The chronicle=news., 1913-04-08
MORE NATIONAL
FOREST TIMBER
FOR SALE

WASHINGTON. Apfil N.-Ihe foftht
Service. has inst begun To ndvcriis.
III. twelfth large lot nf National
Forest timber offered for sale with
| In the past nine months. Altoscth-
cr II hns advertised sine. July /.
1879. the beginning of tn. present
fiscal year. about :.a6b. 600. 900 feet
and has closed contracts for the sale
Of .Io6. 100000 feet. Tn. latest
advertised sale is oi Approximately
:.0o0. .oo0 feet of saw timber in the
Rainier National Forest. about g.
miles from Tacoma.
In offcrin. National Forest timber
for sale the government first makes
an estimate OF the quantity OF tim
her on nm area which would natur-
ally form n single logging unit. and
which offers attractive opportunities
for the lumberman. The probnhl"
cost al logging and manufacturing
by capable lumbcrman Is then csi'-
mated. On the basis OF these csti.
mates combined with the figures for
market values aud frcish, charges
the timber II appraised and then ad-
vcriis.d for sale. with the appraised
value ~ II minimum price.
The minimum prices set for the
Rainier timber vary from 30 cents
to $3.50 per thousand feet. accord
Ing to the Kind Of timber. These are
stumpage pric"s-that Il. the pnr-
chaser buys the trees on the stump
aud does all the logging. hut pays
according to tn. hoard foot measure.
Of the logs. The government aims To
allow the manufacturer u liberal
profit on the basis that numbering
involves a good deal OF business
risk. and the minimum stumpae"
prices nrc fixed accordingly. Often
however. competitive bids raise the
price above the advertised minimum.
One OF the provisions or the con-
tract which the successful bidder for
tn" Rainier timber viii enter Into
will he that II market prices advance
materially the governments chief
forester may. after the sale has run
three Years. rrqu!r" Il reasonable re-
adjustment OF the stunpagc prices NJ
to an added 80 cents per thousand.
The object OF this stipulation Is TO
Prevent loss TO the Hovcrnmcnt--that
II. to the public-and an undu. pro-
lit to the purchaser through long
term contracts entered into on n ris-
Ing market. Provision against such
speculative profits Is regarded as cs-
pcciallv necessary In view of the
iong-tcr,n sales now sometimes made
to get purchasers for large bodies of
inaccessible timber.
For the Rainier sale the cutting
period allowed is only five years.
since the quantity OF timber involv-
sd--spproximately 100000 board
ia lnl
operation. One national forest sale
made this year was for 500 100000
board feet and the purchasers We're
allowed n cutting period OF twenty
two years besides u preliminary two
ycrs In which to build n railro,i.
Usually purchasers must begin op"r-
ating the year OF purchase and cut
Il stipulated amount each year.
The latter nroyision Is simply an
example OF n fundamental principle
that is applied in all national forest
timber sales. The primary object Il
described as being not profit for the
government but benefit to the pub
lie. Nowhere is the policy n strict
ly commercial one. The conditions
or cutting are carefully prescribed
from the standpoint OF present as
well as futur" needs. The highest
bid for the contract may be rejected.
aud is rejected il il appears that to
give the bidder the contract would
tend to facilitate timber monopoly
and so subjcc, the consumer TO q
hardship. In other words. the gov
ernmcnt forcstcrs consider that they
should not only make the forests
grow as fast us possible. hut also
make them MS useful as possible Z"
tn" public.