The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1919-08-08

THE United States, standing second among the
countries Of the world in forest area and prOduc-
ing more than half of the sawed lumber, slIoula
play n more important part in the export trade
OF the world than il does now. With proper safe
guards in the way of maintaining the raw INA
terials, n strong export trade should be encoux~
aged. But the gains which we may make in tho
markets OF the world can be kept only in so far
as they are based on a permanent supply OF tim
Der. If they are to be based merely on n cuS
which, as in the case Of old growth southern pine.
Will not supply even our domestic needs for mors
than the next ten or fifteen years, we Shalt soxssi
be crowded out of the foreign markets by coun-
tries which base their export trade on n contiDu-
Gus self perpetuatinG resource"
Europe's emergency need for lumber, above lis
consumption in normal times, is put at about
7,OOO,0UO,00O feet of lumber a year for the near
future, a 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 tire
principal needs of reconstruction, according tU
Colonel Graves. Nevertheless, the world Situa-
ton in lumber, he says, offers Fan undoubted Mp
portunity for Il permanent export trade from this
country Of proportions that would seem to be
limited only by our own powers to sustain the
production OF saw MATERIAL
Senator Sherman presented to the senate ths
other day n memorial from the Illinois legiSfn-
ture, which was in part as follows:
"Whereas the wood using industries not de-
pending upon uncertain local forest supplies havs
become centered to n very large extent In tire
thickIy populated districts east of the Mississippi
river and are drawing their supplies from the
remaining forests in the eastern states, the guiS
states and the states adjacent to the Great Lakes.
A large number Of such industries are located is
the state Of Illinois, with the city of Chicago fhe
center of q very large and important group. Chi
cago 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, anh
many other articles, are now threatened by thu
exhaustion Of the forests from which their s1as
plies have been drawn. They now face the neceS-
sity OF bringing timber from the Pacific coast
with heavy freight charges added to the cost. TS
the same Pacific coast supply the country muss
look for lumber for general construction purposes
The transportation system of the country must
add to It's present burdens the tranScontinenfaf
shipment Of very large quantities of lumber, ~
bulky product upon which n high freight rate
greatly increases the cost TO the consumer.
"Resolved, That the F~ifty-first general assembly
of the state of Illinois urges the attention OF the
president and the congress of the United States
to the present timber situation and recommends
that, without delay, there be formulated such "
national program Of forestry as will insure the
future timber supplies required by the industries
of the country. AS an example Of what should bH
done, this general assembly points to the wfSe
course of the republic Of France In so managing
its forests for more than a century that they com
tributed substantially TO the winning of the greua
war.
at is further urged that the federal govexn-
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 ths
industries.
at Is furthermore urged that comprehensive
plans be put into effect for restoring the forest
on cut-Over lands which are nonagriculturaI IN
character in the eastern states, in the states
bordering the Great Lakes. and In the South. I'm
order that ti"hHr supplies from these regions
may be availal'" to the established industries az
the central anh EASTERN states"