The Somerset reporter., 1908-07-16

lU-lncn breast n1RD spruce tree WaH
not cut until it was IA inches in diam
eter breast high. Now during this
period, of from, say, fifteen to twenty
years, which must elapse while the
tree is charging in diameter, it has
been increasing in value at the rate
of from 2 to per cent. Yet full val
uation may have been placed upon
all this time. Again, If the tree was
only inches in diameter, breast high
AZ degree would not become mer-
charitable for trees) or about inches
on the stump, the at least twenty
five to thirty years. Yet If taxes are
levied on valuation taken by explor-
ers, who include these small trees in
their reports, the land owners must
pay full value on these trees all this
time, when they are not even mer-
charitable and are only growing at
the rate of from to 8 per cent. per
annum. If these small trees are to
be taxed it should be on their actual
percentage of increased growth per
annum every tax levying period, or a
lump sum equal to that of the sum
of the various periods at the time the
timber is cut for removal.
c. II. Goltz, forester for H. M.
Gould & Sons, lumber company, of
Au Sable, Mich, in Forestry and Irri-
CATION for January 1908, says: lit is
all a mistaken idea that lumbermen
are simply looking toward deforest-
ing the land, or that they simply buy
land for the lumber there is on it.
"While admit that there is one
now and then who looks only to the
present money getting, yet the ma
ioritv of them look ahead far enough
to get a continuous supply of lumber,
and | am sure If the States and our
National Government would give
some encouragement to these lum-
bermen in the way OF relief from TAX :
alton of deforested land, 80 per cent.
of the lumbermen and lumber COM
panies would reforest their land and
be glad to do so.
"But who can blame the lumber
men and lumber companies OF TO-DAY
for not reforesting their cut over
land? The lumberman is first and
last a business man, who looks toward
a legitimate return for capital invest
ed. II does not take him long to
figure out that under the present sys-
tenn of taxation of land he could
never hold the reforested land until
the crops were half ripe. he can
clearly see that the taxes would eat
I'D his land capital and all invested IN
them.
"Atthe present l know of several
States like the State of Maine in
which a small increase of land tax Is
causing such a quick deforestation as
to influence the market price of all
lumber. This, as can be plainly seen,
will continue until all the lumber is
cut. Then the price of lumber will
naturally jump up to prohloltiVe
prices.
"The land, if not tit for agriculture,
will return to the State for taxes ana
the State will have to nearly double
the taxes on lanu remaining, having
killed the goose that laid the golden
egg. ...,.
"Take the State OF Michigan today.
Where have the millions OF dollars
gone that have been made from lum-
Der from the once beautiful white and
red pine forest? Have they remain
ed in the Slater l dare say not one
half of it has remained. And again,
where are the companies and the
men that once operated the mills III
Michigan? Gone they are to new
fields to conquer; gone are they, and
their wealth with them. Today
mauy of them, who still lumber the
hardwoods remaining, speak of gong
to Washington and British Columbia,
where virgin forests still stand. Ii
they GO, their wealth goes with them,
"What would have induced the
others to stay? What would cause
those here to remain? A different
law as to taxing forest land and for
est products. If we could only learn
from European States things would
be different.
81 have always contended and still
stand for tax on logs, or cut timber
ONLY, those being the product of the
soil-accumulated through genera
tions, and in this respect different
from all other products of the soil.
No land producing forests or planted
to forests should ever come into the
schedule of agricultural land.
The tax on logs or forest products
should be a state tax and used as
such. The forests of State or States
should be looked upon as blessing
to the whole community, and its de-
struction as curse to all. Why theI
have tax as at present that drives
men to cutting all the forest they Owl
as quickly as possible in order to es'
cape the ruinous taxation?
aWhat use to talk to lumber mar
or lumber companies about refores
tation, about starting nurseries OF
employing a competent forester tC
look after the land? What use have
they for a working plan for selection
cutting? Do you wonder that today
they make a clean cut and then &c
to new fields? II is just because they
are driven to it
Charles NJ. Ward, in his address be
fore the annual meeting of the Mich
igan Forestry Association, given IL
the American Lumberman for No
vember 30. says: "Can nationa
system of taxation of forest lands be-
devised and effectively carried out il
Michigan, that will put an end TO the
present system of confiscatory taxa
tion and also encourage the begin
ming of reforestation enterprises by
private enterprise and the invest
ment of private capltal?"
He continues, speaking of a fores
tract in Michigan; "In 1880 there
was about 900, 900, 600 feet of pine up
on this tract. Today this has beer
reduced to 60,OOO,0O0 or less than
per cent. of the original amount, ant
there remains less than 10000, 00t
feet of other woods. About SO pei
cent. of the pine has been removed
and probably 20 to 26 per cent. of thu
other woods, while the area of tht
timber has been reduced nearly one
half. Nevertheless, in spite of the