The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1911-02-22
LUMBER TRUST
Congressman Smith Warns Against |
In Making Report Oh Subject
A SUMMARY OF REPORT

Very Few Hands and He Finds
Speculative Holdings Far in :id
vance Of Any Use Thereof.
Concentration OF the control o:
cne standing timber in very fe"
hands, vasts speculative holdings
tar in advance OF any use thereof.
an enormous increase in the value
CT this diminishing naturai r"
source. with great profits 20 its own
e-s. and inCidcntly and equally
sinister land monopoly. and close
Is connected railroad domination
these are the findings reported 20
President Taft. by Herbert kaot
Smith. commissioner 0: corporations
IN tie first :nSta.men; OF hi. ions
awai;e,: report on The lumbe: indus
try Of the country.
The report was made public.
when submitted 10 Congress by
! lUe iOAAoIIA"t' "a 80
frs; comprehensive and nethodica!
/; investigation OF the amount OF and
Ownership of our standing timber.
! The repor; itself comprises 81 pTlt-
ed naccS. hu, Il s;.mmar: OF its cor
tents IS contained in = letter sub
mit;ad by Mr. Smith.
There are many great comh!na-
! lions in other industries. says the
romm:$Sioncr. whose formation is
.oui1.;c,e. In the lumber !nduS::.
on the orher hand the bureau now
finds in the making comb!na-
ton caused fundamentally. by q
long standing public policy.
In The last forty Years concen-
tration has so proceeded that l''
holders. man" interrelated. now have
practically one-half the privately
owned timber IL the Investigation
area. (Which contains 50 per cent
Of the whole This formidable
process OF concentration. in tim5e-
and in land. involves grave futur"
possibilities OF iEprc:nant monc2-
oIv. with far-rcaching consequences
20 society. il is now difficult 20 81
ticipate fully or 20 ovcrestin!ate
The foremost facts shown are:
First. the concentration cf 4 domi-
mating control OF our standing tin
Der in comparatively few enor-
nous holdings. steadily tending To-
wards 2 central control OF the lum-
Der industry: secondi:;. vast hold
ling OF timber land far in advance OF
any use thereof: third. an enormous
jincreas.. in the :aluc OF this dinlln-
fishing natural resource. with great
profits 10 its owners. This value.
bv the very nature o: standing tim
Der. the holder neither created nor
substantially enhances
/ These are the underlying facts d,
tremendous service 10 the public
welfare. They are primarily the re-
suits OF our public land policy. long
continued The laws that represent
that policy are sill largely opera
tive The past history and pr.s,Aa'
status OF our standing timber t':lv.
home upon us the impera;iv" ner"s-
sity Of revising our public policy tor
future management Of ali our re-
naming natural resources.
The commissioner then traces N"
interval during which timber land
passed from Government 10 private
ownership.
There is now left he continues.
IN Continenta! United States :.bcrt
ZOO billion board fee; Of Pirate =
owned standing timber. OF w-ica
il.1i7 billion is in the Investigation
area covered in great detail by the
bureau. This area includes - P"-
cifc Northwest. the Southern r're
region and the Lake States. and con-
.aiDs about 50 per cent OF all the
private timber OF the country. In
addition. there are about a%9 bill
lion feet in the national forests and
abou, 90 billion fee; on ether va-!-
ous private lands. Thus. the total
amount OF standing timber in Con
t;n.n:a. United States is about
$500 billion board feet.
! The present annual drain upon
The supply OF saw timber is about
50 billion feet; AZ this rate the
timber now standing. without allow
ancc for growth or decay. would last
only about vars.
.Th.. pr,Ser; commercial value OF
! privately owned standing timber in
m" coun,rr not including the val ="
.. the land. Is estimated AZ six bill
lion dollars Ultimately. the con-
sunaer will have 20 pay higher prices
for lumber. which will give this
timber ::.r greater value.
The commissioner declares the
holdings o: the Weie-haircs Timber
| Company. III. Southern and North
ern Pacific Companies. together are
c::S billion :...;. or nearly II pc-
cent Of all thr privately owned tim
Der o: ,h,. country
In the Southern pine rc-ion.
said the report. in taking Nd the
description OF ;inlh"r land. there
ar. e.; hlIion feet OF privately
Owned tim b.r Concentration in to-
.al timber :s mach less than in TN"
n-c:Gc Northwest; The" is. HOY
-. high concentration in TIL
rcore vaiEahi.. snaci"S. yellow ?in.