Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1926-10-28
FARM BUREAU BACKS
FOREST AMENDMENT
Federation Joins Other Organiza-
tons to Work for Conservation
Program in Minnesota.

The Minnesota Farm Bureau feder-
alton has Joined forces with other or
CARNATIONS in the state to work for a
conservation program which is CEN
tered upon the passage of Amend
ment No. 2-the reforestation amend
nent-by the voters at the general
election on November 2.
A meeting at the state capital on
Oct. 2 was attended by represent
atives of &c organizations with a
combined membership of 100000.
They included the Farm Bureau,
Forestry association, Izaak Walton
league and other sportsmen's organ
izations, American Legion and Aux
Hilary, Ten Thousand Lakes associ-
alton, Commercial clubs, Rotary, XII
wants and other civic clubs.
This meeting discussed conservation
problems in general and decided that
the passage of the forestation amend
mendment was the task needing every
effort at the present time. The or
CARNATIONS present formed perma-
nent conservation council to consist
of Is members to be named by Geo.
H. Selover, chairman.
Effective support for the forestry
amendment is being given by the
state Farm Bureau federation which
is sending to it's local units the fol-
lowing statement:
Amendment No. 2 and What 1t Means.
Amendment No. reads as follows:
Laws may be enacted for the pur-
pose of encouraging and promoting
forestation and reforestation of lands
in this state, whether owned by pri-
vate persons or the public, including
the fixing in advance of definite
and limited annual tax on such lands
for term of years and yield tax
years upon the timber and other
forest products so grown, but the
taxation of mineral deposits shall not
be affected by this amendment"
The amendment to be voted on,
if carried, is merely an enabling act
giving the legislature authority to do
certain things in promoting forest
alton and reforestation in Minnesota
which can not be done now under
authority of the constitution.
1t is impossible, and would be un-
fair, to predict in advance just what
the laws would be as worked out by
the legislature. However, if We have
confidence in the men whom we elect
to represent us, we must have faith
that they wifi work out plan which
will be equitable and fair and rep
resent their best judgment and wishes
of their constituents.
Reforestation of certain lands in
Minnesota is not only for the preserv-
alton of TIE land itself, and for rails
ing something on the land for the
benefit of the future, but it is i'm
portant for taking care of the water
supply of this region. Some day we
are going to wake up and realize that
our timber supply is gone and our
water levels going down, down, down.
The growing of timber is the grow
ing of a farm crop. Let us make it
possible to grow the kind of crop
that nature intended should be grown
on some of the areas in Minnesota
that are better adapted to the growing
of this crop than any other.
1t is important that some action
should be taken at this time when
large blocks of land in the area which
this amendment is designed to help
cover, are coming back to the state
in the delinquent tax list, due to the
low value on the land, no yield or
return per year, and high tax rate.
Would it not be right to expect
that the owner would pay a reason
able, definite and limited annual tax
on these lands Tor period of years
until they come into production, and
then when they come into production
knowing he is going to get yield
be willing to pay yield tax at
that time?