Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-01-03

of the great natural resources of the
State is a subject of constant dis
cusSion, and one in which / feel that
all the people are much interested.
Our lumber and pulp business COM
prises more than one-half of our
manufacturing. A great many of the
towns and cities depend almost Who'll
ly upon the forests, and our cotton
and wooden mills also depend upon the
water power. So we can see that the
first great asset of the State is the
forest. land. A river which fails for a
part of the year to furnish water
suitable for water power, is of COM
paratively small value to one that is
constant the year round. Rivers and
streams may have large lakes and
! ponds behind them which can be
damned and large amount of water
held in reserve to be let out in times
of drought, but the real and substan-
tial water storage lies in the forest
lands; and as soon as they are cut off
so that they furnish no protection or
shade from the rays of the sun, then
will the real water storage be di-
| minished, and the rivers may become
practically useless as sources of water
power.
The problem is to use as evenly as
possible every day in the year the
forty-two inches of rainfall we have
annually. | insist that the first
requisite is the preservation of the
forests from destruction by fire, and
the next the regulation of the amount
of cutting done upon the forestlands.
The best methods of modern forestry,
looking TO the preservation of the for
ests, is that of cutting only such tim
Der as is antable-spruce and
pine. down to trees that are twelve
inches, breast high, and not smaller;
and the corporal lions which own large
areas of land and require a large an
nual product for the supply of their
mills, looking to the future as we'll as
to the present. cannot afford to cut
their timber in any other way If
properly handled along these lines.
they may expect the natural growth of
the timber to supply their mills for
many years to come. But there are
good many small owners of wild
lands in the State, for which lands
they are often in debt, who feel OBJ
liged to cut sufficient timber. large or
small, to meet their financial require
ments; and ii is through such owner
ship as this that the great danger of
destruction to our forests may be ex
pected, and the consequent decrease
in the value of our water power re-
sulting therefrom. Among the bur-
denS which such owners have to meet
and of which they expect to be re-
lieved from the resources of such for
ests, is the tax: and after a long and
careful study of this subject in con-
nection with the facts as they actual
~ exist, and as | have found them
from a more or less personal knowi-
edge of the business of numbering, and
of the forests, | am convinced that the
best method of taxation is that which
will tend to preserve our forests, and
/ believe if we could have substituted
in the place of the tax we now have,
very small charge upon the forest
lands and an income tax upon the
product annually taken from it, that
this would tend, more than any other
thing, to increase the growth and
preservation of the poorer forest ter
ritory in the State. e
Now, ] am not saying this as one
interested in wild lands, because the
tax on the wild land owner would
probably be increased over what it is
today. but the tax on the small owner
who must get his money out of the
timber to meet his expenses, including
taxes, would be somewhat lessened.
1t is probable that a greater revenue
would be derived from the State, than
is now derived under the present sys
tenn of wild land taxation. 1t is, in
principle, no different from the tax
now assessed against the gross earn
ings of railroad companies. For the
future of our State and the great
business asset of water power devel-
opment of the future, l feel compelled
to make this suggestion, although L
realize that by so doing l may subject
myself to personal criticism on &C
count of my personal interest in for
est lands. But / am sure if anyone
will examine the question, impartially
and without prejudice. in the light of
knowledge and experience, such as |
have had, that they would come to the
same conclusion. 1t is important that
this matter be attended to without
further delay | am sure that Il know
of many pieces of land today which
under the present laws the owners
are planning to denude and make
worthless for several generations to
come, both as timberlands and as
holding ground for water; whereas, if
only nominal tax was assessed
against them, they would be permitted
to grow and become valuable forest
land again. rr.q ~ 81
Instead of opening the door to the
State Treasury, as is being proposed
by some, for the sale of such lands to
the State to constitute a forest
preserve for the growing of timber
and the storage of water, which to my
mind opens an avenue of great ex-
travagance, L believe it is much better
to leave all our wild lands as they are
today, in the hands of private owners,
with the right reserved as it now is,
to everybody to go upon them for
hunting and fishing. recreation and
pleasure, which makes of them a
great natural park, in which all of the
people have great benefits and great
interests. The great asset of fish and
game in these parks which brings
millions into our State annually, is n
source of wealth, and their proper
regulation and care is of very much
more importance to my mind than