Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1915-01-25
WOULD ABOLISH ENTIRE
FORESTRY SYSTEM
Senator Bingham Asks That
Radical Changes Be Made
al Once

Senator Bingham has introduced
bill abolishing the state forester and
the state forestry board. This is con.
sidered one Of the most severe measures
that win be introduced as concerns the
amount Of the present state machinery
it would do away with,
The bill has large support already
and the indications are that it will
pass. Shortly after introducing the
bill Senator Bingham gave the follow.
ing statement to the press:
fTbe first forest fire law placed on
the statute books Of Oregon was pass.
ed at the 1905 session. I introduced
this bill and it contained q provision
which allowed $250.00 for stamps and
stationery. The act gave police power
to fire wardens, and provided closed
fire season. Timber owners paid their
own bills.
"In 1907, when was member of
the senate, new fire law was intro.
duced by me and passed, providing for
forestry board, prescribing the duties
of the board, changing the closed sea
ron and permitting persons who were
clearing lands to burn stumps, log
heaps and slsshings under certain pre-.
scribed rules, with an appropriation Of
s500.00 for two years.
This law remained on the statute
books, with some slight amendments
made in 1909 until the 1911 session
of the legislature, when all of tho 1907
legislation was repealed, and new
forest fire law provided for. Many
changes were made in the new law.
It provided for state board of for.
estry consisting of the governor, the
acting head of the forest school of the
agricultural college, and five electors
of the state of Oregon to be appointed
by the governor from and upon the
recommendation Of the Oregon State
grange, the Oregon Fire association,
the Oregon & Washington Lumber
Manufacturers association, and the
United States forest service and Ore.
gon Wool Growers association, giving
the state board of forestry authority ia
appoint state forester and deputy
and providing for 100000 for appropri'
alton.
at the 1913 session a law was pass,
ed permitting the state forester to levy
an assessment up to Sc per acre on
any timber lands in the state for fire
protection that were not under his su'
pervision, and if not paid the tax be
came q lien, as other taxes, upon The
realty. This is principally the history
of fire legislation in the past ten years
that has grown from an expenditure OF
practically nothing for tho six years or
the part of the state, until now thcy
are asking this legislature for Sill,
240 less $4,000, the approximate
amount they will collect from timber
. land owners. In addition to this there
has been received in the last three
years, from what Is known as the
Weeks law fund, approximately $35,
600.
"My contention is that the cost o.
! the protection Of timber has entirel,
= oHgrown the work that Is being per
| formed There is only ninety days, un
der the most unfavorable year, tha
) timber requires fire protection. TIL,
other nine months you could not burr
r a forest in Oregon If you wanted to
and why il should be necessary /,
70 maintain at Salem an office with as
sistants, stenographcr, deputies and
: forester is more than / can under
stand.
"The timber lands of Oregon, espc
! cially Of western Oregon, is one Of Orc
$ CONS greatest assets, and should b.
= amply protected, but if It was possible
to take care OF the timber land, salts
$ factorily, up to 1911, on not to cxccc,
s $500 a year, the present system is ccr
= tainly n waste. The state forester wit
I deputy and a large office force /
8 unnecessary to protect the timber o
Oregon when the same only needs Pre-
tection for from sixty TO ninety days.
al want the timber owners, peopl
I who understand fighting fire, to get Ia
gethor and prescribe some method o
( protection that will not put the taS
! payers OF the state to the useless an
; unnecessary expense Of maintaining
fire warden service, consisting largel
= Of people who spend their vacation /
the woods with gun and fishin
rod,
ID "If the private owners Of timbc
~ lands are left alone, they will take ear
OF their own property, Over ouo.hal
Il Of the timber land in Oregon is in fol
s. est reserve, aud this Is taken care O
$ without any cost to the state Tho fec
eral government appropriated $500
last season for fire protection on N
two million acres Of railroad lands, III
title Of which is in dispute between III
government and the railroad compan,
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