The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1948-08-05
Delegation Reports On Actual
Operation of Sustained Yield

Il am 100 per cent in favor Of
the Sustained Yield program as
saw it operating in Shelton e. and
If it can be done in Shelton, it can
be done in Libby"
The foregoing remark was made
last night by A. c. Role speaking
at meeting held in the Community
Room of the Courthouse where the
committee that investigated opera
ton of the Sustained Yield Plan i'll
Shelton, Wash, made a public re-
port. This attitude was unani-
of the committee which consisted of
Harry Moe, Ed Dutton, Bud Peck,
A. G. Role, Bill Shawl and Bill Viii
liams Jr., from the local unions, and
S. R. Smart, o. L. Gillespie and
Dexter Shaurette representing the
Libby Chamber of Commerce.
The purpose of the trip was eX-
planned by Shaurette, who stated
that in Libby there has been more
or less of an attitude of ''let the
Forestry and j. Neils work out the
sustained Weld plan between them
However the Chamber of Com
merce decided the plan should be
thoroughly investigated and if it
is as good in practical working as
it is supposed to be, no effort should
be spared to bring it to Lincoln
County. On the other hand, should
it prove to have the faults opponents
of the plan claim for it the Libby
Chamber could not endorse and
work for it.
1t was decided to ask the Union,
if interested to send a representa-
ton, and also to send men in bust
ness in the town as a joint dele
cation to learn the practical work
ing of the plan in operation. The
union was interested and the dele
cation went last week.
The report last night took the
form of a round table with Giles
pie in charge. Unfortunately one
member of the committee, Bill
Shawl was unable to be present at
the meeting but his fellow members
brought out facts which he had
also given at an earlier gathering
Harry Moe stated that he was
anxious to learn how the plan was
viewed by the labor unions, there
being both CLIO and AT. of l..
organizations employed by the oper-
ators, The Simpson Lumber Co. of
Shelton. Moe interviewed $50 people
of all classes and found only one
man who was opposed to the plan.
This man had never been employed
by the Simpson Company
Ed Dutton, also local union Of
fetal was called upon and gave an
interesting history of the co-opera-
ting company at Shelton and ex-
planned the reason it had been
chosen by the Forest Department
to cooperate in the plan, which was
that the company practiced modern
conservation methods and was will
ing to cooperate.
Role stated there had been much
opposition to the Sustained Yield
Plan before it went into operation.
This was especially so in Grays Har-
Dor County where most of the log
ging is done The Simpson Com
pany is located in Mason County at
Shelton, and the neighbor county
had been bitterly opposed to the
plan. S. R. Smart stated that at
the start of the program the asses
Sed valuation of McCleary in Grays |
Harbor County was 5000, 000 Now |
after some Is months of operation
its valuation is assessed at 100000, |
and has an annual payroll of ST.,
100000 Two years ago n was a
ghost town. The entire county of |
Grays Harbor has doubled its val
uation from what it was a few
years ago. Cut-over land which a
little over a year ago sold for ST per
acre, now sells for Sc, and refor-
work is under way. The
taxable valuation in Mason County
has increased from five million dol
lars in 1910 to eight million now
with an increase of $1,600,000 being
added in the first year of Sustained
Yield operation. There will be a
further increase next year stated o.
L. Gillespie who had checked with
county officials in Mason county. He
also stated that in 1910 monies re-
,eived from the forest reserve a
mounted 10 $4,000 During the in
ensive cutting years of the war,
his income built up to $46,000 In
946 it dropped to $4,000, and last
'ear should have dropped back to
approximately $4,000 again, but {
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