Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1909-02-03
LUMBERMEN IN SESSION
Continued from page IL

1
Grande, Ore; Vincent Palmer of Ell.
gin. Ore; J. n. Toole OF Missoula
Mont, and G. II. Richardson of 10th
rop. Mont.
The executive committee for 1903
will consist OF r. ]. Humbird OF Sand
point, Idaho, j. r. Toole of Missoula
Mont, and William Deary of Pot
latch, Idaho. The legislative COM
mittee will consist OF A. ]. Wilson OF
Spokane, J. r. Toole of MIssoula,
Mont, Frank e. Smith of Elgin, Ore,
and A. W. Laird OF Potlatch, Idaho.
Nearly 200 tickets for the trip to
Spirit Lake, Idaho, today to inspect
the plant Of the Panhandle Lumber
company were sold to the visiting
lumbermen yesterday. The train left
the 0. r. & N. depot this morning at
0 o'clock over the Idaho & Washing
ton Northern and left Spirit Lake, re-
turning, at 3 o'clock this afternoon.
The annual banquet of the Western
Pine Manufacturers association will
be held tonight at the Elks' temple.
Forester Makes Address.
Assistant Chief Forester r. s. KEEL
logg, in his speech, which was the
principal one of the day, spoke of the
work OF the forest service in COM
plling records of the selling prices of
the principal grades Of lumber in the
United States and urged to appoint
committee act in conjunction
with the national forestry service.
The greater part of his talk was TAX
en- up with the statements of the rap
Id consumption of lumber and the
rapid depletion OF the forests. He
said, in part:
The present stumpage for COM
mercial use in the United States to-
day Is about $500 billion feet. The
national conservation commission es-
Inmates that the amount of lumber be-
Ing taken from the forests OF the Uni
ted States each year Is 10000 million
feet, that there are cut "a, 900, 900 to
l00.000,000 cords OF firewood, about
llS.0OO,000 hewed crossties, about
1000, 900 barrel slaves and $780,
100000 barrel hoops. some 3,0OO,-
600 cords of pulp wood and various
other items.
There Is absolutely no question
but that we are cutting our forests
much faster than they are growing.
OF the total amount of standing tim
Der In the United States about 20 per
cent Is in the hands of the govern
ment. which leaves four-flfths of the
timber in the United States in private
hands We must face the problem of
how We are to perpetuate the forest
resources with only 90 per cent In
the hands of the public and the other
so per cent In the hands of private
owners, and present indications point
to the fact that large proportion of
the total forest area will be in private
hands for a long time to come.
Public Well Managed.
As 1t stands at present nearly all
Of this 20 per cent in the hands of the
public Is being managed In such a
way that the second crop of timber
will be obtained. The problems that
come up In connection with conserva-
ton of forests In public hands are ma
tional. state and also individual. The
national government can occupy more
Of philanthropic role. in that It does
not have to meet It's obligations to
such an extent as the private owner
has. The two greatest problems that
face the conservation OF the forests
today are the problem of flre and the
problem of forest taxation. These
problems must be solved by state
government,
We must stop forest fires or we
Will not get second growth of tim
Der, In a great many cases forest
lands must be taxed In such a way
that the owner can AFFORD to hold
them. or he viii cut the present crop
OF timber at an lnopportune time. In
Michigan. for instance. to use popu. |
lar slang. 5000 900 acres of eutover
land are soak for taxes. The solu- |
ton OF the taxation question recon-
mended by the national conservation |
commission is that the timber and the |
land shall be taxed separately. A
small annual tax shall be levied
against the value of the land simply |
as land. and that no taxes shall Ne
levied against the timber until II Is
sawed"