of the
hard wood in the unincorporated town
ships, owing TO location, has no mar
| l,et value whatever While the aver
|age value per acre of the wild lands
| may appear small, it seems that large
| tracts easily accessible are in many
| instances valued higher per acre than
many of our cultivated farms. and
in more than one county there are
1
| vanccd by the State Board all the way
| from $500 to $500 per acre, and town
ships in several localities have been
advanced in value by it during the past
| four years from $4,000 to $16J.000 per
ItCwnship. The unincorporated town
| ships having no municipal government
| il naturally follows that the tax col
lected from them can be used to de-
fray III part the expenses of the farm
| ing towns. For example let us take
| the prosperous town of Unity in which
we are pleased to meet today. It's
State tax in 1905 was 1927, while it re
ccived from the State for various pur-
poses $1,000, or $233 more than it con-
| tribut"d to the support of the State.
| The town of Thorndike. in which |
| reside, received during 1905 $53 from
the state more than it contributed to
its support. Thus we may enumerate
a very large number Of the farming
towns that are really receiving a boun-
lty from the State which bounty the
State tax on wild lands assist in making
up. But sir: The question of taxation
is not the most important one that
confronts us in relation to our forests.
That Of their preservation or destruc-
ton Is of far greater importance to
our State. Many of the States are
awakening to the knowledge Of how
Rapidly their forests are disappearing.
Forestry Commissions have been Gre
ated. large sums of money appropriat-
ed, large areas Of forest reservations
have been taken under State control
and every effort is being made to ar
rest what is threatening to become q
public calamity. The National Gov
ernment has already about so 600 600
acres in forest reserves, and is CON
templating large additions thereto.
Germany has large forest areas under
government ownership and by iudi-
cious management and systematic re-
moval of the matured timber receives
all annual income therefrom of nearly
S1,000,00O Experience has also demon
Istrated the fact that upon the pres
large measure an adequate and con-
tinuous water supply. The forests as
sure that much slower melting of the
snow in spring. with the sure absorb
Itlon OF the water by the porous mold
ana soil and its subsequent slow Der
lcolation into springs. and from the
Isprings into the streams and rivers