42 



CONSERVATION 



man on somewhat of a large scale, but I do 

 not build one single structure today of lum- 

 ber. Every structure that I build is of con- 

 crete and steel — largely of concrete. I built 

 a large mill of concrete this very summer, 

 and built a large factory establishment also, 

 all of concrete. It sounds strange for a lum- 

 berman to advocate anything of the kind, but 

 I am one of these lumbermen who believes 

 strongly in the conservation of our forests. 

 Just before I part from you, there is one 



thing I desire to say to you. Canada has the 

 advantage — and I am surprised to be in posi- 

 tion to tell you so, and you will be surprised 

 to hear it, many of you — Canada has the 

 advantage of having secured a large portion 

 of her lumber supply this year from the 

 United States. I am a lumberman and it 

 sounds strange to come from me, but I want 

 you to send it on. Keep sending it to us. 

 Our timber will grow in the meantime, and 

 we will profit later on. 



Mr. Lathrop, representing the State 

 Con,servation Commission of Alabama, 

 was then recognized for a brief ad- 

 dress. He stated that the leading tim- 

 ber authorities are at one in stating 

 that former estimates of Alabama's 

 timber resources are entirely at fault. 

 He stated that not more than ten per 

 cent, of the original timber stand of 

 the State remains, and that the denuda- 

 tion is progressing at an alarmingly 

 rapid rate. Much of the remaining 

 timber, he stated, is second growth, 

 immature trees such as, if properly 

 cared for and scientifically lumbered, 

 would constitute a constant timber re- 



source ; but he added that, under ex- 

 isting conditions and with present 

 methods, by far the larger part of this 

 immature timber is being destroyed 

 and wasted. Of the thirty-five counties 

 of Northern Alabama still containing 

 merchantable timber in commercial 

 quantites, he stated that one-third 

 would, within the next six to ten years, 

 be ctit over and converted to the uses 

 of agriculture. About one-half of the 

 lands in the territory mentioned are un- 

 fit for cultivation and should be made 

 into State or National forests. 



A short address by Mr. Andrew Car- 

 negie followed : 



ADDRESS OF MR. ANDREW CARNEGIE 



CIRCUMSTANCES over which I have no 

 control have prevented me from being 

 with you before. I want to tell you 

 how enthused, how elevated, how delighted, 

 how instructed I have been by this meeting. 

 I have not enjoyed a morning like this at a 

 meeting for a long time, and I will tell you 

 why. 



The great obstacle to the reforms that we 

 work for today, the conservation of our re- 

 sources, lies in a Federal system of govern- 

 ment, the general government. None of us 

 would part with that. The relation of the 

 Federal Government to the States is a matter 

 of decided importance, of course. That rela- 

 tion should continue. We must have it. The 

 great obstacle today, as you see, is to get the 

 States and the Nation to work together. That 

 is the one obstacle we must overcome. I told 

 the Waterways Commission a story to show 

 how rapidly we are advancing and sinking 

 the State into the Nation — not obliterating it, 

 however. We are all citizens of some of the 

 States, Pennsylvania, Alabama, South Caro- 

 lina, Virginia, Minnesota, and others. We 

 are something higher and wider than that. 

 We are all Americans ! Let us remember 

 that. 



I asked Mr. Blaine once, "What is the 

 most effective speech you ever heard in Con- 



gress?" "I will tell you," he said. "It was 

 the first time that it was proposed to appro- 

 priate National money for fresh water im- 

 provement, and the House became excited 

 and angry. Governor Ritter, of Pennsylvania, 

 had been elected a member of Congress. He 

 had never spoken and had never risen, but 

 to the astonishment of the Speaker, the old 

 gentleman arose. The House hushed in a 

 moment. Everyone asked, 'What is coming?' 

 Governor Ritter said : 



"'Mr. Speaker, I do not know anything 

 particular about the Constitution, but I know 

 this : I would not give a cent for a constitu- 

 tion that would not wash just as well in fresh 

 water as it did in salt water.' " 



The House did what you did, gentlemen. 

 It burst into one storm of applause, and that 

 bill was passed, and that is the foundation of 

 our whole fresh water improvement today. 

 Go on in that direction. Let us go further 

 and further in that direction, and all will be 

 well. 



I wish to say something to the gentlemaia 

 from Canada. I am a broad American. No 

 lines confine me in that respect. The city of 

 Winnepeg has a library. They founded a 

 historical society, and the first honorary mem- 

 ber was your humble servant. I wrote them 

 telling how delighted I was, first, because 



