Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1925-05-20
CONSERVATION

Wisconsin, said Mr.. Sherman there
are eleven million acres Of prospec-
tive timber-bearing land, which
should in fifty years bring an in
come of about three hundred and
thirty million dollars.
Another loss that still is going
on, and even to fearful proportions,
is the fre-loss in our great timber
regions. The Journal summed this
up for us rather concretely the
other day: 'Fifty-four years ago, in
1871, the forest burned at Peshtigo.
The city was wiped out, 1900 died,
100000 acres burned. Thirty-one
years ago, in 1894, fire swept over
Phillips, 300 died, thousands of
acres Of timber fell. Seven years
ago, in 1918, all the world read
about Cloquet, MINI. Four hun
dred people struggled in smoke and
flames, died, were left amid the
ruins of thirty million dollars
worth of timber. In 1923 there were
5000 forest fires in Wisconsin. In
1924 the whole western shore was
ablaze. And men still mourn and
shake their heads, but do not learn
their lesson.
While such waste is going on
there is abundant occasion to
preach conservation. For the
necessary correction Of our spend
thrift habits we must look in part
to governmental regulation, and in
part to the development Of individ-
ual vision and an individual con-
science in this matter. You who
are interested in the conservation
Of fish and game are aware that
both governmental and individual
cooperation are necessary to its
success. This is equally true in the
preservation of our forests. Accord
ing to John Kenlon, Chief of the
Fire Department Of New York
City, the losses by fire in this coun-
try were equivalent to that which
would be suffered if every one of
it's hundred million inhabitants had
burned a five dollar bill. And by
far the largest item in the list of
causes of those fires was matches
and smoking. individuals cannot
bring about reforms alone, espec-
tally where projects Of the magni-
tude of the demonstration Of Wis
consin are involved; but the gov
eminent can not and will not bring
them to pass without the interest,
demand, and cooperation Of large
numbers Of it's citizens. As DR..
Frank Crane said, Civilization is
organization" And none perhaps
has put the case better than Kip
ling, when he declared:
1T amt the guns nor armament,
nor funds that they can pay,
But the close cooperation that
makes them win the day.
1t amt the individual, nor the
army as a whole,
But the everlasting team work of
every blooming soul
Herbert Hoover cites the impor-
lance of cooperation in eliminating
the wastes which in a large meas
ure account for our high market
ing costs. Il do not mean" he ex-
plains, the waste Of any single in
dividual can correct by his own mi
tiative, but the waste that can
only find remedy in collective ac-
ton. | am disposed to agree with
a recent report Of the Engineering
Council that these wastes amount
in many lines to % or 30 per cent
Of the cost paid by the consumer
or producer Of raw materials.
believe that much of this waste
can be eliminated by voluntary
cooperation in industry and COM
merce without governmental regU-
lation. Here is one of the strik-
ing savings he cites to illustrate
his point Of what can be done by
cooperation. Our production and
distribution" he points out, move
on wings of documents. We make
specifications and contracts and re-
ceipts and invoices and bills of
lading and forms and documents
of a thousand varieties.
Recently a conference of ware
housemen developed that more
than 200 different warehouse docu-
ments were in use to serve a single
purpose. They were by common
action reduced to single standard
form. This narrow sector of one
trade estimates there is a saving of
five million dollars year in cler-
ical work and vast saving in litiga-
ton and disputes" Again, Mr..