The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-08-29
FOREST SERVICE
 ABLY DEFENDED Mir. Price Declares That No Facts Have Been Concealed CHARGES ARE BASELESS Attack of MT. McHarg Is Bitterly Re- scented By Mr. Price, Assistant
 Forester, Who Stands Up
 For the Bureau.
CHARGES ARE BASELESS

Washington, August 2S.-"Untrue in all it's parts, both as to the existence of such facts and also as to their coneealment." Such was the response of Associate For ester Price, to the charSe made by As sistant Secretary McHarg of the depart ment of commerce and labor that the for estry bureau is concealing facts regard ing the American timber supply. This characterization of Mir. McHarg's asser- tions formed part of a general statement in reply by MT Price. That this baseless charge should be made by a public serv- ant in high office is,' said MT. Price, against the public interest and demoral- izing to the public service. If MT. Me- Hargs statement is true he will in his own interest and in the public interest establish it's truth conclusively and at once. l shall gladly cooperate with him in lending all aid possible in an invest ment of the records of this seryice The records of the bureau of census and of the bureau of corporations he can com mand without any cooperation. If MT. McHarg's statement is untrue he will in his own interest and in the public inter- est, so state, and at once"
 Declaring 1t to be deplorable and sig nificant, that the Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Labor, if he be quoted correctly, should select this time of all others to make a statement which inn pugns the integrity of the forest service,' Mir. Price declared that "it is against the sum of human experience, and is dis proved not merely by records here, but by those of two bureaus of the depart ment over which Mir McHarg presides."
 Harvest of Fires.
 Continuing, he said We take from our forests each year, not counting the loss by fire, three and a half times their yearly growth. We take 40 cubic feet per acre for each 12 cubic feet grown; we take 620 cubic feet per capital while 25 cubic feet. Since 1890 forest fires have each year destroyed an average of $5O,- 000,000 worth of timber
 "The young growth destroyed by fire is worth far more than the merchantable timber burned. An average of only 39O feet of lumber 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 for ests to produce their like again, or totally destroy them. The condition of the worlds supply of timber makes us de- pendent upon what we produce. We send out of our country one and a half times as much timber as we bring in. Except for finishing woods. relativesly insignif- cant in quantity, we must grow our own supply or go without"
 Contrary to MT McHarg's assertion that logging Is impossible under the forestry regulations, MT. Price said:
 Value of Forests.
 'The forest service is selling yearly from the national forests about $1,000,000 worth of mature timber This timber is purchased by lumbermen at the market price, Is logged under regulations of the forest service which prescribes that only designated trees be cut; that brush be disposed of as safeguard against forest fires, and that young growth be protect ed in logging. Within the past month ap- plications to purchase over 150,000,0o0 feet board measure, have been received from lumbermen, many of whom are already purchasers of national forest timber, all of whom are thoroughly familiar with the method with which 1t must be cut"
 MT Price also referred to MT. Mc- Hargs ridicule of the charge that there exist combinations to control water power sites, saying:
 'The forest service is deeply concerned in the growing concentrations of water power, since within national forests are power sites. in part utilized and in part not yet utilized, with the regulation of whose use in the public interest the for est service is charged. MT. McHarg's statement In this connection is directly at variance with the message of President Roosevelt of January 15, 1909, to the House of Representatives vetoing a bill for the construction of a dam across the James y-ivar In Sf0pa countv NTissouriu