The Ely miner., 1931-02-13

War drums which have been silent
for five years on the Superior National
Forest conservation, were again shared
I'D to pitch and beaten at Minneapolis
two weeks ago when the government
announced special appropriation OF
sl27O0O to be expended before July l,
1881, as relief for unemployed, for the
deyelopment of the Superior and Chip
uewa National Forests and for the con-
str7lction of fire trails or roads, there
in. The Izaak Walton League, which
was the obtector to the Ely-Buyck Trail
originally discovered that the program
called for the completion of this trail
to Buyck and graveling several miles
already built in the interests or lire
fighting. The Minneapolis Journals
editorial comments in another place in
this paper explains how the war
started anew when the appropriation
was mentioned in the governments un-
employment program.
ssss
Those who have resided here for the
past forty or more years and have w.t.
messed the hardshipS occasioned the
fire fighters when called upon to 6ght
a forest fire twenty or thirty miles
from town, reached only by canoe after
two or three days of padding, were OF
the opinion that trails to such places,
sufficiently improved to allow car
loaded with fighters and pumps TO
reach the spot, was just about right.
However, while they thought they were
right, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana and Twin
CITY people, large portion of whom
have never seen the country-say they
are wrong. When the scrap was at It's
height, the Twin City sports main
tanned that they wanted the country
hereabouts and along the border pre-
served for "posterity then quail
fed their remarks by stating that they
wanted it for hunting and fishing"
The Ely-Buyck Trail is only what its
name implies. There are venturesome
souls, however, who have made the
trip over the finished portion in their
car and trusted to luck they would not
meet car going in the opposite direc-
ton. Those who have been along the
trail marvel at the beauty of the
scenery and the abundance of wild life
In the territory visited. With the COM
pletion of the trail to Buyck communi-
cation would be established between
two fire fighting bases. In the interest
of conservation it would seem that this
would be a fine move. The claim Is
made that the fire hazard IS increased
with the advent of cars along these
trails. Statistics prepared by the gov
ernment officials, however, disprove
this claim According to figures. the
larger part of the fires originate In
out-of -the-way places where the fire
has gotten away from some coffee
cooker, berry picker or fish smoker.
Tightening is accountable for a large
number Quick action is necessary to
cope with these fires and every hour
at the beginning counts. Hence the
necessity for trails.
ssss
We, up here are satisfied. Just the
same, we would like to have the people
entrusted with the care of the forests
have something to say about how they
are to be administered. The most of
us are not adverse to 'unsightly shaft
houses" neither are we adverse to the
timber industry and for that reason
hope the government continues its sus-
tanned yield timber policy. In order to
do this they should be allowed to at
tend to matters for which they are
being paid; for which they have f1t-