The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1922-10-19
|EVE STATE SHOULD ACT TO MINI
M|zE FOREST FIRES
Al Northern Official Says that Haphazard
hitting Campers to Roam Should be Changed

nse of wild lands by the gen.
/ nbuc so as to minimize losses
,rcst fire. is the opinion of F. G.
|. vice president of the Great
,r paper Co. and general man
= IFS vast timberland holdings
.rorsation with a Commercial
outatiye Friday, Mr.. Gilbert said
great majority of the forest
\ 70 started by persons who go
"a woods to camp and enjoy the
and fishing privileges and
(Esre is no way of keeping
m who the Maine people are,
| they live, or in what sections
,amn and build fires that may
Elected and be the start of for
4 that may destroy hundreds of
lnds of acres of valuable tim
IA loss that falls heavily on
mberland owner but ten times
l. upon the people of the state
Mole who have a vested interest
lands of the state.
Gilbert remarked that at re-
altering of some of the leading
!land owners of the state, the
lent was unanimous that there
he some change in the slipshod
n in which the general public Is
/ ted to roam at will through the
| camping here or there, where
3him strikes them, building fires
mes in places where it is most
h to keep them from spreading
many cases going off and leay-
|bm burning or unprotected from
K winds.
|berland owners do not recognize
: ght of the public to use the wild
but permit them by sufferance to
|he hunting and fishing privileges
luyidc through regulation with
! bite forestry and fish and game
|mcnts. One land company in
Biz has already withdrawn from
billie the privilege of using its
Nv for camping purposes and
| there may be some question as
legality of this procedure with
ETHER legislation there seems to
Enestion that the state can regu-
i use by the public of wild lands
grounds of public policy and
cat necessity of preserving to
|Ople of this state the natural re-
4 which are found in the timber
|ctions.
fc seems to he no good reason
person should be permitted to
b the woods owned by a private
IN and abuse the privilege az
people do by failing to exercise
! vigilance against the spread of
Fires The land owners do not
b curtal the rights and priv
as now enjoyed by the public
Great Northern may be class
fng those companies that desires
use as possible by hunter,
pen and camper of its property
messed by it's opening of its
4ighwaJs that take the sports
fight into the heart of the hunt
td fishing regions. But as Mr..
said Friday, this use should
|gulated so that losses, which
year in and year out whenever
faS0ns are robbed of their nor
(mount Of rain, may be reduced
minimum and the valuable for
preserved for future generations.
bert said he had not given the
sufficient thought to recon-
row the matter might be work
hut in a general way felt that
|nd owners should know who is
/ unto the woods and where they
Pmping so that all possible pre-
p might be taken to prevent
|Gllbert called attention to the
pat the greatest loss from for
r. is not to the land owners,
4 The state. Where stumpage
IN from 81 to So cord to the
FSner, its value, from the time
pm owner gets through with it.
r. IN value very fast and is
WV TO $50 cord to the state,
mill cost is even greater than
A forest fire really burns up
Fd'es or peoples property for
Ere by far the heaviest loser.
ring INTO consideration the great
70 the state of the woods as
resource for recreational pur-
r IN HAZARDOUS CONDITION
|rilOert in company with Garrett
r. president of the Great North
Fper Co., returned recently from
over the company's operations
o. John pond region. and Mr..
states that in all the years
oeen connected with the Great
Fin ne has never known the
70 be so dry as at the present
streams and brooks that con-
[y nave shown a good volume
[eer' he found running almost dry
r. condition prevails, he said, is
|uohs OF the company's holdings.
|''us the dry condition the woods
ana the great fire hazard that
Fu'S the timberland owners and
e'urning from his trip and
Es OF Gov. Baxter's action in