The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1922-01-26

The bill would plsca rcye~.s-sa ts.es
On lumber stole. Erasei, glei 81 &C..
ment, sand and various ether mate
rails necessary in home building and,
Of course, such taxes wuull likely be
handed ON down to tho consumer IN
increased prices for such materials.
The act also, 1t IL declared, would
cripple business End industry in the
sta1e. Prominent lumbermen have as
serted that IL certain provisions Of thu
BIZ were enacted into law 1t would
result in the probable temporary clos.
Ing down Of many sawmills. in Miss!s-
sipni, throwing hundreds Of men out
or employment until readjustments in
their business could he made. The
provisions Of the bill with respec. to
re,.lirem on the part OF lumber
n1ea for protection against forest fires.
relorestation. cutting Of timber, for
bidding use of slAiddrrs and other
ans and methods us,d in the best
accepted standards CT numbering
throughout the coLatrg it is said,
would make it impossible for the saw
mi Is to operate
Some Of the requirements demanded
In l,inbeang are specifically set forth
Ia the bill and are considered unus-
ualiy drastic, but the entire control OF
thai industry under the proposed bill
would be placed absolutely at the dis
nf ~
estlJ commission and its officials and
wardens, and tho commission could
impose whatever restrictions or rules
or expense it desired and its decision
would be final.
Seriously GRIPPING the operations Of
sawmil.s, leading merchants argue,
would inevitably result in putting
many merchants in great number OF
communities out of business, as well
as throwing thousands Of wage-earners
in the mills out Of work, possibly caus-
ing abandonment of numerous small
communities now thriving because OF
the lumber industry. In this day OF
widespread unemployment such con-
tingency should give the peope serious
concern.
Still more far-reaching in Its effects.
according to those who have examined
the measure, the bill would work a
hardship upon and bring increased ex-
pense to thousands Of farmers through
out Mississippi who own small private
groves OF trees or wood lots, because
| 80 y,r~ ~
est fire patrols, burn ng off land, keep
ing up hogs, tic, AID restrictions "a
to cutting, clearing way the debris Of
trees and other thiags would apply to
all private owners OF trees or groves
Many small farmer might be re-
quired, Under the act, to hire fire pa,
troll for his grove CT trees out of sight
OF his home.
Heavy expense would be entailed
upon all railroads by The bill, both
common carriers and private logging
roads being affected and in addition
the act would make 1t possible for the
forestry commission and it's wardena
to institute system OF petty annoy
ance and haraSsment upon a great
proportion of the citizens of the stats
that would cad to a deplOrahle condi.
ton OF affaira.
A few years ago there was pro.
posal to create in Mississippi State
Fish and Game Commission with a
flock OF fish and game wardens to
"snsop" about and annoy people. The
voice Of the voters was raised SO loud
and strolg against that fish and game
commission bill, however, that it was
promptly killed, for the taxpayers and
citizens of Mississippi would Z have
uone CT it. The forestry bill now I'M
13r consideration is declared to be a
siacs Of the same sort of legislation
opening the way for the building up
Of permanent and tremendously pow
erfal machine to control state affairs
by small oliqus and to harass and
annoy reputable. law-abiding citizens
in the legitimate pursuit OF their busi.
ness Judging from the growing sea.
tinae recently manifested against. tke
proposed forestry bill it, too, vii! be
relegated to the tall timber"
Regarding forestry legislation by
any of the states at this time, it is
pointed out both in Mississippi aud
other states, that however des rab.e
such legislation may be, this Is not the
oportune time for the states 10 Get f..
most excellent reasons. There are
now pending before the national House
and Senate in Washington, number
Of national forestry bills, an important
feature CT all Of which is a provision
for extending federal aid, through fed
eral funds, to the various states in the
matter of protection and reproduction
of forests. The principle in this pend
ing national forestry legislation with
respect to federal aid Is Identical with
thai embodied in the federal aid to the
states in constructing good roads.
Hearings are to be held in Washing
on before congressional committees on
national forestry legislation beginning
January 8, when it Is hoped measure
satisfactory to all interests will be
evolved for enactment. In order to
share la the benefits Of federal aid for
forestry and get It's proportion of fed
sral money. each state will be obliged
to enact laws conforming to the as.
,1ondl IOre~lry Aet,
At the present session of the Missis-
sippi legis allure this cannot be done
and persons we'll informed on the sub
ject contend that Mississippi legisla-
tors should not take up the valuable
time of this session and speld large
amount Of the peoples money useless
ly In discussion An enactment CT fol-.
eStry laws which most probably will
have to be repealed the next session