Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1909-01-12
ANIMATED MEETING AT THE
CLUB HOUSE.

The, meeting of the lumbermen
and land owners Of the Wisconsin
river valley, at the club house last
Saturday, to discuss with Mr. Crit
fifth, the state forestry agent, the
provisions of the proposed legisla-
ton for the prevention of forest
fires, reminded the spectators of a
good hot base ball game, with Mr..
Griffith as umpire and all the close
decisions going against the home
team.
Smiling Frank Robbins, imported
from Rhinelander for the occasion,
did the twirling for the home fell
lows, and SAM Quaw handled his
delivery. Ben Heineman, j. A. I'm
derwood and Lamar Sexmith held
down the bases, while Hi Stewart
completed the stone wall infield
Neal Brown, Walt Alexander and
G. D. Clark of Merrill, took the field
positions c. S. Curtis was select
ed as chairman or coach, but as
soon as the first pop bottle was
thrown he quit, calling on Hank
Mylrea to take mis- place. Ed. Good
ing acted as score keeper and gave
us copy of the lineup.
1st inning Umpire Griffith called
''Play ball |" and Pitcher Robbins
stepped into the box and immedi-
ately got into a scrap with the um-
pire over his position; then the en-
tire home nine went after the UNI
pire, who really seemed a very
gentlemanly fellow, but it certainly
would have gone hard with him, if
G. d. Jones hadn't come down out
of the grand stand and called for
fair play. Left-ielder Brown told
Jones he was so - fair. he leaned
over backwards, then catcher Quaw
pulled off his wind pad and mask and
told Jones he was a theorist and
didn't understand the game and
excuse us gentlemen, we sent
the sporting editor over to report
the meeting and he got this far and
quit. We need him next summer
and can't afford to slight him by
turning down his eopy.)
1t seems that a few weeks ago the
lumbermen and land owners had a
meeting at Eau Claire and after
discussing legislation to prevent
forest fires, appointed committee
to consult with Mr.. Griffith and
draw up bill to present to the leg
islature. The principal provisions OF
the bill as drafted provided: For
the appointment of forest patrol,
to be paid by the state, to patrol
the timbered counties during the
summer months. This bill proposes
a tax of % cents per acre on all
timbered or wild land, in the couu-
ties to be patroled, this money being
used to pay the patrols. The bill
further proposes that before any
brush is burned the permission of
the patrolman in that township
must be obtained; it provides for a
minimum fine of $1,000 for setting
such fire without permission. 1t
further provides that anyone cut
ting timber shall pile and burn all
slashings, tops and brush within one
year after cutting, the penalty for
violation being from 30 cents to
$500 per M for logs, 20 cents to
81 90 for pulp wood, and from 10 to
80 per cent. of the value of other
products cut from the land, the fine
to be lien upon the products and
also upon the land.
After the report of the commit
tee appointed at Eau Claire had
been given out, there was so much
opposition to some of the provisions
of the proposed law, that the Wau-
sau meeting of Saturday was called
to see if an amicable understanding
could not be reached.
The club house meeting was or
ganized by the election of G. S. Cur
It's as chairman and E. A. Gooding
as secretary.
After a reading of the proposed
law, Mr.. Griffith was called on to
explain its provisions. He stated
first that the bill as drawn was
largely made up of the recommends
tions of the lumbermen's committee
appointed at the Eau Claire meet
ing. He spoke of the necessity of
protection from forest fires, saying,
'Last years fires extended over
lips, 600 acres and the loss to the
timber was estimated at $500, 900,
0O0." eve quote the figures from
the Wausau Daily Record, in order
to be exact, when timber gets up to
$3.50 an acre in value, we get dizzy
He pointed out the defects of the
present fire warden system. showing
how it failed to work where war
den was expected to enforce the
law on his neighbors; he explained
the details of the proposed patrol
system and showed that the cost
would be paid by the proposed tax
and leave surplus of $40, 00O In
regard to burning slash, he said
wherever it had been tried, the lum
bermen while at first opposed to the
project, had eventually advocated
it: he stated the cost at several
places, where it had been tried at
from II to 30 cents per M feet of
logs: that taking the Eau Claire re-
port as final he had embodied it in
his report and recommended it to
the governor of the state.
While some objection was raised
to several features of the law, an
agreement can probably be easily
reached on every thing, except two
sections LIST. The piling and burn
ing of slash. I'd. The fine for not
burning which is made lien on the
products and also on the land
These two sections met the united
opposition of every lumbermen pres
emit. Mr.. Grifith's figures, as to
the cost of piling and burning slash,
were challenged on all sides.
Mr.. Robbins put the cost of burn
ing hardwood slashings at 50 90 per
NJ feet and S. NJ. Quaw at & 90. j.
A. Underwood thought hardwood