LUMBER INDUSTRY 



185 



because of the "tying up" of natural re- 

 sources are themselves deliberately tying 

 them up far more effectively for private 

 gain. 



The fact that mature timber is thus with- 

 held from use is clear evidence that great 

 additional profits are expected to accrue 

 through further increase in value. 



Land monopoly. — -Standing timber is not 

 the only question. When the timber has been 

 cut the land remains. There has been created, 

 therefore, not only the framework of an 

 enormous timber monopoly, but also an 

 equally sinister land concentration in ex- 

 tensive sections. This involves also a great 

 wealth in minerals. The Southern Pacific 

 has 4,318,000 acres in northern California 

 and western Oregon, and, with the Union 

 Pacific, which controls it, millions of acres 

 elsewhere. (The government, however, is 

 now suing to annul title to the Southern 

 Pacific lands in Oregon for non-compliance 

 with the terms of the original grants.) 

 The Northern Pacific owns 3,017,000 acres 

 of timber land and millions more of non- 

 timbered land. The Weyerhaeuser Timber 

 Company owns 1,945,000 acres. In Florida, 

 five holders have 4,000,000 acres, and the 

 187 largest timber holders have over 15,- 

 800.000 acres, nearly one-half the land area 

 of the State. In the whole investigation 

 area the 1,802 largest holders of timber 

 have, together, 88,579,000 acres (not in- 

 cluding Northern Pacific and Southern Pa- 

 cific lands in non-timbered regions); which 

 would make an average holding of 49,000 

 acres, or 77 square miles. 



Finally, to timber concentration and to 

 land concentration Is added, in our most 

 important timber section, a closely con- 

 nected railroad domination. The formid- 

 able possibilities of this combination in the 

 Pacific-Northwest and elsewhere are of the 

 gravest public importance. 



TirE FUTURE. — These are the facts of the 

 lumber business in its most important 

 feature, the natural supply. The para- 

 mount consideration remains still to be 

 stated. There are many great combinations 

 in other industries whose formation is 

 complete. In the lumber industry, on the 

 other hand, the Bureau finds now in the 

 making .1 combination caused, fundament- 

 ally, by a long-standing public policy. The 

 concentration already existing is suflSci- 

 ently impressive. Still more impressive are 

 the possibilities for the future. In the last 

 40 years concentration has so proceeded 

 that 195 holders, many interrelated, now 

 have practically one-half of the privately 

 owned timber in the investigation area 

 (which contains 80 per cent of the whole). 

 This formidable process of concentration, 

 in timber and in land, certainly involves 

 grave future possibilities of impregnable 

 monopolistic conditions, whose far-reaching 

 consequences to society it is now difficult 

 to anticipate fully or to overestimate. 



Such are the past history, present status, 

 and apparent future of our timber re- 

 sources. The underlying cause is our pub- 

 lic-land policy, resulting in enormous loss 



of wealth to the public and its monopoliza- 

 tion by a few interests. It lies before us 

 now as a forcible object lesson for the 

 future management of all the natural re- 

 sources still remaining in the hands of the 

 government. 



Hardwood Nanufacturers' Association 



The Hardwood Manufacturers' Associa- 

 tion held a great meeting at Cincinnati, 

 January 31st and February 1st. The ad- 

 ministration of President Carrier has betn 

 most successful. In his annual address Mr. 

 Carrier referred to the alarming decrease in 

 the hardwood supply shown by government 

 statistics, verified by the association, as 

 meaning "constantly increasing values of 

 stumpage, with little hope of practical re- 

 forestation — a condition the gravity of 

 which must be recognized by every oper- 

 ator." 



The report of the secretary, Lewis Doster, 

 gave the amount of lumber shipped in 1910 

 by members of the association at 659,- 

 022.000 feet. 



W. B. Townsend presented a report for 

 the committee on forest conservation, in 

 which he said that the subject was many 

 sided, and in the current discussion of it 

 too much ill-feeling and slander had been 

 stirred up to accomplish the maximum of 

 public good at the minimum expense. He 

 alluded to the forests still remaining in 

 Oregon and in the South from Maryland 

 to Texas as refuting the pessimist who is 

 constantly crying "Wolf! wolf! where there 

 is no wolf and, who, with sanctimonious 

 air and grieved expression, claims that 

 with present methods of manufacture — 

 which he calls destruction — we will have 

 no standing timber left in a decade." He 

 took up the question of forest fires and 

 criticised severely the expenditure of its 

 funds under a former chief, claiming that 

 of its $20,000,000 vast sums had been used 

 to employ and pay lecturers, etc., which 

 should have been used to provide fire pro- 

 tection. In closing, he said: "The costly 

 lessons of this year I trust will result in sub- 

 stituting practical for theoretical methods — 

 for it surely has been demonstrated that 

 lectures, editorial, or news articles cannot 

 stop the ravages of a forest fire. I am 

 glad to note a change along these lines, 

 and I believe we may expect very material 

 improvements from the present adminis- 

 tration of this important department of 

 our government." A vote was taken en- 

 dorsing the sentiments expressed by Mr. 

 Townsend. 



In his comments on the pessimist. Jlr. 

 Townsend seems to have hit President 

 Carrier, for the latter's statement in his 

 annual address regarding the hardwood 

 supply certainly challenged Mr. Town- 

 send's confidence in our security. In re- 

 gard to his criticisms of expenditure by 

 the Forest Service Mr. Townsend seems 

 to have got his inspiration from the article 

 t)V Senator Carter of Montana, which was 

 given so much publicity last autumn. The 



