The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1915-12-21

, More Than 10000 Free Timber PEI
\ .mitssWere Issued.During the Year
D 80, ;. - = :, -
q Forester Declares. That Had heyNa
tionaI Forests Never. Existed, Con
H., ditions OF :. Trade !. Pepressions anc
=. ~ "a ..t.- s.s
= WastefuI Exploitation Would Have
Increased
Washington, D.. G., Dec. .,21.-Tht
4 annual report of..the forester of the
Department OF Agriculture made pub
lie today comments on the govern
i ment. ownership. O. ,,water-power, sites
1 and timber as exemplified by. the Ma
tiohal., forest system. The financial
i burdens restingt on private owners OF
uncut timber, are held to- have forced
the mahdifacture }, Of. lumber Without
!. regard to market demands, 'and, with
consequent disqualification ofithe?luni-
| Der industry and 'wasteftlI ;nses tof: tim,
tbeif.: RESOURCES while. facts and figures
regarding the water powers SITUATION
are given to; spr6ve THAT %more srapfd
Development. Of w'aters;pIj owers inathe
.West5is mainly tpreEented. by. the-laek
I of CONSUMERS. rather than by. the ~ab-
sence of suitable Legislation, - 3;
Water power permits taken out for
National Forest. projects, says the re.
sport, 'inyolye a.total.of l,26l,56o horse
bower Free. permits coverrs 7e.62S.
horsepower and the plants iactually
CONSTRUCTED cooperating June; 80 had
an, output capacity. of f341, 276 horse
power. the rentals paying $4,000 dur
ing the year The, report comments
ON the water. power situation as fol
lows =
New Legislation permitting the gov
eminent to grant more. secure zen
ure for the lands used. through the i'm
sqancel OF 80 year leases, would, with I
out doubt, make the financing of pow
er developments on the public lands
both. easier and cheaper and is very /
desirable; but the main obstacle to
more rapid Development than that
which is now taking place. is not lack +
OF "a new law but lack CT a broader +
marketifOr power. 1t is at least .
doubtful if either an amended law or
private ownership of the public power
sites would result in. any general or
material increase in power develop
ment in the Western states in the
future With rare. and
minor exceptions, existing power de
Velopments lin, these state are far in
excess of market demands. The forest
Service, is being constantly Emporium |!
ed to extend periods Of construction 4
on power permits; on&thes plea that "
there would be no market. available Il
for the. power if, the project We're de
veloped'+. The .percapita use of water
power in ELECTRICAL development in the
three, Pacific and. thes eight fmoantain
States is far; in excess of THAT i'm, any.I
other. section.o thea United States;
and,more .thanffve, times, the, average
for the United. States as, whole. The
development OF: the Pacific States is
about. $50 horsepower per- thousand
and in the mountain states
l20 horsepower, with a balanced ay
erage of'160 horsepower. New Eng h
and. which4is next. in order, has 'lesSI |
han 40 horsepower per thousand bf
population, and the whole JniRd |
States about 80 horsepower" H
THE drop of thirty pemcent R the
for National Forest stump
lge, the report goes on to FAY. "as
by the falling off Jim new
scales, is significant ind4 Of the
Unstable market fer lumbef and the
serious conditions now Obtaining in
he forest.using industriesi These
conditions which are now The subject
If a special study condYtted by the
of Agriculture in coop II
ration with the Feder4 Trade Com
mission and the Bureau of Foreign H
md Domestic Commerce. "are related II
to the carving of senormous II
Quantities of raw MATERIAL exploit II
Ible only during long period OF time, II
n private ownership. This load OF II
lncut timber. with its far-reaching II
burdens. HAMPERS or pre- II
-ents the private operat3r from adapt II
ne his business to the changed con II
itions of his market AID to the com II
'elitiye factors Of more1or less recent II
development Hence tendency To- Il