The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-10-18

no great American Industry. NOT
even the meat packing industry, IN
which by common repute every
thing 10 utilized but /<the hogs
squeal. is conservation today re-
ceiving greater attention than In
the lumber industry. The lumber
producer, once Of all sur industrial
giants the greatest and most notori-
GUS wastrel, has begun to be pro-
vident and DANNY. Tho industry has
been forced to it. Its alternative II
to change methods or prepare for
the end OF greatness. And what Is
now being done to change methods
constitutes one of the most inter-
esting stories in modern industrial
science.
The fact is that America is near
ing the end Of her timber re-
sources. Even 10 years ago the
prediction that the end was nigh
was secuted as the outcry of the
professional alarmist. But expand
ing population, the enormous de-
mand OF the war for lumber, the
ceaseless forest fires, all have done
/ their work. Americans faced with
the unpleasant fact that her once
seemingly inexhaustibla forests
which stretched across 1000 miles
with only a break for the Grea'
Plains, are nearing exhaustion.
Already the pinch is being felt
especially in the east. The grow
ing prices tell part Of the story
The consumption of lumber ha:
dropped from an average per capita
use of 500 board feet in 1906 to BIZ
board feet In 1924 drop Of 81 pei
cent in IA years. Garry this out t.
the end, and the consumption o
lumber would cease altogether
about the year 1910. The remnants
of the virgin stands Of pine in thu
southern states will be cut out il
another ten years. That will leav'
/ the Pacific northwest as the soil
remaining chief source Of lumber
and lumber prices in the east vii
be based upon Oregon and Wash
Iington prices plus the freight rat
across the continent, rate that il
a greater sup per 1000 board fee
than fasteners had to pay TO
lumber itself, including haulag
charge, a few years ago.
The government was first to real
ice the impending doom Of tn
American forests, and to comba
it established the. United State
forste service to protect and main
tain the timbered areas Of tn
public domain set aside in perpet
uity as national forests. Certain
states followed the government
example. establishing state fores
services. A little over 10 years ag
the forest service established a
Madison, Wisconsin, the forest pro
ducts laboratory to study the prob
lens of the industry scientifically
devoting special attention to tn
conservation of wood after 1t i
cut. The industry at that time ma
have looked askance at this limo
walton as being another one Q
those governmental bureaus. B
that as it may, when the laborator
celebrated its tenth birthday re
Gently, lumbermen travelled thou
sands Of miles to be there and as
sist with their presence. The lab
ioratory has already saved million
to the industry, and it has only jus
begun to show what it can do.
Finally, the lumber industry II
self took up the campaign Of COZ
| servation. Through it's own OF
, ganization, the National Lumbe
Manufacturers association, it
1 cooperating with the various Off
cial bodies as well as pursuing il
} own lines of research.
D There is room here only to on
line a few of the methods wheret
: the timber supply of the Unite
e States is to be saved. The prol
= lem is two-fold, although bot
halves are interknit-the conse
walton in forsets themselves, an
secondly. conservation in the mil
and in the use of lumber.
Q In the woods the greatest pro-
r lem is fire. Even with todays din
> inished per capita use of lumbe
J we are cutting down trees TO,
o times as fast as nature can gro
$ new wood; but in spite of All Il
: systems of protection, the fore
4 fire continues to be even more d
;. structive than the woodsman's ak
q The solution of the fire profile
: seems to be a more elaborate sy
a TEN of fire protection and great
# cooperation with state and nation
g fire protection services on the pa
- OF private owners Of timber land.
y, OF the more than $4,000 fore
fires annually, lighting starts abo
- one-fifth of them and human car
~ lessness the rest. The tobac
- smoker is the chief offender.
strong effort is being made to i
:, duce tobacco manufacturers
- print fire warnings on all packag
~ of cigars. cigarets and pipe I
). bacco.