New-York tribune., 1910-05-09
THE NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.

that in many instances he appears to have
been acting under the direction of his
s,iperiors in washington. aid sometimes
under the immediate direction of Mr..
Pinchot Mr.. Branif's first step was to
cause the erection of lumber mill and
accessories at a cost of s25i,fo0. and with
an alleged capacity of 100000 feet OF
lumber year. The law authorized the cut
ting of only 1000 600 feet a year, but that
purely legal Limitation Mr.. Eranif or his.
superio-s doubtless overlooked. A mill
capable Of cutting 2o,o000o0 feet g. year
should not have cost more than S25.o0o
The Indians lost the difference.
A SIMPLE ERROR-This costly mill Mr..
Braniff erected on narrow point of land,
with a stream on one side and marsh on
the other. No provision was made for the
space necessary to pile the manufactured
lumber That defect was, when discovered,
rernedied by creating lumber. yard in the
marsh which was accomplished by driv-
ing piling at q cost Of S5e,001 1t was not
until later that Mr. Branif discovered that
all the lumber stored on piing over the
marsh with the exception of hemlocll, so
deteriorated from the absorption of moist
ure as to be practically unstable at the
market price. Incidentally, Mr. Branif
made the error of using In the construc-
ton Of this yard s32, 900 worth of lumber of
kind which will have to be replaced with
in four or FIVE years.
STREAM IMPRovEMENT.-It was per-
haps due to desire on the part of his su-
periors to make as excellent record for
stream improvement as the Geological Sur
hot Tod
Mr.. Braniff to expend $4,000 for the Pinchot
and other dams and for the Improvement
of two streams in order TO float his logs to
market or the MILL when practical luna-
bermen declare 5000 would have been
amply sufficient. Or perhaps he did not
know just how much he was expending, for
the bookkeeper Of the reservation declares
that the superintendent refused to permit
him to open a regular set Of books but
directed him when certain bills would
come in which could not be accounted for
under other heads TO charge same to
stream improvements.
GOOD ROADS.-The Forest Service and
its superintendent also did their share 10
promote the good roads movement. Mr.
Braniff expended 900 for the improve
ment of roads on the reservation and to a
railroad-"made boulevard" is the way
Coulter describes it-and it is further de-
clared by the experts that this expenditure
was wholly unnecessary. There was road
there which had served every purpose for
years. Mr.. Pinchot says this road was
highly important for the use of the Indians,
but Mr.. Coulter says Mr.. Pinchot must have
been misinformed, as less than one dozen
Indians reside on the western part of the
reservation, to which this road is trtbu-
tary."
THEY WOULDN'T FLOAT.-Perheps
the saddest experience Mr.. Braniff had was
when he found his logs wouldn't float.
After making these valuable stream i'm
provements which rendered his streams like
the canals of Venice, he dumped in his logs.
and 65 per cent either went to the bottom
lcse large percentage of their value. The
birch maple and soft elm went TO the bot
tom, and the Eastwood lost from s3 to SIG
a thousand in value. That was a sad dis
covery. after spending s5e.000 on stream
improyement-but then poor Lo paid the
cost.
ENOUGH SAID-This painful narrative
which should be headed The Biunders of g
Doctrnaire,' could be continued almost in
definitely. Numerous details of Impractical
purchases and wasted funds could be ado
ed But enough has been said to tell the
tale and all that is here stated is vouched
for by experts charged with the duty Of in
vestigating this extraordinary tranSae etion.
and is to be found in official publications
and in some instances is testimony given
under oath. As has been said, the con-
tract which confded the administration of
the forests on the Indian reservations IL
the Forest Service has now been cancelled.
G. G.. II.