New-York tribune., 1907-12-04

all been q the price or lumber. buf
there Is certain be more rapid and heavie.
rise in the future The present annual con-
sumption OF lumber is certainly three times as
great annual growth. and if the con-
Sumption and growth continue unchanged prac-
ticauy all our lumber Will be exhausted in an
orher generation while long before the limit 70
complete exhaustion is reached the grow.
ing scarcity will make itself felt in many
bhghtinS ways upon our national welfare.
About 20 per cent OF our 1OreSted ter
ritOry is now reserved in national forests:
but Inese do INCLUDE most valuable tim.
Der lands. and in any event the proportion il
too small TO expect that the reserves can &C.
compliSh more than mitigation of the trOubli
which is ahead for the nation Far more drastic
action : needed. Forests be numbered ss
as to give the public the full of then
mercantile timber without the slightest detri.
ment to the forest, any more than 1t is a detri.
I1ent to a farm to furnish harvest: so thai
there is no parallel between forests and mines
which can only be completely used by exhaus.
rion. But forests. If used as all our forests
have been used in the past and as most OF
them still used. viii be either wholly de-
stroyed damaged that many decades have
to pass before effective use can be made OF
them again All these facts so obvious thai
it is extraordinary that it should be necessary
To repeat them Every business In the
land, every writer in the newspapers. every
or woman of an ordinary school education.
ought TO be able to see that immense quantities
of timber are used in the country, that the for
ests which supply this timber are rapidly being
exhausted and that II no cnanSe taxes place
exhaustion will come comparatively soon, and
that the effects of will be felt severely In the
everyday life Of our people. Surely, when thess
facts are so obvious, there should be no delay
in taking preventive measures. Yet we seem
a nation to be willing to proceed IN this matter
with happy-go-Iucky indifference even 70 the
immediate future. II is this attitude which
permits the self-interest Of a very few persons
to weigh far more than the ultimate interest OF
all our people. There are persons VINO md II
to their immense pecuniary benent 10 destroy
the forests by numbering They are TO be blamed
for thus sacrificing the future or the netlon AZ
a whole 10 their own self-interest or the mo-
ment; but heavier blame attaches to the people
at large for permitting such action. Whetner
in the White Mountains, in the Southern Al
Ieghanies, or in the Rockies and Sierras- A big
numbering company, impatient for fmmediats
returns and not caring to look far enough ahead.
will often deliberately destroy all the good
timber in a region. hoping afterward TO move
on 10 some new country The shiftless man OF
small means, who does not care 70 become an
actual home maker. but would Ike immediate
profit. will find it TO his advantage TO take up
timber land simply turn it over 20 such big
company, and leave it yalueless FOR future
settlers. big mine owner. anxious only 70
develop his mine at the moment. VIII care only
10 cut all the timber that he wishes without re-
gard the futuTe-prObably not looking ahead
the condition Of the country when the Forests
are exhausted. any more than he does TO the
condition when the mine is worked out Do
not blame these men nearly as much as blame
the s11pine public opinion. the Indifferent public
opinion. which permits their action TO 60 un-
checked Of course To check the waste of tim
ber means that there mast be on the part OF the
public the acceptance of a temporary restric-
ton the lavish use Of the timber in order TO
prevent the total loss Of this use In the future
There are plenty of men in public and private
life who actually advocate the continuance or
the present system OF unchecked and WaSteful
extravaganza, using as an argument tile ldt-
that to check il will, of course, mean inter
ference with the ease and comfort ot
certain people who now get lumber at less cost
than they ought pay. at the expense OF
the future generation Some OF these persons
actually demand that the present forest
serves be thrown open TO destruction. because
forsooth they think that thereby the price or
lumber could be put down again Tor Two or
three or more years. Their attitude Is pre-
cisey like that of ali agitatOr protesting against
the outlay Of money by farmers on manure ana
in taking care of their farms generally In
doubtedly. if the average farmer were content
absolutely ruin his farm he could for w"
three years avoid spending any molsy on
il and yet make a good deal OF money OUT -
IL But only a savage would in his private
affairs show such reckless disregard OF the
future: yet it is precisely this reckless disre-
gard of the future which the opponents of
the forestry system are now endeaVorlng 10
GET the ne0pIe OF the United States 10 show
The only trouble, with the movement for the
preservatio of our forests is that il has not
gone nearly far enough and was not begun
however. that began it when We did We
should acquire in the Appalachian and White
is possible to acquire for the use Of the IA
tiOn. These lands. because they form a na-
tional asset. are as emphatIcaliy NATIONAL as
the rivers which they feed. and which flow
through so many states before they reach the
ocean
There should be no tariff on any forest product
grown in this country. and. in especial. there
should be no tariff on wood pulp due notice oS
the change being OF course
Tariff on given To those engaged in the
Wood PuIo. business SO as to enable them
adjust themselves 10 the
conditions The repeal OF the duty on
wood pulp should if possible be accompanied
by an agreement with Canada that there shall
be no export duty on Canadian pulp wood
In the Eastern United states the mineral fueiS
have already passed into the hands OF large
private owners, and those OF the West are
rapidly following 1t is OBJ
Mineral Lands. vfOus that these fuels should
be conserved and not wasted.
and il would be well to protect the people
against unjust and extortionate prices. SO far
as that still be done What has been ac-
CompIished IN the great oil fields of the Indian
Territory by the action Of the administration
offers q striking example OF the good results OF
such policy In my Judgment the government
should have the right 10 keep the Zee or the
coal oil and gas fields in it's possession
and to lease the rights to develop them under
proper regulations: or else. If the CongresS VII
not adopt this method. the coal deposits shoEtd
ne sold under limitations. 10 conserve them as
public utilities. the right 70 mine coal Delng
separated from the title 10 the soil The reSula-
tions should permit coal lands 20 De worked III
Sufficient quantity by the several corporations
The present limitations have been absurd. eX-
cessiye and serve useful purpose and often
render il necessary that there should be either
fraud or else abandonment OF the work OF get
ting out the coal
Work on the Panama Canal is proceeding IN a
highly satisfactory manner. In March last JoniI
F stevens chairman OF the commission and cher
engineer, resigned, and the
The Panama Canal. commission was reorganized
and constituted as follows
Lieutenant Colonel George w Goethals. corps OF
eneinsers United States army. chairman and
chief engineer; Major D. d GaillaTd. corps OF
engineers United States army: Major William L.
Sibert corps of engineers. United States army
Civil Engineer H H. Rousseau. United States
navy: J. C.. s Blackburn, Colonel w C. Gorgas.
United States army, and Jackson Smith, commits
sioners. This change of authority and direction
went into effect on April 1 without causing per-
ceptible check to the progress or the work IN
March the total excavation in the Culeora cut: