The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1922-01-06

about the forests of Alaska and the
efforts to remove them from the
Jurisdiction of the Forest Service
No less than $4,000. 600. 600 feet Of
merchandise timber stand in the
Tongass and Chugach National For
ests, enough to furnish annually
over 1000 600. 900 feet Of pulpwood
and other material to our Industries
for all time IL the forests are han
died under the right methods Of
forestry.
Under the Jurisdiction Of the For
est Service these forests have not
only served local requirements for
lumber, but already two large sales
of timber have been made for the
manufacture of pulp or paper in
Alaska, and there - excellent prom
Use of several additional sales which
Will establish new manufacturing
enterprises
Just at the time when the Forest
( Service is succeeding in making the
forests large factor in the build
ing up of this frontier region undo,
conditions which will insure the
perpetuation OF the forests and
new industries. the proposal is made
In Congress to cut off the admins
tration of the Alaskan forests from
the Forest Service and place them
IN untrled hands in the Interior
department. This proposal is con-
tanned in the bills which at the re-
cent hearings before the Senate
Committee on Territories was
- rs1N- FV,.1 i l..
of the Interior.
The change would be fraupbt
with grave danger to the public
interests, for the forests would he
taken from bureau that has car
ried the work for over fifteen years.
! has established a competent and cf-
hcient decentralized organization.
has deSeloped sound and workable
policies, and has the confidence Of
the country at large. The forests
would now be taken from this COM
petent organization and placed in
the hands of a department which
must build up similar bureau to
administer them Inevitably the
proposed action would result i'm
changes Of policy as well as in
duplication of effort. Two govern
ment policies in forestry certainly
would lead to conflict and public ir-
jury. The next step naturally
would be to transfer the entire
Forest Service from the Depart
ment of Agriculture TO the Interior
Department.
For many years efforts have been
made to break down the National
Forests of Alaska. At one time IL
was the frank proposal TO abolish
these forests and to throw open the
lands to the old system which in
the Nineteenth century was accom-
panied by sosmuch fraud and scan
| dali Later the proposal was to
abolish the Chugach forests in
Alaska, including the National For
ests. handled by a politically-ap-
pointed and substantially irrespon-
sible commission. Now comes the
proposal to eliminate the Forest
Service from Alaska and to place
the work, which is being so eff
GENTLY done, under another depart
ment. 1t is unnecessary to draw
any differences regarding the pur-
pose of the present 3ove. The fact
of Importance is that the effect
would be to lose to the public the
great value of the National Forest
system that is operating so well in
the West and in Alaska itself.
This move would jeopardize the
whole enterprise which has been
built up during the past fifteen
years or more and is serving in so
many ways the public interests.
The welfare of the public. demands
that the Alaskan National Forests
remain under the jurisdiction of the
Forest Service in the Department
of Agriculture, and tire American
Forestry Association urges the
vigorous support OF this principle
on the part Of your readers and OF
the country at large.
p. g. RInSDALE