The evening herald. (Klamath Falls, Or.) 1906-1942, 1912-01-02
FEDERAL TIMBER SALE
BASED ON RULING PRICE
Government Adycrtiscs for Bids for
large Hody OF Wood In Tahoe Ma.
tional Forest With Terms Which
Inauguratc New Departure

The government is advertising for
bids on n large body OF timber on the
Tahoe National forest, in California,
with an oifer OF terms which lnaugu-
rate an important departure from the
policy OF the past.
About $4,000, 900 board feet OF saw
timber Is offered for sale, with ten
year period for the removal OF the
timber. The national forests contain
n vast supply OF M mcrchantable timber,
estimated at the equivalent OF over
500. 900 100000 feet board measure.
great part OF which is ripe for the
axe, or already oyer-mature. In many
cases. however. the purchaser has to
make 4 very heavy initial investment
IN transportation facilities. To have
this pay he must be able to figure on
a large operation, requiring number
OF years TO carry through.
The timber sale policy OF the forest
service recognizes that. In view of the
general upward tendency OF stumpage
prices. long contracts based on present
prices would be n strong incentive TO
speculation, and might turn out 10 be
highly dlsadyantageous 10 the public.
To protect the public. as consumers,
against monopoly prices and also
against exhaustion OF local supplies
through over cutting, sales OF timber
are carefully proportloned TO the ex-
isting supply and demand and sales
to small purchasers. who are vastly
In the majority, are encouraged. To
protect the public. as owners, against
sales at what may prove to be too low
price, II has been the policy In the
past TO allow no operations extending
over more than five years. A plan
has. however, row been devised for
allowing longer operations. with q
periodic reyl5ion Of the stumpage
rates.
Al the end OF the first five years of
the Tahoe sale the price to be paid
for the timber cut In the following
Ave years will b. determined by the
prices ~ lumber which have ruled In
the locality during the preceding year
Since II Is recognized that present
atumpage prices are rather high In
proportion to present lumber prices
/! lumber prices do not show an in.
crease Of SO per 1000 feet the stump,
age price will not be changed. Or
any increase above So per 1000
three-fourths Of the amount OF the in,
crease may be added to the stumpagj
price.
The Tahoe sale will call for the con,
structlon OF twenty miles OF railroad
which viii be a common carrier, and
therefore decidedly beneficial TO the
community-another reason for max
Ing the sale which Is taken into ac
count A minimum price OF $3.50 pei
1000 feet for yellow pine, the amount
OF which Is estimated at $4,000, ,0OC
feet, and also for sugar pine, and oI
81 per 1000 fest for all other species
Is specified In the advertisement. Tn,
Interest which has been shown by
lumber men In this sale leads the For,
est officers to believe that one or more
bids will undoubtedly be received
The usual conditions OF cutting ma.
tional forest timber, to insure re-
newal OF the forest and close utllIza-
tion OF what is cut, will be Incorporat.
ed In the contract OF sale.
That national forest timber Is In
Increasing demand Is evidenced by the
fact that over 100000 feet were
sold during the year which ended on
June 80, 1911, as against less than
575.ooo,00O feet the previous year
The current year Is likely to show o
still higher total.