The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-27

Congress providing for the purchase of and White mountains by the government for reservation. The bill is just now before the judiciary committee of the House for constitutional review, and if it is reported favorably from this com mittee will probably have fair sailing in Congress.
 So serious has become the problem of timber destruction that all classes of bus mess and public men have interested themselves. Forestry conventions have been held in all sections of the country and great pressure is being brought on Congress to do something to save the situation.
 At the last session of Congress the matter was discussed and an appropria- tion of $25,OO0 was set aside for an ex- pert investigation in the mountain for est section along the east coast and Ap- palachian watershed. The best forestry experts in the country were assigned to the work and every feature of the sit nation was thoroughly analysed.
 The result of that investigation is em- bodied in g. general report just submitted to Congress by Secretary James Wilson of the agricultural department. Secre- tary Wilson emphasizes the alarm that has already been sounded by timber men and manufacturers all over the country and calls for immediate action of some kind. He declares that the situation Is even more serious than any one has charged.
 In the course of his introduction of the subject Secretary Wilson says:
 .The southern Appalachian and White mountains are of vast commercial im- portance to the industries of the coun- try; that the good or evil influences of these regions, in an unusual degree, de- pends upon the treatment given them and that both are encountering well advanced destructive influences, which unchecked, will bring widespread devastation to the patrons themselves and ruin to many Of the industries of the country
 The secretary dwells at great length on the importance of the southern Appala- chian forest for hardwood supply. He says that the future supply of this pro- duct hinges absolutely upon the control of the Appalachian region. He shows that the country has had four sources Of supply for hardwood but all of these ex- cept the southern Appalachian region have been practically exhausted and it is conservatively estimated that at tho present rate of consumption this supply will be exhausted in 16 years. He makes the significant assertion that the amount of hardwood timber cut in the country has decreased by 15 per cent in the last seven years, while the price has advanced from 50 to 65 per cent. The rapidly dimin- ishing supply of hardwood alone ac- counts for the decrease in the output and the subsequent increase in the price.
 Secretary Wilson points out that this limited hardwood supply can be made to last longer and yet yield greater serv- ice to the country under the protection of the government through reservation.
 The value to navigation in preserving the forests on the watershed is strongly stressed in the secretary's report and he dwells especially on the impotence of river drainage without the proper pro- tecton of the natural reservoirs in the mountains.
 Alabama is greatly affected by the condition of the Appalachian watershed as two of our principal rivers of naviga- tion receive their sources in the very region covered in Secretary Wilson's re- port. The territory included in the recom- mendations for reservation by the gov ernment extends some distance into the northea stern. part of the state