Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1919-08-08

"The United States standing second among the
countries of the world in forest area and produce
ing more than half of the sawed lumber, should
play more important part in the export trade
of the world than it does now. With proper safe
guards in the way Of maintaining the raw ma
terialS, strong export trade should be encour-
aged. But the gains which we may make in the
markets of the world can be kept only in so far
as they are based on permanent supply OF tim
ber If they are to be based merely on cut
which, as in the case of Old-growth southern pine
will not supply even our domestic needs for more
than the next ten fifteen years, we shall soon
be crowded out Of the foreign markets by coun-
tries which base their export trade on continu-
Gus self-perpetuating resource"
Europe's emergency need for lumber above It's
consumption in normal times is put at about
1000 900 feet of lumber year for the near
future, conservative estimate; and her own for
ests have been depleted by the. war.
Europe however, needs cheap lumber above all
and our product will not be attractive for the
principal needs of reconstruction, according to
Colonel Graves. Nevertheless, the world situa-
ton in lumber, he says, offers IAN undoubted OPP
portunity for permanent export trade from Inls
country of proportions that would seem to De
limited only by our own powers TO sustain the
production of saw material"
Senator Sherman presented to the senate the
other day memorial from the Illinois legisia-
"Whereas the wood-using industries not de-
nending upon uncertain local forest supplies have
hecome centered to very large extent In the
+hicxly populated districts east of the Mississippi
river and are drawing their supplies from the
remaining forests IN the eastern states, the gull
states and the states adjacent to the Great Lakes
a large number Of such industries are located In
the state Of Illinois, with the city of Chicago the
confer of a very large and important group. Chi
caoa has for many years been the chief lumber
distribution point of the United States and the
greatest point of lumber distribution in the world
These important industries, including the manu-
facture of railway cars boxes, sashes and DOORS
farm machinery, furniture pianos, vehicles, and
many other articles, are threatened by the
exhaustion of the forests from which their sup
niles have been drawn They now face the neces-
sty of bringing timber from the Pacific coast
with heavy freight charges added to the cost To
the same Pacific coast supply the country must
look for lumber for general construction purposes.
The transportation system of the country must
odd to IFS present burdens the transcontinental
shnment of very large quantities of lumber, a
hu1kv nroduct upon which high freight rate
greatly increases the cost to the consumer.
"Resolyed That the Fifty first general assembly
of fine state of Illinois urges the attention of the
president and the congress of the United States
r. the present timber situation and recommends
that without delay, there be formulated such a
national program of forestry will insure the
future timber supplies required by the industries
of the country. AS an example of what should be
done this general assembly points to the wise
course of the republic of France in so managing
its forests for more than century that they con-
tributed substantially to the winning of the great
war.
eIt is further urged that the federal govern
ment. acting independently or in cooperation
with the states, inaugurate action looking toward
such measure of public control Of the remaining
bodies of original timber as will make sure that
their supplies will be available as needed by the
industries
eft is furthermore urged that comprehensive
nlans be put into effect for restoring the forest
on cut-over lands which are nonagricultufal in
character in the eastern states, in the states
bordering the Great Lakes, and in the South in
order that timber supplies from these regions
may be available to the established industries of
the central and eastern states"