The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1931-05-28
TREES GONE LAKES
AND GAME GOING
State Auditor King Flags
Lumber Companies as FRA
vagers" of Resources
CALLS FOR SHOWDOWN
Forests Torn Down for the
Gain of a Few Lumber
Corporations

A strong plea for conservation
as vital to Minnesota's future was
made recently by Stafford King,
state auditor, in an address be-
fore luncheon meeting of the Mid
way club.
In his talk Mr.. King scored lum-
Der companies for "ravaging the
states timber" criticized the legis-
lature for its attitude toward state
school funds and condemned the
Federal government policy Of
Strengthening the Mississippi river.
I'm the old days" he said, Min
nesota was a timber state, the
greatest in the nation. Today we
are forced to import a large per-
centage of the lumber we use. Our
resources are going and nothing, is
being done to replace them.
Because our forests are gone,
our game is being destroyed. Be
cause of the indiscriminate drain
ing of swamp land, our lakes are
going dry and our fish being des-
troyed."
Commenting on treatment of the
waters of the state, Mr.. King
touched on the Twin Cities sewage
disposal problem.
Pollution of the Mississippi by
st. Paul and Minneapolis" he said,
"is the greatest menace to public
health, to public improvements and
to property values ever perpetrated
in the history of the state. It is the
result of the selfishness of us in the
Twin Cities. We simply dump our
sewage in the river because that
is the easiest way to get rid of it."
Because of the destruction of ma
tural resources, the speaker assert
ed, various conservation groups are
being organized throughout the
state.
"As result of the individual &C
ton Of these groups" he said, "a
general conservation program has
been developed which found ex-
preston in the introduction of a
bill in the last legislature provid-
ing for a state department of con-
servation. headed by a conserva-
ton commissioner, with deputy
commissioners in charge of the.
program.
UNLESS we work out some pro-
gram like this we are not good
citizens. We will have been dere-
lict in our duty and destroyed our
children's heritage. Conservation is
a question Of self-preservation
from the standpoint of health, re-
creation, business and industry"
Mr.. King said that, when Mime
sofa was admitted to the Union,
various lands were set aside as
sources of revenue for schools and
other public institutions.
Unfortunately" he said, "the
has shown a tendency
in recent years to break down this
trust Of the state. The tendency
was well illustrated by the action
of the legislature some years ago
in submitting to the voters an
to the state constiu-
ion providing that any lands con-
sidered better suited to forestry
than to agriculture could be taken
out of the trust. This amendment
was passed.
"The members of the legislature
are good citizens at home, but
when they take their seats in the
capitol, they become practical poll
ticians. Each is in favor of the
which he believes will be
most to his advantage.
"Now the time has come for a
showdown on the question of who
shall have the responsibility for the
states trusts. The states attor-
ney general is taking long time
to decide, and may take it to the
supreme court before he is through.
Meanwhile, our resources are
being destroyed. I read an edi-
toria1 the other day which said:
The lumber companies took untold |
millions Of wealth from our state
but we can't find any community
which has been benefited by the
Of schools or churches
BY the lumber companies that took |
he timber
"This was written in bitterness
and no wonder. In Ttasca county,
where I came from, I saw the for
ssts torn down for the gain Of a
'ew corporations. Our land has
been stripped. The trees have not |
been cut down scientifically. The
and simply has been ravaged, left |
With nothing but stumps.
These stumps lands don't pay
axes, either. They are nows nom
productive, and non-productive
and isn't taxed. That means that |
he productive land bears the en-
ire tax burden"