The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1912-04-02

tree, ana winch is so rigid and direct
that fire slash and dead timber can
not be removed nor defective trees
cut out, roads cannot be built nor
good trails constructed swamp lands
cannot be flooded to store water for
power, camp sites cannot be leased
for the use of the many thousands
| for whom it should be made easy to
enjoy the benefits the North Woods
can give. Indeed, under this provi-
sion of the Constitution, well-to-do
sportsmen and the rich owners of
camp sites on private land have a
substantial monopoly in the actual
use of lands and waters which be-
long to all the people.
what it can to prevent fires on both
State and private land, and doing it
well, but destruction by fire will never
be held in check until bad methods
OF logging stop making fire-traps on
privately owned lands in the Adiron-
dacks. An uncut or well-cut forest
in the North Woods is very hard to
burn; forest badly numbered is a
fire-trap. Unless the present practice
on some of these private lands is
discontinued, the whole area of the
North Woods, including the State
lands, will sooner or later be threat
ened with destruction Much of the
State land had been cut over before
it was purchased, and so is cove
cred with dead and down logs and
brush-an invitation to fires. 1t is
essential to control fire on private
lands if the property of the people of
New York is to be saved. Fire is no
respecter of property lines.
The fires of the last ten years have
been more destructive and extensive
than ever before, while the number of
small trees cut on some of the priv
ately owned tracts has steadily in
creased as the timber became more
valuable. In a word, both fire and
bad logging have increased in the last
few years, while the people of the
State, uniformed for the most part
OF what was boing on, have put forth
again and again the most vigorous
efforts in what they supposed were
effective attempts to preserve the Adj
rondacks.
The case of the Brooklyn Cooperage
Company, subsidiary of the Sugar
Trust, furnishes an example in point
While the Sugar Trust itself was busy
defrauding the people by false weights
at the southern end of the State, at
The north the Cooperage Company was
doing injury by the needless vadalism
Of its methods of logging. In addi-
lion to the destruction of the forests
by the reckless methods of logging,
figures compiled in the office of the
New York Conservation Commission
show that already more than twenty
eight thousand acres of the land
owned or controlled by this company
las been burned over. Yet the COM
'any has refused to take simple pre-
cautions suggested by the Conserva-
ion Commission.
The Adirondack question, however,
S not limited to fire alone. 1t is well
nv he ae
lied countries that the maintenance
II mountain forests at the head-wat-
rs OF important streams is a public
iuty, whether these forests are in
'ublic or private hands. Even Switz-
'rland, the most democratic of all
Iatlons. controls by law the handling
II private timber lands above a GER
AIN elevation in the Alps, and prac-
lcally all of the civilized nations of
europa recognize that the ownership
i mountain forests carries with it
to the public. With us
estructiye logging on the same tyne
I land, privately owned, goes on un-
hecked In the end, the people of
he State will have to bear the bur
en- and make good the loss which
ONE OF the lumbermen are now in
letting upon them.
What has the State, for its part
one for the lumbermen?
State taxes on New York forest
'nds are negligible in amount. Over
nd over again, the power and re-
ourees of the State haye been put
the service of the lumbermen to
acure water storage on State lands
n the floating Of their logs to mar
ct. Fire protection, which else
here is paid for in part or in whole :
the private timber land owners. a
in New York carried on wholly g
the public expense. SO far is this il
w an. r.