The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1947-05-15
Greater Libby
Meeting Well
Attended Fri.

which has been aroused in the fu
ture welfare of our community. Tn
meeting held in the Junior Higl
School Auditorium under ausplce
of The Montana Study Group, wa
presided over by the group chair
man, Miss IneZ Ratekin.
Miss Ratekin, after calling th'
meeting to order, stated IT'S pur
nose. to consider recommendation
made by the Montana Study Group
resulting from the series Of meet.
ings held during the winter months
as well as any other recommends
tions which might be presented al
the meeting. The chairman also
stated. the formation of a Greater
Libby Association would be consio-
cred during the evening.
When the meeting was thrown
open to general discussion, Supt.
Gillespie of the Libby Schools. was
the first to take the floor. He rec
commended the favorable considera-
ton and Endorsement by the meet
ing of the Sustained Yield plan
which is now under consideration
for the Kootenai Forest. Forest Su-
pervisor Guernsey was called upon,
and stated there are Sc million feet
of national forest timber available
annually in the Libby-Troy section
for cutting He also stated approx
mately 270 carloads of Christmas
trees were shipped during 1916
from Lincoln County.
Discussing the Sustained Yield
program, Guernsey said agreements
with private companies under this
plan are from 30 or so years. Thirty
wear agreements have to do with
first cuttings and so year plans with
additional tree crops In the pro-
posed local set-up the j. Neils Lum-
her Co. would have an annual
guarantee from the national forest
of 40 million feet in addition to the
timber from their own private hoio-
ings. In order to cooperate IN TINS
plan the Neils would set ASIDE
stipulated amount of their private
" owned timber lands, to be man
aged by the forest service as 10
what and how much they could cut
at any time during the life OF the
Walter Neils. vice president Of the
]. Neils Company, stated should the
plan be put into effect, their com,
PAW. which was incorporated 5z
years ago, will place over ll3,OOO
acres of timber land under forest
Incidently the company
now carries a payroll in Lincoln
County which runs from Sl3O,OOO to
$3.50. 900 per month. 1t was further
;tated in the discussion that all
axisting sawnills in the county Will
,e sustained Under the plan ana
enough extra timber will be avail
,ble for an additional mill at Troy.
The effect of the Sustained Yield
m hunting and fishing, and on the
christmas tree harvest was also dis
,ussed. Christmas tree cutting on {
,ational forest lands will 60 ahead
Inder the plan as it does now.
More logging roads Will be opened
10 into remote parts OF the forest
,ut all logging reads are aVaiiaole
or public use except those Wnere
ogging operations are IN progress
which as was explained by Walter 7
Ieils. and by Robert Neils OF the I
woods department, otfer
great hazard for public use on ac-
cunt of variations in the rules OF l
he road" on logging roads and pub
c highways. One instance cited be- I
ng that loaded logging trucks have F
ight of way on the inside OF curves 9
eeardless of the right or left side e
f the road. This constitutes no /
hange in the road use policy in Ell I
ect in all national timber sales at d
ne present time However all log n
ing roads which traverse private c
,nds will henceforth become public t
ropertv vested in the United l
tates government. 1t is presumed a
rat under normal conditions at the c
lose of a cutting cycle, the annual +
lt under the Sustained Yield, may n
e increased over the same area. Il
Paul Church was called upon for ;
iscussion regarding the proposed 4
ew Libby Hospital, which has the ,
acking of all organizations and .
tizens interested in their own and ,.
le community's welfare. He sum- II
Iarized the information which has =
reviously been given at Lions q
lettings and through the columns =
[ The Western News. to the effect II
lat the present hospital was built
II Is beds and is badly crowded; y
handles annually approximately y
IS maternity cases in addition to 8
10 major operations and from 100 ?
200 tonsilectomies, etc. III
A new IS bed hospital is a must II
IT this community, and will cost q,
$4,000 per bed. There h
far too much work here for one II
1ctor to handle alone with salts h
ction either to himself or the f.
immunity. and until new hospi- Il
j is at least assured, the field will o,
1t appeal to physicians, the greater "
srcentage of whom at the present ii
me, are being attracted to city Il
-actice. n
Two plans for the hospital were Ii
scussed: One to make it a strictly tc
,n-sectarian community institu- in
On, all funds being raised from ii
e community as a whole; and the al
her plan, to work with the pre-
mt hospital board of the ST. Johns fc
lutheran Church, electing an advi- III
ny board from outside the parish m
xvcvk with fha CT lohnir hoard mo