The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1915-01-07
Prosperity Forecasted for Coming Year

thousand. This loss of 50 to SO on
each thousand feet manufactured is
In the aggregate a terrific drain on
the resources of the Northwest.
What Loss Means.
Its effect on the community may be
illustrated by a survey of what has
happened in one region which may be
taken as typical of any of the lum-
bering manufacturing districts of
British Columbia, Washington and
Idaho. In this district three billion
dollars were invested in timber hold
lngs, logging plants and sawmills.
The annual output made possible by
this investment was three billion feet.
These plants If running on full time
would employ $4,000 men and dis
tribute $29,000,0O0 in wages, $16,-
100000 in transportation, $4,000
900 In supplies and $1S,000,0 900 as a
return on capital invested. It has
been impossible for this district to
continue selling lumber for less than
the cost OF production; over two
thirds OF the mills are shut down, the
number OF men employed has dropped
to about 5000, the annual expediture
on payroll, supplies and %transporta-
ton has shrunk by s32, 900 and
practically no payments can be made
on borrowed capital. The laborer is
without a job, the farmer is without
a market, the business mar Is without
a customer and the property owner
is facing a shrinkage of capital.
THE whole public suffers with the
lumber industry"
Fire Prevention.
A noticeable feature of the year
which is far more encouraging than
the above is the success with which
modern fire preventive methods met
the driest year in history. Nearly all
authorities rate 1914 as more hazard
Gus even than 1910, when there was
such tremendous loss of life and prop
erty in the Pacific Northwest. In
1914 there were nearly II weeks Of
unbroken drouth over a large terri
tory-the longest in local Weather
Bureau records. The reason that
there were nc spectacular fires like
those of four years ago, to vie with
war new in the papers, was almost
wholly in the defensive preparation.
The timbered parts of the North
western States, from Montana to
Northern California, are now almost
wholly covered, outside the National
forests, by private cooperative patrol
associations. During the past season
these, with a contributing member
ship acreage OF under 10000 900
acres, p~atrolled over 20,00O,000
acres. They employed over 600 reg
ular patrolmen and hired not far
from 10000 emergency helpers for
varying periods. They spent about
100000 altogether. They handled
5000 fires considered worthy of re-
port.
Efficiency Greater.
They kept the total acreage of mer-
charitable timber burned-over down
to 10000 acres or about a seventh Of
l per cent. Timber killed or injured
was about 462, 100000 feet, less than
a tenth of l per cent of the approx
mately 100000 900 900 guarded. It
was 5000, 5000 feet in 1910. The
actual destruction of timber that will
not be salvaged was only 342, 100000
this year, or about a fifteenth of l
per cent. 1t was five times as great
in 1910. Only one life was reported
last this year. There was, of course,
considerable loss of homes, improve
ments, logs, equipment, etc. But it is
negligible in comparison.
Another interesting comparison is
of expenditures. BY having more
patrol and better methods, it cost
less than four-fifths as much this year
to escape with one-fifth the loss. And
although there was a longer dry
period, there were less than three
fifths as many fires to handle, a gain
directly attributable to education eff
fort. 1t Is to increased patrol, edu-
cation. better cooperation between
protective agencies, more trails, tele-
phones and lookouts, slash disposal,
improved technical methods and like
progress that the Pacific Northwest
Is said to owe this tremendous debt.