The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1913-01-20
FOREST LAND
CONCENTRATION
IS NEEDED
Continued From Page One.)

ly important suits for forfeiture of eN-
tensive timberlandS have been brought
by the government on the ground OF
non-fulfillment of conditions imposed
in the grants by which these lands
were a1ienated from the public do
main. For these reasons, it would APP
! pear, therefore,, that the government
may later be able materially to
strengthen it's relative position as a
timber owner.
Holding Forests Safe.
The facts set forth in this report
clearly point to the desirability of
maintaining the integrity of the ma
tional forests and of extending to
other publicly owned timber, includ-
ing forests in Alaska and timherlands
that may be recovered in forfeiture
suits now pending or subsequently, in
stituted by the government, the cardi-
nal principle of the national forest
policy. namely, the retention of the
fee to such lands at least until the
timber is removed. Decision will then
have to be made between retaining
such lands for reforestation and dis
posing of the surface for agricultural
purposes. II SttlliS tltd1, liclt tl,
that the fundamental principle to be
followed in the sale of the timber it
self is that the terms of sale should
be such as to insure to the public
treasury substantially the full stump
age value at the time that such tim
Der shall be actually cut"
In the summary of the report pre-
~viously published, the her commits
sioner of corporations, Herbert Knox
Smith, set forth that the Southern
Pacific company is the greatest pri-
Vate holder Of timber in the United
States, controlling 106, 900, 000, 600 feet;
the Weyerhaeuser Timber company,
with 5000, 900, O00 feet, the second
largest, and the Northern Pacific
Railway company, with $4,000, 000, 900
feet, the third. Going further in de-
tail the full report declares that the
following five interests control in the
aggregate 102, 900, 600, 900 feet of tim
Der, practically all located in the Pa
cific northwest: Companies ON
trolled by Charles A. Smith of Mime
apolis, Thomas b. Walker of Mime
apolis, concerns in. which N.
Wheeler and w. r. Wheeler of En-,
deavor, Pa, are the chief stockhold
ers; companies in which the A. B
Hammond company of New Jersey i:
the principal interest; and the tim,
Der interests of the Chicago, MilWau-
kee & Puget Sound Railway companS
Subsidiary to the Chicago, milwaukee,
& st. Paul Railway company.
After enormous sales, the commits,
sioncr points out hat the Southern
Pacific, the Northern Pacific and the
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe own to,
gether SO. 500, 900 acres of timberet
and n~on-timbered lands, an area a.
large as England.
h Amalgamated Copper company
Mr.. Conant adds, owns over 1000, O0i
acres of timberland and more thar
100, 900 acres of nOn-timbered land, al
in Montana, and Thomas b. Walker
personally owns $50, 600 acres in Cali,
fornia.
Prices to Rise.
Despite the great increase in stump
age values in recent years, Commits
aloner Conant foresees a growing
rise In prices because Of the dimin-
ishcd lumber supply and increasing
population. Mr.. Conant takes SHARP
issue with suggestions, amounting, he
says to almost a propaganda at the
present time, that the price of stump
age should equal the cost of growing
trees. The idea, he adds. seems in
credible when it Is considered that
standing timber is the free gift Of ma
ture, requiring from scores to hun
dreda of years for its growth. The
proposal, brought forth in the name
of conservation and seized upon by
some lumbermen, he continues, lis a
proposal, deliberately to hasten the
evil which conservation ought to mod
erate-the vii of excessive prices
Taken in connection with the ~increas-
ing concentration of timber control.
he says. the proposition is a matter
OF grave concern to the consumer Of
lumber.
In advocating an extension of gov
eminent ownership of forest lands,
J the commissioner points to the fact