The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1910-08-12

troops IN these four states to cooper.
ate with the forest service in lighting
forest fires. where million dollars
in property is being destroyed. The
season is unusually dry and fires are
raging in many localities. l indorse
this request"
Spokane, Wash, Aug. 8.-President
Taft, as commander-in-chief of the
army, and Secretary of War Dickinson
have been requested by the Western
Pine Manufacturers Association, Of
which ]. P. McGoldrick of Spokane is
president, acting in behalf OF timber
owners, lumbermen and settlers in the
Northwestern and Pacific states, to sta
ton government troops in the national
forest reservations from May l to Sep
TENDER of each year, to the end that
the timber resources of the United
States may be saved from destruction.
THE fire losses in the forests in the
Western states during the last sixty
days will amount to at least $3.50, OOO,-
0G0," said George M. Cornwall Of Port
land, Ore, who presented a resolution
embodying the foregoing at the semi
annual meeting of the association,
"and it is likely that in addition mil
lions of dollars worth of timber will
be destroyed during this and next
month unless heavy rains come before
the end of the dry season"
Statistics compiled by A. w. Cooper,
secretary OF the Western Pine Manu-
facturers' Association, show that fully
SO per cent of the standing timber in
the United States is located in Wash
ington, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and
California, where fire patrols are main
tanned by lumbermen's associations
and the state departments. These,
however, are inadequate to cope with
the fire element.
There exists grave menace to
standing timber In the national for
ests on account Of fire." Mr.. Cornwall
said in discussing the use Of troops
in fire fighting and prevention, land
this carries with it heavy losses OF
life and valuable property.
There are stationed at various
posts in the United States thousands
Of disciplined men, known as govern
ment troops, who could be instructed
in the methods of fire fighting and pa
troll duty in the various forests, not
alone in the Northwestern and Pacific
states, but throughout the country
whnro fornsfs oYiSt
These forests require an adequate
patrol, regularly established and main
tanned during the so-called dry season.
from May to September. Forest fire
fighting is science and should be
taught to the troops as part OF the mil
itary tactics. Besides, no better en-
ployment could be found for the sol
diers than to utilize them as protect
ors Of life and property during the
part of the year when men are most
needed in the forests Of the country.
1--WE are hopeful that the president
of the United States and the secretary
of war will look upon our request as
a step in the direction of actual con-
servation of one Of the country's chief
resources, also that an order will be
issued to send the nearest troops into
the. national forests, which, in several
Of the Northwestern states, are not
unlike furnaces at the present time
In the Lolo national forest in West
ern Montana and Eastern Idaho more
than 600 900 900 feet Of white and vel
low pine timber is in the path Of fires,
and other districts In various parts OF
the Northwest are threatened. Repre-
sentatives Of timber companies return
ing to Spokane from Montana and
Idaho say that the fire lines are from
eight to ten miles in extent 10 numer-
GUS places.