The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1913-01-12

reference to any superior officer. Su-
pervisors ordinarily handle. timber
sales up to a value of about $500. 1t
is necessary, however, on account of
congressional restrictions, to advertise
every timber sale involving timber of
a value of 500 or more. The district
forester handles all large sales up to
a value of about $4,000 and only the
larger sales involving over 100000 are
referred to Washington for action.
Congress requires the forest service to
advertise timber and award it to the.
highest bidder and in no case to sell
it for less thar the actual market price.
No matter how deserving a particular
applicant for timber may be the forest
service is not authorized to sell it to
him at a stumpage price less than the
market price. 1t is oftentimes very de-
sirable to award the sales of timber to
local operators and small millmen
rather than to bring in outsiders. This
policy is followed so far as the cor
gressional limitations referred to will
permit.
Free Timber.
Statistics for the fiscal year ending
June 80, 1912, show that there We're a
total of 6,496 permits issued for free
timber to settlers, valued at s39,494,
involving a total of 1850 feet, board
measure. Twenty-eight per cent of
this amount was green timber. This
is an average. of about PIG families
provided for on each national forest.
In reality the average for some for
ests III a great deal higher than this
onn,,~, vr1, - %1, Is-;l, -l-r, %;,x,
Der is plentiful there are very few APP
plicants for free timber. AS a matter
of fact, some Of the district rangers
in eastern Montana, issue a great many
more permits than this in one season.
For the same period a total of 305,-
S5S, 900 feet, board measure, of timber
was sold, valued at $549,460. about
one-third of this material was green
and tWo-thirds lea timber. A large
amount of the dead timber was caused
by the forest fires of 1910. The total
cut during this period was los, Asa. 600
feet, board measure. valued at $685.
3G1; about 60 per cent was green tim
Der. The total number of sales was
1,420. OF this number 1,222, or about
SO per cent, were for amounts less
than 500 and only 3 per cent were for
amounts over $1,000. Some. of the
critics of the forest service have said
that the timber sale policy was rather
to favor the large operators. and to
play into the hands of the so-called
lumber trust. In view of the above
facts. showing h a Sc per cent of the
total numbe of sales made are to
small operators is sufficient answer to
such a criticism,
Special Permits.
Permits to occupy forest lands for
purposes of erecting cabins, sawmills,
summer hotels, road houses, and sim
liar purposes are all handled without
delay by the forest supervisors. Only
the water power permits and those of
similar character are referred to the
Washington office for consideration.
Issuance of permits for water power
are of sufficient Importance to the
public to justify the delay of forward
ing them to the highest officials of the
department for consideration before
the permits are issued.
Agricultural Lands.
The disposal of agricultural lands in
cluded within the. boundaries of the
national forests has perhaps caused
more criticism than any other of the
different phases of forest service work.
The segregation of agricultural lands
in national forests was authorized by
congress. June IL, 1906. This act pro-
vided that the secretary OF agriculture
should list for entry lands not needed
for public uses and which are chiefly
valuable for agriculture, There are SO
many opinions with regard to the ag-f-
culture value of land that 1t Is hardly
any surprise that considerable differ
ence Of opinion has ben found among