Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1908-05-21
No Timber
Famine
HEPBURN SCORES IDEA THAT
FORESTS WILL SOON BE
b. WIPED OUT

/ tdahO from states Ill wnlcn tne sec
rotary of Agriculture may give per-
mits for the expectation of timber
! from forest reserves, Hepburn, dur
| ing the debate on the agricultural
| appropriation bill in the Senate, rid
| iculed chart of the forestry division
which was swung on the wall Of the
Senate chamber. marked with state
mcnts as to the number OF years the
forests in various parts Of the coun-
try would last.
The forestry division, he said, was
launching into the realm of proph-
ecy in way that would require
greater wisdom than that possessed
By the. sagcs of old, when 1t declared
that certain section would be shorn
of its forests in twenty, thirty or for
ty years. They forget, he said, that
timber grows. and he declared that
the supply of timber Is as great to-
day MS ever in the worlds history
There was. he said no danger Of Il
timber famine.
Smoot. taking exception to the
statement that the worlds supply Of
timber was as great as ever, Hepburn
retorted that the Senator from Utah
might consult the map on the Senate
wall as guide. as he possessed "a
spirit of prophecy" which he Hey
burn) did not possess.
IL can prove" retorted Smoot,
mot by prophecy, but by absolute
figures, that the timber of this coun-
try is being destroyed rapidly and
that there Is not anything like the
amount of timber in this country that
there was 90 or even 10 years ago"
Hepburn said he objected to the
Government setting up lumber
yard and selling timber. He had
once read a vivid description Of the
emotions of Adam on seeing the sun
go down, not knowing that It would
ever rise again. That reminded him
of the feeling of some people about
the forests who did not know that
the forests would grow again.
Burkett of Nebraska wanted to
know II the Senator from Idaho
| wished to apply to all States with
| forest reserves the prohibition from
exporting lumber from such States
Hepburn said he did desire to pre-
vent the Government from selling
timber in any State.
Reading from an opinion of the
Supreme Court of the United States,
Hepburn declared that there is no
hysteria in that branch of the Gov
ernment; there are no brainstorms
there" The foresters, lie said, are
being supplied with splendid yachts,
so they can speed from one imagi-
nary fire to another along the lakes
of Idaho.
II have seen them" he said, "lol-
ling around the hotels of the water
ing places dressed in green with
cooked hats, emulating the foresters
of the Black Forest of Germany. They
have those uniforms of pale green so
they may not be taken for a duck or
some animal, and so that they can
slip up on the trespassers who come
there to destroy these forests. The
whole thing has become ridiculous"
Hepburn, reading from document
concerning expenses of the forest re-
serve, criticised statements of eX-
penses as indefinite.
Smoot, holding volumlnous man
uscript, said, IL the Speaker would
refer to any item of expense, he
would give him the details
Clark of Wyoming said that Con-
gress had sent for the Information
and the Department had not sent 1t.
He wanted to know how the Senator
from Utah had become the mouth
piece of the Department
Hepburn said that 1t was singular
that the Senator from Utah had I'M
dertaken to answer questions for the
Department that Congress had fruit
lessly asked the Department to give.
Smoot again Offering the informa-
ton, Hepburn retorted
81 do not intend to recognize the
Senator MS the representative here of
the Department of Agriculture,
which is under the control of Con-
gress. There is no report from the
Department In accordance with the
provision of the last appropriation
bill"
Mr.. Hepburn read the names of
officers OF the American Forestry AS
ISOLATION, declaring that Mr.. Weyer-
hauser, the second vice president
owned or claimed more timber I'M
lawfully obtained than any other
man on earth.