Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1917-03-30
PLENTY OF TONNAGE
WITH BAR IMPROVED

pioNehenI vi tne faQulna Bay Har-
Dor the writer has meet number of
people who oppose the idea of the
people taxing themselves for any por-
tion Of the money for the payment
thereof. The writer has met, during
the past week, number of different
persons who have used this argument:
You say tha- two thirds of the tax
will be paid by the owners of timber
in Lincoln County, the, remainder of
the taxpayers IN the county paying
the other one third. This sounds very
good, but the timber will be logged off
in ten years, and all we will have left
is the stumps, md the farmers will
have to pay the bonds when they come
due twenty years from now.
Ten years ago | prepared some fig |
ures, and used them in an address |
that / made before the Willamette |
Valley Development League held at |
Marion County, Oregon, when was
urging the improvement Of Yaquina
Bay Harbor, and the building of a
railroad from Salem Oregon, through
the Siletz Country, to Newport. These
figures were published in number
James Hill in a speech at Portland,
Oregon "The resources of the coast
counties are so great that they are
almost unbelievable. One acre of tim
ber land will furnish as much freight
for transportation in one year as will
one acre of land in the Willamette
Valley in one bundled and fifty years.
When the promoter talks about build
ing a railroad into the great inland
freight to be furnished by any given
territory supplied by wheat growers.
When our Commercial Clubs ask an
appropriation for the Columbia River
they furnish great loads of statistics
referring to the millions of bushels OF
wheat tributary to the Columbia, and
as a result the Government Engineers
and Congress consider the matter IA
vorably, and the appropriation is
granted. Upon the other hand when
the taxpayers and Commercial Clubs
attempt to enlist capital to build rail-
. roads into the coast counties they
are confronted with the argument that
there is no grain raised in these coun-
; ties, and by reason thereof would
never be sufficient freight to justify
the building of the Railroad. When
the people OF the coast counties ask
for an appropriation to improve their
harbors, and at the same time pledge
themselves to pay one half of the cost
thereof by taxing themselves, and
send a petition to our delegation in
Congress, a mile long, they will be
confronted with the seemingly un-
answerable argument that there is not
sufficient present or prospective COM
merce to justify tue Government in
the expenditure Of any money for tie
; improvement thereof.
BY the way of comparison let us
use few figures, showing the amount
of produce in the grain producing
country as well as an acre OF land in
the coast counties. Statistics show
that an average acre OF land will pro-
) duce thirteen bushels OF wheat. After
deducting three bushels for seed, feed
and bread, there is left for shipment
ten bushels, which at sixty pounds
per bushel would amount to six hun.
dred pounds per acre. At this rate
one acre Of land would produce for
shipment in n hundred years sixty
. thousand pounds or thirty tons. In
the coast counties the lowest esti-
mate placed on an acre of timbered
lands is thirty thousand feet, aud
! many timber men and Government
officials place II at forty thousand
feet an acre. One thousand feet Of
! lumber weighs two thousand pounds.
Thirty thousand feet OF lumber weighs
sixty thousand pounds. Then there
! is left on an acre OF tlmbered lInjs,
after It has been legged off. the small
. timber and forty to fifty feet of the
tops of trees which at low estimate
! will make fifteen cords OF wood. A
I cord of dry wood will weigh two
/ thousand pounds. Thus an average
acre of timbered lands In the coast
counties will produce as much freight
for transportation In one year as will
an acre Of land In the Willamette Val
ley in hundred and fifty years. and
| after the timber is logged Off, II will
1 produce more pasture on an acre of
l land than will an acre of land in the
I Willamette Valley by reason of tae
moisture from the ocean.
\ II Is estimated that in Lincoln Coun.
| ty there is eighteen billion feet OF
/ merchantablo timber. II this timber
/ was sawed into lumber It would take
/ a vessel of the carrying capacity OF one
million feet every day in the year for
/ fifty years TO transport this lumber to
/. market, and Il would REQUIRE the ser.