The independent-reporter., 1923-03-22

r.o figures gwen mere al tdheii
'n' ,he report of the Forest Com
o'n ,.nar M, for 1917 Speaking of the
lssloA O holding of forest land in
.'Ss he SAYS there are
i holdings Of over loo'Voo acres
81 q holdines of over 100000 acres
I holdings of over 100000 acres
tsoJing of over 100000 acres.
.ss the commissioner says, it is
s,;sng 10 note altho a great num-
d individual owners are repres-
y in this large area. OF course
- millions acres are in farmers
sdlots. o.n;. ;,
ssvs aFederal or State ownership
,jmberlands, particularly of cut
!, and neglected lands is to be
s,ad and will in great measure
IN to insure the future supply. On
hlic reserves such forestry meth
and regulations may be put into
octice as would not be practical
priyate owners to carry out.
[lyate ownership must generally
,cprn itself with some immediate
.urns from timber investments.
,srest charges and heavy tax
,den have tendency to force the
uing of timberlands privately
ped while public ownership can de-
the harvest until the most oppor-
Ne time Private ownership is al
ys subject to change while public
uership is permanent and a per-
auent forest policy can be carried
n'
This is very conservative state
mi of the case for public ownership
seially the reference to "cut over
neglected lands
lltho many people will deny the
btence of a lumber monopoly, a
Nv of the above list of land hold
ID would give one suspicion that
|ere is a tendency in that direction
len if we have not yet arrived. The
kng to consider is not SO much our
ssent location as the direction we
h taking.
|The experience Of Maine like that of
|her states under private ownership
timber lands has not been encourag-
The result you can see in river
living time on any Maine river, in
\ size of the floating logs. The
hber land owner is not looking out
his grandchildren. At least not
the way of providing timber for him
cut. He does not try for a sec
u crop. He leaves the slash and
cause of it, uncomfortable fires COM
kte the devastation he began. His
pttO is "0ne crop, take all that will
turn cent of profit then move to
mher place. Public ownership is
ferent-its motto is service first,
foft second Profit is not left out
the account, not even cash. profit.
A report issued by the L. S. De-
prtment of Agriculture says start
q with forests that were in as bad
bape as many of our own cut over
PEAS, Germany raised the average
eh Of wood per acre from twenty
fbic feet in 1880 to seyenty-eig
Olc feet in 1908. During the same
frod 1t trebled the proportion of
Pw timber secured from the average
which means in other words that
~ the practice of forestry the tim
frands of Germany are three times
'ler quality today than when no sys-
was used. In a little over half
century it increased the money re-
Jus fresh an average acre of forest
'enlold, and today the forests are
better condition than ever before"
Pc town Of Forbach, Germany, had
annual net profit Of 12.14 per acre
lsl3 The municipal forest of
rlch in Switzerland returns a net
ent OF ever six dollars an acre.
iae Maine numbering business has
en good Tor Maine. but not unmixed
@' Let us not copy a timid con-
Fr~ton that would confine a states
ts'ry scheme to "cut-over and ne
1led areas, but with bold radi-
,Sai let US speculate on a large
'nat sort OF d scheme would it be
me State to take over the nine
""oh SIX hundred thousand acres in
forestry district at the assessed
.as'Ioh which is about seventy mil
~ uoliars. At least pay the owners
Ias' II mas cost them. Some of It
.osi the owners more than seven
,sls an acre and much of it a great
~ 'esS. Allow the State to issue
40 at I'VE percent and two million
E 10 pay the seventy millions in
It'.nfe m Inv, years, making it five and
million 2early for expense. A
1 moht OF ifty-seven cents per acre
su pay he bill. But, make or
sa.' a' pu1le utilities such as rail
"d'efForks, gas works, etc,
= no call for a provision for
sIN'auoh Under scientific forest
e'e Is always an increase in
.rs ., allowing that after little
H. 'nouia oe a profit net of three
.a ah aefe which would amount
-eignt million eight hundred
sauu saaS doiiars, how would it seem
NJ WI ~ municipality to get from the
thoi. nSleae If tax bill a check
M, - proportional part of this in
= dino.poe Does II sound queer? There
'en' points of view. To many