The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-05-23
PRESS COMMENT
Problems Of Rebuilding
The Country's Forests

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The country's Forests
| The ruins Of the biggest fires In
Jacksonville are replaced by new build
ings In few months or, at longest,
in year or two.
But it takes from 80 to $50 years to
rebuild a ruined forest.
/ Nearly all you residents of Jackson
| vile experience q primitive joy on
those rare occasions when you get out
into the woods for picnic or tramp.
Your wild flowers, your song-birds
and the wood you use in everything
from your home to pencils and home-
brew kegs-come from the forests.
Forests are tremendous natural
resource. invaluable for recreation. for
natural fertilization of the soil and for
| that practical function Of supplying
us with lumber.
And forests are diminishing.
| America needs more elaborate re-
forestation to replace timber taken
for necessary purposes.
Also, we need, vitality, more individ-
ual protection OF forests. In the last
five years forest fires have devastated
an area larger than the New England
states. The actual money loss was
$S5. 000,0 900.
Eighty per cent Of the $4,000 forest
Fires that occur every year in our
country could be prevented by care
and vigilance on the part of citizens,
according to the Department Of Agrf-
cultures forestry service.
Boy Scouts have taken this lesson
to heart. One of their chief objects is
preservation Of the woods.
An attempt is being made to arouse
the same interest among grown-ups.
Forest Protection Week will be OBJ
served nationally. beginning May %.
There are wonderful woods near
Jacksonville. You might show the
Riddles a good time by taking them to
Treeland for picnic and tramp during
Forest Protection Week. Particularly
impress upon them the necessity OF al
ways putting out any fire started in
the woods. Better still, not to build
a fire at alI-JacksonvilIe Metropolis
Protective Publicity
So many bills are proposed In the
legislature under the name of public
ity bills that 1t Is we'll for us to note
the difference in some of them, from
that publicity which is Of protective
worth to the state.
The bill presented by the South Flor
ida Press association asks that the of
ficials OF tax expanding bodies be re-
quired to publish in the newspapers of
their respective counties. all OF thier
public proceedings, Immediately after
having taken place. This is clearly a
protective measure. It acquaints the
taxpayer and the general public with
the purposes, and the actions Of these
bodies. and turns the full light OF pub
licity on their acts. 1t benefits no one |
man or set of men; 1t protects the en-
tire tax paying public.
The bill being urged by the north |
Florida chamber Of commerce, asking |
that an appropriation Of $4,000 an
nually be made to compile and publish |
an Official book OF Florida" not only |
benefits no one but the paid compilers |
and the clerical help, but Is a positive |
menace to the state because OF its pos
sibilities for unfairness and the ex-
ploitation of one person or place for
selfish ends.
Another bill which we hear will |
come up later is said to be one pro-
viding for some kind Of state publicityl
commission, like the one the late
Claude L'Engle tried to get through /
in 1915. wherein a commissioner with
almost imperial power to censor and
exclude any advertising he saw fit,
would have been named and the right /
to run the real estate and general ad-
vertising business of Florida would
have been put in his hands. The ini-
guilty of this bill was so apparent that
1t died before it saw the light.
The state of Florida needs and wants
no publicity schemes wherein, or
one department or one man b
given the opportunity to mulct adver-
tisers or to play community against
community for fee, on threat OF leav-
Ing 1t or them out of the book or liter
allure. The state OF Florida has enough
to do without entering the advertising
field. Il must also realize that the on
~ advertising that pays Is that design
ed to fit the immediate thing sought
to be sold.
1t Is as impossible for some expert
i'd writer in Chicago to sit down and
write selling stuff for a department
store In Tampa as 1t Is impossible for
/ Tampa publicity man to sell pulling
power stuff for Jacksonville, II written
rom his office here or In Pensacola, or
n Buffalo.
In the matter Of advertising. Tampa
expects to run its own business. 1t j,
Knows what it needs, 1t knows its ad-
,antages, and It knows that its own
matter and publicity liter
lture will be hundredfold more eff
ective II gotten out by itself than it
IAN be II left to some state advertis- /
ng commission, or some Florida pub
lefty board operating on general adj /
vertising lines from central office IN
he state.
The only publicity bill this section Of |
florida is Interested In is that bill pro-
,osed by the South Florida Press asso-i
iation for the protection of the people, {
nd the honor Of the counties and mu-
licipalities, from the possible extra /
'agance and graft of officials Who'll j
york in the dark Of suppressed infor- !
nation to the people.-Tampa Tribune.
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