The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-07-19

about $4,000 cords, and at ~.
rate the supply will last Il va7--
The yearly cutting in the -
states is 3,0S0.000 cords, and tba-s
is left only a supply sufficient n.
Is years. Pennsylvania, Marvlans
Virginia, and North Carogus -
smaller supplies, the annual -
ting amounting to 1,470,00O. ana :.
this rate the supply in thesa Sta
will last only 10 years. ONLY =
Alaska, Washington, Oregon ana
California are the reserves in NJ
immediate danger of exhaustia1
providing that the cutting proees5,
at the present yearly rate of abors
2,21S,000 cords.
Again the freight rate enta-.
When the supplies of timber ~
newsprint paper in the east AMI
middle west are exhausted, il vii
mean the shipment across the cav
tinent of the wood fer making n.
paper. This is necessary becaaes
about 95 percent of the paper mill
are located in the east. In sono
cases, if this comes to pass, IA
Pacific coast would be the worst
sufferer, because the manufactur-
ed paper would have to be shipped
back across the continent, with ID.
ditional freight rates piling up.
The Smell measure is designed TO
meet this situation in all of lis
angles. 1t calls for an appropria-
ton of about $10,000,000 annually
for putting the otherwise useless
81 900 900 acres of American land
to work growing trees There is aIso
provision for fighting forest fires.
so that the labor of years would not
be wiped out by a single great wave
OF flame sweeping through the
woods.
The United States used to be in
dependent with regard to newsprinL
but within the past 10 years the
consumption has exceeded the
hcme supply. Canada is stepping
into the breach, and now operates
80 paper and pulp mills, with an
aggregate production of 200 tons
of newsprint paper daily. Roughly,
80 percent of this production is
available for export America in its
present plight depends on Canada
for about one-third of all the sup
plies it requires of paper. wood,
and pulp.
Lumber Tariff Harmful.
To complicate the situation, the
pending permanent tariff bill pro-
vides for a tariff on lumber, and
this the American Forestry associa-
ton is making every effort to CON-
bat. Charles Lathrop Pack, pTesi-
dent of the organization, has embod-
led the views of the organization
and sent them to President Harding
for his consideration.
In this statement. it is pointed
out that the country is believed to
be in need of at least a million I'd
ditional homes and that quite as
many if not more farm buildings
are needed and awaiting erection.
Any tariff on lumber, Mr.. Pack said,
would add to the cost of this, cor
struction, and would result in seri-
Gus delay in solving the housing
problem and the equally import
ant problem of providing adequate
agricultural buildings.
By the tariff, it is urged, the cost
Of paper to newspapers and maya
zines, the great mediums of educa-
ton throughout the country, would
be materially affected, and that in
many cases it would mean the cur
tailment or suspension of highly
necessary publications.
1t is urged also that putting
tariff on lumber would be an eco
romic mistake basically, as It
would be restricting the use Of
natural resources of other nations
at a time when the United States IS
badly in need of them. as its Own
resources of similar character art
being exhausted at an alarming
rate through constant use of them
By making imported wood more
expensive, it is pointed out in col-
clusion, the demand on the fast
failing domestic supply would be III
creased considerably, and this
would be false economy Of a glaf-
ing sort.
Summed up, students OF the fo--
estry situation see q very gloomy
future for future generations IN
less immediate and wise legfsia-
tive steps are taken now for per-
petuating American forests for
ever.