, 1919-08-07

THE United States, standing second among the
countries of the world in forest area and produc-
ing more than half of the sawed lumber, should
play n 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, a 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 a permanent supply of tim
Der. If they are to be based merely on a cut
which, as in the case of old-growth southern pine,
VIII not supply even our domestic needs for more
than the next ten or fifteen years, we shall soon
be crowded out of the foreign markets by coun-
tries which base their export trade on a continu-
Gus self-perpetuating resource"
Europe's emergency need for lumber, above its
in normal times, is put at about
7,0OO,00O,OOO 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 the
principal needs of reconstruction, according to
Colonel Graves. Nevertheless, the world situa-
ton In lumber, he says, offers ian undoubted o-
portunity for a 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 the
other day a memorial from the Illinois legisla-
ture, which was in part as follows:
"Whereas the woOd-using industries not de-
pending upon uncertain local forest supplies have
become conferred to n very large extent in the
thickly populated districts east of the Mississippi
river and are drawing their supplies from the
remaining forests in the eastern states. the gulf
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
center of a 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. and
many other articles, are now threatened by the
exhaustion of the forests from which their sup
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. To
the same Pacific coast supply the country must
look for lumber for general construction purposes.
The transportation system of the country must
add to Its present burdens the transcontinental
shipment of very large quantities of lumber, n
bulky product upon which a 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
that, without delay, there be formulated such a
national program of forestry as 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 a century that they con.
tributed substantially to the winning of the great
war.
at 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 remainine
bodies of original timber as will make sure that
their supplies will be available as needed by the
industries.
ut is furthermore urged that comprehensive
plans be put into effect for restoring the forest
IN cufOyar lnndG which ara nODO pripultural 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"