The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-06-15

atively a light one for fire loses, and
the losses in eastern Oregon, north
ern Idaho, western Montana, north |
eastern Washington, California and |
southeastern British Columbia were |
also heavy. This enormous waste of
property and some times less of life |
can be prevented 10 large extent, it
is believed, b, the employment Of the
wireless telegraph for reporting them
as soon as they start and calling for
assistance from all sides.
There are more than 55J.000,O00
acres Of standing timber in Washing
ton, Idaho, Oregon, California, Nevada
and oMn,ana and about 15o,000.0o0
ACES in British Columbia. Oi the
timber lands in t-e six western STAGES
440,0G0.OCV acres are owned by private
corporations and individuals, who
maintain extensive organizations to
protect them. In the state of Idaho,
which has more than 10000, ,000
feet Of standing timber in its five
northern counties, the fire protection
associations working with the state
have reduced the fire losses greatly,
but it cost last year more than $780,
600 or about two and three-quarters
cents an acre to patrol the 100000
acres. The associations fought 500
great and small fires in the last
three years.
The Washington Forest Fire associa
ton employed between 600 and 200
extra men in addition to its 70 patrol
men to fight and prevent fires in the
western part of the state last year.
and there were as many more at work
in the eastern and north cetral por-
tons. The logging and numbering in
dustry is the largest and most i'm
portant in the state. and as the area
of logged-off land is increasing con-
stantly, the fire hazard is becoming
greater every year. This is also the
condition in other western states.
The problem of forest protection is
one of vital interest to the western
lumbermen, as well as those who are
only indirectly connected with the i'll
dustry. The chief payroll of the Pa
cific and Northwestern states comes
from numbering, as is evidenced by the
fact that $75,000,000 is paid annually
in wages in the mills, yards and camps
of Washington, which give employ
ment to from $4,000 to 10000 men.
while the states of Oregon, Idaho
Montana and California pay as much
more.
Of the total wages paid by manu-
facturers in Idaho more than 80 per
cent is disbursed by saw and planning
mills, while one-third of the capital in
vested in factories in the state is in
lumber mills and lumber represents
one-third of the total manufactured
product, including in the latter the
output of the Occur d'Alene mines,
which contribute about 40 per cent.
of the total lead production of the
United States. This is also true of
Oregon and montana.
Most of the big tracts in the five
states and British Columbia are situat-
ed far from the centers of popula-
ton and communication between
these distant points, except along
railroads, can not be had quickly, ow
ing to the ruggedness of the country
and many believe the installation of
the wireless telegraph will be the
means Of averting at least part of
the heavy losses that follow in the
flames started through carelessness
and neglect every summer, and it is
likely they will give the plan a trial
before tho close Of tho cpacon