The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1941-04-24
Obtains Aid
For Special
Road Project
Important Association
Will Work to Preserve
Highway Attractiveness,
ENDORSED BY
MEETING AT POISON

Libby men were successful, in
meeting at Poison Monday, in Sc
curing endorsement of a program
for preserving strips of natural tim
Der along the highways Of western
Montana The endorsement of the
plan was by the Western Montana
Association, whose members voted
unanimously to get behind the pro-
gram and make it one of its chief
projects.
The Western Montana Association
is a voluntary organization of seven
western Montana counties, working
in support of any worthy project
for the development of the western
part of the state. The trip of the
Libby men to the Association meet
ing was in furtherance of plans
adopted at recent meeting of the
Libby Commercial Club. AT that
meeting-the forestry meeting
George Neils as committee chair
man was authorized to go ahead
with plans looking to the preserva-
ton of timber strips along highways
in this area. Commercial Club Of
ficials decided this project is one
that should interest all of the west
ern part of the state and it was de-
cided to solicit the support of the
Western Montana Association
Put Over Idea Easily
Accompanying Mr.. Neils to Pol
son were J. A. Krall, Art Greeley
and Chas. D. Rowe. The meeting
was called for o'clock. When it
convened, the chairman, Hal Che
ney, also manager Of the Missoula
Chamber OF Commerce, announced
appointment of four main commit
tees who were to meet in separate
rooms 1on1ider their subjects and
report action taken. to the general
meeting to be held later. Mr.. Neils
and Mr.. Greeley went into q COM
mittee named to hear their argu-
ments in support OF the highway
strip program. This was new idea
for the Association and had to be
sold to the membership. Mr.. Krall
was on committee named the park
exhibit committee and Mr.. Rowe
was named on the fish and game
committee.
Mr.. Neils and Mr.. Greeley were
we'll fortified with maps and data
in support of their program, and
soon had the close interest of the
rest Of their committee. The result
was that the committee reported a
resolution to the general meeting
supporting the program and nam
ing it as one of the chief projects
of the association. The resolution
was unanimously adopted. A COM
mittee was appointed to carry on
this work with Mr.. Neils as chair
man.
The action of the fish and game
committee related to matters of gen.
eral policy only. Three resolutions
were reported out of committee and
adopted by the general meeting.
The first commended the state fish
and game commission for its pub
lished statement of policies to be
followed by the commission. 1t
pledged the support OF the associa-
ton in that good work. The second
resolution commended Governor
Sam Ford for his announced in
tention of keeping administration OF
fish and game matters out OF poll
tics, urged that all employees be
hired and fired only on the basis of
merit and pledged the support of
the association in that program. The
third resolution had to do with a
matter that is causing considerable
dissatisfaction in the area around
the government wild life refugees
1t appears that sportsmen from Mis-
soula and other Montana cities are
beginning to lease certain privately
owned lands located in such way
that they largely control hunting
opportunities around the reservoirs
on the refugees. The result is that
the general public is deprived, dur
ing the hunting season, of access to
the large number of waterfowl that
fly to and from those bodies of
water. The association adopted a
resolution asking the federal au-
thorities to open to public shooting
suitable strips of land around the
reservoirs. If this is done it will
render valueless the shooting priv
ileges on the privately leased lands.
Buffal0es as an Attraction
The park exhibit project contem-
plates acquisition of 400 acres OF
land adjacent to highway No. 10
and SO and stocking it with num-
Der of buffaloes from the govern
ment bison range 1t is said that
few tourists now obtain a sight oil
the buffaloes as they are too far re-
moved from the highways BY plac-
ing them on the contemplated area
they would be an additional attrac-
ton for the many tourists travelling