St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1911-02-22
TimberIand Problems.

Herbert Knox Smith, commission
er of corporations, has recently
transmitted to congress a report
upon the lumber industry in the
United States. Mr.. Smith in sum-
marizing his report says the fore
most facts shown are:
1. The concentration of a DOM
mating control of our standing tim
Der in a comparatively few enormous
holdings steadily tending toward
central control of the lumber indus
try.
2. Vast speculative purchase and
holding of timberland far in advance
of any use thereof.
3. An enormous increase in the
value of this diminishing natural re-
source, with great profits to it's own
ers. This value, by the very nature
of standing timber, the holder Meth
er created nor substantially en-
hances.
Forty years ago three fourths of
the timberlands were owned by the
public but now four-fifths of it is
owned by private parties. The
1902 largest holders of lumber now
own 88,OO0,O0O acres of land, as
compared with a vastly wider dis
tribution of public lands in nom
timbered agricultural sections. The
great bulk of it passed from govern
ment to private hands through (a)
enormous railroad, canal and wagon
road grants by the federal govern
ment; OBJ direct government sales
in unlimited quantities at $1.25 an
acre; (c) certain public land laws,
great tracts being assembled in spite
of the legal requirements for small
holdings.
= Much of the land given away or
sold at small compensation by the
government has increased greatly
in value. Here are some of the
examples: From SIS to $50 an
acre; 81 to $40; $40 to $3.50; 81 to
$13; 81 to $14O; 81 to $50. Specific
tracts have been sold first for $24,-
900, and later for 1888, 1000; $1O,-
600, and later $4,000; $24O 900,
and later $2,5OO,00O; $23, 700, and
later 100000; $4,000, and later
S1,125,OOO.
The commissioner deplores the
fact that the ownership of timber
lands has become SO concentrated
and that much of it is being held for
speculative purposes. Of course it
will be unfortunate for the country
to be forced to pay private parties
speculative profits and private own
ership will be much more difficult to
control in behalf of public interests
than publicly owned lands. The
concentration however is quite
natural and we believe largely eff
fected without fraud. At the time
| these lands were SO carelessly dis
posed of timber land was supposed
to be of very little value. Some pri-
vate individuals foresaw the value
of these lands and took them when
The only criticism of the govern
ment in this matter is that it has
failed to amend the laws so to pro-
tect the government in disposing of
lands which have increased so
nightly in value in the last quarter
of century.
Congress has just passed law
authorizing the establishment of
large government preserves in the
White and Appalachian mountains
and has appropriated 100000 a
year until 1915 for the purchase of
such lands. Here the government
will have to pay for all the increase
of value while these lands were held
by private parties but if it would
amend the laws for the disposition
of its timberlands to correspond with
present conditions it might get
enough more money to pay the ex-
pense. of establishing the new re-
serves.
the Boston and Maine railroad has
purchased a controlling interest in
the Rutland railroad on the western
side of Vermont and announces that
velop a larger traffic from Canada
and the west to Boston. That was
what Mr.. Mellen was working for
when the Boston and Maine asked
| the legislature for a charter to con-
struct double track road through
Brattleboro to the Massachusetts,
line. Several of the senators from
the east side of the state voted
against this charter and defeated the
Boston and Maine in it's efforts to
make its line of road through eastern
Vermont its main line from Montreal
and Quebec to Boston and New York.
Now Mr.. Mellen has his line and the
! eastern side of Vermont still
wonders if it was well served in the
recent contest.