Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1915-01-15


Appropriations for lands
expended .............. STAG, O27.4S
Income from swamp lands
reinvested in other lands 272, 781. %
Total ................ $41S. sos. 10
Amount due on lands re-
naming unpaid because
of question pending be-
fore supreme court) 80. .$13O,817.35
There has been expended for i'm
provements $121, 522.6O, making a total
investment for the state of $671,148,-
IS since the organization of the de-
partment, exclusive of the cost of SUI
pervision and planting. The state for
ester reports that approximately 1000
acres of land have been replanted and
that the average cost is $4.98 per
acre. and that the output of the states
forest nurseries will be sufficient to
plant about 1000 acres per year, the
cost Of which will approximate SIS per
acre.
It can be urged to be a moral obliga-
ton to future generations to replace
this valuable natural resource with
which our state was so abundantly
supplied. However, it seems perfectly
clear that the obligation rests upon the
national government. / believe it
would be manifestly unfair to tax so
small political unit as the state of
Wisconsin for the purpose of produc-
ing resource that will in the end be
for the benefit of the people at large.
AS a business proposition it should
not appeal to us. We have had suff1-
cient experience to convince us that
the annual cost is large and that the
investment which has already reached
a large sum will continue to grow
rapidly in sums that will burden the
taxpayers. There is diversity Of
opinions among experts and practical
men as to the time required to produce
tree that can be converted into mer-
charitable timber. The estimates run
from fifty to 100 years. 1t should not
require much argument to convince
anyone that business proposition
which cannot possibly pay any returns
for a period of from fifty to 100 years
is not attractive, and is, as matter
of fact, an unwise investment. Fur
thermore, the property is subject to
destruction by fire or storm; therefore
it is not exempt from the ordinary
business risk.
The project is open to the further
objection that it removes so large an
acreage from the tax roll of sparsely
settled counties in the northern part
of our state as to make local taxation
burdensome to the remaining prop
erty. 1t is open to the further objec-
ton that any large and contiguous
tract of land in Wisconsin must neces-
sarily contain considerable amount
of land that is suitable for agriculture.
In view of these many objections,
recommend that there be no further
expansion of the policy of reforesta-
ton, and that agricultural lands in the
forest reserve be thrown open to set
tiers, in lots not to exceed 160 acres
for each applicant, and that further
appropriations be cut down to what
may be necessary to protect the prop
erty that the state now owns.
State University.
The people of our state have been
generous in their support OF pub
lie education. While it is clearly their
purpose to build up an educational
system that will give equal facilities to
all the people, 1t appears that in recent
years tendency has grown up under
rather disproportionate amount Of the
money available for educational pur-
poses.
The people wish to maintain the uni
versity as a first class institution OF
learning; however, the amount of
money needed to meet its demands is
so large that the people have come
to regard it as being unnecessarily ex-
travagant and there is a general de-
mand for substantial reduction in
the appropriations.
AS result of this growing feeling
the state board of public affairs ord
cred a survey, a report of which, COW
ering year of investigation, will soon
be submitted to you. The discoveries
of the investigators are many, and
cannot be discussed in this message.
No doubt there is sufficient informa-
ton in the report to enable you to cor
rect the faults of the institution, what
ever they may be.
In addition to the increased cost to
the university it is pointed out that
the presence of SO many nonresident
students in the capital city has created
a competition for living Accommodations
and as result the expenses which
resident students have to meet have
been materially advanced. We should
not adopt a narrow policy Of exclud-
ing nonresident students. We should
however, charge tuition fee that will
compensate the state for the cost of
their education, and we should limit
the number who may be admitted to
suit the present facilities of the school
after resident students have been
taken care of.
Normal and Rural Schools.
A very liberal policy has been pur-
sued in the matter of building state
normal schools. Eight are now in
operation and new one is now in pro-
cess of construction. This policy has
greatly increased the expenses of that
branch of education. The appropria-