Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1920-02-03
Timber SALE
IS RESCINDED
FORESTRY DEPARTMENT is EN-
DEAyORING TO ESTABLISH A
HARMFUL PRECEDENT
MANY PROTESTS BEING MADE
would Work an Injustice To ALI the
Manufacturing Concerns

ES ber that on December 80, 1919, an ar
Hticle was printed telling of the sale
& by the forestry department of the Cal
lahan tract of white pine timber to the
10 Bonners Ferry Lumber Company.
q On January, IA the district forestry
office at Missoula, Mont, sent out word
81 that the sale would be rescinded and
u that the tract would be re-advertised
unless the Bonners Ferry Lumber
N Company would agree to mill the tim
ber In Montana.
81 This decision was without prece-
Il dent of any kind and, it is understood
M was actuated through efforts of peo-
a ple of Troy, Mont, and other Montana
points, the Troy folks being prompted
B by desire ON the part of some of its
81 citizens to have mill established
n there while other interests were no
b doubt prompted by long-standing de-
8 sire to see Idaho industry discrimin-
II ated against.
q This decision of the district forest
|#er's office is being met with wide
#spread disapproval in all parts of the
northwest for the forestry department
his basing the business of its decision
ION the claim that it has the right and
sauthority to dictate what community
shall benefit as a result of the sale of
Il government timber. In the instance
now at hand the forestry department
n has dictated that the timber shall be
n milled in Montana in order to pro-
mote the prosperity of communities in
& western Montana.
a Naturally the numbering men of all
Il states west Of Montana, want to see
q government sales of timber conducted
N without restrictions as to where it is
d to be milled. II the forestry depart
u ment is going to insist on government
Il timber being milled in certain dis
n tricts and in districts where there are
d no established plants then the depart
ment is certain to kill off all competi-
Il tive bidding
n The citizens and commercial organ
izations who are protesting against the
N decision of the forestry department in
Il regard to the Callahan tract, feel that
& the question Of state rights should not
now or ever enter into the sale of
& timber owned by the federal govern
N ment. IL seems only just that all
Il loggers should have the equal right to
& bid on government timber without any
& stipulation as to where 1t must be
n manufactured. This has always been
y the policy heretofore but for some un-
q known reason the forestry department
g is insisting that the Callahan tract of
n timber be milled in Montana.
A In the particular instance of the
IL 1f ~ To1 f-I Il d.
n ners Ferry Lumber Company, howev-
er, it is fact that 80 percent of the
q timber is located in Idaho.
AS stated before the forestry de-
partment decision has created a
& storm of disapproval and the CONNER.
u cial clubs and chambers of commerce
81 of most of the numbering towns west
Of Montana are and will voice their
n disapproval to the chief forester at
81 Washington, ID. G.
The first move in the matter was
Il taken by the Kootenai Valley Com
Il mercial Club on Friday when members
Il neard that the forestry department
# had advised the Bonners Ferry Lum-
# Der Company that the sale of the Cal
lahan tract would be revoked on jan
uary 81 If the company did not see fit
q 10 guarantee the manufacture of the
Il timber in Montana. The executive
Il committee of the local club Immediate
u iy wired Senators Nugent and Borah
Il ana congressman French and Smith
q giving the facts of the matter and urg-
u ing that hearing in the matter be
secured. Senator Nugent and Con-
gressmen French wired back at once
tnat the matter would not be closed
until an opportunity could be had to
q present the facts to the chief forester.
The Idaho delegation in Washington
8 u. Y. fully realize the danger of the
precedent being set by the district
n iorestor's office at Missoula and in
n Ineir efforts to have this decision re-
q VoKed they will have the united sup
n port OF all other northwestern states
Inc various commercial clubs and
u CIVIC bodies of Northern Idaho, Ore
n gOn and Washington will send protests
ana arguments to the forestry de-
partment at Washington, against any
precedent being established whereby
tne forestry department may refuse to
& sell federal timber to any bidding
manufacturer on the grounds that the
interests OF any particular community
are at stake. These protests will be
ssainst allowing the department to
eictate where government timber shall
4 be milled.
II. II. Mccoy, vice president and the
general manager of the Bonners Ferry
Lumber Company, in speaking of the
recent decision of the forestry de-
paItment, stated that his company was
noe concerned particularly in regard
70 tne rescindment of the Callahan
tract as the timber was not easily ac-
Tessiole and 1t would be costly to log
ne thought 1t dangerous precedent
however, for the forestry department
~ establish. In fact, the Bonners Fer