Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1914-07-13
Control of Standing Timber SpeculatiyeIy
Held by a Few Men Are Facts That viii
Become Important Elements In Determine
ing Price OF Lumber.
1884 TIMBER OWNERS HOLD
LARGE AREA IN THE u. S.
Two Men Hold az Per Cent. OF Timber II
Southwestern Washington, Five Men, SO
Per Cent In Western 0regon.-0ther
Large Percentages.

hahuS oi u lew owners y discussed al
length in the second and third parts Of N.
report OF the Bureau of Corporations on
the Lumber Industry. submitted To Prcsi-
dent Wilson today by Commissioners Davies.
Two men hold 40 per cent Of the timber
IN Southwestern Washington, the report
says five men held 36 per cent in Western
Oregon; six have 10 per cent in northeast
ern California; ten nave more than half IN
the redwood area, and in north central
Idaho four holders have 30 per cent.
"Thc control of our standing timber in
a comparatively few enormous holdings.
speculatively held far in advance Of any
use thereof, and the great increase in the
value Of timber, resulting in part from
such speculative holding. are underlying
facts that will become more and more inn
portant elements IN determining the price
of lumber a. the supply Of timber dimin-
ishes,' says the report.
"The main fact shown j. that 1914 tim
Der owners hold in fee over one-twentieth
of the land area Of the entire United States
from the Canadian to the Mexican border.
In many states these 1894 own no lands
at all. In the 900 timbcreci counties IN
vestigatcd they own onc-scvcnth Of the
area.
"The>e 1864 holders own lO5. 600 900
acres. This j. an area four-iifths the size
OF France; or greater than the entire state
OF California or more than two and one
half times the land area o. the six New
England States. Sixteen holders own H.
10000 acres, or nearly ten times the land
area of New Jersey. Three land grant rail
roads " enough TO give ID acres to every
male Of voting age in the . western states
almost all their holdings lie.
"Not all this land j. suitable for agri
culture. In the South ana in the Lake
States, and in part of the West a large
portion of 1t can be used for agriculture
after the timber j. removed: but in many
parts Of the West land j. mountainous and
adapted chiefly 20 rcforestation Much OF
the railroad owned land outside the timber
regions Is arid or semi a
sin the Upper Peninsula of Michigan l5
per rent of the land j. held. mostly in fee.
by 81 timber owners. In Florida 81 hold
ers (mostly timber ownerSl hold onc-thiri
OF the land IN the entire state.
"Lavish land grants and loose. III en-
forced and laws are the historical back
ground of the concentration Of land and
timber ownership shown IN this report. \
study Of the present ownership y. T.y.u.nO0
acres of railroad. wagon road. aud canal
grant lands, covering most Of the granted
lands ia the map area, and q little else
where, shows that Of these particular lands
granted long ago to single corporations ap
p~arently with the idea that they would be-
quickly sold to settlers, only - per cent
are now distributed IN small huidins~.
Eighty-hve per cent are owned bv the
grantees or their SUCCESSORS. or ~ large
timber holders. OF -. 5uO.00 acrc~ grant
ed 10 three western railroads in the six
ties. the roads still retained 40 per cent.
in 1910.
Moreover, the States appear To have
disposed Of the IA riou~ federal grants
made To them ia such a way az to coniri-
butte to the concentration ~ hand and tim
her ownership. Florida j. y striking exam
Pile of this. Again ihr pnhtic land law~. the
cash sale law tnoN rcfe ,,cil. ihr scrip
laws, and the HONE q and timber ari
stone laws operated. d, lcl-. a tiuihcr rr
gions, to transfer government hnd~ di-
rectly to great holder.
"Ninety- eight per cent 81 the ] 5uu. 1lo
ncrcs comprised IN the Iar@c~. timber bold
lng in the lake states was acquired IN Il
wholesale manner, chiefly from tracts dis
posed OF by the government through grant
To the state or under the scrip and the cash
sale laws.
"This marked concentration III iie own
crship of land has two important aspects
The first J. the concentration 81 control Of
the natural resources. other than agrirul-
tural in the area comprised IN these grra.
holdings. Besides it, timber now standing
part of the land must be- depended on. to-
gcther with the national forests. to supply
future crops Of timber. Furthermore. some
of il has valuable resources of Ores. oil.
gas, water power. etc.
s'The second j. the possibility u ~ these
holdings, which viii form n considerable
proportion Of the future area n.,d for Az
riculture in this country. MAY he retained
under concentrated control. Formerly
lumbermen often got rid Of their cut over
land III nominal prices or LEI II 70 for taxes
Bat as the agricultural possibilities Of such
land have become apparent this policy j.
being abandoned. A large part of the pres,
ent cut-over land J. now Of con>idcrabl,
value for tillagc. That part Of the prc~cni
timbcrland which when deauded will be ar.
able. viii have a higher md higher value
a. land the longer the timber Is kept IN