The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-07-13
TIMBER LANDS or NATION
IN HANDS OF FEW OWNERS
Control I'm Comparatively Small
Number OF Enormous Holdings
OF Growing Importance.
EFFECT on PRICE OF LUMBER
Data Obtained by Bureau of Cor
porations in Investigation OF In
dustry Not Sufficient for Study of
Land Problem as Whole.


OF timber lands In the United States
III the hands of few owners Is dis
cussed at length In tho second and
third parts of the report of the Bureau
of Corporations on the Lumber Indus
try. submitted to President Wilson to-
day by Commissioners Davies.
Two men hold 40 per cent Of the
timber in Southwestern Washington.
the report says: five men hold 81 per
cent III Western Oregon: six have 20
per cent In Northeastern California:
ten have more than half in the rcd
wood area, and in North Central Idaho
four holders have 80 per cent
The control OF our standing timber
In comparatively few enormous hold
inss. Speculatively held far In advance
OF any use thereof, and the great in
crease in the value of timber. result
inE in part from such speculative hold
ing, are underlying facts that will be-
come moro and more important, ele-
mcnts in determining the price of lum-
Der as the supply of timber diminishes"
says the report
The main fact shown is that i.694
timber owners hold i'm fee over one
twentieth of the land area of the en-
tire United States from the Canadian
10 the Mexican border. In many States
these 1.694 own no lands at all. In the
800 timbered counties investigated they
own one-seventh OF the area
THESE 1904 HOLDERS
OWN IOJ. 8OO,0OO ACRES
These 1,69i holders own lO5. 500, 900
acres. This is an area four-nfths the
size OF France: or greater Cian the
entire State OF California; or more than
two and one-half times the land area
Of the six New England States. Six.
teen holders own 4I,SG0.OOO acres. or
nearly ten times the land area Of New
Jersey Three lard-grant railroads
own enough To give fifteen acres TO
every male of voting age In the nine
Western States, where almost all their
holdings lie
Not all this land is suitable for agri-
culture. In the South and in the Lake
states and In part of the West Il large
portion of il can he used for aEricul-
ture aftcr the timber Is removed: but
I'm many parts of ;Ne West the land is
mountainous. and adapted chiefly to
reforcstation. Much of tho railroad
owned land outside the timber regions
is arid or scmlarid.
In the Upper Peninsula Of Michigan
40 per cent of the land is held. mostly
in fec, by thrty-two timber owners
In Florida ffty-two holders (mostly
timber owncrs) hold onc-third OF the
land in the entire State.
Lavish land grants and loose. ILL
enforced land laws are the historical
background of the concentration OF
land and timber ownership shown in
this report y study of the present
ownership of 100000 acres OF rail
road. wagon road. and canal grant
lands, covering most OF the granted
lands In the map area. and a little
elsewhere shows that OF these particu-
lar lands, granted long ago to single
corporations apparently with the idea
that they would he quickly sold TO
tributed in small holdings. Eighty
five per cont are owned by tho
grantees or their Successors, OF by
large timber holders. OF $4,000 600.
acres granted To three Western rail
roads in the COS, the roads still re
tnincd 40 per cent In 1910.
GOVERNMENT LANDS
no GREAT HOLDERS
Moreover, the States appear To have
disposed of the various Federal grants
made TO them in such II way AS to
contribute 10 the concentration OF land
and timber ownership Florida il ;,
striking example of this. Again the
public land laws. the cash sale law
inow repealed, the scrip laws and
the homestead. and timber and stone
laws operated, at least in timber re-
eioms 10 transfer government lands
holders.
Nncty-c eight per cent Of the &c.,
900 acres comprised in the largest
timber holding in the Lake states was
acquired in a wholesale manner. chief
~ from tracts disposed of by the gov
eminent through grants To the state
or under the scrip and the cash sale
laws
This marked concentration in the
ownership of land has two important
aspects. Tho first is the concentration
OF control Of the natural resources.
other Than agricultural in tho area
comprised in these great holdings Re
SIDES it's timber now standing, part OF
the land must he depended on. to-
%eIher with the national forests. to
supply future crops of timber. Furth-
ernore. some of it has valuable re-
sources OF ores. oil. gas. water power,
etc.
The second is the possibility that
these holdings, which will form q
considerable proportion of the future
area used for agriculture in this coun-
try. may be retained under concen-
trated control. Formerly luubermen
often got rid OF their cutoVer land at
nominal prices or let II 60 for taxes.
iiut as the agricultural possibilities of
Such land have become apparent. this
policy is being abandoned \ large
part OF the present cutovcr land is
now of considerable value FOR iillnge
That par; of the present tirubcrland
which, when dcnuded will he arabic.
VII nave higher and higher value as
land the longer the timber is kept
uncut because if the timber is held
for many years the land WHOM llv
dcnudcd. will be in greater demand
for agriculture. Such Il condition sug-
costs the following potential effects
upon the public: high prices for land
sold to settlers. increase of the ten
antry system. or direct farming by
ltrc. corporations"
DATA NOT SUFFICIENT
FoU COMPLETE STUDY
The data obtained by the bureau.
so far as land is concerned. are not
sufficient for Il study of the land prob
lem as n whole. They cover only one
class Of owncrs-tho timbermen-and
only part of the country. They show
conditions only at the time Of the in
Nestigation. and do not show wheth-
or the concentration IS Increasing or
decreasing. They are not typical OF
present conditions in agricultural com
munttics where the average size OF
holdings t., Of course. much smaller.
Though Incomplete these data are.
nevertheless. suggestive ANA worthy