Daily Kennebec journal., 1914-03-04
kENNEBEc c. V. p. A.
Continued from Page One)
Vice Pres, William j, Lanigan Of

NlCt lcs.y w iiii1AA ~ A~oAAAs0h "a
Waterville.
Sec.-Treas.. F. H. Colby of Bingham.
Board of directors, E. P. Viles. w. j.
Lanigan of the HollingsWorth & Whit
ney; ]. F. Philippi of the Great
Northern Paper Co: r. l.. Marston of
the Coburn Heirs, Inc: S. w. Phil
brook of the Coburn Lands.
F. H Billiard, representing the
Billiard Mills Co. of New Hampshire,
WAS present and gave very interest
Ing talk upon the work which SINH
lar association is doing in our sister
state. He spoke in particular of the
necessity of collecting accurate data
which will help both the large and
small owner in fire protection.
After the meeting the company ad-
journed to the banquet hall. The bill
of fare included many delicacies, all
of which did great credit to Landlord
w. T. Emerson of the house.
Blaine S. Viles.
President Z. p. Viles acted as toast
master at the postprandial exercises.
The speaker of the evening was State
Land Agent and Forest Commissioner
Blaine S. Viles. who spoke as follows:
Mr. Toastmaster and Gentlemen:
TT is a pleasure for me to attend
this representative gathering of men
who are interested in the protection
of the forests of the State of Maine
a gathering of practical business men
to whom forest protection is prac-
tical proposition and one to be ham
died in a businesslike manner.
,y-,f n q
Nearly three-quarters of our area or
more than $4,000 acres is CLASSIFIED as
forest land. These forests are composed
of useful trees we'll suited to the needs
of our people. Here of old came the
builders of the Kings navies for ma
terials. Here were located tie first
savmills of the country. In this area
TODAY are thousands of men who earn
their living in the lumber Industry.
Towns and communities depend upon
this business for support. The annual
cut Of timber in the State is nearly
one billion feet: the value of the logs
at the mills is perhaps twelve million
dollars: the value of the inanufactur-
ed product exceeds twenty million dol
lars and large communities benefit
from the manufacture of the products
of the forest.
Among our sister states. Maine
ranks third in developed water pow
er. These powers are the backbone OF
the industrial life of the State. They
are protected and regulated by the for
est in the watersheds of the rivers
This function of the forest in regulat-
ing flow is easily determined If we eX-
anime the runoff of barren hillside
where water is discharged as soon as
IL falls causing floods and erosion OF
the coil If the watershed of river
is forested the discharge of water is
gradual and the fiotiw of the stream
consequently well regulated and OF
pure water
But not only for the lumber that
they yield or the waterpowcrs that
they protect are the Forests of Maine
of value, for they have a further and
perhaps greater value as the play
ground of the nation. Our 1900 lakes
are dotted with camps, hotels and
cottages where 100000 people from
away pass their annual vacation. In
the fall our people and those from
beyond our borders go to the woods
of Maine to hunt 1t is estimated that
the fish and game interests or the
State bring in 35 million dollars an
nually. This revenue is of material
advantage for 1t is distributed among
the transportation companies. the ho-
tel and camp proprietors. the mer-
chants, the farmers, the registered
guides and others.
and the forests of this State be-
ing so valuable in every way must be
great conservation question with which
protected and conserved. 1t is the
we have to deal and effects not only
our prosperity but the welfare of those
who are to come. AS far as the for
ests and all their dependent interests
are concerned the all important mat
ter at the present time is protection
from fire 1t is true that our forests
are threatened by insects and other
destructive influences but the great
est danger is from fire.
Forest fire protection is handled in