The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-08-29
FORESTRY FIGHT
BREAKS OUT ANEW
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Continued from Page One.
terms upon which the citizen can con-
duct his business or earn his livelihood,
and not amenable 70 the wholesome
check OF local opinion"
ROoSeveIt Not Definite.
''what is meant by children there,
He CAIr. Roosevelt) doesn't mean you or
me: he IS not definite. Why is all this
cry about the child? The principle OF
conservation is as old as the world The
countries OF Europe are not smothered
with conservation. and yet the people
there have been living along for a good
many hundred years. I don't want any
body to conserve something for the weak
lings," said the Secretary, and IN an
swer 20 a query, added: Eyes: there
isn't any theory YOU can hold but that
Of the survival of the fittest. is there?"
There are thCusands-no. / won't say
that-hundreds OF streams in the West
with water power Why, the government
owns one stream. the Yellowstone, which
alone is capable Of operating all the
transcontinental trains
why don't they so right down here
IN the East and utilize the water power.
The truth of the matter is coal Is cheap
er, and as long as II is mined In large
quantities the water power will not be
used so extensively
The truth Of the matter is that only
about 10 per cent Of the people think at
all"
In his prepared response to Mr.. Nc
Harg. Assistant Forester Price said, In
part
DepIorabIe aud Significant.
TT is deplorable. and it is significant
that the Assistant Secretary Of Commerce
and Labor. II he be quoted correctly.
should select this time Of all others TO
make a statement which impugns the in
tegrity OF the Forest Service, which is
against the sum of human experience.
and which Is disproved not merely by
records here. but by those OF two bu-
reaus Of the department over which Mr..
McHarg presides.
I refer 10 the statement that the For
est Service Is Withholding facts and fig
ures from the people which show there
is no foundation for alarm over the al
legged approaching exhaustion OF our tim
Der supplies. These are some OF the facts
collected by the national conservation
commission. They are based upon all
data available IN the Forest Service, in
tho Bureau of Census in the Bureau OF
Corporations, and other Federal agencies.
as well as from State agencies and or
CARNATIONS representing rational indus
tries dependent wholly or mainly upon
the forest
we take from our forests each year.
not counting the loss by fire. three and
one-half times their yearly growth We
take forty cubic feet per acre for each
twelve cubic feet grown; we take 265
cubic feet per capita. while Germany
uses thirty-seven cubic feet and France
twenty-five cubic feet. Since 1870 forest
fires have each year destroyed an aver
age OF S50,0oOO00 worth Of timber. The
young growth destroyed by FIRE IS worth
far more than the merchantable timber
burned
An average OF only 800 feet OF lurn-
Der is used for each 1000 feet that stood
IN the forest And. year by year. through
careless cutting and fires. we lower the
capacity OF existing forests TO produce
their like again. or totally destroy them
The condition OF the worlds supply OF
timber makes us dependent upon what we
produce. We send out OF our country
one and one-half times as much timber
as we bring in. Except for finishing
woods relatively insignificant in quantity.
We must grow our own supply or go
without.
Mr. McHarg is quoted as saying that
the attempt TO conserve the timber BY
limiting the cutting viii never work out.
In this connection the following fact is
sufficient; The Forest Service is selling
yearly from the national forests about
100000 worth OF mature timber. This
timber Is purchased by lumber men at the
market price. Within the past month
applications TO purchase over 100000
feet, board measure. have been received
from lumber men.
Charge Is Untrue.
Now, as 70 the charge that this service
Is concealins facts regarding our timber
supply. This charge is untrue in all its
parts both as to the existence OF such
facts and also as 10 their concealment
That this baseless charge should be made
By public servant in high Office Is
against the public interest and democrat
izing 20 the public service. II Mr.. Nc
Harg's statement is true. he will. in his
own interest and in the public interest
establish its truth conclusively, and at
once.
i shall gladly cooperate with him IN
lending all aid possible in an investipa-
ton Of the records of this service. The
records Of the Bureau of the Census
ard the Bureau Of Corporations he can
command without my cooperation. II
Mr.. McHarg's statement is untrue
through error, he will in his own in
terest and in the public interest so state
and at once"
Regarding Mr.. McHarg's ridicuIe OF the
statement that there are combinations of
water power, Mr.. Price said:
This service is deeply concerned in
the growing concentrations OF water DOW
or, since within national forests are now
er sites IN part utilized and IN mart not
yet utilized. with the regulation Of whose
use in the public interest the Forest. Sery-
ice is charged. Mr. AfcHarg's statement
in this connection is directly at variance
with statements from the message OF
President Roosevelt OF January Is. 1909
70 the House OF Representatives. vetoing
q bill for the construction of a dam
across the James River In Stone County.
No.
In taking issue with the principles
and practices of conserving forests and
water power, as well as with the facts
gained by the Federal government re-
garding them. Mr.. McHarg is directly
at variance with the conservation policies
OF the President and Of ex-President
Roosevelt"
Killed in Runaway.
Fairmont. w. Va, Aug. IS. - Edward
Wilson. an aged resident Of Robinsons
Run. this county. was killed yesterday in